Jill Esbaum’s most recent post was on a picture book that breaks the rules. It made me smile because I’ve been mulling over the same topic lately. I’m a big rule follower. I think rules exist for a reason and, usually, life goes more easily if you follow them. But some …
I have a secret to share. I’ve long admired author Emily Jenkins, illustrator Sophie Blackall and publisher Schwartz & Wade. So, I fully expected to admire their collaboration on the recently released picture book A FINE DESSERT. But, wow. Even though I know that a whole can be greater than the sum …
Here’s a quick poll. Are you ready? Did you read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, John Green’s blockbuster novel about two cancer-stricken teenagers who fall in love? And, if so, did you cry? Full disclosure. I adored the book, but I did not shed a tear. I seem to be …
So you’re reading a picture book to your kiddos or perusing the new pb shelf at the library or paging through new releases at the bookstore, and you’re blithely going along – yes, oh cute, uh-huh – when you come to a line that grabs you by the glottis. Whoa, …
I read a lot of picture books. And so many of them are good in so many ways. Nice, tight, writing. A clever idea. Commercial appeal. Funny, quotable lines. Characters you wish were your friends. All those things are necessary. Good, even. But I’ve come to see that what elevates …
This new picture book by Katheryn Russell-Brown and Frank Morrison tells the true story of Melba Liston, who started playing her big trombone when she was just a little girl. She went on to become a celebrated jazz musician, playing with Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones. …
When I was a freshman in high school, I took a journalism class. In it, Ron Harrell taught me how to write a feature article. “Your ending has to tie back to your beginning,” I remember him saying. “It’s like having a big, fancy bow on the top of a …
There’s nothing better than a good, character-driven picture book. The best ones get read, and re-read and become classics to the teachers, librarians and families that love them. If your character is going to be a friend to generations of young readers, it makes sense to choose a name that …
If you’ve been trying to write picture books, you’ve probably heard that they ought to be short: 800 words, 600 words, 500 words. Or even LESS. This can seem scary. But it can be done without sacrificing plot or story. In fact, many pre-published manuscripts I see could lose 200 words …