Jody Jensen Shaffer writes books and poetry for children. Her award-winning poems have appeared in magazines like Ladybug, Babybug, Highlights, High Five, Clubhouse Jr., and more. Jody writes from her home in Liberty, Missouri, which she shares with her husband, two children, and their rescue dog, Sophie. You can find more info . . .
Back in 2013, I posted an interview with Scholastic editor Celia Lee, who invited Inkygirl readers to submit picture book manuscripts for a limited time. Two book contracts came out of that, including Josh Funk’s PIRASAURS! story (see my interview with Josh Funk and the illustrator, Michael Slack). I’m delighted to . . .
I’m delighted to be one of the stops on THE GREEN UMBRELLA blog tour! This is a debut picture book for author Jackie Azua Kramer and illustrator Maral Sassouni, just launched from NorthSouth Books. The story is fun and imaginative, with gorgeous art, and the underlying message of sharing, generosity and looking . . .
Don’t let age discourage you from your publication dreams! This month’s Late Bloomer profile: Laura Boldin-Fournier, whose first chidren’s book came out when she was 68 years old. AN ORANGUTAN’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS debuted earlier this year from Pelican Publishing, and Laura was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. Debbie: How did . . .
YOU’RE MY BOO by Kate Dopirak and Lesley Breen Withrow would make a wonderful holiday gift for a young reader. An ode to unconditional love, this reassuring and adorable story is like a hug in book form. Kate Dopirak loves walking her puppy, watching her sons play sports, and convincing her husband to share a cheese . . .
I met Andrea Zuill through the SCBWI Mentorship Program. Andrea was chosen for the program in 2011. She is SO much fun, with a wonderfully quirky sense of humor. I was VERY excited for Andrea when she got her first book contract! And with a prestigious publishing imprint like Schwartz & Wade! Andrea . . .
Ruth Spiro is the author of the Baby Loves Science series, published by Charlesbridge. Her debut picture book, Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist won awards from Writer’s Digest and Willamette Writers, and was a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year. Ruth’s articles and stories have appeared in FamilyFun, CHILD, and The Writer, and also in popular . . .
Lucy Ravitch is the author The Pancake Menu, a children’s interactive book that helps kids practice math skills as they play restaurant. The book won the 2016 Bronze Independent Publisher Award in the Children’s Interactive category, and was also the bronze Reader’s Favorite award for Children’s Concept Books for 2016. Lucy says she has loved . . .
Congrats to my friend and agency sister Hazel Mitchell on the launch of her debut solo picture book, TOBY, published by Candlewick Press! Even though I’ve never met the real-life Toby in person, I’ve been following Hazel’s photos and posts about this sweet rescue dog via social media. And like many other Toby fans, I . . .
Back in May 2013, I posted an interview with Celia Lee, an editor at Cartwheel Books / Scholastic, and Celia invited Inkygirl readers to submit manuscripts for a limited time; apparently Celia received over a thousand submissions (!). A couple of years later, I met Josh Funk at nErDcampMI and found out that he had . . .