picture books

A Peek at the Creative Space of Pat Zietlow Miller

Pat Zietlow Miller is the author of the award-winning (and adorable!) picture book Sophie’s Squash, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Sophie’s Squash is story that celebrates the special love between a child and her favorite toy–only in this case it’s a butternut squash. On a trip to the farmers’ market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. Sophie’s Squash has earned many accolades and honors, including four starred reviews, the Golden Kite Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book Award, and the Ezra Jack Keats Honor Book Award.And fortunately for the children’s book world, Pat has more books coming out in the world–SEVEN to be exact (at last count).… Read the rest

Video Picture Book Reviews By a Two-Year-Old

Last weekend I attended the RMC-SCBWI local conference. I can’t attend a children’s book conference without bringing home some books for myself–er, I mean my son. Jean Reidy’s All Through My Town has been a household favorite since before my son was one. I bought a second copy of that book for him and had it signed–I’ll be keeping that one safe as a keepsake, and he can continue to love our other copy to pieces. I also brought home Time Out for Monsters, which was new to him. My son is also a fan of Salina Yoon’s Penguin and Pinecone, so I couldn’t resist bringing home Penguin and Pumpkin.… Read the rest

A Peek at the Creative Space of Aaron Zenz

Aaron Zenz is the author/illustrator of Chuckling Ducklings and Baby Animal Friends and The Hiccupotamus, and the illustrator of the Howie the dog “I Can Read!” series (written by Sara Henderson), Nugget on the Flight Deck (written by Patricia Newman), Skeleton Meets the Mummy (written by Steve Metzger), and numerous other books. He is also the host of my favorite picture book review blog, Bookie Woogie where he reviews children’s books with the Z-Kids (his children). Here’s the description from their blog: “Here at Bookie Woogie we pick our favorite books, review them, and create some accompanying fan art.  We’ll alternate week to week between new releases discovered at our local library and older favorites from our own personal collection.”… Read the rest

A Peek at the Creative Space of Mary Quattlebaum

A dog is a great muse!I always get many ideas while walking the family dogs. Ahoy and avast, ye mateys! If there’s a wee pirate enthusiast in your life, have I got a book recommendation for you: Pirate vs. Pirate by Mary Quattlebaum and illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. Bad Bart is the biggest, burliest pirate this side of the Atlantic, and Mean Mo the maddest, mightiest pirate that side of the Pacific. When Bart and Mo decide they won’t settle for just one measly ocean, they want to conquer the world, they meet their competitor in the middle and have one of my favorite exchanges of the book: “Rogue, am I?”… Read the rest

A Peek at the Creative Space of Uma Krishnaswami

Today we step inside the writing space of Uma Krishnaswami. Uma is the author of Out of the Way, Out of the Way (illustrated by Uma Krishnaswamy–same name, different person); Remembering Grandpa (illustrated by Layne Johnson); The Happiest Tree: A Yoga Story (illustrated by Ruth Jeyaveeran); and many other titles. Her latest novel, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, was published this month and has received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Here’s a bit about The Grand Plan: Eleven-year-old Dini loves movies–watching them, reading about them, trying to write her own–especially Bollywood movies. But when her mother tells her some big news, it does not at all jive with the script of her life she has in mind.… Read the rest