When I sat down at my desk this morning I had definitely not intended to write a love letter to my Dad. I mean, he’s my dad; Ew. Gross. But when I think of reading; my own story with stories; books; the written and spoken word and how I came to be a writer, I ..read more

Stories are medicine. Stories heal- depending on who tells them and how. Stories are organic compounds that support various developmental milestones. Stories correct character deficiencies. Stories treat damaged perspectives. Stories protect dreams. Stories co-regulate emotions. Stories improve social health and wellness. Stories restore hope. Stories preserve innocence. Stories reveal human complexities. Stories can have bitter lessons, characters, and plots that serve as reflections and warnings. Stories alleviate the pain of harsh realities. Stories are magical portals to dimensions of inf ..read more

In first grade, I was a rule follower. I hated being in trouble. (I still do.) I was what people called “a good girl.” I behaved nicely, I did all my lessons. (I had a LOT of lessons.) And I loved reading. I started reading with my mom on her bed at night, huddled together under a lamp. I remember the first chapter book we read was Charlotte’s Web, and it blew my mind. I was hooked! I started making my way through more E.B. White books. I loved them. And all of the grownups seemed very proud of me for reading such big books. My mom would sometimes take me to the local library. One time, I pic ..read more

I’ve always thought that the most powerful scene in The Wizard of Oz has nothing to do with wicked witches and twisters and flying monkeys. It’s the anticlimax, the moment when Toto exposes the Wizard for who he is: a weak, flawed man hiding behind a curtain. To me this scene is so powerful because it captures a truth about growing up. As kids we’ve all been Dorothy, passionate in our devotion to rockstars, artists, athletes, even certain politicians–until the inevitable moment when we realize that our heroes are mere mortals. Discovering that there’s a “man behind the curtain” can make us cyn ..read more

Children’s literature has always been a reflection of the times. It’s the adults in the room who are ultimately in charge of kids lit and its rollout—of what social messages get bought and sold, how they think kids should live the life they’re selling them, and most importantly, how kids themselves can add value to the world as adults see it. Yet today it feels like the world is spinning backward, that current belief systems are out of touch, and these messages are pushing children’s literary safe spaces further and further away from reality.  Who’s in Charge? was written while the pande ..read more

It was late. We were past bedtimes, but we couldn’t stop. I was about to finish reading aloud The Trumpet of The Swan to my six- and eight-year-old. There is not bittersweet to this beloved book by the wondrous E.B. White (unless you count the rather strange arrangement with the Philadelphia Zoo to leave a baby swan with the zoo every now and then…). It is a good ending – a happily ever after for Louis the swan and his wife. And yet, as I reached the end and closed the cover, my oldest child began to cry. Maybe he was tired and thus more sensitive than usual. But as the few tears turned to so ..read more

Mrs. Petruny’s third grade classroom wasn’t just a classroom—it was a kingdom. Specifically, it was the Kingdom of Edelwon. At first, I thought this name was simply magical and musical. I later learned from Mrs. Petruny that it was also Knowledge spelled backwards, with a few letters missing.  I’d already spent an enormous amount of time in fantasy realms by third grade. I’d portaled through as many books as possible, keeping the ones I loved close at hand. I’d quested through the library—to the point that the librarians&nbs ..read more

Available today from Constance Lombardo and Micah Player, ITTY BITTY BETTY BLOB is a charming picture book with an important message: Being yourself is MORE than enough.  Learn more about the behind-the-scenes story in this exclusive Q&A between author Constance Lombardo and Jill Davis, Editorial Director at Hippo Park.   Jill: Thanks for welcoming us to your blob, I mean blog!  In your new book, Itty Bitty Betty Blob is nervous about making a scary-enough face for Monster Picture Day. What was your worst picture day? Constance: It was 1970, and I was in 2nd grade at ..read more

“Names have power,” says acclaimed author, Rick Riordanin The Lightning Thief.  Have you ever mispronounced someone’s name? What do you do when someone mispronounces your name? Do you correct them? Ignore it? Get mad and storm away? My name is Suma Subramaniam. Or is it? My name story is a common one in India where I was born. I was given two names after both my grandmothers, who were rebellious and victorious in their own ways. One was for religious reasons, Jayalakshmi—meaning the goddess of victory. The other is my name  ..read more

7972. That’s how many changes I made to my latest novel, Keep It Like a Secret. Microsoft Word has this nifty feature allowing you to compare versions of the same document, the writing equivalent of a before and after pic. It highlighted everything I’d altered in a nice red font so I could see the difference. It was a massacre. Like the elevator scene in The Shining, my whole screen was awash in scarlet. Major characters broken and rebuilt, minor ones offed entirely. Whole pages slashed and burnt. Brand new ending; whole new climax; scenes recast, rewritten, rearranged. So many darlings murde ..read more