A few weeks back, I was fortunate to interview Katherine Roy, author and illustrator of the Sibert Honor Book Neighborhood Sharks and her title from this past spring, How To Be An Elephant. And also (lucky me!) my partner as illustrator of our upcoming picture book Otis & Will Discover the …
Maria Gianferrari has another beautiful nature book hitting shelves this Friday, Hawk Rising (Roaring Brook Press, illus by Brian Floca). I started writing this post three or four times, but I kept getting hung up … where to begin, where to begin… because the book has so many great elements …
Have you been to a bookish baby shower? I’ve been invited to several where guests were encouraged to bring a book as part of their gift to the baby-to-be. As a lover of books and a writer of them, I think this is a marvelous idea. Yes, babies need clothing …
Mike Boldt and I have a new book entering the world TODAY. The flap copy sums it up beautifully… GOOD NEWS! Your mom’s hatching a baby! BAD NEWS! Babies take their sweet time. And when they finally do hatch? They don’t even know how to be a dinosaur. That’s where …
Here on Picture Book Builders we love to chat about how beautiful books are created. It’s my opinion that one of the under recognized contributors of the ‘team’ is the art director. I have been fortunate enough to work with Senior Art Director/Creative Director, Christine Kettner on three books. She …
Versatility is one of the characteristics I admire in other writers. It’s awesome when someone can do totally different genres or styles or voices equally well. If you appreciate this too, you’ll want to meet Dashka Slater. I first was introduced to Dashka’s picture books like DANGEROUSLY EVER AFTER, ESCARGOT …
Johnny Mathis crooning The Christmas Song My mom’s Russian Tea Cake cookies The lumpy Santa’s face pillow that’s been propped atop my parents’ sofa every December as far back as I can remember. Those things are guaranteed to put me into a mellow Christmas mood. This year, I’m excited to add …
I visited Nerd Camp Michigan this summer — a gathering of teachers, librarians, writers and artists — where I had the great good fortune to see an advance copy of a book by Carter Higgins and Lucy Ruth Cummins called THIS IS NOT A VALENTINE. The book doesn’t release until …
Today’s post is a two-parter. Part 1: If you haven’t yet seen the loveliness that is Deborah Freedman’s newest book, This house, once (Atheneum), I hope you’ll find it. The pencil, pastel, watercolor illustrations are soft and dreamy and so cozy I wanted to live inside each spread. The publisher’s …
If you love picture books, you’ve probably read one or two from Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She’s written a ton — well — more than 20. And her books are universally lovely. Often funny. Always moving. Deceptively simple. Amy has been in the news twice recently. First, when an essay she wrote …