As schools shift into high gear, teachers are actively evaluating the readers in their rooms. That's not only who CAN read what, but WHO ea...

Do you live where leaves fall at this time of year? Where the change of seasons is unmistakable  not only for its shifts in weather but als...

I recently reviewed a remarkable and emotional picture book that reveals the tremendous power within sibling relationships, ME AND THE BOSS,...

No complaints, please, about the topic of this review. Ads for Halloween costumes have been showing up in social media reels, back-to-schoo...

Stories can come from endless sources- cloud shapes, playing with pets, personal drama, or a fertile imagination. Nonfiction content, espec...

Each year we recognize great books from around the world. The Crystal Kite Awards are chosen by other children’s book writers and illustrators, making them the only peer-given awards in publishing fo...

If you didn't catch my recent notes about JUST ONE OAK ,  feel free to read that or other posts-from-the-past in praise of books that revea...

I'm living in my home state of Ohio again, after living elsewhere for many decades. Since my return I'm often reminded of the distinctly dif...

The  words of Virginia Wolff resonated from the moment they first appeared in her 1929 extended essay: A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN . That piece is ...

Recently I taught a class about the research process. I thought it might be fun to share some of the things I covered. One of my favorite things about writing books that involve research is being both...

Little Brown, & Company, 2026   I first learned about the remarkable GALLAUDET ELEVEN several years ago when Gallaudet University mounted a ...

When an important and delightful nonfiction picture book released some years back, I was invited to write a blurb. It was an honor to do so,...

Three-plus years after the public release of ChatGPT, teachers' experiences with AI vary enormously.

Sarah Cooper's civics lesson requires students to make requests of politicians. Adding AI to the research process resulted in letters that were markedly better.

I appreciate hearing from readers here, directly or in comments, but I am so enthralled with picture books that I'd post even if no one...

No, it's not the brutal midwest snow that has me sharing a JUNETEENTH picture book on February first. And it's not (only) due to this being ...

Trust Unreliable Narrators (and Characters) to Attract Readers: Tips, Techniques, and Traps webinar presented by Author and Book Reviewer Sandy Brehl

There are so many ways in which I'm "out of the loop" when it comes to social media and current lingo. Am I alone in STILL not understandin...

FLORIS BOOKS, 2025  MY HOME IS MY BACKPACK is written by EUGENIA PERRELLA and illustrated by ANGELA SALERNO . Today, traditional Thanksgivi...

I can't help myself... here's another amazing picture book about BIRDS!  CHRONICLE BOOKS, 2025 I AM WE: How Crows Come Together to Survive ...

Last week I posted a review and commentary on an important new non-fiction biographic picture book written by SHRUTHI ROA and illustrated ...

TUNDRA BOOKS, 2024 Be prepared to suspend your inner cynic to embrace a naive and welcoming attitude in  WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN by X. Fa...

I had the pleasure of working (virtually) with the author of this book while we shared responsibilities on a nonfiction CYBILS AWARDS panel....

Some things, particularly NATURE, are reliably calming to me. I often hear the same is true for many others. In any of its glorious forms (a...

The picture books i feature here are among those I consider the best of the best. THere's no denying that my choices are highly subjective, ...

In case you are unfamiliar, I want to call out author JILL ESBAUM as a master of rhymed text in picture books. Click on her name to see ful...

Some, (actually, quite a few) picture book authors reliably create books that quickly become not only successful but special. Pat Z Miller ...

ABRAMS BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS  2024 SPOOKY LAKES: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet is written and illustrated by Geo Rut...

Since you’ve been living in the same world we have, you know that books and stories have turned into the toxic rope in an aggressive cultural tug-of-war.

Marsha Diane Arnold A recent review of the remarkable nonfiction picture book, BIG BOY 4014, can be read, HERE. My remarks and those of man...

Readers: Here's a preliminary note about this book before my review. Arnold opens the account with this information, and it  says so much ab...

I grew up in the era of silent libraries. I have been SHUSHED more than once (or dozens of times) while using a library. So I'm delighted ...

“No cellphones” is the message that students get in the Spokane, Washington, school district, where the devices are banned. But the district has also invested in extracurriculars to engage students “i...

HIPPO PARK (Astra Books) 2025 Spring is the season of change, of hope, of... rabbits! Whether you welcome them or dread their nibbling intru...