Friend Friday

It is such a pleasure to host Dan Gemeinhart today; after all, we are practically neighbors, with only a tiny mountain range separating us in Washington state. Dan and I are both published by Scholastic AND we each had books nominated for the Washington State Book Award (his Some Kind of Courage took home the… Read more »

Friend Friday

I predict that The Creativity Project (Little Brown Books for Young Readers) will be a hit with classroom teachers. Colby Sharp, an avid literacy advocate, gathered together more than forty beloved, award-winning, diverse and bestselling authors and illustrators and presented them with a creative challenge. I was honored to be one of those authors asked to… Read more »

Friend Friday

It is such a pleasure to host Kim Purcell today, who shares on her website that she often walks with a dog leash in one hand and a book in another. Her second novel, This is Not a Love Letter, (Disney-Hyperion) is out next week. You will want to read this book. Don’t take my… Read more »

Friend Friday

I have admired Debbie Gonzales since our first meeting in Austin, where she handled a tricky situation with such grace and charm I wanted to nominate her for an ambassadorship right then and there! Lucky for the folks in Michigan, she’s brought her warmth and energy to the Mitten State; she and I caught up… Read more »

Friend Friday

By reading Kerri Kokias’ engaging website (check it out here), I discovered that she has held many jobs, from nanny to ice cream server to social science researcher. For the record, I am very glad she has added picture book author to that list! Join me in celebrating her debut picture book, Snow Sisters! (Knopf/Random… Read more »

Friend Friday

The kind-hearted and patient Sarah Aronson is my guest today. “Kind-hearted” is evident if you’ve spent five minutes with her or with her books; “patient” refers to the fact that I promised to host her months ago and completely spaced out on that promise! Luckily, Sarah is not only gracious but flexible and so I… Read more »

Friend Friday

My dear, dear friend and amazing illustrator, Kary Lee, thought I should know Annette Pimentel and so she cyber-introduced us. Annette also shares a passion for historical fiction and I found the title (and topic) of the book she is introducing us to today fascinating:Mountain Chef: How One Man Lost His Groceries, Changed His Plans,… Read more »

Friend Friday

What is not to love about Debbi Michiko Florence, a writer with a bunny, two ducks and the most adorable puppy ever? (please don’t tell Winston I said that!). And to top all that off, she has a brand-new series that I am very excited about featuring Jasmine Toguchi, eight-year-old flamingo fan. The first is Jasmine… Read more »

Friend Friday

I am delighted to host Melissa Stewart today in celebration of her newest book, Can an Aardvark Bark?, illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Beach Lane Books ). She is the author of over 160 science books and has been honored countless times for her ability to share science topics in kid friendly ways. Learn more from Melissa… Read more »

Friend Friday

I met Paddy Eger when she attended a writing seminar I used to offer in my home, ten years or so ago. Paddy is definitely a good writer and, almost more importantly, she is a hard worker! Her persistence has paid off, as you can see by this post in celebration of her latest book,… Read more »