Fiction

Posts tagged "Fiction"

Please help me welcome BE STRONG

When I was in grade school, I hated rope-climbing day in gym class. I was skinny and gawky and uncoordinated, so I’d hang desperately two feet off the ground while my more athletic classmates reached the ceiling with ease. I didn’t think I was strong. In Jen Hill’s and my …

TEN BEAUTIFUL THINGS is one beautiful book

Sometimes, life is hard. And, when it is, remembering that there are lovely things alongside the hard ones can be helpful. Not that that’s easy to do when you’re sick, sad, scared or angry. That’s one reason why TEN BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Molly Beth Griffin and Maribel Lechuga (Charlesbridge, 2021) …

A sale, a story and some books

So, I recently sold a book. Which is always exciting. But, this book sale was especially exciting because it was my 22nd sale. Twenty-two books might seem like an odd milestone to celebrate. Why not 20 or 25? But, I have a reason. When I went to my first-ever conference …

A timely title: I AM THE STORM

2020 has — unarguably — been a difficult year. We’ve been tossed and turned by a pandemic, a contentious presidential election, racial injustices and a variety of natural disasters. That makes I AM THE STORM, a picture book written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple and illustrated by Kristen …

You’ll want to visit THE PAPER KINGDOM

If you’re a writer or a reader, you may have heard someone say: “There’s no such thing as a new story — there are just different ways of telling the same ones.” That might be true from a thematic or structural standpoint, but I recently read a picture book — …

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao

I recently read a delightful picture book I’m pleased to share with you. It’s AMY WU AND THE PERFECT BAO, written by Kat Zhang and illustrated by Charlene Chua and published by Aladdin. What makes it delightful, you ask? It’s a warm and charming, perfectly structured story with an endearing …

Some wisdom from the remarkable Patrice Barton — and a giveaway!

I’ve been a Patrice Barton fan for as long as I can remember. She draws children as well as (or better) than perhaps any other illustrator. I remember being enchanted by her work in THE INVISIBLE BOY, SWEET MOON BABY and HELLO GOODBYE DOG. So I might have screamed just …

Two books I’m thankful I read this year

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 …

A hug for A HOUSE THAT ONCE WAS

There are books I like. There are books I love. And, there are books that — let’s be honest — I want to hug. Books that astound me. Books that I read. Then read again with wonder. Then try to convince everyone I’ve ever met to read as well. All …

A classic and a new favorite from Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton

It’s hard to write a classic. Most picture books are released, get a bit of fanfare — or not — and then are forgotten in the next year or two as more new books come out. It’s sad, but true. So when a book has staying power, it’s an impressive …

Tag: Fiction