I visited Nerd Camp Michigan this summer — a gathering of teachers, librarians, writers and artists — where I had the great good fortune to see an advance copy of a book by Carter Higgins and Lucy Ruth Cummins called THIS IS NOT A VALENTINE. The book doesn’t release until …
A friend recently introduced me to Phyllis Root’s new book, ANYWHERE FARM (Candlewick, illustrated by G. Brian Karas). The farming/gardening side of me rejoiced to see another book of the “plant a seed” variety, and, from the very first page, the writer side of me happily absorbed Ms. Root’s cheerful, …
In Prince and Pirate, by Charlotte Gunnufson, illustrated by Mike Lowery, two completely different fish, one a prince, the other a pirate (thus the name of the book,) living in their own private domains (fishbowls) are scooped up by some greater force from above (with a net) and plopped into …
Hey, folks! Here’s a challenge for you: Write an alphabet book. Use just one or two words per page, starting with an A-word on the first page and proceeding through the alphabet till the final Z-word on the last. Make it appealing to kids just learning their alphabet, full …
Hello again! As an author and an illustrator, I really enjoy studying how different illustrators work – what makes what they do, or how they tell a story, great. Isabelle Arsenault is an award winning author/illustrator who’s work is immediately recognizable as hers. It’s very different from my own, and …
Big treat on Picture Book Builders today! The fabulous, non-fiction queen, April Pulley Sayre, is joining us to share a few details about her upcoming book, FULL OF FALL, releasing from Beach Lane Books next month. The book also includes gorgeous photographs taken by the multi-talented April. I’ve been a …
Typically, I like to share books that are new to the scene, but, in case you have never read the oh-so-scrumpious Carnivores, written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Dan Santat, I decided to do a short and sweet post about it. Description from the publisher, Chronicle Books: The lion …
It’s raining, it’s pouring in Sam Usher’s glorious new picture book appropriately titled “Rain”. I had it in the back of my mind for a while to post about it just because I’m dying to scream out to all of you, “HOW DOES SOMEONE PAINT WATER LIKE THAT?????”, but I …
I know. I KNOW. It feels like summer vacation just started. You’ve barely cleaned out your kid’s backpack from this past year. You still have friends’ graduation parties to attend. You haven’t even taken a vacation. But the calendar does not lie, my friend. Now that July 4 has passed …
What kiddo doesn’t love a silly story once in awhile? Good thing they’re so easy to write. Hahahaha! We wish. Silly stories are often the toughest to get right. But Jason Gallaher does exactly that in his quirky, exuberant debut, WHOBERT WHOVER, OWL DETECTIVE (Margaret K. McElderry Books) I was …