Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 21
March 31, 2023
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Love Makes a Garden Grow by Taeeun Yoo (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2023).
Author/Illustrator InsightsCover Reveal for When a Brown Girl Flees by Aamna Qureshi from We Need Diverse Books. Peek: [Aamna Qureshi:] “Be kind. And forgive. Life and people are messy, things can be awful and terrible, but it isn’t the end. There is always room for change, for growth,...
March 30, 2023
Throwback Thursday: Author Christina Soontornvat on the Downs (and Eventual Ups) of Making It Past that Debut Year
Congratulations to Christina Soontornvat on the publication of Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test, illustrated by Kevin Hong (Scholastic, March 2023). From the promotional copy:
Young Plum is shocked to discover that she’s been accepted to the Guardian Academy on Lotus Island, an elite school where kids learn how to transform into Guardians, magical creatures who are sworn to protect the natural world. The Guardian masters teach Plum and her friends how to communicate with animals and h...
March 29, 2023
Author Interview: Joy Harjo on Poetry & Picture Books
By AJ Eversole
Today on Cynsations I am thrilled to present an interview with former, U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo. Her latest picture book, Remember (Random House Studio, 2023) released last week. Illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade, Remember, is a poem in picture book form.
What is the heart of Remember?
I used to ask this of my creative writing students when I taught. The heart of this poem can be found by the rhythm, the beat that runs through and is repeated in the word “Rem...
March 28, 2023
Guest Interview: Heather Kelly on the Writers’ Loft Inspiring Creativity & Camaraderie
Writing can often be lonely and isolating. How do authors address this? Some co-author books, others write in public places, and others find a community. One such place is the Writers’ Loft in Hudson, Massachusetts, which offered me a place to meet other writers, build on my craft, and be surrounded by dedicated kid lit folks. Today founder and author Heather Kelly shares her story of bringing together writers, inspiring creativity, and promoting camaraderie.
What prompted you ...
March 24, 2023
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter by Aida Salazar, illustrated by Molly Mendoza (Scholastic Press, 2023).
Author/Illustrator InsightsPlaying to Our Strengths (And Other Insights on Co-Authoring a Novel): A Conversation With Nicole Melleby and A. J. Sass by Amanda MacGregor from Teen Librarian Toolbox. Peek: [A. J. Sass:] “It can be scary to open ...
March 23, 2023
Throwback Thursday: Don Tate’s Journey to Becoming an Artist
Congratulations to illustrator Don Tate and author Sherri Duskey Rinker on the publication of Roto and Roy: To the Rescue! (Little Brown, March 21, 2023).
From the promotional copy: When a flash flood threatens a nearby town, helicopter Roto and pilot Roy soar to the rescue! Quick—a truck needs to be hoisted to safety! Hurry—that family’s car is being swept away! Now grab as many sandbags and supplies as you can carry! This mission’s going to be rough, but Roy and Roto are tougher than tough.
I...
March 22, 2023
In Memory: Ian Falconer
Path to publication stories always intrigue me, especially those that feel very serendipitous. Take, for instance, Ian Falconer‘s Olivia (Atheneum, 2000), a story he originally wrote for his three-year-old niece (also named Olivia) as a Christmas gift in 1996.
“I thought I’d do a little book for her, a little story, and it just got better and better. I just did drawings first–I drew a whole story–and then I wrote it afterwards,” Falconer told Publishers Weekly‘s Jennifer Bro...
March 21, 2023
Illustrator Interview: Steph Littlebird On Art That Shows Indigenous People In A Contemporary Light
By AJ Eversole
Steph Littlebird is an artist, curator, writer, and a registered member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes. She has Illustrated covers for You Are Medicine: 13 Moons of Indigenous Wisdom, Ancestral Connection, and Animal Spirit Guidance (Hay House, 2022), The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls (Feiwel & Friends, 2022) and the forthcoming Into The Void: Star Wars Legends (Dawn of the Jedi) (Random House Worlds, 2023).
What is the heart of My Powerful Hair?
The story i...
March 17, 2023
Cynsational News
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Suma Subramaniam, A.J. Eversole and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Justice Rising: 12 Amazing Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Kim Holt (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2023).
Author/Illustrator InsightsMac Barnett and Christian Robinson Discuss Twenty Questions by Bianca Schulze from The Children’s Book Review. Peek: [Christian Robinson]:] “I want to tell stories that tell the truth, e...
March 15, 2023
Announcing Davy June’s Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In Anthology
By AJ Eversole
Hello there! It’s AJ here to ecstatically introduce the next anthology out from Heartdrum!
Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, offers a wide range of innovative, unexpected, and heartfelt stories by Native creators, informed and inspired by lived experience, with an emphasis on the present and future of Indian Country and on the strength of young Native heroes.
Today I am thrilled to reveal Davy June’s Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In, ...
