Who knew that evolution could be so funny? Starting with the title page: Text/Illustrations ©️Drew Sheneman Oh, what a wise, wise chicken! Then comes a most serious author's note about how this book is based on scientific research, with a facing page that clues the reader in to the part that may be fictional—dinosaurs speaking … Continue reading Dinosaurs Are Not Extinct – Perfect Picture Book Friday
When you can't sleep at night, do you lie awake in the dark, wondering what kind of equation would describe the rotation of a wobbling top? If your answer is yes, you're in good company. Meet Sophie Kowalevski, a Russian mathematician born in 1850, who spent years pondering this question. But because she was a … Continue reading Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics #PPBF
I'm sure you have an opinion. What is the most ominous wintry scene in children's literature? CricketMuse argues that Edmund's encounter with the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia takes the prize, —while I argue that Jacob Marley's visitation of Scrooge has put the fear of miserliness into children for over 170 years. What … Continue reading The White Witch vs. Jacob Marley’s Ghost – Debatables
See that lighthouse? That was me at the Rutgers One-on-One Conference last year, a juried one-day event that pairs writers/illustrators with editors, agents and published authors. Fellow #kidlit author, Jennifer Prevost, just posted my rundown and tips about the conference. If you're wondering what it was like, or if you're thinking about applying, take a … Continue reading Guest Post – Rutgers One-on-One Conference
I was so moved by another writer's beautiful post about grief, including a picture book recommendation, that I wanted to share it for Susanna Leonard Hill's PPBF. Here's the book: And here's the post. Enjoy!! http://joycorcoran.com/2016/03/30/convergence-grief-books-life/ Title: Cry, Heart, But Never Break Author: Glenn Ringtved Illustrator: Charlotte Pardi Publisher: Enchanted Lion, 2016
I stopped packing boxes long enough to write this teensy-weensy story for Susanna Leonard Hills' Halloweensie story contest. Here are the rules: Write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but … Continue reading Dental Hygiene Halloween – Halloweensie Story Contest
It's time for Susanna Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Book Friday! Ever get cranky on days that everyone else likes to celebrate? Looking for someone who's simpatico with your outlook? Well, A Crankenstein Valentine by Samantha Berger (illustrated by the fabulous Dan Santat), may be right up your alley. (Yes, I know we're nowhere near Valentine's … Continue reading A Crankenstein Valentine – Perfect Picture Book Friday
Jilanne Hoffmann 