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In improv comedy there is a hard and fast rule: whatever your scene partner asks you to do, no matter how ridiculous or outrageous, you always answer, “Yes, and…” Saying no ends the scene and cuts off all possibilities. Saying yes continues the scene and provides infinite opportunities. It’s a...
The Horn Book is 100! Hoorah and Hooray! To celebrate I’ll poe out a poem! If I can think what to say… After my uninspiring, hum-drummish day. I woke feeling “blah,” For the sky, it was gray. And I tread the same boring path, In the same boring way. Is...
The first time I saw the great Ed Young (1931–2023), I felt awestruck by his presence. Tall, angular jaw, prominent ears that looked like they listened. He exuded calm and grace. There was often a deep chuckle ready to break out, as if, to him, life itself was wry. [Photo ©...
While it has been two years since relinquishing the Horn Book editorship, and two more since getting to work meant going to work, I dream almost every night about being back in the office. Recently, identical twins dressed like Stanley Kubrick’s came to visit me there. A few weeks ago,...
One of my favorite picture books was re-released in 2023 as a board book: Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Ho Baek Lee (Clarion). It’s a faithful, uncut adaptation, but the new cover wisely zooms in on the young protagonist. Often board book versions of time-tested hardcover picture...
Lois Ehlert (1934–2021) and I first met when I was twenty-four and an editorial assistant at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ) in San Diego. We went on to work together for thirty-five years, and we made twenty-nine books. Lois had a fondness for nicknames, and while we were working on one...
During the 2020–21 pandemic school year, I was one of two fully remote fourth-grade teachers in my school. We each taught the required disciplines: English language arts, math, social studies, and science. Given the reduced allotment for time on camera with students, the flexibility of focusing on additional topics was...
The author, age eight, in an Easter bonnet, hunting for eggs in her yard. Photo courtesy of Laurel Snyder. We talk a lot lately about representation in children’s literature, about the need for all kids to see themselves in the books they read. And, of course, this has been a...
The most important things we can do as teachers, librarians, caregivers, and book creators are to understand how children acquire reading skills and ensure they’re getting access to high-quality books. These books should engage new readers while also systematically providing the opportunity to practice the skills they need to become...
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