Animal Characters in Children’s Picture Books

The Cat in the Hat. Peter Rabbit. Winnie-the-Pooh. Franklin. Frances. Angelina Ballerina. Olivia.

Animal characters have frolicked, slithered, and trotted, squeaked, meowed and pranced, pirouetted, oinked, and entertained readers in children’s literature for centuries. Published in 1658, Orbis Sensualium Pictus was… Read more ❯

My Interview for Laura’s Books and Blog and Her Review of Sophia and Sinclair Get Lost!

Sophia and Sinclair Get Lost! has received an enthusiastic review from Laura Smith. A middle-grade author who writes for HubPages and blogs about fellow self-publishers, Laura says she “was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns this story takes” and… Read more ❯

Animals as Characters in Kelly Link’s “Stone Animals” and David Means’s “Clementine, Carmelita, Dog”

Whenever I visit a library or bookstore, I inevitably beeline to the writing section. Recently I discovered and enjoyed Reaching Inside: 50 Acclaimed Authors on 100 Unforgettable Short Stories. For this collection, Andre Dubus III invited seasoned writers to write… Read more ❯

My Interview for Lauri Fortino’s Frog on a (B)Log Website

I’m so pleased that Lauri Fortino interviewed me for her Frog on a (B)Log website! My picture book, Sophia and Sinclair Get Lost!, fits her 2024 focus on animal- and/or nature-themed stories.

Like me, Lauri… Read more ❯

My Interview for Gina Soldano’s Why We Write Series

I’m delighted that Gina Soldano interviewed me for her Why We Write series. As she mentions at the beginning of her post, Gina and I met through the 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge.… Read more ❯

Festive, Snowy, and Magical: a Few of My Favorite Winter Picture Books

Winter in the San Francisco Bay Area brings rain, cooler temps, and Christmas lights decorating trees laden with citrus fruit. Since I grew up in Michigan, though, my winter memories feature snowstorms and snowball fights, sledding down snowy slopes, sliding… Read more ❯