Jill Esbaum is an award winning children’s author who’s all heart. Over the years, she has fine tuned her process, utilizing her angst to get at the heart of her characters. … More Mining for Heart: Jill Esbaum Reveals Her Secret
Here’s a fun one for Perfect Picture Book Friday! Title: Du Iz Tak? Written and illustrated by: Carson Ellis Candlewick, 2016, fiction Suitable for ages: 4-8 Themes/topics: nature, insects, life cycle, plants, language Opening: Du iz tak? Ma Nazoot. Brief synopsis (from barnesandnoble.com) Du iz tak? What is that? As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies … More Du Iz Tak?
Today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday selection is pure nonfiction and totally engaging! Title: Animals by the Numbers, A Book of Animal Infographics Written and Illustrated by: Steve Jenkins Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, nonfiction, 48 pages Suitable for ages: 6-9 Themes/topics: animals, graphs, charts, infographics, STEM, visual literacy Opening: Numbers help us understand our world. We … More Animals by the Numbers
This week’s Perfect Picture Book takes us up in the air and back in time. Title: A Voyage in the Clouds, the (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785 Written by: Matthew Olshan Illustrated by: Sophie Blackall Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016 Historical fiction, 40 pp. Suitable for ages: 4-8 Lexile: … More A Voyage in the Clouds
In this month’s Mining for Heart post, Deborah Hopkinson shares her process of finding the heart in her historical fiction picture book, Steamboat School. … More Mining for Heart: Author Deborah Hopkinson on Steamboat School
So happy to be part of Multicultural Children’s Book Day! Thank you to author Valarie Budayr and Audrey Press for supplying a review copy. Dragons are Real Written by Valarie Budayr Illustrated by Michael Welply Audrey Press, 2016 Fiction Dragons Are For Real is not a typical “multicultural” book. While the book shows diverse children … More Multicultural Children’s Book Day review
Today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday choice is about an amazing woman who, from a young age, has had the strength to stand up for what’s right. This seems the perfect time to share Justice Ginsburg’s story. … More I Dissent, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
This week, we’re back to Perfect Picture Book Friday with an important story, perfectly crafted with beautiful illustrations, and writing that touches the heart. Title: Steamboat School Written by: Deborah Hopkinson Illustrated by: Ron Husband Disney-Hyperion, 2016, historical fiction, inspired by a true story Suitable for ages: 4-7, (my opinion 5-10) Lexile: AD660 Themes/topics: education, African … More Steamboat School
Mining for Heart: Concept and Connection
Before the Common Core State Standards were introduced in 2010, people rarely discussed nonfiction craft. In fact, many people thought there was no such thing. Luckily, that’s changed… … More Mining for Heart: “Concept and Connection” by Melissa Stewart
As we prepare to turn the page and open 2017, take a stroll back in time with some classic children’s books. Writers agonize over first lines, and for good reason. Beginnings are hard. Within them, there is the promise of a story. Some introduce the conflict, some the characters, others an odd tidbit tempting you … More Beginnings
Beth Anderson, Children's Writer 