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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Technical pitfalls of self-publishing: what they don’t tell you.

August 7, 2020 Joyce Audy Zarins

Self-publishing through a platform that is set up to print and sell your children’s books online would be fabulous, if not for one huge drawback.

Three rules: being brutal enough when revising.

July 31, 2020 Joyce Audy Zarins

Our stories are often long in gestation and as personal to us as if they were born of our flesh and blood. If you want

Story of the Migrating Bird

July 28, 2020 Alumni & Guests

Guest Post by Kataneh Vahdani, author of Kat and Juju, out this month from Two Lions Press. I remember when I was a little girl

EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW by Shannon Takaoka

July 24, 2020 Laura Fineberg Cooper

I thought I knew what this book was about, but it surpassed everything I imagined. I was lucky to receive an ARC of EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW by writer, editor, and public relations consultant Shannon Takaoka, but I strongly recommend you snap this up (or place a pre-order) when this young adult debut novel releases on October 13, 2020.

Interview of Ruth Spiro, Author of the Baby Loves FIVE SENSES SERIES

July 21, 2020 Kirsti Call

Kirsti Call: Ruth Spiro‘s BABY LOVES FIVE SENSES series combines simple text with expressive illustrations to explain complex science in a simple and engaging way.