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Kate Taylor

@kitskate.bsky.social
182 followers 187 following 109 posts

Nature nerd, children's author, happy hiker

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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Reasons to read aloud to children: "starting young is linked to better attention, memory, executive function, academic achievement and fewer mental health problems." We need to help kids discover the joy of being completely absorbed in a book.
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I think the topic is timely. I also think if the motivation is coming from your heart (and you're open to editorial feedback), it will be a good story. Not for everyone, but no story ever is. Good luck with it! Look forward to hearing about the writing journey
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I want to read that story! ❤️
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Definitely! Year round. I have a notebook for random things and thoughts that may turn into stories. (Also a monthly writing action plan for structure.) For me, fall is time for my teapot and cosy creative writing (ideally while it rains). The "write" time is easy- I just feel it. #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Been (literally) wandering in the wilderness. Looking forward to reconnecting! #kidltchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Second time in a week to be grateful for a woman who lived a life that influenced and inspired me. “When humans are ranked instead of linked, everyone loses". Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Women’s Movement, Dies at 92 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/u...
nytimes.com
Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Feminist Movement, Dies at 92
She challenged sexist assumptions, helping women develop a sense of self-worth and gain a measure of equality at work, at home and in society at large.
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton lived her entire life knowing she was "rich in things that money don't buy" In 1995 she created the Imagination Library, which provides millions of free books to children in America, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia. Huge legacy of love and generosity as well as music and acting ❤️
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YAbookscentral @yabookscentral.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
#kidlit #bookreview CHARTS FOR BABIES at YABC! yabookscentral.com/kid-review-c... #boardbook #charts #conceptbook #toddler #preschool #math #premath #baby
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Debbie Ridpath Ohi @debbieohi.com · 26/07/2026
Anyone else still run into people who think children's picture books are easy to write? Thanks to Catherine Bailey for her help with this comic. #KidLit
comics.leaflet.pub
A comic for those who think picture books are easy to write
Thanks to Catherine Bailey for her help!
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
That's another thing. So. Much. Advice. I think ultimately it really depends on whether whatever you write resonates with the unique preferences (and priorities) of the agent or publisher reading it. #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Yeah I think that's why/where we need to bring heart and voice into the pitch. Maybe think about what motivated us to write that story? #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Oops typo! #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Exactly! I lean on "heartwarming". Because I am trying to classify as opposed to evoke. This topic is going to give my query writing block! 😬 #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
There's a reason why "show, don't tell" is axiomatic advice! #kidlitxhat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
That's an excellent point. I consider myself to write really visual stories for children. But my talent is all words (in fact I have to edit my words telling pictures out of my drafts). The illustrations absolutely carry the story - especially the emotions #kidltchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Brilliant question - looking forward to the responses! I am just gonna straight up admit I haven't really thought about this because I'm writing for kids but pitching to grown ups so my approach is different than it would be if children were choosing (I wish...) #kidlitchat
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Greg Pincus @gregpincus.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
What’s that? You’re wondering if there’s a #kidlitchat at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific today here on Bluesky cuz you would love to spend an hour talking with your #kidlit pals? Good news! There is! Looking forward to seeing you there….
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I just learned that blueberries are part of the heather family (also cranberries and huckleberries). And that today is BC Blueberry Day (thank you to @drsuzannesimard.bsky.social ). These little plants were growing in a patch of heather. Perfect trail treat last summer!
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Greg Pincus @gregpincus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Join us #kidlit folk tonight here on Bluesky at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific for an hour of chatting that we call #kidlitchat. It’ll be a good time, if the past is an indication, and better if you’re there. See you soon, I hope!
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I find critique group is really valuable. The old put-it-aside trick really does work. Reading out loud, or hearing someone else read it aloud. And going for a run is often surprisingly creative and constructive for editing #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Wow congratulations that's awesome!!! (I got zero and it is disappointing especially as I had great feedback working on my pitch and thought it was pretty good.)
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
After many days of increasingly cheerful chirping ALL the chickadees successfully fledged this year! Always amazing to see just how soft and cosy the nest is-how do they find all those strands of dog fur?
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Writing picture books has made me a much more conscious fiction reader. That skill of shifting voices effectively is storytelling magic! #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
I revised a story from omniscient author to first person and it was amazing how it helped me hear the protagonist better and make her more spunky #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Once in a writing class, I had to write an obituary and that was a great revelation. Generally my characters start talking to me in my head... I find they show up with their ideas while I'm running or walking, especially if I'm out in nature (but never when I'm at the gym!) #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Ohhh so true! Always surprises me how much of me (unintentionally) ends up in characters. #kidlitchat
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Greg Pincus @gregpincus.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
It is #kidlitchat day again! Join us here on Bluesky at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific for an hour of chatting with #kidlit pals. Or stop by for five minutes to say hi. Or both or neither, I suppose. But the real point is, we would love to see ya!
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Shane Koyczan's (@shanekoyczan.bsky.social)poem honouring Cris Derksen. An artist whose power and courage with words takes my breath away honouring one whose music did too.
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to see Cris Derksen perform, and to experience their unique creativity. Canada has lost a powerfully passionate person who had so much to share. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Renowned Cree cellist and composer Cris Derksen remembered as trailblazer, innovator | CBC News
Cris Derksen, 45, died in a highway crash in northern Alberta. Reports from friends and family say Derksen was fatally injured Friday driving home after attending the funeral of their father in Tallcr...
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Happy Mother's Day to all the humans and other animals who (as my child says) mom so hard! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Casper the foster mom owl has raised hundreds of rescued owlets as her own | CBC News
Casper is currently fostering four owlets, demonstrating important skills like flying, hunting, and fearing humans.
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Checking back late... In the past 6 months I started creating a monthly action plan, which is just a 1 page synopsis of priorities and current status. It has been surprisingly useful and motivating. And is also useful as a record of what the heck I am actually doing month after month #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
For projects I just built an Excel spreadsheet for tracking submissions and it works really well. Provides both overview of current and the complete archival record of past submissions. Because who doesn't want a comprehensive list of rejections? 🤣
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Nature @nature.com · 23/03/2026
How can we measure a good life? Economists agree that GDP is a poor indicator, but what are the viable alternatives? go.nature.com/4bYGmzE
go.nature.com
How to measure a good life – tips for moving beyond GDP
Including human and environmental capital paints a different picture of national economies than does GDP alone.
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Nature @nature.com · 16/04/2026
This initiative is greening some of the world’s drylands — including deserts, shrublands and other water-scarce regions go.nature.com/4myHduE
go.nature.com
What China’s Great Green Wall can teach the world
Efforts to boost tree cover and restore degraded land globally need stable funding and time to learn from failure.
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
That's WHY I am a writer- I want the story to be the story, not me being the word nerd nature geek who works better in writing #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Exactly! So. Many. Classes. I love writing the stories and I have the pitch in my head and heart... I actually find critique group feedback really good for tuning my pitches. #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Wait what??? I have a hard enough time crafting the One Perfect Pitch (singular, for each of my manuscripts plural). 😳. #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Looking forward to weekly chat!
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
A New Manifesto for Children’s Literature www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/b...
nytimes.com
A New Manifesto for Children’s Literature
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The Canadian Children's Book Centre @kidsbookcentre.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
The Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year winners were announced on Monday. Tundra Books was named Best Children's Publisher of the Year in North America. Learn more at kidsbooknews.ca/blogs/news/tundra-b…
Digital graphic. Features BOP logo, as well as logo for Tundra Books. Text reads "Congratulations! Bologna Prize for Best Children's Publisher of the Year. Winner, North America."
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Forgot most fun and favourite way: hanging out at my lovely local independent kids bookstore! #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Forgot Query Manager! Also my critique groups, workshops, social media #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Publishers Weekly emails, SCBWI, especially Deb Halverson's State of the Children's Publishing Market, awards, and best of lists in various media. I do find it helpful to have the big picture sense of the market. Helps me position myself both in my own mind and heart, and in my pitches #kidlitchat
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Science slowly catching up to what nature nerds already know.
nytimes.com
A Surprising (and Easy) Way to Boost Your Attention Span
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Thanks @picturebookseh.bsky.social for sharing this inspiring and empowering story by Rina Singh @storiesbysingh.bsky.social. Just like Sundar Paliwal, each of us has the potential to grow through adversity, and to make our world better. Each act, each tree, each story, makes a difference.
Picture book titled 111 Trees, by Rina Singh, illustrated by Marianne Ferrer
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Books for a wide audience (like kids at bedtime). I find many books focus on very specific experiences of place, or events, or culture. And many young children have no way of connecting with those stories. Have you noticed any gaps?
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
I'm interested in some sort of discussion of current themes, topics, tone etc in published kidlit. I definitely notice trends - and gaps #kidlitchat
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Picture books, eh! @picturebookseh.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
#GIVEAWAY To celebrate the launch of #PictureBooksEh 2026, we’re giving away 4 manuscript crits & many PBs! Details on website below. To enter: 1. Follow @picturebookseh.bsky.social 2. Like + repost this post (extra entry for tagging a friend) 3. Winners announced Mar. 27 at 9 am #kidlit #cankidlit
picturebookseh.weebly.com
Picture Books, Eh! launches in 2026!
​ There are many wonderful places where readers of all ages, including teachers, librarians and booksellers, can discover new Canadian picture books, and Picture Books, Eh! is one of them! We are...
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Christiana Doucette @doucette515.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Hey #KidLitChat! If you're working on getting a submission package ready for pitching, @middlegradehub.bsky.social has a great series of critique events coming up you should definitely check out. They're going to be doing workshops for pitches, queries, first pages, and more!
Middle Grade Hub Pitch Event
Small Peer-to-Peer polishing groups.
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Kate Taylor @kitskate.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
I have entered competitions because every submission got one or more evaluations, and I found that constructive, both for providing feedback, and for creating a deadline and motivation. #kidlitchat
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