By Traci Sorell
I’m always amazed by those creators who can both write and illustrate their stories. Okay, I’ll admit a little jealous too. My talents do not lend themselves to do both.
So shining the Cynsations’ spotlight today on Sarah Lynne Reul is a treat.
She shares about how she creates her art and why she ultimately decided to become a children’s book author-illustrator instead of focusing solely on illustration.
Continue Reading New Voice: Sarah Lynne Reul on The Breaking News »
Alice Provensen, a Star in the Children’s-Book World, Dies at 99 by Neil Genzlinger from The New York Times. Peek:
Working with her husband, Martin, Alice Provensen created dozens of books for young readers. “The books they illustrated and wrote covered a wide range — educational,
By Traci Sorell
I’m so pleasured to feature my interview with Cate Berry, debut picture book author of Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Balzer + Bray, 2018).
Publishers Weekly described it as “…a buoyantly subversive antibedtime tale,” and I couldn’t agree more.
Continue Reading New Voice: Cate Berry on Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime! »
By Traci Sorell
Juana Martinez-Neal is a force of nature already this year.
Having won the 2018 Pura Belpré Award for her illustrations in La Princesa and the Pea, written by Susan Middleton Elya (Putnam, 2017), she now has her own debut picture book,
By Traci Sorell
I’m overjoyed to feature The Little Red Fort by author Brenda Maier and illustrator Sonia Sánchez (Scholastic, 2018) here on Cynsations.
This new picture book is a contemporary retelling of The Little Red Hen, featuring spunky Ruby and her three brothers who are not interested in helping her build a fort.
By Traci Sorell
I’m delighted to feature Brad Wagnon, a fellow Cherokee Nation citizen and author of The Land of Great Turtles (Rowe Publishing, March 2018). He is joined by Alex Stephenson, the book’s illustrator.
I met Brad a few years ago in Tahlequah through his work for the tribe. Continue Reading Interview: Author Brad Wagnon & Illustrator Alex Stephenson on The Land of the Great Turtles »
By Traci Sorell
I couldn’t play on the same playground as the white kids.
I couldn’t go to their schools.
I couldn’t drink from their water fountains.
There were so many things I couldn’t do.
Let the Children March (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
Continue Reading New Voice: Monica Clark-Robinson on Let the Children March »
Gaye Sanders is the debut author of The Survivor Tree, illustrated by Pamela Behrend (RoadRunner Press, 2017). From the promotional copy:
A family plants an American elm on the Oklahoma prairie just as the city is taking root—and the little tree grows as Oklahoma City grows until 9:02 a.m.
Continue Reading New Voice: Gaye Sanders on The Survivor Tree »
Debut author Cate Berry interviews illustrator Charles Santoso about Penguin and Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime! (Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins, May 2018)
Cate: Hi, Charles! I’m here with Penguin and Tiny Shrimp to talk about—
Penguin: Hey, Charles! Love the cover, but what’s with the pajamas?
Continue Reading Cover Reveal: Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime »
People always ask writers how they get their ideas. Ideas are everywhere—people should ask how does a book come about?
Over my 36-year career as a writer of children’s books, I’ve written a dozen picture books.
Normally, an idea comes to me and over a period of months,
Continue Reading Guest Post: Candice Ransom on Working Backwards & Amanda Panda Quits Kindergarten »
