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 …
Three years ago, when Random House editor Maria Modugno was considering illustrators for my manuscript Henry Wants More!, she shared a sample of Brooke Boynton Hughes’s work. Well, I was smitten. And I’m hardly alone in my admiration. Brooke has won SCBWI’s Mentorship Award and two Portfolio Honor Awards in …
Hello, all— I’m very excited to share two things today: (1) I have a new book out (stay tuned for the giveaway at the bottom!), and (2) the illustrator of that book, Simona Mulazzani, is visiting us here at PBB—all the way from Pesaro, Italy. Here’s Simona in her studio, and …
When you’re working with 32 pages—the length of a typical picture book—you don’t have much space to convey the slow passage of time. Instead, the emphasis is on action and propelling your story forward. But some stories need to unfold slowly, so readers can feel the rhythm of the days …
With the recent attacks in Paris—and chronic turmoil and violence elsewhere—I’ve been having bleak thoughts about humanity. How is peace possible when people have such deeply-ingrained beliefs and such intolerance for those who don’t share them? So I wanted to feature a hopeful book. At first glance, One Family (Frances Foster …
Three years ago, my Sterling editor, Meredith Mundy, asked me to rewrite the holiday song Over the River and Through the Wood with “plenty of chaos and wackiness” as family members travel to Grandma’s house using various modes of transportation. We agreed that the characters should be a reflection of most …
I have always enjoyed math. All the way back to elementary school. I was that kid who, unbelievably, loved story problems. They were easy and fun for me. Maybe because I am a visual thinker. Maybe I have an inner nerd. I don’t know. When I enrolled in college, I …
How do you take something unwieldy, complex, and often painful to look at—like, say, the history of voting rights in America—and turn it into a picture book that is engaging, relatable, and understandable to kids? Beats me. But here’s my guess: (1) Make it personal; (2) Tell it in a …
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 …
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, …