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A delightful new picture book is out that will make readers of all ages smile…In Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast the title characters set off on a wild race through the refrigerator to capture the last drop of syrup. Debut author Josh Funk is a genius at writing the story in surprising, original and hilarious rhyme. The illustrations,… Read more »

It’s September, which means….my new book, with Pelican Publishing, will be out very soon! Drum roll….here’s the cover!  Stay tuned for details!

I feel honored to be the first author interviewed for the blog “Literature Connects,” whose goal is to help “educators make connections to excellent children’s literature in order to develop children’s systems thinking capacity.” Systems Thinking is a fascinating way of looking at the world, with important applications in education, economics, environmental studies and more, and I am tickled… Read more »

As a writing tutor, my main goal is to help students communicate their ideas clearly, effectively, grammatically, and originally. I also hope to share (and spread) my own enthusiasm for writing. Sometimes I help with homework assignments, but when I’m hired to boost overall writing skills, I get to create my own assignments! This summer I’m working with two brothers whose… Read more »

I was lucky enough to spend the morning at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, MA last Sunday. It’s a picturesque and historic site with an old farm house and animals to visit, including 700-pound Big Dave the pig and charming Roger the donkey. Truly worthy of a children’s book!              … Read more »

Today I’d like to blow the horn for a fellow author, whose 2 board books have just been released! Ellen Mayer’s Red Socks and A Fish to Feed are charmingly written and beautifully illustrated (by Ying-Hwa Hu). Not only are they sure to appeal to tiny listeners and the lucky grown-ups who read them aloud, but they also have… Read more »

My husband, Al, is a waaaay better photographer than I am. Somehow my photos end up tilted or include something I didn’t want in the picture: a jacket sleeve obscuring a flower, a traffic light that looks like a hat on the person I was trying to capture. Al took this photo of our spring visitor Rhonda (for… Read more »

Waay back in a previous post (May 14, 2014 to be exact), I showed an example of my Sticker Art, in which I peel off fruit and vegetable stickers and make art out of them. Calling it # 1 of a series, I forgot to continue with # 2. Oops. I will remedy that right… Read more »

A lovely birthday present for me this year was Pelican Publishing’s fall catalogue! I was excited to find my new book–What’s Up With this Chicken?–along with bios and photos of the illustrator, Peter Welling, and moi:  http://www.pelicanpub.com/proddetail.php?prod=9781455620852#.VVYNR9rBzRY Isn’t the publisher’s logo adorable?!

A BBC poll of critics from around the world resulted in 21 favorites. # 1….drum roll? Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Roald Dahl has 2 books on this group of faves. Here is the complete list:   Charlotte’s Web – EB White The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis Where the Wild… Read more »