Welcome, friends! My latest picture book, BUSY BUILDERS, BUSY WEEK! is out in the world. YIPPEE! In it, you’ll meet a colorful cast of animal characters building something wonderful and whimsical for their community! Each day of the week contains a different construction activity as the digging, dumping and ‘dozing build up to one stupendous… Read more »
Reviews
What is Wild? Guest Post by Megan Wagner Lloyd
From the moment I saw the cover of FINDING WILD, I knew I needed to learn more about the inspirations and dreams for this beautiful book. I’m so pleased that Megan Wagner Lloyd agreed to give us a glimpse into just that! What is Wild? by Megan Wagner Lloyd When I wrote my picture book FINDING… Read more »
What Came First? The Dragon or the Verse? Guest Post by Penny Parker Klostermann
I’m one of the lucky ones. At a picture book workshop I was leading, I got to hear Penny Parker Klostermann first read her hilarious picture book manuscript THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT. I knew instantly she had a winner. So it brought me great happiness to hold this shiny, new… Read more »
Laurie Ann Thompson: Why dogs – and simple stories – are the best!
When I first heard about Laurie Ann Thompson’s latest picture book My Dog is the Best, I thought, “Brilliant! Simply brilliant!” – emphasis on the word “simply.” And the reviewers agree. “This simple, quiet story conveys the enduring bond between child and dog, with the added appeal of a joke that younger children just beginning… Read more »
ALL THROUGH MY TOWN – The Reviews Are In!
And I’m loving ’em! “Richard Scarry has some competition in this effort, which follows a toddler-age bunny and his mother around town on their errands. Filled with verbs that end in –ing, the rhythmic verses form a nice cadence and challenge readers to spot the characters that are performing each action. “Pancakes flipping. / Cutting,… Read more »
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT – Colorado Book Award Winner!
The week before the Colorado Book Awards ceremony, I debated whether or not to type out my 1.5 minute (Note: Well under the 3 minute limit!) “thank you” speech and book reading. After all, it was 3 measly sentences and one verse from my book. AND I’ve had my book memorized since long before it… Read more »
TIME OUT FOR MONSTERS! – Letting loose a first review!
While I hinted about this on Facebook, I’m posting the entire Publishers Weekly review here.Time Out for Monsters! Even kids can get the fixer-upper urge—especially when the real estate in question is the time-out corner. “Mom says it’s fine, but I know better. I spend a LOT of time there,” says the refreshingly unapologetic young… Read more »
Thank You Booklist and Library Lady for These Stellar Reviews of LIGHT UP THE NIGHT
This charming bedtime book plays off of the “This Is the House That Jack Built” cumulative classic. A little boy tells of his universe, starting from the farthest point he can imagine and ending up in his bed, just in time for sleep and dreaming. Reidy’s rhymes are so lively and appealing, however, that the… Read more »
A Heartfelt Thanks to Publishers Weekly for this Lovely Review!
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT “A boy celebrates his place in the world in Reidy’s (Too Pickley!) soothing bedtime story. Removing the red-and-white quilt from his bed, the narrator fashions it into an open-cockpit jet and blasts into outer space: “These are my galaxy stars so bright—/ they light up the heavens late at night/ in… Read more »
Lovely First Reviews for LIGHT UP THE NIGHT!
Swooning! LIGHT UP THE NIGHT [KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW!]By Jean Reidy; illus. by Margaret Chodos-Irvine The coziest of quilts becomes a rocket ship in this gorgeous, mesmerizingly rhythmic read-aloud that explores a boy’s small place in a vast world. Sporting star-spangled pajamas, the not-too-sleepy astronaut wraps his red-and-white quilt around his shoulders and zooms off into… Read more »
My Books
