THE 10TH ANNUAL HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!! ~ for children’s writers ~ Susanna Hill's amazing fall holiday contest is happening once again. Hard to believe this is the 10th year! Check out the 124 entries added in the comments and at least as many added in the link - (https://susannahill.com/2020/10/29/the-10th-annual-halloweensie-writing-contest-aahhhrrrooooooooo/) Here are the rules: write a 100-word Halloween story suitable for children (12 & under), using the words skeleton,

Boy, has this year been a doozy! Big hurricanes, masses of tornadoes, monster wildfires, and as we head into the winter, they are warning us about the possibilities of big snow storms. Sheesh. Now add a worldwide pandemic that makes dealing with each of these major events twice as hard. Everyone's on edge, anxious, and dealing with so many unusual circumstances. I've been eagerly awaiting the release of this book. It's a reassuring reminder of our resilience and a great way t

Artie Bennett is “the executive copy editor for a children's book publisher and he writes a little on the side (but not the backside!).

An interview with the talented and prolific duo - Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple.

A quick aside. The winner of the giveaway of Beth Anderson's "Smelly" Kelly and His Super Senses is: Patricia Tilton Now onto the #PPBF post. I think we could all use a reason to laugh and little humor right about now. So, this week, I have an unusual offering. A sneak peek at TWO books. Josh Funk has two fun picture books releasing on October 27th and rather than pick between them, I'm going to give a glimpse into both of them. One is rhyming, one is lyrical prose, but both

Artemis Roehrig’s life has directly inspired her books. She grew up in Western Massachusetts, and spent summers on Cape Cod

For half the year, Stevie Lewis travels out of her van, furthering her passion for art and the outdoors. She is also an avid hiker

Josh grew up in New England and studied Computer Science in school. Today, he still lives in New England and when not writing Java code

I've been anticipating the release of this book since it was announced. I've loved Beth Anderson's first two books - An Inconvenient Alphabet and Lizzie Demands a Seat. She is a master at finding unusual, little known, fun stories and creating an engaging narrative that draws the reader into the heart of the story. This book interweaves a little history, humor, and the giant heart of a man who uses his unusual gift to become an everyday superhero in the bowels of the New York

One quick note - the Winner of the Giveaway of Louis by Julie Rowan-Zoch is: Beth Gallagher Congratulations Beth! Now, let's get on with today's post. Carson Ellis is the author and illustrator of the bestselling picture books Home and Du Iz Tak? (a Caldecott Honor book and the recipient of an E.B. White Read Aloud Award). She has illustrated a number of books for kids including bestsellers The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, The Composer Is Dead by Lemony