Guest Blog By Amanda Davis ​ I’ve always loved poetry and picture books separately, but when I began my journey into children’s literature, these two genres weren’t something I thought to...

Guest Blog by Cedar Pruitt You know that feeling when a perfect story idea just drops into your lap? No? Me, neither! Usually the idea-into-lap phenomenon is just me writing notes like “Story about...

Guest Blog by Mary Wagley Copp ​​Last week, I submitted an early draft of a picture book to my critique group. It was delightful and humorous and a fun read. AND it fell flat. ​Yes, it had a...

Review by Kelly Carey ​Hungry, alone and dreaming of the peach she tasted only once, young orphan Scilla scales the wall of the Earl’s garden hoping to find the delicious fruit. Caught and...

~by Amanda Smith ​            For the last three years, I’ve had the incredible privilege of teaching literature to high school students. While studying a variety of literature in a range...

Guest Blog by Nancy Tandon ​ Ask any teacher or librarian and they will tell you: most kids love scary stories! They cannot get enough. Supernatural ghost stories, haunted house mysteries, monster...

Guest blog by Janet Costa Bates ‘Kill your darlings,’ a phrase attributed to William Faulkner, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, even Stephen King, means to take out any bit of writing that is not...

What if the substitute teacher was a literal owl?

- Review by Kelly Carey Owls Make Terrible Teachers (Gnome Road, 2026), the hilarious follow up to Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians (Gnome Road, 2024) by Kristi Mahoney, features an owl substitute...

Today’s Picture Book Postcard is from Owl of Owls Make Terrible Teachers. The last thing you expect when you enter your classroom is that your teacher is out and the sub is… an owl?! Please BEWARE! Ow...

Guest blog by Andrew Hacket Get a job, they say. Have a family, they say. Buy a house, they say.  But what they don’t say is how hard all of the above make following your creative dream to be a...

By Guest Blogger Carrie Finison “It’s tough to sell a picture book in this market.” That’s something that I’ve been hearing since I started writing back in 2010. After several manuscript...

~ Review by Amanda Smith In Cat Nap (Greenwillow Books, 2025) written and illustrated by Caldecott Honor-winning artist Brain Lies, a sleepy kitten is disturbed from his comfy nap by a mouse. The...

Our 2025 guest bloggers have shared fascinating tips and wonderful practical advice all year long. But they aren't done! We've asked them to select the perfect items to put at the tipity-top of every....

Looking for that perfect something-to-read to wrap up your holiday gift shopping? Browse 24 Carrot Writing's Book Picks for 2025, as well as some of our Book Pick authors' personal favorites to...

YouTube video by Guinea Pigs love books

Guest blog by Vicky Fang ​Having a main character that can drive multiple books is a key part of creating a chapter book series. But how do you create a series-worthy character?  ​​I’m...