One of my favorite parts of the picture book process is seeing the final artwork for each of my books. It’s great seeing how a talented artist interpreted my story. And, I was especially excited to see Daniel Wiseman’s art for MY BROTHER THE DUCK, which releases April 21 from …
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 …
I write picture books. And I love doing so. But many of you probably know my day job is being a corporate editor. I turn jargon into conversational language and try to make complicated topics simple. While the two roles may not seem similar, there’s actually a lot of overlap. …
Books and back-to-school go hand-in-hand, so today I want to talk about some books that are great to read if you have a child going back to school or if you work in a school and are looking for the perfect welcome back message. But, first, I want to talk …
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 …
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 …
What makes you special? If you can answer that question easily, great! But if you’re like many people, you may have to ponder a moment. You may ask yourself questions like: Am I really special? Are the things I like about myself all that noteworthy? Would anyone else think I’m …
When I read RICE FROM HEAVEN — a new picture book written by Tina Cho, illustrated by Keum Jin Song and published by little bee books — I was enthralled by the story behind the story. The book is a fictional take on a real-life event. In 2016, North Korean …
Most of my books have some sort of story about how they came to be. BE KIND was inspired by the time I spilled grape juice in my then-boyfriend, now-husband’s car. WIDE-AWAKE BEAR was inspired by an epic meltdown my youngest daughter had. WHEREVER YOU GO was inspired by all …
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 …