Did you know that picture book authors and illustrators do not communicate until the project is completed? I think it’s to give the illustrator some creative space to bring the words to life. No one likes to be micromanaged by someone else’s vision. My debut picture book, SUMO JOE, with illustrator Nat Iwata is not…
Category: Reading Lists: Picture Books
Best picture books for kids including Caldecott and other award winning books for children.
9 Picture Books about Kindness and Compassion
I’m thrilled to have author and illustrator Jen Betton here today. We met at a children’s book writing class a few years back. It was a community education class at my local high school but was special. Illustrator Jannie Ho was also in the class, working on writing picture books. It’s probably unusual, but after that…
10 Picture Books to be Thankful For
Please welcome my guest author today, Mary Lyn Ray with her list of gratitude picture books. I always like to highlight thankfulness as we turn the corner towards November. We are giving away 3 copies of her book, The Thank You Book. Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter. The Thank You…
10 True Kidlit Immigration Stories
Please welcome author Sandra Neil Wallace with her 10 True Kidlit Immigration Stories book list. She was my guest earlier for her book Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery and her book list on 10 Diverse Picture Books on Fine Artists. I’m thrilled to have her back! Her…
Meeting My Editor for SUMO JOE
Attending Kweli’s The Color of Children’s Literature Conference brought me to New York City, with just enough time to squeeze in a visit to meet Kandace Coston, my editor at Lee and Low Books for SUMO JOE, illustrated by Nat Iwata. The office building is secured, so I had to have the security guard call me…
13 Picture Books Celebrating Photographers
In honor of my oldest daughter who will be heading to art school after gap year, I’m celebrating photographers in picture books. My daughter has been the force behind the photography of indigo clothing co., a company she started with her younger sister. There is nothing like trial by fire to learn photography. She started…
19 Picture Books Celebrating Musicians
I have a post of Picture Book Biographies about African-American Pioneering Female Musicians so today’s post is its pair, which is to say that I’ve rounded up the best picture book biographies about musicians who are not African American. This list, though, is all male. I’d love to add female musicians to this list! What books…







