It was the cover that called to me from the bookshelf: Who wouldn't be drawn in by those eyes. Everyone on this cover looks GUILTY!!! But what is their crime? Well, it turns out that these three are not the perps. They're the victims!!! They have lost their voices. The cat can't meow, the dog … Continue reading Whoops! – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Call me sentimental, but when Susanna Leonard Hill's "The Road That Truck Built" arrived in the mail, I sat down with my now-13-yr-old son and read it immediately. THIS book would have been his go-to for every bedtime, snack time, every-waking-moment-time until it fell apart. And then we would have bought another. Not only is … Continue reading The Road That Trucks Built – Perfect Picture Book Friday
There's an ongoing discussion in the kid lit world about why boys don't want to read "girl books," meaning books that star female protagonists or feature fairies or princesses on the cover or in the title. Is this "preference" intrinsic, or are they steered away from such interests, starting at a very young age? Shannon … Continue reading Reading Gender Into It – Children’s Books and Beyond
In a nation overtaken by arguments about immigration and the building of walls, Shanthi Sekaran's new novel underscores the complexity of the situation. But immigration issues are more than a decorative backdrop in Sekaran's novel. They provide the disturbing context for its premise: two women fighting for the right to raise one child, one of … Continue reading Lucky Boy – Shanthi Sekaran
As we prepare to do battle in the name of science on Earth Day tomorrow, I thought I'd put the spotlight on the legendary battles being played across the country, the ones happening in school yards, classrooms, and perhaps during dinner when children are challenged to eat their vegetables, no matter how odious. Picture … Continue reading The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Made it through Reading for Research Month (ReFoReMo), the picture book marathon of reading and studying various picture book attributes, so now it's time to recommend perhaps a book or two from my reading that were not on the prescribed reading list. While I was combing the stacks of the San Francisco Public Library's children's picture … Continue reading Brief Thief – Perfect Picture Book Friday
So while I'm frantically revising picture book manuscripts to take to Highlights Summer Camp, Listen To Your Mother released the 2016 videos from shows in 41 cities. As promised, here's my piece in the San Francisco Show! It was a privilege and an honor to be on stage with such amazing women. Cheers! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s145rabK20
I am NOT having an affair with my postman. He loves to ring and run, never waiting to see if I'm home. When I find the package on the doorstep, there's not even a telltale trail of exhaust from his vehicle on the street. I'm not sure if he's afraid of me or is an extreme … Continue reading Surprise! Mother’s Day Gift!
Time for Susanna Leonard Hill's PPBF! But first, let's form a new political party, one run by children's picture book writers and illustrators. It will be the nicest, most generous political party ever. There will be sharing of snacks and toys and saying please and thank you. No hitting, biting, bullying, or other anti-social behavior. … Continue reading I Need My Own Country! – Perfect Picture Book Friday
It's official! I'll be performing at the Listen to Your Mother show in San Francisco on May 6th! I had submitted a humorous essay last year but was too ill to audition for the show after the piece was selected. Not content to submit the same piece this year, I wrote a new 800-word essay … Continue reading Listen to Your Mother – San Francisco
Jilanne Hoffmann 