Carol Baldwin's Blog, page 13

UNDER THE TANGERINE TREE by Esther Bandy: A Book Review by Guest Blogger, Elliott Kurta

Some of you know that one of my passions is teaching writing to teens and adults. I haven't had that opportunity for awhile, but I recently met a young man who loves to write. I've taken Elliott Kurta under my writer's wing and am excited to share his first book review with you. Without further ado, here is Elliott's review of Under the Tangerine Tree, a debut middle grade book by Esther

VALENSLIME: A Picture Book Review and an Autographed Giveaway

Do you remember back in July when I reviewed Joy Keller's book Frankenslime that is illustrated by my SCBWI-Carolinas friend, Ashley Belote?I had announced that the next book in this series, Valenslime (Feiwel and Friends, 2021), would be ready in time for Valentine's Day. I am here today with a review and the perfect present for your little sweetheart!REVIEWHere is the opening paragraph that

GOOD EATING: A DEBUT STEM PICTURE BOOK + A MINI-AUTHOR INTERVIEW + A GIVEAWAY

I'm always on the lookout for new picture books to share, so when I saw that, Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill  (Tillbury House Publishers, 2022) was Matt Lilley's debut picture book, I asked him if he was interested in a review. In the mini-author interview below, Matt talks about the difference between writing for the educational market and writing for the trade market.REVIEWHere's how this

PHOTO ARK ABC: NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK REVIEW, GIVEAWAY, and MINI-AUTHOR INTERVIEW

 I first "met" Debbie Levy through the pages of her novel-in-verse, This Promise of Change. In her newest book, Photo Ark ABC, Debbie  uses more than five different types of poems to playfully describe animals from Aardvarks to Zebra Finches. The accompanying photographs by National Geographic's Joel Sartore are outstanding, cute, and engaging. Children from ages 5-8 will "get" Photo Ark's

INTERVIEW WITH MONICA ROE, AUTHOR OF AIR, and a GIVEAWAY- PART II

 In my last post I shared Monica Roe's debut middle grade novel, Air.  Today you're going to hear why Monica was uniquely prepared to write this book, her path to publication, and why bees and Alaska each have special roles.In the author note at the end of Air, Monica relates that in her job as a pediatric physical therapist, she looks at what physically disabled children can do--with or without

AIR: A MIDDLE GRADE REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY-- PART I

I am thrilled to share with you my friend Monica Roe's, upcoming novel, Air (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, March 15, 2022). Today you are going to hear about a book that her publisher describes as,"a smart, energetic middle grade debut about thinking big, working hard, and taking flight."On Thursday you'll get a glimpse behind the scenes in my interview with Monica. She'll share

SEEKING FREEDOM: The Untold Story of Fortress Monroe and the Ending of Slavery in America- A Nonfiction Picture Book Review and Giveaway

I'm starting off the new year by joining a blog tour for a new book by award-winning Selene Castrovilla, SEEKING FREEDOM (Calkins Creek, 2022). The expressive watercolor illustrations are by award-winning artistrator, E.B. Lewis.REVIEWAlthough most of this informational picture book for 7-10 year-olds is presented in a journal format, the book opens with a quote from President Abraham Lincoln's

The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Under Our Feet

From the moment you hold The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals that Live Beneath Our Feet (Holiday House, 2021) in your hands, you realize that this is a unique picture book.  After all, how many books do you turn 90 degrees in order to read it? I can only think of one other, Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, which my (now) adult children enjoyed as kids! In fact, the award-winning author of The

Revision Revisited

 If you're a writer, then someone has probably said to you: "So, are you done with your book yet?" If the person who you are talking to loves you then he may say, "How's the book coming along?" Which is a softer, kinder way of saying the same thing. Either way, most people who are not in the writing/publishing world have NO idea how much writing and re-writing goes into creating a book. And

JELLYFISH WISHES AND POEMS ABOUT FISHES: A Picture Book Review and Autographed Giveaway

 It's always a pleasure to introduce friends' books. Janine Yordy and I met years ago when the SCBWI Charlotte group met at Morrison library in South Park. The inspiration for this book came from Janine spending summers at the beach with her boys as well as the beauty she found in nature. As a biologist she picked and researched animals she loved.It's now my delight to share her second picture