I have a stack of picture books to review and give away. Today I'm going to start with an autographed copy of Dark on Light written by Dianne White and illustrated by Felicita Sala (Beech Lane Books, 2022). REVIEW This is a quiet story about three siblings who follow their dog out into the evening… Continue reading Enter to Win A Lyrical Nature Picture Book
A review of Natalee Creech's upcoming Master Class with Write2Ignite on lyrical language.
I wouldn't have believed that a book about matter and energy would be read by the picture book crowd, except that my third-grade and kindergarten grandkids are studying physics at school right now. Go figure. At their age, I would have had no idea that a catapult uses a fulcrum---or even what a fulcrum was--let alone build… Continue reading PUSH-PULL MORNING: Dog Powered Poems About Matter and Energy
As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I'm participating in Charlotte's Community Read for 2024. The "Food, Memories, and Writing" workshops are going well and I'm having a blast. The first event was held at Visart Video and the participants ate it up--excuse the pun. We talked about Buttermilk Graffiti, the showcase book for the event, and how… Continue reading Food, Memories, and Writing: Connecting Food & People
It seems as if we just celebrated New Year's and now it's time for Valentine's Day! To help celebrate, I have the perfect book for your child, grandchild, classroom or library-- VALENTINES FOR ALL: Esther Howland Captures America's Heart by Nancy Churnin and illustrated by Monika Rosa Wisniewska. REVIEWFrom the opening of the story where Esther… Continue reading Celebrate Valentine's Day with a Giveaway of VALENTINES FOR ALL by Nancy Churnin
The calendar tells me it's October, but before you know it, December will be here and it'll be time for the holidays. I'm getting ahead of the game with today's book review. Many of you are familiar with the multi-talented award-winning children's author Nikki Grimes. I've featured her books in verse for middle-grade students and young… Continue reading LULLABY FOR THE KING by Nikki Grimes: A Picture Book Review and ARC Giveaway
I always enjoy sharing my writing friend's new books and am happy to tell you about Jolene Gutiérrez's sensitive picture book, TOO MUCH! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams Books). The book which is beautifully illustrated by Angel Chang, is coming out on August 1 and can be preordered here. Remember! Preorders are one way you help authors get the… Continue reading TOO MUCH! A PICTURE BOOK REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND MORE!
As promised last week, I'm back again with another marvelous poetry book by Charles Ghigna. But this time, it's not just one poem It is one hundred and one! THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY (Schiffer Books: 2023) is divided into seven sections. There is one section for each season, plus "Home," "Animals," and "Poetry." In… Continue reading THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY: A Review and Giveaway Through Talking Story
As I mentioned in a previous post, the summer issue of Talking Story is on wordplay. Today and in my next blog I will share two books written by Charles Ghigna, our author-expert for that issue. (Spoiler alert: In the next blog I'm reviewing his newest anthology THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY and in the… Continue reading A POEM IS A FIREFLY: A REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW, and A GIVEAWAY
Every once in awhile in my "career" as a picture book reviewer, I come across a book and I ask myself, "Why didn't I think of this?" BRAINSTORM! written by Rebecca Gardyn Levington and illustrated by Kate Kronreif is one of those books. From the title, to the puns, poetry, and figurative language on every page--there… Continue reading BRAINSTORM! A Word Play Picture Book + A Giveaway