Cynthia Leitich Smith's Blog, page 62

In Memory: Anne Rockwell

By Gayleen Rabukukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Author and illustrator Anne Rockwell died on April 10 in Stamford, Connecticut. She was 85.

Obituary: Anne Rockwell by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Peek:

"Christy Ottaviano... worked with Rockwell on four books....describing her as '...a visionary in her ability to reach young children through her thoughtful, clever, and wide-reaching books. She had such a keen understanding of the picture book form and how it could open up a c...

Cynsational News

By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Robin Galbraith,
Gayleen Rabukukk & Kate Pentecost for Cynsations

Author/Illustrator Insights

Mama’s Belly by Kate Hosford by Adi Rule from The Launch Pad. Peek:

“In the winter of 2009, I did an amazing picture book semester with Uma Krishnaswami...The gestation period for this book was very long—nine years, from first draft to publication—but finding the right publisher, editor and illustrator was worth the wait.”

Tracy K. Smith and Jacq...

New Voice: Kim Ventrella on Improving Your Writing Skills & Skeleton Tree

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Kim Ventrella is the debut author of Skeleton Tree (Scholastic, 2017). From the promotional copy:

Twelve-year-old Stanly knows the bone growing in his yard is a little weird, but that's okay, because now he'll have the perfect photo to submit to the Young Discoverer's Competition. 

With such a unique find, he's sure to win the grand prize. But, oddly, the bone doesn't appear in any photos. Even stranger, it seems to be growing into a...

New Voice: Brenda Maier on Making Picture Books Do Double Duty & The Little Red Fort

By Traci Sorell
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I’m overjoyed to feature The Little Red Fort by author Brenda Maier and illustrator Sonia Sánchez (Scholastic, 2018) here on Cynsations.

This new picture book is a contemporary retelling of The Little Red Hen, featuring spunky Ruby and her three brothers who are not interested in helping her build a fort.

I love how Ruby takes matters into her own hands and figures out what needs to be done with a little help from her mother and gra...

Survivors: Louise Hawes on Thriving as a Long-Time, Actively Publishing Children's-YA Author

Learn more about Louise Hawes.By Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations

In children’s-YA writing, maintaining an active publishing career is arguably an even bigger challenge than breaking into the field. 

Reflecting on your personal journey (creatively, career-wise, and your writer’s heart), what bumps did you encounter and how have you managed to defy the odds to achieve continued success?

I’d say the first and most severe “bump” in my writing life was…success!

Because I met with one version...

Guest Post: N.H. Senzai on Writing About War for Middle Grade & Escape From Aleppo

By N.H. Senzai
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

The reason I love writing for the middle grade audience is because at this age kids can still suspend belief and journey with you through a story as long as you create believable plots, authentic characters and dialogue that rings true.

However, you need to hook them in quickly, so my first goal is to create a story that “reels them in.”

Once they’ve signed on to follow your protagonist, you can present heavy topics, such as war and conflict,...

In Memory: Jean Marzollo

By Robin Galbraith
For Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Author, illustrator, and educator Jean Marzollo died April 10, 2018.

SCBWI Remembers Jean Marzollo 1942- 2018 from their website. Peek:

“...Marzollo served for 20 years as editor of Scholastic’s magazine for kindergartners, Let’s Find Out. ...she wrote nearly 150 books, and became best known for her I Spy series (Scholastic, 1992)...translated into twelve languages and...sold more than 42 million copies worldwide.”  

Obituary: Jea...

Cynsational News

By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Robin Galbraith,
Gayleen Rabukukk & Kate Pentecost for Cynsations

Author/Illustrator Insights

South Asian Historical Fiction—Author Interview with Veera Hiranandani and Giveaway by Suma Subramaniam from From the Mixed-up Files of Middle-Grade Authors. Peek:

“I grew up hearing about partition [of India in 1947] from my father...I would hear parts of the story, but I knew they weren’t telling me everything. This ignited my curiosity and wh...

New Voice: Jen Petro-Roy on Epistolary Novels & P.S. I Miss You

By Gayleen Rabakukk
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

Jen Petro-Roy is the debut author of P.S. I Miss You (Feiwel & Friends, 2018). From the promotional copy:

Evie is heartbroken when her strict Catholic parents send her pregnant sister, Cilla, away to stay with a distant great aunt. All Evie wants is for her older sister to come back. Forbidden from speaking to Cilla, Evie secretly sends her letters. 

Evie writes about her family, torn apart and hurting. She writes about her life,...

New Voice: Patricia Valdez on Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor

By Traci Sorell
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

I love a good picture book biography and read so many in elementary school, especially those featuring women.

So when I learned Patricia Valdez’s debut picture book would feature the work of Joan Proctor, a zoologist researching amphibians in the early twentieth century, I knew there’d be a great story there.

Others think so too because the book has received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.

I’m thril...