WRITERS' RUMPUS

The Making of a Picture Book and the Convergence of Author and Illustrator Visions in A GOOD DEED CAN GROW by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman and Holly Hatam

I had the unique opportunity to interview author Jennifer Chambliss Bertman and illustrator Holly Hatam about their new picture book, A Good Deed Can Grow: a visually rich, engaging, and empowering picture book with separate stories in text and illustrations. It was such an honor to ask them about their process and journey together!

Q: What do you get when you cross a tennis ball with some prairie dogs? A: An award-winning picture book recipe. (Obviously!)

I don’t know about you, but I see a regular, old, green tennis ball in that dog’s mouth. Author/Illustrator Janet Stevens, on the other hand, saw a mysterious green, fuzzy object from the POV of a prairie dog. And when this mysterious object rolled down a prairie dog tunnel, it caused mayhem amongst prairie dogs far and wide.

Following the Tracks of a Story Idea

March 7, 2023 Alumni & Guests

Finding a tale or a topic that intrigues me is only the first step. Sometimes it takes years from my original inspiration to the final product.

MARCH Middle Grade and Young Adult Opportunities

March 3, 2023 Lexi Donahue

Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! Find all of the monthly opportunities on the MG/YA support page! All opportunities are available to anyone with an internet connection.

March Picture Book Opportunities

February 28, 2023 Marianne Knowles

Online events, classes, contests, and conferences for picture book writers and illustrators for March 2023

Library Girl: How NANCY PEARL Became America’s Most Celebrated Librarian by Karen Henry Clark

February 24, 2023 Keri Demers

Library Girl (May 2022, Penguin Random House, Sasquatch Books) is an incredibly inspiring, well-crafted, true tale of unsung heroine Nancy Pearl and her lifelong commitment

SPELLS for LOST THINGS

February 21, 2023 Marti Johnson

An unlikely storyline in dual POVs that only gets wilder and more fun but is completely grounded by interesting, realistic characters you can’t turn away from.

Editorial: And Then They Came for Kidlit

February 17, 2023 Rebecca Moody

Publishing has seen an explosion of diverse voices and titles over the past decade, but with this success has come an inevitable backlash.

Cybils Award Middle Grade Fiction Finalists

February 14, 2023 Hilary Margitich

Those who know me even a little, know that I am positively NUTTY about good middle grade fiction. Nuttier than a squirrel stuffing her little cheeks full of acorns.

Meet the amazingly talented author/illustrator, Katie Mazeika!

February 10, 2023 Carol Gordon Ekster

Carol Gordon Ekster: Katie Mazeika is in my picture book marketing group, PBrockiteers22. When I read Annette Feels Free: The True Story of Annette Kellerman,

Five Flavors of Nonfiction

February 7, 2023 Joyce Audy Zarins

Children’s book writers are discovering that there is a smorgasbord of nonfiction flavors to choose among. Recently this menu of options has been wonderfully taste-tested

Examining the Personality Traits of Memorable Characters

February 3, 2023 Laura Fineberg Cooper

Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Charlotte, Wilbur, and Fern. Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, and Christopher Robin. If you read and/or write kidlit, I’m sure you know these well-loved characters and the phenomenally popular books they inhabit. So how do we create characters as memorable as these?

February Picture Book Opportunities

January 31, 2023 Marianne Knowles

Events, classes, contests for picture book writers and illustrators for February 2023

FEBRUARY Middle Grade and Young Adult Opportunities

January 27, 2023 Lexi Donahue

Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! Find all of the monthly opportunities on the MG/YA support page! All opportunities listed are available to anyone with an