By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Jump at the Sun by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2021).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Author Spotlight: Louisa Onomé from KidLit411.
At age 8, Aslan Tudor arrived in North Dakota to help stop a pipeline. Aslan and Kelly’s book, Young Water Protectors (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018), is about his experiences in the Oceti Sakowin Camp at Standing Rock.
From the promotional copy:
“Learn about what exactly happened there, and why. Be inspired by Aslan’s story of the daily life of Standing Rock’s young water protectors.
Today I am thrilled to welcome Christopher Paul Curtis to Cynsations. Christopher is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963! (Delacorte, 1995), which was named both a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor book in 1996.
Other notable titles by Christopher include Newbery Award and Coretta Scott King Award winning Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic,
How does being a college professor and the mother of a young child influence the topics you choose to write about?
I call myself JaNay Brown-Wood, Author & Educator. These titles go hand-in-hand because I feel that I use my books and writing abilities to educate while also using my education to pull inspiration for what I write.
Often, my books have an element of learning to them.
Continue Reading Awesome Authors: JaNay Brown-Wood on Disguised Learning with Books »
One thing writers struggle with is getting their work to measure up to publishing standards. I am pleased to introduce our Cynsations readers the debut authors Stacy Hackney, author of Forever Glimmer Creek (Simon & Schuster, 2020), and Lily LaMotte, author of Measuring Up, illustrated by Ann Xu (HarperAlley,
By Bree Bender
Award-winning children’s author and illustrator Mitsumasa Anno died Dec. 24, 2020. He was 94.
Obituary: Mitsumasa Anno by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek: “He grew up in Tsuwano, a small town surrounded by mountains, where his talent for drawing and an aptitude for mathematics began to shine, and where his dream of becoming an artist first took root.”
Artist Mitsumasa Anno is Dead at 94 by Michael Schaub from Kirkus Reviews.
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Off to the Sea by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2021).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Q & A With Randi Pink by Sanina Clark from Publishers Weekly.
By Gayleen Rabakukk and Stephani Martinell Eaton
Image above: Author Amy Mucha with her daughter, declaring their rights.
Today we welcome two picture book authors who used Twitter pitch events to connect with agents and editors to get their debut books published.
Tina Mowrey
What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?
This book came together from a marriage of two living things that could be found in our yard: raccoons and a prickly pear cactus!
Continue Reading New Voices: Tina Mowrey & Amy Mucha on Pitching Picture Books »
Today I am excited to introduce our readers to Carrie Firestone. Carrie is the author of two YA novels, The Loose Ends List (Little, Brown, 2016) and The Unlikelies (Little, Brown, 2017). Recently, her middle-grade novel Dress Coded (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2020) debuted to four starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal,
Continue Reading Carrie Firestone on Youth Activism & Dress Coded, Her Debut Middle Grade Novel »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith and Kim Rogers
Cynsations Native Books Reporter Kim Rogers’s poem, “What is a Powwow?” and her short story, “Flying Together,” appear in Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Heartdrum, 2021). The anthology is a collection of intersecting stories and poems set at a powwow that bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community,
Continue Reading Authors Interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith & Kim Rogers on Ancestor Approved »