Picture Book Summit Podcast

Ready for some motivation? Katie Davis interviews 2026 Superstar Speaker Brian Lies!  Katie and Brian Lies (pronounced Lees) have a delightful conversation about the importance of continuing to write (no matter what), enjoying the process, and knowing that every writer has a different path to publication.  Brian will be presenting at Picture Book Summit 2026, where he'll share how to use your writ...

Another great episode for you today! Julie Hedlund interviews 2026 Superstar Speaker Deborah Underwood!  Julie and Deborah discuss the common elements in her books, from quiet to humorous to lyrical. Plus, they take a deep dive into Deborah's books TINY GARDEN and WALTER HAD A BEST FRIEND, their unexpected endings, and the importance of being honest with children. Deborah will be presenting at Pic...

We're excited for this one! Today, Emma Walton Hamilton interviews 2026 Superstar Speaker Derrick Barnes!  Before the New York Times Bestsellers and all the awards, Derrick Barnes almost quit writing picture books altogether. In this interview, he shares what kept him going and his advice for writers who feel like giving up. From writing greeting cards to substitute teaching, he reveals how each s...

We have some amazing workshops coming to Picture Book Summit 2026. How do we know they will be so great? Our Founders are our Workshop presenters this year!  Listen in to find out more about these workshops:  Hook, Line, or... Stinker? Discover the Hooks in Your Book with Julie Hedlund Ebb and Flow: The Pull of the Page Turn with Emma Walton Hamilton and Katie Davis We're thinking deeply about hoo...

The team comes together to announce the Superstar Speakers for Picture Book Summit 2026! It's an exciting lineup and we can't wait to share it with YOU. Discover what they'll be teaching at this year's Summit and why we're just so excited to bring these keynotes to the Picture Book Summit stage. Get your ticket to Picture Book Summit 2026 - Oceans of Possibility: A Deep Dive Into Picture Book Craf...

It's Episode 100!! We're celebrating with a trip down memory lane, including a few of our favorite presentations, behind-the-scenes moments, and what we've learned along the way!  Books mentioned in this episode:  On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall Big Red Lollipop by Ruhksana Khan and Sophie Blackall   Past Presentations mentioned in this episode: Peter Brown: Picture...

The Founders of Picture Book Summit reveal their varied writing routines and what keeps them motivated and putting pen to paper. Are they morning writers, evening writers, or something in between? Who's a pantser? Who's a plotter? How do they keep themselves accountable to get their writing done? How important is a critique group? (Spoiler alert: VERY!) Does our resident author-illustrator start w...

Join the Picture Book Summit Team as we celebrate this year's crop of Caldecott Winners and Honorees. This is part 2 of our conversation. If you missed part 1, you can listen to it here: https://picturebooksummit.com/podcast-2026-caldecotts-part-1/ In this episode, we get to discuss this year's winner and two Honor Books. Get ready for insight into these books as well as the numerous things they h...

Our own wordplay warrior, Julie Hedlund, gave a stupendous workshop encouraging us to have fun with our writing by turning it into play. Today, we share a snippet of that presentation where Julie reveals what wordplay is, where it can be used effectively, and how to use it to make your audience feel smart. Remember, you can purchase lifetime access to any past Summit Superstar Presentation or Work...

Join the Picture Book Summit Team as we celebrate this year's crop of Caldecott Winners and Honorees. We have so much to say that it can't be contained in one episode! Today, we analyze OUR LAKE, written and illustrated by Angie Kang, and EVERY MONDAY MABEL, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan. Plus, we discuss commonalities in all of this year's Caldecott books, what we loved and observed abou...

To celebrate our 10th Anniversary Picture Book Summit, we hosted returning Superstar Speakers Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett to talk about how they construct picture books together. You will be fascinated by the details behind one of their seemingly simple stories. (You might also leave with a greater appreciation of 8-bit video games.)  Enjoy this insight into their partnership, how they think, and...

Who needs feedback on their picture book manuscripts? You do! (Don't worry. We do too!) In fact, every writer needs good critiques of their work before it's ready for publication.  So, what kind of feedback are you looking for and where can you get it? Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, Katie Davis, and Kelli Panique share their best advice on getting feedback that will actually make your writin...

What does it mean to be a part of the writing community? How can you be a good literary citizen within the writing community?  In this episode, Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, Katie Davis, and Kelli Panique share easy ways you can support your fellow writers and illustrators, as well as booksellers and libraries. (Guess what? Many of these suggestions are free things you can do help get the w...

When National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Meg Medina joined the Picture Book Summit, she discussed the three Rs of picture book writing: Readers, Relationship, and Revision. Today, Meg shares about what it means to write for young readers and what matters to them by exploring the genesis of her own books. She even provides a fun writing exercise to get us started on our own stories. ...

Julie Hedlund and Angela Dalton are both authors of picture book biographies about well-known celebrities. Julie wrote SONG AFTER SONG: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews and Angela authored TO BOLDY GO: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights. Before their books were acquired, they did everything  wrong. In this snippet from a past Picture Book Summit workshop, Julie and Ang...

Can a car company executive help you find your picture book writing why? Grace Lin thinks so! In a past Summit, Grace divulged an insightful (and relatively easy) way to find your why. She challenged us to look at our picture book manuscripts and ask if those stories really want to be picture books or if they are served better in a different kidlit genre. If you've been fighting with a work-in-pro...

What makes a great picture book? Artistic duo The Steads share their approach to picture books and how something seemingly so simple actually takes a lot of work, nuance, and collaboration. Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead   are the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Medal Book  A Sick Day for Amos McGee . They have collaborated on many books together, including  Bear Has a Story to Tell , ...

What in the world is going on in picture book publishing? Is it slow for everyone or is it just you? Are global events affecting the industry? Surely, COVID-19 isn't still impacting our market. In this episode, Emma, Julie, and Kelli explore what publishing looks like currently for picture book creators, what we hope it looks like in the future, and what we can do about it right now. With the curr...

One of the big advantages of attending a conference—online or in-person—is the opportunity to submit to Featured Agents and Editors. Many agents and editors are open to submissions from conference attendees, even when they aren't open to general submissions. Simply by making the effort to attend a conference, you demonstrate to agents and editors that you are committed to refining your craft.  Thi...

Every year, we host what we like to call a "mini" Summit. It's a short webinar to give writers a taste of what we offer at our full-day event. In this episode, we share a past Mini Summit all about creating Game Changing ideas. Our goal is to spark your imagination and creativity by showing just a few ways other picture book creators have turned ideas on their heads. Get ready to be inspired by th...

More and more picture books include backmatter these days—including fiction picture books. In today's Roundtable discussion, Julie Hedlund and the team share many different ways to include backmatter with your manuscript, including dos and don'ts of creating additional content. Books mentioned in this episode: The First Notes by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, and Chiara Fedele Tricky Chopsti...

The amazing and talented Caldecott Medal Winner Vashti Harrison is one of our Superstar Speakers for 2025. Vashti won the Caldecott Medal in 2024 for her beautiful picture book BIG. Shortly after that win, the PBSummit Team discussed the brilliance of this book in our Caldecott video series. We bring that discussion to our podcast today to help you get to know Vashti Harrison and her wonderful boo...

"Oh my" is right! If you don't know the difference between homage, parody, and plagiarism, and your story references another work in some way, your book might be dead in the water before it even gets out of your inbox. In this PBSummit Roundtable, Emma, Julie, Katie, and Kelli define homage, parody, and plagiarism and what you, as a picture book writer, need to know about these important topics, i...

It's that time of year! Early Bird tickets for Picture Book Summit 2025 are now available and in this episode, we share all about our 2025 Superstar Speakers! It's quite a lineup for this year's conference: Big, Bold, and Brave: Supercharge Your Picture Books ! This year's online conference takes place on October 4, 2025. Everything happens in our Zoom webinar room, so you can attend from anywhere...

In this episode, we're thrilled to bring you an excerpt from Nikki Grimes' presentation The Music of Language. Nikki's accolades include the Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award for outstanding contributions to young adult literature, the Children's Literature Legacy Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, a Sibert...