As most of you know by now, Katey Howes, an extraordinary author, poet, and human, very unexpectedly passed away last month. I’ve known Katey for several years and I was so very excited that we were going to be presenting together on a poetry panel at ALA in San Diego …
Oh, do I have a treat for you all today! Allow me to introduce the amazing Lisa Varchol Perron and her fantastic just-released non-fiction rhyming board book, TELL ME ABOUT SPACE, illustrated beautifully by Jennifer Falkner and published by Little Simon. Full disclosure: The reason I know that Lisa is amazing and that this book is fantastic is …
I’m happy to welcome illustrator Keisha Morris to the blog today. Keisha created the art for A GIRL CAN BUILD ANYTHING, written by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and me, which joined the world on April 18. When e.E. and I were writing the book, we thought it would be super-cool if the …
All primates climb and breathe in air. They have big brains and hands and hair… But not all primates are alike. From funny faces and colored butts, to flossing teeth and thumping chests, discover the peculiar ways primates look and act in this delightful non-fiction follow up to Freaky, Funky …
People learn in different ways. Some, by reading words. Others, by listening to or watching people explain things. And others, by looking at graphs, charts or pictures. I’ve always learned best by reading. In eighth grade, I even taught myself to do a cartwheel and the splits by reading a …
When you’re a picture book author, you know all about why you wrote the book you wrote. What inspired it. What you were trying to convey. And then … then … your words go off to an illustrator, and that person brings a whole new level of talent and skill …
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 …
Today I’m over-the-moon to announce the release of my new book (March 12) — A COMPUTER CALLED KATHERINE: HOW KATHERINE JOHNSON HELPED PUT AMERICA ON THE MOON, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. Long before the Hidden Figures movie and book (2016) introduced many people to Katherine Johnson, A COMPUTER CALLED …
Do you know how many people have walked on the moon? (Hint: check out the post title.) That’s right! Only twelve astronauts—ever—have visited our beautiful moon. You’ve probably heard a lot about the moon’s first guests, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and their famous Apollo 11 landing. Yet most people …
It seems some story ideas take longer than others to turn into books. COUNTDOWN: 2979 DAYS TO THE MOON (illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez) was one of those ideas. Ironically, my journey to create this book was about 2979 days. And it’s finally releasing tomorrow—September 1st! Of course, the “2979 Days” subtitle doesn’t refer …