Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine written by Gloria Whelan (in hilarious rhyming text) and illustrated (fantastically) by Nancy Carpenter. Look at this cover??? Absolutely LOVED it! So much so that I was almost afraid to open it and be disappointed. And then, the end pages…
The summer before my freshman year of high school, I decided I wanted to be a sportswriter. I devoured the sports section of my local newspaper, The Oshkosh Northwestern, and the sports section of The Milwaukee Sentinel. I also read Sports Illustrated magazine and books by Frank Deford, the sportswriting king …
Maybe it’s because my own kids had glow-in-the-dark space stickers (that, honestly, I think impressed me more than them). Maybe it’s because I like penguins. (Who doesn’t?) Wait. I think the real reason I’m loving Ella and Penguin Stick Together, by debut author Megan Maynor (with darling illustrations by Rosaline …
At a bookstore this week I stumbled across the rerelease of a book I remember as a child, TIME FOR SPRING, by Crockett Johnson. A title that is particularly fitting for this time of year, and Johnson is a particular favorite of mine. Most everyone loves his books like HAROLD’S PURPLE CRAYON, …
I love hearing people’s path-to-publication stories. I mean, who doesn’t love a tale of struggle, heartache, and resilience in overcoming steep odds? So when my friend Susie Wilde—writing coach, teacher, and Kid Lit Ambassador Extraordinaire—told me her student Lucy Rozier recently had her first book published, I knew I wanted her to visit …
I’m back with a follow-up report on my previous post about ‘ Favorite Classic Animal Characters’ in picture books. Thanks to everyone for commenting and suggesting titles! I’ve been on a quest to find anthropomorphic characters that I could love as much as those chapter book classics; Frog and Toad, Winnie-the-Pooh, …
We’ve all heard the famous saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But that’s really hard to do! When I see a beautiful picture book cover, I can’t help myself. I have to pick it up and start reading right away. My hunch is you do too! So for this post I’d …
Here’s something to crow about— Yaks Yak, Animal Word Pairs by Linda Sue Park and illustrated by me hits the bookshelves today! In this fun and funny picture book “Bugs bug bugs”, ” Flounders flounder”, and “Steers steer”! I asked Linda Sue where her idea came from for the book, and …
Spring is right around the corner, and I can’t wait to watch my flowerbeds unfold, leaf by leaf. The weeding that soon follows? Meh. But that dirty work is rewarded when I come upon a toad hiding in a shady spot. Good to know they’re in there, eating the slugs …