Alphabet books are staples in this industry that I often miss. I don’t necessarily gravitate towards them because, whatever their concept, I’m usually certain I’ve seen it before. And few are compelling enough for multiple reads. Some are agonizing in their yawn-inducing lessons about letters. Maybe it is because they are rarely …
Ever worked on a manuscript with a case of the blahs? I have, more times than I care to think about. But the next time I find myself mired in blandness, I have a strategy to try: Role reversal. Yep, the old switcheroo. Let’s consider a few examples. Lots of little girls …
The Austrian illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger is a favorite, especially among other illustrators — there are so many characteristics of her paintings that draw us in and amaze us. When I’m asked why she’s one of my favorites, I often find it hard to put into words. Lisbeth chooses to depict scenes we …
During a school visit a few months ago a teacher commented that my upcoming picture book, The Inventor’s Secret, would be the perfect title to kick off a school Genius Hour program. Well, not being much of a genius myself, I had to admit to her that I’d never heard of Genius …
Kim Norman’s latest picture book is the oh-so-groovy This Old Van (Sterling, August 4). Kim is one of the members in my critique group, the PBJeebies, and, let me tell you, there is so much to love about this book. It’s a real deal story based on a catchy and …
RED, A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall is wonderfully witty and clever and I’m excited to point out some of the smart choices that this author/illustrator has made. First, notice the cover (above), the crayon’s wrapper is red, but its color is not. Uh oh.. here-in lies the problem.
First things first. My last post included a giveaway, so I’m happy to announce that the WINNERS of the newest Explore My World books from National Geographic Kids are: Baby Animals – Katy Duffield Nighttime – Kathy Doherty Congrats, you two, and a big THANK YOU to all who entered. …
I started writing a post about the importance of virtual community for creatives that work alone. But I trashed it at the last minute. I was using that theme as an excuse to write about what I really wanted to write about: my agency and my agency’s retreat. So I …
I sometimes fantasize about living in an old farmhouse with lots of dogs, chickens and other animals—like, say, llamas. But recently when I searched my library for books about raising llamas, I came up empty. What did turn up was a slew of Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney. Okay, …
Eliza Wheeler is deep into a project, so I’m filling in to bring you an interview with the delightful Marfé Ferguson Delano. Marfé is the award-winning author of more than 20 children’s books published by National Geographic (check them out on her website). Her most recent titles include Welcome to the …