Best Nonfiction of 2023 Roundup
Next Monday is a big day in children’s literature. The winners of the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards will be announced. So today seems like a good time to look back at some of the highly-regarded titles published last year. There’s no doubt about it. 2023 was a phenomenal year for nonfiction, and it […]
15 Favorite STEM Books of 2023
Today I’m finishing up my posts for 2023 with my annual list of favorite STEM books. I usually try to limit it to 10 titles, but this year’s list includes an astonishing 15 books because I just couldn’t narrow it down. It was a stellar year for nonfiction, and for STEM titles in particular. Six of […]
How Young Writers Can Avoid Plagiarism, Part 2
On Tuesday, I shared a video in which I discuss how two personal experiences helped me develop the lens of gratitude that makes my new book Thank You, Moon: Celebrating Nature’s Nightlight so much more than just a matter-of-fact book about how moonlight affects animals. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to view it and […]
Moon Book Parade: An Interview with Jessica Lanan
Welcome back to the Moon Book Parade, highlighting some fantastic 2023 picture books that feature the Moon. You can scroll down to see earlier posts in this series. Here’s a list of all the books: Full Moon Pups by Liz Garton Scanlon and Chuck Groenink Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond and Maribel Lechuga A […]
Moon Book Parade: An Interview with Irene Latham
Welcome back to the Moon Book Parade, highlighting five fantastic 2023 picture books that feature the Moon. You can scroll down to see the first three posts in this series. Here’s a list of all the books: Full Moon Pups by Liz Garton Scanlon and Chuck Groenink Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond and Maribel […]
Moon Book Parade: An Interview with Kate Allen Fox
Welcome back to the Moon Book Parade, highlighting five fantastic 2023 picture books that feature the Moon. You can scroll down to see the first two posts in this series. Here’s a list of all the books: Full Moon Pups by Liz Garton Scanlon and Chuck Groenink Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond and Maribel […]
Moon Book Parade: An Interview with Liz Garton Scanlon
Tomorrow night is the Full Harvest Moon, so it seems like the perfect time to launch a celebration of our closest companion in space. Afterall, everyone loves the Moon, and we literally couldn’t live without it. The Moon’s gravitational pull moderates the seasons, so Earth isn’t too freezing cold or too scorching hot. It’s just right […]
Blasts from the Past
Each summer, I review this blog’s stats to see what kinds of topics resonate most with readers. And year after year, I notice a trend. Readership tends to fall off in April. I think there are a few reasons. First, most schools have finished their informational writing unit for the year, so fewer educators are […]
Using Text Trios to Nurture STEM Curiosity
Recently, award-winning STEM author Jennifer Swanson let me know about an innovative idea that she’s working on—Text Trios. She’s pairing a book with a narrative writing style and a book with an expository writing style with episodes of her popular podcast Solve It for Kids. I was so excited about how these trios could appeal to […]
2022: The Year of Extraordinary Expository
Back in 2014, I wrote this post, lamenting the fact that expository nonfiction—books that explain, describe, or inform in a clear accessible way—were the unsung underdogs of the children’s literature world. These books rarely received starred reviews or won awards because narrative nonfiction—books that tell a story or convey an experience—was generally considered superior. But […]