WRITERS' RUMPUS

Ooh! Ahhh! Whoaa! Interview and Giveaway with Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal, the AWEsomely Creative Team Behind AWE!

June 16, 2026 Laura Fineberg Cooper

Yes, the title of this post borrows from this gloriously AWEsome picture book (published March 3, 2026 by Scholastic Press), but I totally couldn’t resist! Both a visual treat (thank you, Susan) and an inspiring read (thank you, Chana), what makes AWE! vault into being one of the best picture books I’ve ever read is how the words and pictures meld together to create a memorable, soul stirring, heart lifting experience.

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Interview with #Kidlit Coauthor of Unbreakable – Jolene Gutiérrez

June 9, 2026 Monica Acker

Storytelling unites generations, preserves culture, and shares the human experience. It can connect us to the past in the hope of a better future. This

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When Narration and Puzzles Intertwine: Creating Storified Puzzle Books

June 5, 2026 Alumni & Guests

Guest Post by Derek Reid I’ve always dealt in the truth and glory of the real universe. When I was five or six years old,

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Picture Book Review: In The World of Whales

June 2, 2026 Genevieve Rossi

In The World of Whales, written by Michelle Cusolito and illustrated by Jessica Lanan, was published by Neal Porter books on June 17, 2025. Upon

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I Wish I Didn’t Have To Tell You This

May 26, 2026 Marti Johnson

I WISH I DIDN’T HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS was written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, a Russian-born American author and an artist of many

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Wild Blue: Taming A Big-kid Bike. A Review

August 4, 2023 Joyce Audy Zarins

The word “taming” in the title Wild Blue: Taming A Big-kid Bike, written by Dashka Slater, is a clue to the metaphor that energizes this heartfelt story. When

ANT ics with Picture Book Layers plus Smarty Ants GIVEAWAY

August 1, 2023 Kirsti Call

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.

HOW I WROTE WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW

July 28, 2023 Alumni & Guests

About four years ago, I went after my curiosity and explored the possibility of writing something I didn’t know. Specifically, this happened with my upcoming picture book, GIRLS ON WHEELS, which is inspired by the skateboarding movement in India.

SAY AHHH! FINDING THE PERFECT PICTURE BOOK ENDING

July 21, 2023 Alumni & Guests

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

July 18, 2023 Laura Fineberg Cooper

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

July 14, 2023 Hilary Elizabeth Margitich

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.