“Marchini’s story and economy of telling display the chicken as total id, and Felix’s pencil-and-watercolor illustrations are genuine works of art. A surprising gem.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Early readers will enjoy following Chicken through her barnyard adventure and will be able to decode objects and emotions easily due to the well-defined expressions of the animals…A welcome addition to…preschool or kindergarten collections, come rain or come shine.” – School Library Journal
From The Blog
Kirkus Reviews gives AMY WU AND THE PERFECT BAO by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua a starred review!
Congratulations to Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua on your starred review for Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao! Kirkus Reviews says: Zhang’s buoyant, bubbly text is complemented by Chua’s charming, animated characters, who include an equally expressive kitty as...
read moreHow I Pitched GOODBYE, MR. SPALDING by Jennifer Robin Barr
In a lot of ways, the pitch that I use to submit a book to editors is incredibly similar to the same query letter that an author would send to agents when they're seeking representation. So today, I'm sharing my pitch letter today for Jennifer Robin Barr's...
read moreKirkus Reviews calls Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie’s OPERATION PHOTOBOMB “a lighthearted take on the trickster tale”!
Congratulations Tara Luebbe, Becky Cattie and Matthew Rivera on a wonderful Kirkus review for Operation Photobomb! Kirkus Reviews said: "Illustrations in this upbeat offering are lush and playful. Readers will enjoy searching for Chameleon in each of the...
read moreThe 3 Most Common Reasons I Pass on Picture Books as an Agent
1.) Rhyming couplets/picture books in verse It’s not that books in verse are inherently bad (and of course I’d be open to seeing more books from published poets), but that it’s very common for me to see picture books in rhyming couplets that...
read moreCongratulations Charlene Chua on GENIUS JOELENE!
Congratulations Charlene Chua, who will be illustrating Sara Cassidy's latest chapter book, Genius Joelene! Charlene and Sara previously worked together on The Great Googlini, which was named one of the Best Middle-Grade Books of 2018 for New &...
read moreHow I Personally Feel About Comp Titles in Query Letters (with the caveat that not all agents feel this way)
I get asked about comp titles from time to time, and my overall thought is that unless you can find two perfect comps (e.g. this meets that) that are: under ten years old, in the genre you’re writing in (for at least for one of the two), widely enough read...
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