I have been the beneficiary of many touching acts of kindness and one of my most cherished was gifted me by today’s Friend Friday guest, Irene Latham. She has a stunning book, written with Charles Waters, entitled Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes and Anecdotes from A to Z , illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini… Read more »
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 »
I am so pleased to start the New Year of Friend Friday with a brand-new friend, David Jacobson, who shares my interest in things Japanese. Are You an Echo?, narrative and translation by David, Sally Ito and Michiko Tsuboi, illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri, (Chin Music Press), is so lovely, that I asked him to tell us a… Read more »
What a treat it is today to host not one but two wonderful writing friends! The dynamic duo of Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong have re-energized the poetry genre in children’s literature, making it even more accessible, fresh and fun. Their new collaboration, illustrated by Franzi Paetzold, is called Pet Crazy: A Poetry Friday Power Book (Pomelo… Read more »
I can’t think of a more fitting way to ring in the new year than with the words and thoughts of Nikki Grimes. She and I have never met but after I read about her newest project, a stunning new illustrated poetry collection, One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance (Bloomsbury; multiple illustrators), I knew… Read more »
I adore Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and I adore birds so imagine my delight, walking the exhibition hall at ALA midwinter, when I discovered Amy’s new book is about birds! Even more delightful is that she agreed to be my guest to celebrate Every Day Birds (Orchard/Scholastic), which publishes this Tuesday, February 23. Welcome, Amy! I love… Read more »
(this was inspired by emptying my suitcase this morning after spending the long weekend in Santa Cruz with our kids and their families, celebrating our fortieth wedding anniversary) Here is what I unpack from my suitcase: Sandcastles on the beach Conversations with my children as the sky grows pink then Inky black With candleglow to light… Read more »
Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but I’ve been quiet this summer. Hard to blog when a son gets married, parents celebrate a 62nd wedding anniversary, a granddaughter turns three, book deadlines loom and there’s yucky stuff to manage on top of all that good. But then again, nearly every summer, I’ve gone quiet here, taking time off to ponder… Read more »
I have so many writer friends and not enough Fridays so this special guest post from one of my favorite poets, Laura Purdie Salas is running today. I met Laura when her book A Leaf Can Be won a Golden Kite honor and we were lucky enough to share a table at the gala luncheon…. Read more »
I just love the cyberworld of kid’s lit! While I do not personally know Jennifer Wolf Kam, today’s Friend Friday guest, all it took was a reaching out via Twitter to convince her to write a post about her new book. And what a fun post it is! I know you’ll enjoy reading her thoughts…. Read more »