I am thrilled to share this post from Ashley Yazdani, illustrator of THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S BATTLE TO SAVE THE CONTINENTAL ARMY! It’s always fascinating for me to…

YouTube video by @MaryLanniReads

Though delays and challenges are frustrating, author Nora Nickum found that embracing them resulted in a better book in multiple ways for WILD MEDICINE: INVENTING WAYS TO SAVE ENDANGERED ANIMALS. P…

YouTube video by @MaryLanniReads

Here’s a terrific post from author Jason Peterson on finding the balance between details of a life and “the feel” of that life in the world in BLUES WITH A BUTTER KNIFE: THE UNSTO…

In this year of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, it’s truly an honor to share a little-known piece of history in THE PATRIOTS AND THE POX: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S BATTLE TO SAVE …

Love this post from debut author Heidi Yates on taking creative risks and trying something new. MONSTER MANNERS A-Z is a fabulous, fun, fresh alphabet book with well chosen behavior tips for kids t…

This month, we are excited to “pick the brain” of Beth Anderson, a Rate Your Story Judge, and multi-published, award-winning author of Cloaked in Courage, Franz’s Phantasmogorical Machine, Hiding in P...

Just as perspective led to Karen Nyberg’s global quilt project from space, author Ann McCallum Staats found the heart of A QUILT OF STARS: ASTRONAUT KAREN NYBERG STITCHES A DREAM by exploring…

When an author can embed the emotional core of their connection to a story, it’s easy for readers to connect and bring something special from it to their own lives. Author Cathy Ogren is real…

NO BRAIN THE SAME is the third book in a terrific series that I would have loved to have had when I was teaching. You can find posts on the previous two on this blog here: NO WORLD TOO BIG and NO V…

In this post, author Barbara Carroll Roberts shares a very special moment in our history. To ensure the significance of this moment wasn’t overlooked, the congress used a powerful metaphor. A…

Earth has an incredibly long history prior to any form of life emerging. Then, as anyone who ever scanned a planetary timeline knows, life ...

What a treat to share the work of another one of my critique partners, author/illustrator Julie Rowan-Zoch! I am endlessly fascinated by the illustration process and always enjoy learning how it pl…

As one of author Lynn Becker’s critique partners, I have to tell you that her tuneful stories can keep you humming and tapping long after the meeting! But it’s not all fun and songs, sh…

This post from author Darcy Pattison is a perfect sequel to Colleen Paeff’s post last week. Both authors experienced the power of place as they approached a story. A trip to Poland helped Dar…

Visiting a place is magical, but authors can’t always do that to research a story. Here’s a fantastic post from author Colleen Paeff on how she landed on the heart of her puffling rescu…

Finding your own deep connection to a person, topic, or event can create the path to finding the heart of the story. In this post, author Gary Golio shares his experience with his latest release, S…

It’s truly a treat to share illustrator Dow Phumiruk’s process for HER NAME WAS MARY KATHARINE: THE ONLY WOMAN WHOSE NAME IS ON THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE! If you haven’t sha…

The pandemic a few years ago put us all in the throes of history and pushed thinking in many ways, not only medically, but also regarding human connections. And here we have a children’s book…

What a treat to share this post from author Omar Abed about the beginning of DEBUG THIS BOOK, a creative story, illustrated by one of my critique partners, the uber creative Julie Rowan Zoch! It wa…

Many myths persist in US history, but never fear, author Christy Mihaly is here with a super new book for this year’s 250th anniversary! I can attest, it’s a fascinating read chock full…

Have you ever stood in a historical spot and let yourself imagine the people and happenings there? There is truly something special about being in a place “where it happened.” In this p…

Join us May 21st for SLJ Day of Dialog—fully virtual and free to attend! Our daylong program of author panels, in-depth conversations, and keynote talks will leave you informed, inspired, and entertai...

Any kids who fill their pockets with rocks definitely need this book! In this post, Melissa Koch shares the spark that started STONE BY STONE: A ROCK’S JOURNEY THROUGH TIME and how she revise…

Here’s a collection of outstanding titles to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution—stories that open up history for children and adults!

Like me, author Gretchen Woelfle enjoys digging into untold stories from the revolutionary era. Here she shares some of the people whose stories have the power to widen our understanding of the Ame…

A great way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States is to encourage children to ask big questions about the founding—especially the WHYs! Every time I dive into researching a topic …

Writing about current technology presents the challenge of how to keep up with ever-changing information. In this post, author Elaine Kachala puts the future in the hands of students with capable i…

I’m hopping on The Children’s Book Review blog tour bandwagon for author Lauren Kerstein and her amazing new release: HOPE RODE: THE PROMISE OF THE PACKHORSE LIBRARIANS! GIVEAWAY! Don&#…

By Beth Anderson