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What Pottermore Spells for Readers, Writers
J.K. Rowling’s announcement yesterday that Pottermore.com will be the clearinghouse for all things wizardly has been met with mixed response. The Washington Post yawned. Publisher’s Weekly said it’s...
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Print Books Never Lose Battery Life at Bedtime
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center has come out with some interesting studies about print books and e-books, and their peppy cousin the enhanced e-book. The results, which you can read at Digital Book World,...
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Jacqueline Kelly, author, MD, and Newbery Honoree
When Newbery season rolls around, we can’t help thinking about our favorite books and personal picks. In honor of one of the top prizes in children’s literature, we interview Jacqueline Kelly,...
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Amy Timberlake Hits the Target With ‘One Came Home’
Author Amy Timberlake’s interest in birding comes through in her latest middle-grade novel, One Came Home, out this month from Knopf. Set in the town of Placid, Wisconsin, in the 1870s, 13-year-old...
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My Funny Valentine: Brenda Ferber’s ‘Yuckiest’ Picture Book
Valentine’s Day is almost here, and love is in the air. Or if that’s not love, it’s a serious craving for chocolate. We’d like to celebrate the big day by talking to Brenda Ferber, author of the...
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Carolyn Crimi on Pugs, Bugs, and What Makes Her Laugh
Some writers are born with a knack for plotting. Others with an ear for dialogue. But few come into the world with as finely tuned a funny bone as author Carolyn Crimi. She has written 13 picture books...
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Ben Hatke and His Hero for All Ages, Zita the Spacegirl
When my second-grade son brought home Zita the Spacegirl (First Second, 2011), a graphic novel about an intergalactic heroine on a quest to rescue her best friend, Joseph, and find her way back home,...
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Judith Bloom Fradin, cheerleader for non-fiction
Judith Bloom Fradin’s remarkable writing career has spanned three decades already. And there’s much more still to come. Writing with her husband, Dennis Fradin, who passed away in August, they have...
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Laurie Lawlor ’s ‘Rachel Carson’ Shows the Power of One
With Earth Day around the corner, it seems a perfect time to spotlight Laurie Lawlor’s terrific non-fiction picture book Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World (Holiday House, 2012). And...
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Renee Watson’s ‘Blackbird’ Celebrates Harlem Renaissance
The best non-fiction books for children bring facts and historical events to life in colorful and memorable ways. They make understanding our past more accessible and interesting, and Renée Watson’s...
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Top 10 Essential Picture Books for Kids and Grownups
As part of August’s Picture Book 10 for 10 event launched by the folks at Enjoy and Embrace Learning, I’m offering up my Top 10 list. I thought about doing a rundown of the best books featuring smart...
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