By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender, AJ Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Eyes That Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho (HarperCollins,
Category: General
In Memory: Betty X Davis
By Lindsey Lane
On January 5, 2022, Betty X Davis vacated her seat at the front row of our BookPeople launches. At one hundred and six years old, still quoting Shakespeare at length and spouting snippets of French, it seemed like she might live forever. But alas, she slipped away, quietly, as one does when they’ve been to an excellent party,
Reflections on Cover Design with Author Suma Subramaniam & Illustrators Sandhya Prabhat & Shreya Gupta
I’m honored to be in conversation with my artist-collaborators and share the inside story of the cover-design process for our upcoming debut fiction and nonfiction picture books, Namaste Is A Greeting, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Candlewick, October 2022), and She Sang For India: How M.S.
Cynsations Intern: AJ Eversole & The Spark Of Imagination
By: AJ Eversole
I grew up living with my mom and grandparents on an old rural farm in Northeastern Oklahoma. The adults in the house lived by the idea that if the sun was up, the children should be finding something to do outside and away from view or they would be put to work.
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Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Mardi Gras Almost Didn’t Come This Year by Kathy Z. Price, illustrated by Carl Joe Williams (Atheneum Books for Young Readers,
Cover Reveal: Carmen Oliver on Turning Editor Critiques into Published Books
Editor critiques are invaluable in many ways. They offer insights and takeaways that if we’re open to receiving them, they can improve our stories and lead to publishing contracts in unexpected ways. Some of the best ways to meet editors who are actively looking to acquire new manuscripts are face-to-face or virtually at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator (SCBWI) conferences,
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New Cynsations Reporter Veeda Bybee
Today we welcome Veeda Bybee to the Cynsations team as a reporter. With a background in journalism as well as someone who participates enthusiastically in conversations surrounding the kidlit community, she is well-suited in this role. Veeda has contributed to the anthologies Rural Voices, edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Candlewick,
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: I Am Thinking My Life by Allysun Atwater, illustrated by Stevie Lewis (Bala Kids,
Author Interview: Leslie Connor Talks About the Power of Research & the Beauty of Friendships
By Rebecca Kirshenbaum
Two-time Schneider Award Winner and 2018 National Book Awards Finalist Leslie Connor talks about her new middle grade novel, Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? (Katherine Tegen, 2022), the power of research, and the beauty of symbiotic friendships.
Your newest novel, Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?,
New Cynsations Reporter Michael Leali
I am thrilled to welcome Michael Leali to the Cynsations Team as a reporter. He brings such positivity to anything he does, I know our readers will love his contributions! Michael’s middle grade novel The Civil War of Amos Abernathy (HarperCollins) debuts this May and we are excited to celebrate with him.