Today’s Perfect Picture Book is truly a treasure—the story of Mary Walker’s 121 years of perseverance, all the while holding onto her dream to learn how to read. Don’t miss it! And come back next Friday to hear from author, Rita Lorraine Hubbard. A momentary pause here to congratulate PATRICIA NOZELL, the winner from last … More The Oldest Student
Vivian Kirkfield had a tremendous 2019 with three books releasing, and she’s off to a busy 2020! Like the women she writes about in MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD, she has found her voice and is making it heard in the kid lit world! Writing a story with two main characters, means not only connecting the … More Mining for Heart: “The Voice of Heart” by Vivian Kirkfield
It’s so exciting to see a critique partner’s books come out—manuscripts you’ve watched develop from the early stages, take shape, and find their polished form. Michelle Lord and I must have both started investigating Maria Toorpakai Wazir about the same time, unbeknownst to each other. I set it aside, but Michelle kept on it. I … More Behind the Scenes: “Write What You Know?” by Michelle Lord
Today’s Perfect Picture Book is A GIRL CALLED GENGHIS KHAN by Michelle Lord and illustrated by Shehzil Malik. It provides a peek into culture, sports, and one girl’s dream to be free to follow her heart. Next week, the author and illustrator will share their process of finding a bit of themselves in the story. … More A Girl Called Genghis Khan
Today we go Behind the Scenes with author Anne Renaud as she explores the writer’s all important decision of whether to go ahead with a picture book biography or not. Heading down the rabbit hole of research involves a lot of time and effort. I love historical figures that have been lurking in the shadows, … More Behind the Scenes: “Writing a picture book biography – Stop or Go?” by Anne Renaud
Cue the air guitar. It’s time to rock on Perfect Picture Book Friday with GUITAR GENIUS by Kim Tomsic! It’s music, engineering, and rock and roll paired with perseverance, ingenuity, and pure joy. Next week, Kim Tomsic gives us a peek “Behind the Scenes” of her writing journey and shares some craft nuggets.. Title: Guitar … More Guitar Genius
I’m back for Perfect Picture Book Friday with a lovely tale about nature, commitment, and the impact of a single person. As a tree-lover, this story hit home, and it’s chock full of food for thought for all of us. Don’t miss it! Reminder: If you missed Heather Gale’s Mining for Heart post earlier this week, … More The Boy Who Grew a Forest
If you’re a kidlit writer and aren’t familiar with KidLit 411, you need to check out their website. It’s hands-down the site with the most and best info on a plethora of topics for writers. There’s a FaceBook group, too. And a bonus to all this goodness – lots of giveaways! I recently got lucky. … More Her Fearless Run
Who doesn’t love to tinker? It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday, and here’s an inventive biography to check out. Title: Just Like Rube Goldberg, The Incredible True Story of the Man Behind the Machines Written by: Sarah Aronson Illustrated by: Robert Neubecker Suitable for ages: 3-8 Themes/topics: STEM/STEAM, perseverance, creativity Opening: Question: How do you become … More Just Like Rube Goldberg
Elizabeth Brown found the heart of her story by examining how her character overcame obstacles. What pulled her through? How did that perseverance manifest itself? Then, how could the author thread that through her story for children? Today we dig deep into DANCING THROUGH FIELDS OF COLOR: THE STORY OF HELEN FRANKENTHALER by Elizabeth Brown, illustrated … More Mining for Heart: “The Battle Within” by Elizabeth Brown
