KidLit Bird Book Review: I am We

Crows hold a special place in my heart. I was first-on and last-off my school bus as a kid, living on a wooded road in what was then rural Virginia. Those waits for the bus were lonely, and the company I kept on those cold, dark mornings was crows. One would caw from the creekline, … Continue reading KidLit Bird Book Review: I am We

KidLit Bird Book Review: The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest

One of the glories of nonfiction picture books for adults is a moment of amazement and awe. I had known that Blue Jays hid acorns, but I hadn’t realized the degree of mutualism between Blue Jays and oaks—and I hadn’t know that Blue Jays had a throat pocket, an expandable gular pouch where they can … Continue reading KidLit Bird Book Review: The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest

Building Writerly Resources: KidLit Nonfiction Awards

By Susan Wroble This past summer, my planned presentation on award-winning nonfiction books took a tangent. I realized that instead of award-winning books, what I really wanted to learn about was the nonfiction awards themselves. I knew about the Sibert Awards from the American Library Association but had no idea if there were any other … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: KidLit Nonfiction Awards

Nonfiction Picture Books: Not to be Missed Nonfiction (RMC 2023)

By Susan Wroble The Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI is one of those truly great organizations, filled with people who willingly share their knowledge to support others. It was the reason I stepped in to volunteer for the chapter’s leadership team—I wanted to keep this organization going. In the nearly two years since then, one … Continue reading Nonfiction Picture Books: Not to be Missed Nonfiction (RMC 2023)

In the Garden: Barbara Carroll Roberts’ book—A ROSE NAMED PEACE

September 2022. When we bought a house in Denver, it came with a garden, and a history. The home had belonged to Matt and Elaine Mateyka, and Matt had made a second career (according the neighbors, his first was in the CIA) as a television gardener. Matt had died two decades earlier, but the bones … Continue reading In the Garden: Barbara Carroll Roberts’ book—A ROSE NAMED PEACE