New Books in Children's Literature

Welcome to the Museum of Shapes. Alma is the curator of the museum. She decides which shapes should go where. Triangles have three sides and three angles. Can you help Alma find all the triangles on the shelves? Almas favorite shape is a circle. All the points on the edge of a circle are the same distance from its center. Not all shapes are geometric. Some lines are wiggly and messy. Can you make...

Suzy Levinson is a children’s author and poet whose work has been featured in numerous anthologies, including A World Full of Poems (DK Children), I Am a Jigsaw (Bloomsbury Education), and Shaping the World (Macmillan), and magazines, including Highlights and Cricket. Her critically acclaimed debut picture book–length poetry collection, Animals in Pants (Abrams), was published in 2023. In our wond...

Friederike Ablang is an award-winning children's illustrator. She was born in East-Berlin and studied photography and design in the United Kingdom and Germany. She has illustrated dozens of picture books and school books. In our conversation we discuss the recent book which she illustrated, O'win and the Moon by Roseanne Baxter Frank, published in March, 2025 by Wonder House Books. We also talk ab...

In our wonderful interview, Dr. Danna Trachtenberg Zeiger and I celebrate her debut picture book, Rewriting the Rules, a STEM nonfiction picture book which was just released from Millbrook Press (Carol Hinz, editor) on September 9, 2025". She is represented by Gaby Cabezut at The Seymour Agency. A published scientist, Danna's research has appeared in top scientific journals such as Science, Neuron...

Hannah Shafiroff is celebrating a book about celebrations! In our interview we talk about her brand new picture book which she both wrote and illustrated, My Little Book of Big Jewish Holidays (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2025). We talk about her own childhood and memories of Sabbath and holidays, and how her she was able to turn her childhood passion for art into a professional career as writer-...

In her thirty plus years of enthusiastic dedication to Random House Children’s Books, Mallory Loehr has played a seminal role in the development of this business. She has led numerous editorial teams, working with them to develop strategies for growth, across trade and brand, for all ages and formats, including for Random House Books for Young Readers, Random House Studio, Crown, Doubleday, Labyri...

DJ Corchin is a celebrated author and illustrator from Oak Park, IL. In our spirited interview, we discuss his career as a polymath, his unconventional breakthrough from self publishing to traditional publishing and back.and celebrate his brand new picture book , A Million YES's (Phazelfoz Company, 2025), illustrated by Dan Dougherty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ammi-Joan (A.J.) Paquette is author of twenty books for children as wel as a senior literary agent for Aevitas Creative Management. In our wonderful interview we celebrate her new boar book,My Mouth Says (Body Power), third in a series, illustrated by Sabrena Khadija and published just last month (July, 2025) by Rise x Penguin Workshop. We also talk about her childhood, her journey as an author, a...

Jennifer Swanson is the author of 50 nonfiction books for kids. In this, our second interview, we celebrate her brand new book, The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World (Workman Kids, 2025), co-written with Dylan Thuras, illustrated by Ruby Fresson and published by Workman Kids. We speak about her recent books and have an illuminating discussion about whether nonfiction and fictio...

In our charming interview, Amy Moore celebrates two new picture books, The Bakers Dozen (illustrated by Andrea Stegmaier) published by Sleeping Bear Press in May. 2025, and Humpty's Great Fall (illustrated by Josh Cleland) published this month by Two Lions. Amy Moore has been writing since childhood. After earning a degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she went on...

Superhero violence and graphic action sequences are prevalent on the screen and on the page, but this book takes an alternative route with practical guidance, frameworks, and tools for incorporating the principles of peacebuilding and nonviolence into compelling fiction. By mapping a path less travelled but just as vital in divisive times, in n A Fiction Writer’s Guide to Peace: Crafting Nonviolen...

Gaby Cabezut, author and literary agent of the Seymour agency and the Alliance Rights Agency talks about her author journey and internet publishing, how she became a literary agent, her love for children's books, the importance of the Latin American children's book market, and her advice on querying and writing picture book manuscripts. Plus a submission opportunity for pb manuscripts, but be sure...

Colby Sharp is widely considered one of the leading mavens on children's literature. He is co-author of several books, including Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids (Scholastic, 2018). He started the Nerdy Book Club blog, co-hosts The Yarn podcast with Teacher Librarian Travis Jonker, serves on the Nerd Camp Michigan team and has taught schoolchildren since 2006. Here, we follow his literary li...

Dr. Ryan van Cleave is the author of over 100 books for children and adults, editorial director of Bushel & Peck Publishers, college professor and head program (Ringling), writing coach, ghostwriter, poet and more. In our wonderful conversation we celebrate his picture book The Witness Trees: Historic Moments and the Trees Who Watched Them Happen (Bushel & Peck, 2023), and discuss the original ini...

Children’s picture books are some of the most transparently ideological materials available to parents and educators, and as cultural objects they are an expression of the zeitgeist of a particular era. They reveal much about the hopes, values, and aspirations of the society that produces them, as well as that society’s vision of its place in the wider world at large. Children’s Picture Books and...

A young girl forms a special connection to the modernist painter Florine Stettheimer, and imagines herself joining in on Florine’s exciting life. When a young girl visits the museum, she finds an unexpected friend in a self-portrait of Florine Stettheimer. They’re both artists; they both have Jewish families; they even look alike! Florine’s life was wild and glamorous. She painted people in flight...

Melissa H. Mwai is an author and illustrator, as well as an award-winning poet. She has penned five nonfiction children's books including THE HISTORY OF JAZZ (DK, 2024). As an neurodiverse Afro-Latina, Melissa is thrilled that her books help ethnically and neurodiverse kids learn more deeply about the world around them. In our delightful interview, we celebrate her recent book, I Can Make a Friend...

Ping-Pong Shabbat: The True Story of Champion Estee Ackerman POP POP KERPOW!Eleven-year-old Ping-Pong phenom Estee Ackerman must make a difficult choice. When her championship match is scheduled on the Jewish Sabbath, will she go for the gold medal, or honor her faith? Read the true story of how a young girl struggled to uphold her beliefs while pursuing her passion. Tournament after tournament...

In our lovely interview, we celebrate Ann McCallum Staats' brand new book (just launched this week!), Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants, wonderfully illustrated by Zoë Ingram, published by MIT Kids Press, an imprint of Candlewick. This is not your run-of-the-mill picture book. It's over 120 pages long and is intended for the 8-12 audience, although younger kids an...

Betsy Bird is the Collection Development Manager of Evanston Public Library and the former Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She writes for the School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 Production and reviews for Kirkus. She is the host of the Story Seeds podcast as well as the co-host of the Fuse 8 n' Kate podcast that she creates with her sister. Betsy is the author of picture b...

In our candid and splendid interview, Penny Parker Klostermann introduces her new nonfiction picture book Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army (Astra/Calkins Creek, 2025), illustrated by Anne Lambelet, which launched just a few days ago! We also talk about her recent Martian escapade, Merry Christmas, Dear Mars  illustrated by Estrela Lourenço (Godwin Books, 2024) and There Was an Ol...

Marissa Valdez is a #1 New York Times best-selling children’s book author and illustrator. Her clients include Penguin Random House, Candlewick, Hachette, Macmillan, and Highlights Magazine for Children. In our interview we celebrate her new picture book Hedgehogs Don't Wear Underwear (Roaring Brook Press, 2025), which she both authored and illustrated.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

Michael Parkin is an international illustrator, working with the New York Times, the New Yorke, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and others. Several years ago he decided to follow his passion for picture books, and is now celebrating publication of his endearing, kid-centric debut picture book, Wrong Time Rooster (which he both wrote and illustrated), which was just published by Flying...

The Koren My First Tanakh Stories brings the characters and wisdom of Torah to to life for the whole family. Engaging with Tanakh stories from a young age with a trusted grown-up sets a child's foundation for future learning, helps develop core values, and sets a foundation for Torah learning in the home and with the family. With a story loyal to the Tanakh text alongside beautiful illustrations,...

In this interview with children's author Joyce Uglow, we celebrate her brand new debut picture book Stuck! The Story of La Brea Tar Pits (Bushel & Peck Books, 2025), illustrated by Valerya Milovanova. Her beautiful book was published only two weeks ago and has already gone into its second printing! We talk about Joyce's life and career in teaching and education, and how her love of writing eventua...