You may or may not have heard about the recent controversy in the children’s book world: Not going to name names here, but a popular and accomplished author/illustrator opined in a book that 94.7% of the stories being published for children today are “crud.” The comment did not go over well. It’s certainly true that…
I just received author copies for my newest book, All Who Are Hungry, Come and Eat! It’s a joyful Passover story about the ever-expanding number of guests at young Ethan’s holiday table–and if you celebrate Passover, you probably know what I mean by “ever-expanding.” Seeing a book in its finished form is always a treat, and…
All authors, from writers of picture books to writers of novels, have their own ways of going about creating their story. Some map out each page or each chapter carefully, outlining the action meticulously. Some have a looser approach, and let the book lead them where it will, a little at a time, the way…
School visits are definitely one of my favorite parts of being an author. Here, in no particular order, are some reasons why: • Pajama Day: Please, oh please, invite me to your school on pajama day! Nothing makes me happier than kids in pajamas. (If you ask nicely, I may even join in!) • The…
Quite recently I noticed that one of my books, Eve and Adam and Their Very First Day, had attracted the notice of some people online. Not in a good way. The book is written in the time-honored Jewish tradition of midrash–re-examining a story in a new way, putting it in a different context to try…
A pair of recent studies concluded that reading for pleasure among children (specifically eight to ten year olds) has declined to 35% or 39%, the lowest rate in more than twenty years. At the same time, unsurprisingly, smartphone usage by children has risen sharply. Clearly, not a coincidence. This is very sad news. Some of…
For the thousandth time this morning, my husband gently removed something from the interior spine of a book I was reading and replaced it with a bookmark. “A pair of tweezers is not a bookmark,” he commented. We have an infinite number of bookmarks in our house. Many that I have made to promote the…
In my early days as an author, children’s book festivals were few and far between. But in recent years, they’ve been multiplying like weeds. (In my garden, that’s saying a lot!) They’re almost always superbly organized. Wherever you live, there may well be one near you. For a child—or a child at heart—these festivals are…
Another challenging year, come and almost gone. In spite of continued difficulties, there are many things I’m grateful for as 2021 winds down: Three book fairs this fall, with the chance to meet lots of enthusiastic readers, IN PERSON! Even masks couldn’t interfere with the joy of these events. Classroom visits, which I am very…
I am slightly obsessed with sloths. And I suspect that I have lots of company. First of all, these creatures always seem to be smiling. Maybe because they take their sweet time doing anything. Whatever the reason is, they’re pretty adorable. Second of all, they do everything upside down—sleeping, eating, mating, even giving birth. And…