Build a classroom community through a celebration of books! The March Madness PICTURE BOOK edition is here! Your students will love listening to the 16 picture books I have selected (you can select your own too), compete in a class friendly book bracket, and grow as readers along the way. Each student will receive their own March Madness bracket to keep score of the best book that opened the magic. Students can vote with paper pencil or vote through a Google form. I have also included comprehension and SEL questions to ask your students before, during, and after reading.  What do ..read more

Picture book organization has always had my heart. What did not have my heart is at 10pm on Sunday night and I can't find my copy of "On Account of the Gum" to use when I introduce narrative writing elements to my 5th graders. Have you ever had that problem too? I am here to solve ALL of those problems with a simple picture book spreadsheet.  The Ultimate Picture Book inventory is unlike any other resource available. This book inventory contains almost 3,000 books (and will continue to grow). You will forever have access to this database and the Ramona Recommends team will update the l ..read more

I have been looking forward to this interview for awhile. You are going to love meeting Trudy Ludwig who is the author of many children's books including The Invisible Boy and Quiet Please, Own McPhee and her newest book Brave Every Day. She says that her focus when she writes is to help kids connect with each other in kinder and more caring ways. She is definitely good at that. You will learn what profession she had before she was compelled to start writing children's books. You will learn about her concept of bibliotherapy. Trudy is a treasure trove of social and emotional wisdom. I lear ..read more

This week you will love meeting the dynamic author/illustrator duo of Ella Schwartz and Dow Phumiruk. They both share about their careers before working on picture books and how their love of reading grew more slowly because of their family's immigrant background. You will learn the background story about Her Name was Mary Katherine: The Only Woman Whose Name is on the Declaration of Independence. You will enjoy learning about the special relationship that an author and illustrator have when working on a book together. They also were able to share about their upcoming books and projects. I ..read more

You are going to love getting to know Kirsten Larson who used to work for NASA and came to be a picture book author when she realized how much she and her children loved the nonfiction section of the library. She shares how she likes to focus her writing on strong women in history. She shares her research process of using both primary and secondary sources. She discusses the idea that reading a picture book involves both the reading of words and the reading of pictures and how that brings meaning and Confetti Moments to readers. She shares the story of her latest book A True Wonder: The Com ..read more

This week you are going to love getting to meet former elementary school teacher Tami Charles who is the author of All Because You Matter. We talk about who she was as a reader growing up and who inspired her to become a picture book author. We really connect over our thoughts on the importance of picture books. She shares some of the authors she looks up to as a writer and the influence they had on her students. We also discuss her growth as a writer and her habits of writing. You will learn all about her book All Because You Matter and where the story came from. We also discuss the autho ..read more

I am so excited about this week's episode. I am happy to introduce you to Lisa Robinson the author of The Sweetest Scoop which is the biography of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. She shares about her amazing upbringing with parents who were in the Peace Corp. You will be fascinated to learn all the places she has lived. She is currently a practicing child psychiatrist, mom and author. She has a beautiful take on the importance of picture books and their impact on social-emotional learning. Lisa shares the story behind The Sweetest Scoop: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Revolution in addition to all of ..read more

                            This week it is my pleasure to introduce you to Margaret Greanias—a busy mom of three and a picture book author. She shares how someone with an MBA found themselves as a picture book author. We talked about our favorite genres of books and how books that show different cultures are so important. We also shared our love of reading and book conferences. You get to hear about her newest book Amah Faraway and the memories that inspired it. Margaret shares about wher ..read more

Today is a special treat- It is my birthday and believe it or not, it is also my guest Shelley Johannes’ birthday! Can’t believe it. She is the author and illustrator of the Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker series and the More Than Sunny picture book. She was originally an architectural designer and never imagined that she could be an author and illustrator, too. She discusses the special combination of words and images that picture books offer and how it is a unique reading experience with magical results. She shares the inspiration for her picture book and where she gets her ideas fo ..read more

This week I had the pleasure of talking to Charlotte Offsay, the author of A Grandma's Magic. Charlotte talks about her move from the corporate world to her dream job as a picture book writer. She talks about the importance of picture books and the influence her love of reading had on her job today. You will also learn the inspiration for her newly released book called A Grandma's Magic. It was a joy to get to know Charlotte. Be sure to connect with her on her website or Instagram or Twitter. Click HERE to listen to this week's episode.  Below you will find the Amazon affiliate links f ..read more