So many of us have had to adapt our jobs to new conditions because of COVID19, but you wouldn’t think writers would be much affected. But for award-winning author Jason Reynolds, some important things have changed. Reynolds is the 2020-21 National Ambassador for Children’s Literature for the Library of Congress. Normally, this would have meant … Continue reading
Sometimes even the most interesting creative project can start to feel like a burden. Experiments don’t work and have to be redesigned. Poetry needs editing. Interviews have to be transcribed and paintings need work. Those moments, when the initial inspiration and excitement have to give way to persistence and hard work, can be particularly discouraging … Continue reading
We are soon to have another actor in the family! My husband has worked in theater for many years so much of our life has revolved around the show-of-the-moment. We can recite dialog from one show or another for almost any occasion. Now we are becoming enmeshed in a different theatrical form, as our nephew … Continue reading
I’m not a sports fan. I almost never care who wins the Super Bowl. I’ll admit this year I rooted for the Pats, but that’s mostly because the older I get, the more I appreciate Tom Brady’s longevity. But regardless, when the Super Bowl comes, I want to see the ads. This year my favorite … Continue reading
Valentine’s Day crept up on me this year. My best excuse is that, like everyone in Michigan, my head is spinning from weather whiplash. Between the Polar Vortex and springlike temperatures, we’ve had 60 degree temperature variations in a three day period TWICE in the last few weeks. So no wonder I don’t know what … Continue reading
Here’s a special post for those of you who, as I do, live in places facing record-breaking windchill temperatures this week. All of us wait anxiously to learn which activities are moving forward and which are cancelled due to snow. And, of course, everyone listens for school snow days. This week some clever administrators from … Continue reading
A few months ago the Internet was taken by storm by a video of a Scottish grandmother trying, without success, to maintain her composure while reading a story to her grandson, Craig Smith’s The Wonky Donkey. At the time I was anxious to read the book for myself, but apparently so were many other people. … Continue reading
Halloween seems to get bigger every year. While I’m saddened to see the free-range trick-or-treating of my childhood wane, I still love the imagination with which so many young people (and their parents!) embrace the season. And, of course, in my household full of black cats, I need to put up a few appropriate decorations. … Continue reading
The biggest pumpkin ever grown in Michigan weighed in at over 2000 pounds. It must have been a pumpkin like that that inspired Wendell Minor’s How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow? This is a story to delight and inspire any pumpkin lover’s imagination. Minor starts with an image of a typical festival-winning giant pumpkin, then … Continue reading
Every October, I look forward to the Halloween picture book display at my local bookstore, hoping to find something new to tickle my imagination. This year did not disappoint. This year I discovered Ginny Goblin. Ginny is the star of Ginny Goblin is Not Allowed to Open This Box, a delightful tale of a curious … Continue reading
