Big treat on Picture Book Builders today! The fabulous, non-fiction queen, April Pulley Sayre, is joining us to share a few details about her upcoming book, FULL OF FALL, releasing from Beach Lane Books next month. The book also includes gorgeous photographs taken by the multi-talented April. I’ve been a …
When I read picture book biographies, I’m always interested in how the author manages to compress a long, full life into a limited amount of text. What gets included? And how is it all held together? The title of Debbie Levy’s biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg—I Dissent—gives us a clue …
Been to the movies lately? Then maybe, like me, you’ve seen the trailer for Loving, a soon-to-be-released film about Mildred and Richard Loving, the Virginia couple jailed for their interracial marriage in 1958. The preview shows several disturbing scenes and menacing encounters, including a chilling middle-of-the-night arrest. Watching the trailer prompted …
As you may have figured out from my earlier posts, I’m a huge fan of picture book biographies (which is probably why I write them.) This month I’d like to share a picture book biography gem, Muhammad Ali, Champion of the World (2007) by Jonah Winter (illustrated by Francois Roca.) If I …
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. …
It’s killing me, it’s genius…Patricia MacLachlan wrote a perfect nonfiction picture book using only one sentence. Well, technically there’s two question marks, but still…The Iridescence of Birds is a biography of Henri Matisse that manages to convey most of his childhood environment, his relationship with his mother, his interests, his personality …
Long before I wrote picture books, my sons literally had to beg me to take “true” picture books out of our library. I assumed picture book nonfiction was a shorter version of a social studies text. It didn’t take long before I found myself rereading these books after my boys …