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  • Finding Grace, by Becky Citra — Middle Grade Book Recommendation

    By Beth | September 18, 2014

    Title: Finding Grace (A Gutsy Girl Book) Author: Becky Citra Publisher: Toronto: Second Story Press, 2014. Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, set in 1954 Audience Age: 8-12 Themes/Topics: Friendship, secrets, families Opening Sentences: Dear Grace, I have been accused of a crime! Someone stole Nancy Collier’s brand-new glow-in-the-dark yo-yo today. Miss Noonan did a desk check.…

  • Emma Walton Hamilton’s Editor-In-A-Box

    By Beth | September 14, 2014

    Do you struggle with the revision process? Do you sometimes wish you could have someone coach you along as you decide what to include, what to leave out, whether you have the right word, and whether you’re using that word correctly? Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you look at the big picture of the…

  • International Dot Day is Coming SOON! (September 15th-ish)

    By Beth | September 11, 2014

    If you’ve been reading my blog for at least a year, you’ll know that I am a strong proponent of International Dot Day, the day when children and grown-ups around the world celebrate creativity in the spirit of Peter H. Reynolds’ wonderful picture book, The Dot. In The Dot, the main character, Vashti, is sure…

  • Marcie Colleen — Interview with Teacher’s Guide Expert

    By Beth | September 7, 2014

    I am delighted to bring this interview with writer and teacher’s guide creator Marcie Colleen to you today. Marcie is, as you will see, a woman of many talents, and I’m grateful to call her friend (although we haven’t yet met in person). I got to know Marcie through our mutual involvement in Julie Hedlund’s…

  • Moving Forward — by Sitting Still

    By Beth | June 15, 2014

    Every once in a while, no matter how determined one is to move forward in whatever one is doing, it’s a good idea to stop for a little while, take a break, change focus for a while. I’ll be taking a blog-break for the rest of the summer. It’s not that I’ll be doing nothing…

  • Perfect Picture Book Friday CELEBRATION!

    By Beth | June 12, 2014

    I don’t have a Perfect Picture Book to share with you today (my last PPBF of the season was posted in May — The Very Fairy Princess: Graduation Girl), but something very special is going on in Perfect Picture Book Land today, and I wanted to help celebrate!   Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing brainchild, PERFECT…

  • How to Make a Picture Book, Part 3b

    By Beth | June 8, 2014

    The Making of Bubblegum Princess Story Development, Part 2: Our corgis can fly! It’s extremely frustrating when you know your picture book story is not quite working, but you don’t know why, or how to fix it. Maybe you’ve become wedded to the plot, or tangled in rhyme, or too fond of your characters to cause…

  • The Writing Process Blog Hop

    By Beth | June 3, 2014

    Friend and writing colleague Emily Lim has tagged me in the Writing Process blog hop that has been making the rounds. Thank you, Emily! I know Emily through Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 and Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday, and now we’re both taking Emma Walton Hamilton’s Just Write For Middle Grade online/home study course.…

  • In the Spotlight — Past Interviewees

    By Beth | June 1, 2014

    Do you enjoy watching those “where are they now” shows on TV? I do, especially when they feature people who were once the kids on TV programs I used to enjoy. It’s interesting to see how their lives have changed, and what interesting projects they might be involved in now. In previous years on this…

  • The Very Fairy Princess: Graduation Girl! — Perfect Picture Book Friday

    By Beth | May 29, 2014

    Title: The Very Fairy Princess: Graduation Girl Authors: Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton Illustrator: Christine Davenier Publisher: New York, Boston: Little, Brown (part of Hachette), 2014

  • Moving Forward — By Asking Questions

    By Beth | May 25, 2014

    If you’re on Facebook at all regularly, you’ll no doubt have seen more than one of the plethora of quizzes and questionnaires that are so popular there. I admit I have fun with them. You may be interested to know that if I were a children’s book character, I’d be Max from Where the Wild…

  • Under One Roof by Barry Martin (with Philip Lerman)

    By Beth | May 22, 2014

    When I brought this book home from the library, and even as I read it, I didn’t realize until I got to the last pages that I was not reading a work of fiction. It seemed too incredible to be true, but Under One Roof: Lessons I Learned from a Tough Old Woman in a…