Today I’m thrilled to share A LADY HAS THE FLOOR, a gorgeous picture book biography by Kate Hannigan (illustrated by Alison Jay), which highlights the fascinating life and accomplishments of Belva Lockwood. A true groundbreaker of her time, Belva was a lawyer, activist, and presidential candidate (the first ever on the ballot!) …
Writers write for lots of reasons. We love words. We love telling stories. We love living in our heads. We love sharing our thoughts. We love seeing what we’ve written out in the world. But no matter what else drives us, I think all of us, on some level, hope …
“What process do you follow to write your stories?” I’ve heard that question more frequently as I’ve sold more picture books, and I never quite know how to answer. The people asking usually look as if they’re waiting for a golden ticket to inspiration. Like, maybe I’ll say that I …
Happy Halloween, everyone! I love Halloween. But I was not going to let the date of my post dictate the book I chose. I had two others in mind when I got my hands on How To Make Friends With A Ghost, by Rebecca Green. Right away I was drawn to …
Dan Santat is a master storyteller. I know. I’ve witnessed it first hand…well, through skype. You see, I’ve had the privilege to work (and learn) along side Dan over the past 6 or so years since we first met. And what an incredible privilege that is. I’ve seen him sculpt …
Sometimes, people tell me they’ve always had an idea for a picture book. And, sometimes, when they tell me what their idea is — A toothbrush that joins forces with some dental floss to fight crime! An explanation of why all children are special told in the style of Geoffrey …
I know. I KNOW. It feels like summer vacation just started. You’ve barely cleaned out your kid’s backpack from this past year. You still have friends’ graduation parties to attend. You haven’t even taken a vacation. But the calendar does not lie, my friend. Now that July 4 has passed …
Blue Ethel took almost ten years to become a book. Someone asked me if that’s because I put it away for a while to work on other things? No, not really. Ethel was just a little pokey in her journey to find the right ‘owner’. She finally found her person …
For my post today, I’m going back to a book that came out four years ago. It was a favorite back then and it seems appropriate today. As we get deeper and deeper into this campaign cycle, the volume for “contentiousness” keeps getting cranked up. The vitriol coming out of …
When we’re little, there’s an awful lot of stuff that’s bigger than we are. And it makes for a very scary world for a little boy named Toby. Toby is quite afraid of heights, and carries a parachute which “was most useful for getting out of bed in the morning, for …