You Nest Here with Me is a beautiful, lyrical picture book by the mother daughter team of Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple. Illustrated (perfectly) by Melissa Sweet. It’s a book about birds. What? You say that’s not enough? Okay then— It rhymes. It rhymes brilliantly. The back flap copy …
A few posts ago, Kevan Atteberry mentioned that cats didn’t — how did he put it? — gun his scooter. But, yet, he found himself really liking Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret. Cats do gun my scooter. A lot. Check out Exhibit A (Ollie) and Exhibit B (Sunny) to the …
As a reader, the story-within-a-story format has always appealed to me. As a writer, I know this format is difficult to pull off. Because I’m working on one of my own, I pulled three from my bookshelves to take a closer look. How did their authors handle voice, pacing, tension …
I wouldn’t usually be drawn to a book about a Ballet Cat, because 1) ballet, and 2) cat. Not that there is anything wrong with ballet OR cats, they just don’t really gun my scooter. Besides a title that did not reel me in, I was a little iffy on …
Karen Beaumont is a master of the rollicking read-aloud and one of my favorite picture book authors. So when Karen has a new book out—which she does now—I consider it a cause for celebration. But I can’t talk about just ONE of Karen’s books. There’s so much to learn from …
Some of you might know Debbie Ridpath Ohi from her illustrations in Michael Ian Black’s picture books NAKED! (2014) and I’M BORED (2012), or from her artwork donning the 2014 reissued collection of Judy Blume books. Or you might know her from, well, just about ANYWHERE online. I first met Debbie at the …
Last week as I was perusing the “New Releases” section in my library, an eye-catching book cover grabbed my attention. I was immediately drawn to the large illustration of a colorful stamp on the front, and because the stamp looked realistic from afar, I assumed it was nonfiction. I immediately …
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper This book has not left my office since I first brought it home. It’s especially nice to have around when I’m struggling with an idea, a sentence, a story. I love the elegant language, the poignant …
I’ve been reading and thinking about non fiction picture books a lot lately. One reason is that there seems to be quite an abundance of them. Which, I think is a good thing. But, getting a non-fiction story to work has added hurdles. Its subject matter is usually known to …
Social media often has Throwback Thursdays, where people post photos of their younger selves on Facebook or Twitter. Today, I’m having a Flashback Friday, where I look at one of the books that inspired me the most when I was starting out as a children’s writer. Therefore, I am proud …