I’ve been ANTicipating today for ages because it’s SMARTY ANTS’ book birthday! One of the reasons SMARTY ANTS sold is because of its many layers.
Category: Book Reviews
SAY AHHH! FINDING THE PERFECT PICTURE BOOK ENDING
Guest Post by Lori Mortensen I love writing picture books. I especially love writing picture book endings. They’re the icing on the cake. The cherry
Interview: Kidlit Author Rajani LaRocca Discusses Four Eagerly Awaited Books
It’s my great pleasure to welcome Rajani LaRocca back to Writers’ Rumpus to discuss her upcoming books in 2023- three picture books (fiction and non-fiction alike) and an epistolary middle grade novel co-authored with Chris Baron.
Exploring the Rain Forest, One Page at a Time
These books are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L-L-Y crafted with colorful endpapers and full-bleed page spreads that will leave you and your little ones feeling like you just visited the rain forest every single time you open them.
Two Reviews and the Role of a Designer
Birds Everywhere, written by Camilla de la Bedoyere and illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, is a marvelous overview of what it means to be a bird. Filled with fascinating information about the similarities and differences between some of the 10,000 species of birds worldwide, this introduction will make appreciators of young readers.
Celebrate Freedom, Patriotism, and Diversity with a Wonderful Collection of Children’s Books
In honor of July 4th, I’ve collected a bevy of interesting, informative, and entertaining books to share with the children in your life. Kick back and enjoy!
Celebrating Pride Month – Books for Kids
It’s June, and you know what that means… end of school freeze pops! And, of course, it’s Pride Month. Perhaps we should have rainbow sherbet instead!
Interview with Author, Editor, and Poet Ryan Van Cleave…And a Double Giveaway!
Today is a very exciting day here on the blog. I have Ryan Van Cleave here with me, who, if you don’t know, is a bit of a writing and poetry rock star. And some of what he does, you may actually not know, because he has ghostwritten many books (in addition to those under his own name) and coaches and mentors many writers behind the scenes.
GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT WRITING A PICTURE BOOK SERIES OR SEQUEL
It had been about a year since my debut picture book, Counting to Bananas (Flamingo Books, April 2022, illustrated by Estrela Lourenço) had been acquired. My editor, Cheryl Eissing, emailed to say her team was exploring the idea of Banana possibly carrying a picture book series. Was I interested? I had never thought about writing a sequel and, as a debut author, never imagined I would be asked to. But was I interested? Seriously? Of course I was bananas about it!
A Conversation with Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Author of TORCH: a YA Novel about Czechoslovakia, Resistance, and Hope
Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s YA novel Torch brings 1969 Czechoslovakia to life, a time when the country is living under Soviet tyranny. The novel has won major book awards, most recently, Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature.
I have a suggestion…regarding Character Arcs.
A friend of mine, who also happens to be a writer, gave me a book called CREATING CHARACTER ARCS, The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development, by K.M. Weiland, PenForASword Publishing, 2016. (Thank you Tina Oppici). Tina has been suggesting I read it for over two years. She finally handed me a copy and I’m glad she did.
THE LOUD LIBRARIAN: Written by Jenna Beatrice and Illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones
Everyone knows that all CAPS = yelling. So, yes, I AM, in fact, yelling the title of Jenna Beatrice’s debut picture book THE LOUD LIBRARIAN at the top of my lungs. Please don’t shush me because this book (2023, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) is just too darn cute to keep quiet about!
HONORING JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH!
Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Jewish contributions across American society, and there are many to choose from!
INTERVIEW WITH DEBUT PICTURE BOOK AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR MARIE BOYD
Picture book illustrations are almost limitless when it comes to the materials and techniques used to make them. It’s part of what makes them so
WRITERS' RUMPUS 