It’s my great honor to introduce Listen, Wonder, Ask (Tilbury House Publishers, September 17, 2024) and the gifted author/illustrator team of Elly Berke and Luciana Navarro Powell to our Writers’ Rumpus audience in my first post of 2026.
Category: educational
The 2025 Writers’ Rumpus Year in Review
Before we close the book on 2025, I welcome you to peruse my annual Writers’ Rumpus Year in Review. As with my first review post back in 2017, my goal for 2025 is to showcase the breadth and depth of our offerings from our talented contributors with a single post from each.
FROM IDEA TO IMPACT: WRITING SEL PICTURE BOOKS
Guest Post by Danna Smith What are SEL Picture Books? An SEL picture book teaches children about emotions, life skills, and empathy. Creating one can
New in Picture Books: Hello, Tobi! by Andrea Cáceres
Hello, Tobi (Candlewick, 2025), by Author/Illustrator Andrea Cáceres had me at hello. Literally. The cover is a playful invitation, with an illustration of Cáceres’s 15-year-old
Interview with Ainissa Ramirez, author of SPARK … and a giveaway!
Spark – Jim West’s Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone is the first nonfiction picture book biography in the Black Innovators Series by MIT Kids Press, an imprint of Candlewick. Today is this remarkable book’s birthday, and I’m honored to welcome talented author Ainissa Ramirez to Writers’ Rumpus.
Interview with the amazing #kidlit author, Linda Elovitz Marshall
Carol Gordon Ekster: Linda and I first connected at Jane Yolen’s Picture book boot camp about ten years ago, but have continued to cross paths
Picture Book Review: CASSINI’S MISSION by Katie Venit
This highly recommended picture book tells the true story of one spacecraft’s unexpected search for life beyond our planet.
How to Become Your Own Copy Editor
“Impossible!” you cry. “Nonsense!” I reply. Here are ten common issues found in novel manuscripts and tips to help you avoid or correct them.
Show and Tell: Back to School Books
September may be shouting “Back to the books!” but let’s be real— kid-lit writers (hi, that’s us) never actually put them down. The shelves keep
Writing About a Living Person: A Conversation with Author Danna Zeiger and Dr. Kathleen Friel
If you’ve been keeping up with our wildly engaging Writers’ Rumpus blog this summer, then you’ve already become well-acquainted with debut author Danna Zeiger and
Meet the Talented #kidlit #debut author, Danna Zeiger, plus #giveaway
CAROL GORDON EKSTER: Danna is in my Andover, MA SCBWI critique group. Her debut book comes out this September, and I want to introduce you
INTERVIEW WITH #KIDLIT #PICTUREBOOK AUTHORS AND #AGENTS HUSBAND-AND-WIFE TEAM JAMES AND LUCY CATCHPOLE, PLUS A CRITIQUE/AMA GIVEAWAY
By Danna Zeiger (and her kids) We just missed Disability Pride Month (July!) but I would love to extend the festivities with James and Lucy’s
Celebrating World Tiger Day! Interview with Debra Kim Wolf, author of A FAMILY FOR ZOYA: The True Story of an Endangered Cub … and a giveaway!!
When Debra wrote to our blog about a potential interview regarding her nonfiction picture book, A Family for Zoya: The True Story of an Endangered Cub, I took one look at the book cover and signed up immediately.
More Than a Page Turner: Julie Soto’s Bold YA Debut is a Must-Study Mentor Text.
Fellow writers, we’ve all looked to successful kidlit authors (you’ll spot some of the best in the photo below!) for advice, inspiration, and tips on
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