Happy new year! Hope 2024 is off to a sweet start for you all. Sharing this lovely, cozy scene from November’s spread in Maribel’s Year. Beautiful art from Maribel’s Year by Sarah Gonzales and brilliant motion graphics by Jeffrey Jones ..read more

We’re sharing our first Very Filipino Gift Guide for the holiday season. These aren’t just great gifts for Christmas and the December holiday season, but a list to consult for occasions all year long — birthdays, baby showers, graduation, Valentine’s Day and beyond. Let’s get gifting. Please feel free to share with friends and family far and wide! Filipino Picture Books When Lola Visits When Lola visits every summer, the whole family gathers to cook, eat, and share in their happiness of another season spent together. Maribel’s Year A celebration of the special connection between father and d ..read more

Today we’re sharing picture books about immigration and immigrating to another country.  Uprooting your life and moving to another country can be a sad experience, also scary at times.  But there are moments of joy when you settle in to a new community, and it embraces you with open arms.  We’ve included titles about migrants and refugees as well.  Cover images and synopses are provided courtesy of publishers. A celebration of the special connection between father and daughter that knows no bounds, this evocative, lyrical picture book from author Michelle Sterling and ar ..read more

?Congratulations to Sarah Gonzales whose art from Maribel’s Year is in this year’s Society of Illustrators The Original Art annual exhibition! ? From Sarah Gonzales — “Maribel’s Year has been selected to be part of @soi128 The Original Art 43rd Annual Exhibition!!! Here’s some process behind this starry parol* scene. Pencil sketches, digital colour processing, line art and a bit of inspiration. *parols are Filipino ornamental star lanterns. The photos are from my last trip to the Philippines back in 2016. A lot of time was spent travelling by car so most of my photos were snapped through the ..read more

I was back in the Bay area this week for author visits in Daly City and San Leandro — a heartfelt thank you to my wonderful hosts!  Click the above image to play some highlights from my trip ..read more

Bay Area friends! I’ll be in San Jose at my first official Bay area event on Friday, October 6, and I’ve also got some other fun events planned in Orange County and Long Beach. I’ll be there with treats in tow.  Hope to see you there! ? Sunday, October 1 ⏰ Signing 1-2 pm at Booth B17 ?OC Children’s Book Festival Orange Coast College 2701 Fairview Road Costa Mesa, CA 92626 ? Friday, October 6 ⏰ Author Visit 4:00-5:30 pm ?San Jose Public Library Berryessa Branch 3355 Noble Avenue San Jose, CA 95132 ? Thursday, October 19 ⏰ Signing 5-7 pm ?Barnes & Noble Tustin Grand Opening Week The ..read more

I’m booking in-person and virtual author visits for the 2023-24 school year!  To read about the different kinds of presentations I give and to request an author visit at your school or library, read my profile on Authors Out Loud’s website. ?️? I also just baked pumpkin gluten-free blondies.  They came out a touch cakier because of the addition of pumpkin, so I’ll have to sort that out in the next bake.  But!  They are still delicious!  Two secret ingredients I added that I think really takes them over the top: chopped Green & Black white chocolate and a tablespoo ..read more

We’ve put together a collection of 75+ books about grandparents — funny, lovely and heartwarming intergenerational stories about grandmothers and grandfathers.  We hope you enjoy reading some of these in a cozy spot surrounded by family members of all generations, cups of tea in hand and maybe a slice or two of Marian Burros’ famous plum torte, which I know my grandparents would have wholeheartedly approved of.  This list includes some new forthcoming titles to be published later in 2023. For one young girl, summer is the season of no school, of days spent at the pool, of picking ..read more

One stop I always try to make when I’m in the Bay is Heath Ceramics’ Sausalito factory store.  I love the sound of the gravel as I drive into the parking lot, seeing the front red door of the store — the kind of red that’s modern and fresh but also warm and welcoming.  Once inside, the space always feels so zen and makes me forget whatever swirling, harried thoughts I might have had on the drive up.  I love looking through all the tiles at least a few times, and one of my favorite parts of the store are the shelves of “seconds” where I’ve found so many beautiful pieces.  P ..read more

Another memorable stop in SF was Case for Making, a super thoughtful art supply store in the Outer Sunset.  Their handmade watercolors were SO lovely.  Colorful enamel mixing cups caught my eye as well as beautifully practical Toyo steel boxes (hard not to buy a dozen of these).  Had a hard time deciding what to buy, but in the end decided on a couple of erasers for my daughter, and gummy candy including Swedish sour peach fish by BonBon, sour blueberry fish by Kolsvart and Hey Yum’s sour flowers.  Loved all of them and side note: I could eat gummy candy all day.  It ..read more