Hi Builders, thanks for welcoming me back! As a quick reintroduction, I’m a veteran picture book author, working mostly in nonfiction. So, in the coming year, you’ll see a lot of posts from me about science, the arts, and real people. I tend to prefer narrative, but can appreciate interesting …
Recently, I was online looking — not at all compulsively — for news or reviews of my latest picture book ONE CAN BE. I found my book, but I also found a picture book I hadn’t heard of before called ONE CAN written by Lana Button and Eric Walters and …
New books are released every week — on Tuesdays if they’re traditionally published. And, while I try to stay on top of what’s coming out, there are SO MANY BOOKS. And, lately, I’ve felt like I’m falling behind. So, last week, I reacquainted myself with the library loan program and …
Despite being a writer, grammar is *not* my strong suit. Aside from the basic parts of speech, I can’t remember what anything is called or what most of the rules are. Mostly, I rely on intuition and whether something sounds right, based on decades of reading. That’s why I’m so …
Hi, friends! I’m currently attending a family reunion in Taiwan, so I’ve invited Sue Soltis to share about her and illustrator Sonia Sánchez’s new book, The Moon Moved In. Thank you, Sue! Here is a snippet from the publisher’s description: What would happen if the moon moved in next door? …
The title of the book I’m sharing today couldn’t be more true: I LOVE blueberries! I eat them every morning on top of my oatmeal, and who can resist a blueberry muffin or pancake? (Um, not me!) I LOVE BLUEBERRIES, written by Shannon Anderson and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, released …
I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of my next picture book, WORTHY: THE BRAVE AND CAPABLE LIFE OF JOSEPH PIERCE, illustrated by Youa Vang! It’s a nonfiction biography of a Chinese boy who was sold to an American ship captain in 1855 and raised by the captain’s family in Connecticut. …
Quiet books don’t always need the same structure that other picture books have. Quiet stories are often told without true arcs or without wild swings in the action. Or without any action at all. Sometimes they are just vehicles to explain the way things are, or to express a feeling. …
Earlier this year, I came to an uncomfortable realization. I owed too many books. Let me clarify that unexpected statement a bit. My HEART did not own too many books, but my HOUSE did. And, while my heart wanted to keep all those books, it also knew — deep down …
BOXER BABY BATTLES BEDTIME! is a new picture book from author Mia Wenjen and illustrator Kai Geitzen. The flap copy reads, “Mom is counting on Dad to get Boxer Baby down for her nap, but Boxer Baby is the G.O.A.T. of sleep avoidance. This hilarious face-off mimics a three round …