Just sent out the October issue of my author newsletter. You can subscribe by e-mail or browse issues online. Other updates:
Picture Books 101
How Readers Find Books
My Library Project
One Thing I’ve Learned
Debbie’s Blatherings
Excited to see my art on these Judy Blume classics being reissued by Atheneum/Simon & Schuster (Aug.25/2026)!
See the Publishers Weekly cover reveal as well as read more about the behind-the-scenes process on my blog with Lauren Rille, Hope Kim, and Jin Soo Chun.
The newest in the I’M series of picture books by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi (me!) launches from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers Feb. 24th! In I’M BUSY, Flamingo and Potato help a very busy girl slow down and find a healthier life balance.
Educators! Help us celebrate and I’ll record a special video just for your students. More about I’M BUSY launch celebration activities here.
Shortlisted for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, I WANT TO READ *ALL* THE BOOKS is my love letter to books and reading, with visual nods to the Toronto Public Library (including TPL’s Palmerston branch, where I worked) and Toronto indie bookstores like Mabel’s Fables.
Interior illustrations include my parents, who used to take me and my siblings to the library every week.
Read more here about my book, as well as how the book was made.
I’ve decided to make it a goal to visit all 100 branches of the Toronto Public Library, and will be posting about my quest on social media via the hashtag #100Branches.
Thank you for dropping by! Feel free to browse my books, current projects and art, my blog, resources for educators and creators, and answers to FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).
Do you have a question or just want to say hi? Please use my Contact Form.
In this fifth book in the series from New York Times bestselling author Michael Ian Black and celebrated illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi, a flamingo, a girl, and a potato tackle what it’s like to feel super-busy-all-the-time. Check out I’M BUSY launch day activities! So much to do and so little time! Can . . .
After several failed attempts at trying to maintain a consistent schedule for an author newsletter, I am delighted to report that I’ve found a platform that works for me: Leaflet. Not only does Leaflet enable me to easily put together an email newsletter, I am also using it as a . . .
(Revised and expanded from my One Thing I’ve Learned blog post, Oct. 6, 2026) I‘m a longtime fan of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) art kits that I can take with me when on the road. Yes, I do still have commercial travel art kits as well….but I find that just like expensive . . .
This post was also published today in my One Thing I’ve Learned social blog. I used to ONLY read books in print form. I’d secretly think that audiobooks and e-books weren’t “real” books. Now? I read books in all formats. I still love the tactile experience of holding a print . . .