Friend Friday

I love it when my friends help me make new friends! Thank you Dana Sullivan for connecting me with Susan Novich. And thank you Susan for sharing your book creation story with us today; while I needed a reminder of its message, I especially love its happy ending: a brand new (debut!) board book, Guess… Read more »

Friend Friday

If memory serves (and there’s no guarantee of that these days!) I first had the pleasure of meeting the effervescent Nancy Coffelt at the Humboldt County Children’s Authors Festival many years ago. In fact, I think I was a one or two book author at the time and in awe of the depth of Nancy’s… Read more »

Friend Friday

Cameron Kelly Rosenblum drew a tough Friend Friday slot: just a few days after an unsettled (and unsettling) election. But I am grateful she is here today because I think the messages of her essay are essential at this particular time. Please read on for more about how The Stepping Off Place (Quill Tree Books)… Read more »

Friend Friday

My sweet friend Helen Ketteman and I have known each other longer than dirt’s been around. In our early writing careers, we were part of a magical group called The Write Sisters, meeting each summer for an annual marathon critique session and pj party prior to the summer SCBWI conference in LA. I learned one… Read more »

Friend Friday

These past few months have forced me to slow down. To think things through. To practice letting go. (I was cleaning the garage and ran across my beloved Away suitcase and it took me a second to recognize what it was!) Lily LaMotte visits today in celebration of her graphic novel, Measuring Up, illustrated by… Read more »

Friend Friday

What a joy to make the acquaintance of Jennifer Ward, a fellow bird lover. As a complete amateur, I am in awe of Jennifer’s knowledge and how she shares it in such an accessible way! She has joined us today in celebration of her newest book, How to Find a Bird, illustrated by Diana Sudyka… Read more »

Friend Friday

I clearly remember meeting Jennifer Jacobson on a crowded exhibition hall floor during a conference. I think we literally bumped into each other! Within minutes, I was privileged to get a sneak peek at the F&Gs of her then-forthcoming picture book, This is My Room (No Tigers Allowed) (she was my Friend Friday for that;… Read more »

Friend Friday

A few years back, I was chatting with Varian Johnson after a long day of conference presentations. He was debating leaving his day job to write full time. He had the pros and cons spelled out, as an engineer would. Luckily for children’s literature, the pros won out. I am so pleased to host Varian… Read more »

Friend Friday

Three squeezes are woven into the fabric of the Larson family household. From the time my kids were itsy, they knew that three squeezes when holding hands meant “I love you.” So my heart was immediately captured by Jason Pratt’s poignant picture book, Three Squeezes, illustrated by Chris Sheban (Roaring Brook Press). Jason takes that… Read more »

Friend Friday

What a treat it is to be part of Josh Funk’s Short & Sweet/Long & Savory blog tour! In fact, we’re the final stop; check the calendar at the end of this post if you want to see other blogs Josh has visited. As you can tell by his books, Josh is a very funny… Read more »