Hard to believe how 2018 has flown by. I didn’t want it to end without thanking YOU, loyal readers, for dropping in on us again and again, keeping up with us as we talk all things picture books. Thanks, too, for your occasional comments. Not much fun writing if nobody’s …
I have a love/hate relationship with wordless picture books. Well, not really “love/hate,” more like a “love/um?” relationship. As an illustrator, my love for them is obvious. A whole story told in pictures! How cool is that? As a parent, “reading” wordless picture books to kids, for me, was occasionally …
Recently, while skimming the New York Times obituary section, I was sad to see a name I recognized: Louise DeSalvo, author of numerous memoirs, essays, fiction and writing books. Although I didn’t know Louise, I’ve admired her from afar. Her book The Art of Slow Writing is one of my favorite …
Hello everyone! Today I’m looking forward to posting about Cale Atkinson’s latest book, SIR SIMON:Super Scarer! Now normally you’d think a book about a ghost should have been my October post, but trust me, this book is good enough to be read in any season. Today I’ll be talking about …
Last Saturday I was at the NCSS conference in Chicago signing books. It was fun meeting enthusiastic teachers from across the country, but I also had another assignment that day. My goal was to find a new book to feature in this week’s PBB post. After a bit of searching, …
Are you looking for a board book that offers humor, invites little listeners to make predictions, and provides opportunities for these aforementioned little listeners to engage in some empathy? Are you wanting a board book that appeals to both kids and grownups? Are you hoping to find a board book …
Geraldine is a spunky “drama queen” of a giraffe. On the very first page, the only line on the page is given to us by Geraldine, “I’m moving.” She says draped like a deflated balloon over a stool. Obviously Geraldine is unhappy about a move. Geraldine is even more …
It’s Black Friday, a traditional day of shopping. But I’m still thinking about yesterday — Thanksgiving. So I’ve decided to share two books that I’m thankful I read this year. They’re picture books, and they’re very different in what they do and why it works. I discovered them both recently …
This summer, at NerdCampKansas, I met author Marcie Colleen and, as children’s book people tend to do, formed an instant bond (and wished we didn’t live half a continent from one another). While visiting, I was lucky enough to get a peek at the F&G of her latest picture book, …
Back in September, I led a workshop called “Writing the Rollicking Read-Aloud” at the Carolinas SCBWI conference. To prepare for it, I brought home stacks of recent-ish picture books, trying to figure out which ones to feature in my presentation. Although half the two-hour session focused on writing in rhyme, …