Always by My Side, A Stuffie Story is out in the world today ?. If any of you follow me on Social Media (thank you) you might be aware that my once-upon-a-time-little boy, Will, and his beloved stuffed dinosaur, Dina, were the inspiration for my story and the character of …
I love it when new picture books pop on the scene. In fact, finding them and reading them is one of my favorite things to do. And, when, a cool new picture book is written by a friend who’s worked hard to be the best writer possible for years, well, …
The new book by Barbara Davis-Pyles (Stubby the Fearless Squid, Grizzly Boy), illustrated by Justin Hillgrove, is Cliff the Failed Troll. It stars a stocky, young troll named Cliff. Cliff is attending Troll School to become a proper troll. He is a likable enough student, though he is not welcomed …
What a stunning and uplifting picture book by Apryl Stott. It’s her author and illustrator debut. Bear is sad. Because of his size the forest animals are afraid of him and think he must be mean. The front end pages echo this message and the second page of the book …
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 …
I’d like to introduce you to my dear friend, Alfred. Today is his birthday! He and I have gotten very close over the past four years. It all began a long time ago when I saw a cousin of his in our trashcan. This is how Cousin first looked, and …
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 — …
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 …
Have any of you had the pleasure of reading Deborah Marcero’s stunning new picture book, IN A JAR? I bought one for myself. I bought one for a friend. It is that pretty. That precious. That special. Llewellyn, aside from being a darling little white bunny in a hooded sweatshirt, …
It’s time for another periodic installment of “Picture Books I Want to Hug.”™ These are books I love so much that I simply want to read them. And hug them. And re-read them. And re-hug them. Re-lentlessly. Re-peatedly. Re-ally. The last book that inspired this feeling in me — and …