It is my supreme pleasure to introduce you to a charming picture book slated for 2020. Too early, you say? Nonsense. It is never too early to get excited by a book. Particularly when it’s coming from a recent Caldecott Honor winner . . . .
Cover Reveal: Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry, ill. by Juana Martinez-Neal
June 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Phantom Twin Cover Reveal and an Interview with the Incomparable Lisa Brown
June 7, 2019 by 1 Comment
I don’t truck with YA. Not my bag, baby. But, of course, it’s so difficult to determine where a book falls on the Middle Grade/Young Adult spectrum. That’s why, when I hear that Lisa Brown, one of my favorite people, is doing a graphic novel, I drop everything and pepper her with questions. I’d hold back but darned if her answers aren’t so good . . .
Book Chat: LeUyen Pham on Bear Came Along
May 23, 2019 by Leave a Comment
“It’s almost as if he grew a tree in a garden and didn’t allow any of the leaves to grow on it at all, it’s just the bare bones of a tree, and asked me to come in and decorate the tree. But without that strength of that tree, nothing would hold up on it.” LeUyen Pham and Victoria Stapleton talk about the fabulous picture book Bear Came Along.
Happy National High Five Day! An Interview with Adam Rubin, author of High Five
April 18, 2019 by
“Picture books are especially great in that way because they can be as funny for a toddler as they are for an older sister and the parents and the grandparents, too. If the whole family can share a good laugh, that’s pretty life affirming, no matter what’s going on in the news that day.” We talk with Adam Rubin about his latest book and why humor is key.
When Kyle wrote Aidan: Process and the Trans Child Narrative
April 16, 2019 by
Kyle Lukoff discusses his trans boy picture book When Aidan Became a Brother and explains why, to make use of a Rudolph metaphor, “we’re all jerk reindeers AND misfit toys at the same time.”
Who Wet This Interview? Bob Shea and Zachariah OHora Fess Up
April 15, 2019 by
“The pee is simply the warm, wet catalyst that exposes the characters personalities.” Zach and Bob discuss unicorn pee, the difficulties of painting wet pants, and how kindness is king.
Cover Reveal and Interview: This is a Sea Cow by Cassandra Federman
March 22, 2019 by
Ms. Cassandra Federman is on hand to answer a question or ten about the creature in question and her own book. Along the way she clarifies for me the difference between a manatee and a beluga whale, the trend of 4th wall busting characters, and her own history of rescuing manatees.
Book Chat: Eliza Wheeler on When You Are Brave
February 26, 2019 by
Victoria Stapleton (of Little, Brown & Co.) interviews the illustrious artist Eliza Wheeler in a casual “Book Chat” about her upcoming book, WHEN YOU ARE BRAVE.
The Birth of Les Maîtres de l’Imaginaire and the Vast Importance of International Children’s Book Art
February 21, 2019 by
“A country needs ideas from everywhere, just like mushroom rhizomes help the forest to grow. Below the surface.” I speak with artist Étienne Delessert about his show of international children’s illustrators.
Did You Like Wolf in the Snow? A Cover Reveal for Matthew Cordell’s Next Wordless Book: Explorers
February 19, 2019 by
when the very nice people at Macmillan asked me if I wanted to do a bit of a cover reveal for Matthew Cordell’s newest book, do you know what I said? I said yes, please, and thank you, because I am a polite soul. And heck, why not throw in a little interview with Mr. Cordell for spice?
Not Your Nest: The Andrea Tsurumi/Gideon Sterer Comic Interview
February 15, 2019 by
Interviews? They’re cool. But interviews between authors and illustrators in the form of a comic? Much much cooler. To that end, I bring you the marvelous Andrea Tsurumi (of my beloved Accident) and her partner-in-crime Gideon Sterer as they discuss their book NOT YOUR NEST.
2019 Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour: Through the Window – Talking with Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré
February 10, 2019 by
One of my favorite picture biographies of last year, this book captures with seeming effortlessness the life and times of one of the world’s greatest painters. His art seems tailor-made for children, and the story itself stands as a marvelous example of how to make a picture book biography at all. I got to ask Barb and Mary some questions and, in the process, get a little schooled on my own assumptions.
One Betsy Bird + One Dan Santat = The Great Santa Stakeout Cover Reveal/Greatest Interview of All Time*
January 30, 2019 by
What do you get when you combine a Bird with a Santat? You get a cover reveal of their very first picture book together, that’s what! And what the heck. We’ll throw in an interview with lots of funny photos as well, just for kicks.
Behind The ABC of It: A Talk With Curator Lisa Von Drasek
January 22, 2019 by
When I heard that Lisa Von Drasek, the curator of the Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Minnesota had given a home to a new ABC of It (the children’s literature exhibit that Leonard Marcus curated in NYC), I was intrigued. And when she allowed me to interview her about it? I was thrilled. Here’s Lisa explaining how she managed to right a great wrong, and contribute something mighty to the world of children’s literature.
Cover Reveal (and Q & A!): Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
January 8, 2019 by
When Sterling released the debut author’s middle grade novel novel Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, the people who actually went and read the book found it to be rather extraordinary. But where the heck did this book come from? Who was Dusti Bowling? And was there any chance that there would be a sequel? You want a sequel? You got a sequel, my friends. But first, let’s just lob some questions in the direction of Ms. Bowling.
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