What do you know about Helen Keller?Many of us have grown up knowing the story of how Annie Sullivan taught Helen to sign her first word, "water" by the family's water pump. But as the title of this new picture book from Sleeping Bear Press indicates, there is much more to know. Written by Meeg Pincus… Continue reading SO MUCH MORE TO HELEN! The Passion and Pursuits of Helen Keller: A Picture Book Biography and Giveaway
I can't seem to get enough of beautiful nonfiction picture books. I'm particularly drawn to "unknown heroes" who authors discover and bring to life. As my husband's 91-year-old uncle has said to me many times, he wishes he had books like those when he was a child. REVIEWThe Kite That Bridged Two Nations (Calkins Creek, 2013) is the second picture… Continue reading THE KITE THAT BRIDGED TWO NATIONS: A Picture Book Review
In between drafts of my manuscript I’m working on character development using worksheets provided by the faculty of KidLit Summer School—a marvelous online class created by Kami Kinard and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. The first one that I tackled was by A.C. Gaughen where she challenged writers to consider the rules governing their character’s voice and point of… Continue reading The Boy Problem–and an Autographed Giveaway!
I had the pleasure of participating in two giveaways today. I brought my almost-10-year-old neighbor, Celie, to Park Road Books so she could meet Lisa Kline and see Lisa's new books, Sisters in All Seasons. Lisa called on Celie to pick a name out of the bowl to receive a copy of Summer of the… Continue reading And the Winners Are….
I am so proud of Joyce Hostetter and her daughter Wendy Davis. Joyce, the author of BLUE and COMFORT, asked Wendy to create book trailers for both books. I shared the one for BLUE here. (If you haven't viewed it yet, do this first!) Now, watch the trailer posted below. Than mosey on over to Joyce's… Continue reading COMFORT: A Book Trailer that Will Leave You in Tears