Picture Books

CBI Interview: Picture Book Author Johnny Ray Moore

Kidlit Social #68: Writing Graphic Novels for Beginning Readers

In this edition, meet authors Lola M. Schaefer and Jill Esbaum. Lola and Jill are both part of Simon & Schuster’s breakthrough Ready to Read Graphics series, which introduces young readers to the graphic novel concept.

This is an important trend, and one you should definitely be aware of. Lola and Jill l also share their thoughts on the Easy Reader market and give some great tips.

Kidlit Social #67: Henry Herz on Writing Stories That Surprise Readers – and Editors

Henry Herz’s ten picture books have earned acclaim for their surprising, unconventional spins on storytelling. On this episode of the Social, Henry shares his advice for taking fresh approaches to kidlit that can set your writing apart. He also delves into the world of short story writing for children and adults, an area in which he’s been particularly successful.

Kidlit Social #64: Picture Book Author Nadia Salomon on Getting Published & Promoting Your Work

In this episode, meet Nadia Salomon, author of the wonderful, recently released Goodnight Ganesha (Philomel, 2021, ill. by Poonam Mistry).

Nadia joins us to discuss the steps she took to get her debut picture book published, and what she’s done since the release date to assure its success. Expect lots of great tips you can start applying right now to help aid your own publishing journey!

Kidlit Social #63: Writing Books w/ STEM Tie-Ins & Crafting Realistic Animals

Meet illustrator, explorer and children’s book author Katy Tanis. Katy’s work bursts with color, and a true love for every creature on land, in air and under sea. In this episode of The Social, Katy talks about her writing/illustration process, and gives her advice for aspiring illustrators. She also touches on the necessity for authors and illustrators to do their research and accurately reflect the behaviors of animals in children’s book texts (fiction and nonfiction) and illustrations, as well as the environment.

Katy gives some examples of how to do that research, and why this accuracy is important since so many publishers are looking for books with STEM tie-ins (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).

Kidlit Social #62: Our First Live Editing Session!

It’s our first ever live editing session! We chose seven works in progress from CBI subscribers (both fiction and nonfiction) and we invited award-winning author and editing wizard Bonnie Johnston (instructor for Manuscript Magic and author of The 30 Day Novel Workbook, The 30 Day Romance Novel Workbook, and The Writer’s Guide to Getting Organized) to edit each submission live and in real time!

This is a tremendous opportunity to really understand the “inner game” of editing, and pick up some valuable tips for editing your own work.

Kidlit Social #59 Replay: Beth Anderson on the Changing Face of Picture Book Biographies

Award-winning author Beth Anderson joins us to discuss the wonderful category of picture book biographies. Laura and Beth talk about the “new” picture book biographies and how the genre has changed, and what types of approaches are most appealing to editors today. If bringing history to life for young readers excites you, you need to meet Beth!

Kidlit Distancing Social #53 Replay: Violet Lemay on Helping Young Children Find Joy in an Unpredictable World

In this episode, meet author/illustrator Violet Lemay. Working primarily in the board book category (for ages 0-4), Violet has illustrated forty books, six of which she also wrote. She’s worked with such publishers as HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, duopress, ‘Magination Press, and Free Spirit Publishing. Violet has a special mission: to take events happening in the world and help young children process them – and find the joy that’s always present.

Kidlit Distancing Social #51 Replay: Author/Illustrator Julie Rowan-Zoch on the Dance Between Words & Images in Picture Books

In this episode, we welcome Julie Rowan-Zoch (author/illustrator of I’m a Hare, So There! and illustrator of Louis, written by Tom Lichtenheld) to chat about the interplay between words and images in picture books. We also talk about developing a range of styles as an illustrator, how illustrating her own words compares to illustrating texts written by other authors, and what she’s learned about the market from working at an independent book store.

Kidlit Distancing Social #50 Replay: Michelle Schaub on Concept Books, Picture Books & Poetry

In this episode, we chatted with award-winning children’s author & veteran teacher Michelle Schaub about two fascinating topics: How to make concept books come alive by building layers, and using poetry to boost literacy.