Equality Illustrated: Chana Ginelle Ewing, Author of An ABC of Equality Interviews Paulina Morgan

Many children today inherit biased language and concepts from generations before. In An ABC of Equality (Frances Lincoln, The Quarto Group, 9781786037428) debut author and intersectionality expert, Chana Ginelle Ewing offers the first children’s concept book focused on educating youth about the importance of the intersections of equality. Together with Chilean illustrator Paulina Morgan, Ewing...

Weaving Words and Worlds on the Page: An Interview with Traci Sorell & Weshoyot Alvitre

At the Mountain’s Base features powerful artwork by comics/graphics artist Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva) in her picture book debut. Written by Traci Sorell (Cherokee), the story centers on a family waiting for their relative to return from war. Penguin’s new imprint Kokila Books connected these creators and here they share how this process worked for them.Sorell:...

Let’s Become Multicultural!

By Mina JavaherbinI grew up in prerevolutionary Iran and immigrated to the United States when I was a teen. My new book, My Grandma and Me, is an homage to a peaceful childhood, when everyday activities are bliss. When I came to America, I was running from war and revolution. It took me a long...

Our Favorite Day: Story Inspiration and Process

By Joowon OhOur Favorite Day is a book about the bond between Papa and his granddaughter.Every morning, Papa starts his day by drinking some tea, watering his plants, and tidying up. Then he takes the bus into town to have his favorite lunch — dumplings! Papa enjoys his daily tasks, but Thursdays are his favorite,...

Author Spotlight with Jerry Craft

As an African-American author / illustrator, do you feel pressure to represent your community?It’s not a pressure as much as it is an honor. There are so many wonderful stories by African American authors and illustrators that I have read over the years, and I am truly ecstatic whenever I get a chance to add...

Author Q&A with Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

What was the seed that sparked Chicks Rule?There were a number of experiences that “hatched” the idea for Chicks Rule (if you’ll pardon the pun!). Some of them are specific to me and my life although most of them are experiences that most girls have unfortunately endured. I don’t think I know a single woman...

From the Sketchbook: Don Tate

From the Sketchbook is a new CBC series on the Children’s Book Council website that features illustrators sharing their creative process to provide context to their amazing artwork. Our featured artist is Don Tate, an illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books and an award-winning author, in 2013, he earned an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer...

Honeysmoke by Monique Fields; illustrated by Yesenia Moises (Imprint, January 8, 2019). All rights reserved. @macmillanchildrensbooks

Illustrator Q&A with Josie Yee

What inspired you to become an illustrator?When I was seven years old, I received Disney’s Sleeping Beauty book. I was completely taken by the art. I loved how the characters were drawn, the colors that the artist used, the soft backgrounds, the magical touches on the fairy godmothers, the expressions of the characters. The memories...

Illustrator Q&A with Sawsan Chalabi

How did you decide you wanted to illustrate this particular book? When Penny Candy Books contacted me and asked if I was interested in working on this book, my answer was a definite yes. Although I had done several illustrations for poems with Cricket magazine, this was my first real opportunity to work on an...