From the author/illustrator of Too Many Carrots comes a rollicking ready-for-baby story—complete with chickens, pigs, and a very angry bull! Chick is getting a new baby brother . . . and he does NOT understand what all the fuss is about. What is so exciting about an egg that just sits there? Well, it turns out this…
Category: Children’s Literature
The Story Behind the Story: 7 ATE 9 is Here!
Originally posted on Writing for Kids (While Raising Them):
Five years ago I was reading Joanne Levy’s SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE—such a clever title and a fun read. I thought to myself…what elementary school joke’s punchline could I turn into a picture book title? And then… BAM! I got whacked upside the head… Why is 6…
Lucky Girl: A Thought-provoking Look at the Good-girl/Bad-girl Dichotomy
Lucky Girl is an unflinching exploration of beauty, self-worth, and sexual assault. Rosie is a beautiful girl—and it’s always been enough. Boys crush on her, men stare at her, girls (begrudgingly) admire her. She’s lucky and she knows it. But it’s the start of a new school year and she begins to realize that she wants…
A must for faerie fans who are already hooked on Melissa Marr and her captivating world
“Marr’s trademark use of suspense and romance will make this irresistible for her legions of fans.” (Booklist) In this gripping follow-up to Melissa Marr’s lush Seven Black Diamonds, Lily and her friends are forced to reckon with the truth of their own lineage and to protect one of their own, no matter what-or who-comes between…
The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano
In The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano, award-winning biographer Elizabeth Rusch and two-time Caldecott Honor–recipient Marjorie Priceman team up to tell the inspiring story of the invention of the world’s most popular instrument. Bartolomeo Cristofori coaxes just the right sounds from the musical instruments he makes. Some of his keyboards…
Fizzopolis #3: Snoodles! bubbles over with belly burps-and belly laughs
“Carman’s wacky words and Sheesley’s loony artwork go together like soda pop and belches!” (Jim Benton, New York Times bestselling author of the Franny K. Stein and Dear Dumb Diary series) Bestselling author Patrick Carman and Emmy Award-winning illustrator Brian Sheesley will have fans of Big Nate and Timmy Failure bubbling over with laughter in…
The Best Illustrated Childrens Books
I have always loved picture books. Part of me realizes that I always will. Throughout the ages, children have been introduced to reading by means of texts bearing pictures as well as words, but it is only in recent years that critical distinctions have been drawn between books where the function of such pictures is…
Understanding Literature and the Child Reader
Anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his time. You have to write up, not down. . . . Some writers for children deliberately avoid using words they think a child doesn’t know. This emasculates the prose and . . . bores the reader. . . . Children love words that give them…
Author-Illustrator Elisa Kleven’s Wondrous Worlds (plus a giveaway!) — Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)
Excuse me while I go all fangirl for a moment… I’ve admired Elisa Kleven’s work for years, beginning when I discovered the gorgeous delight THE PAPER PRINCESS…and then the sweet APPLE DOLL. My daughters and I had both books on our regular #bedtimereads rotation. In fact, for months the books never made it back to…
A Magical Tale From Start To Finish!
“Toren has been through a LOT. With a brother in charge who cares little for the family, she is forced to grow up fast. Toren’s strength is evident from the beginning; her little bits of struggling and defiance are really HUGE leaps of inappropriate behavior where she comes from.” In Toren the Teller’s Tale by…
Young People's Pavilion 