​If you ever want to clear your head or gain some perspective, a walk in the woods can do wonders. This heartfelt story starts with a conversation between grandfather and grandson as they take a walk in the forest together:

Finn is in a horrible mood and doesn’t want to talk about it, but he agrees to go for a walk in the woods with his grandfather, if he can stay under his quilt. On their walk, Grandpa talks about all the things we can’t see that lie “beneath”—the ground, the water, even inside people. This book is beautiful! What starts out a conversation about nature and what lies beneath things like the forest floor, turns into an introspective look at the feelings two people might have in common.  It’s full of nature, mystery, heartbreak, love, mutual understanding, and expressive, adorable illustrations. This sweet, heartfelt picture book has definitely earned a spot on my bookshelf!
 
Read this review on Goodreads and Amazon.
Did you read and like this book? 
One of the best ways to support authors and illustrators is to post reviews for their books. Support an author/illustrator today by leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon!

Let’s celebrate these beautiful birds by reading about an owl with a dream:

This book is adorable! It’s about an owl who dreams of being a knight, and when knights begin disappearing from the castle (hmm…), he’s accepted to Knight School! Despite his shortcomings, he graduates with honor, is assigned to the Knight Night Watch, and faces his biggest challenge yet. This book is about dreaming big, working hard, being brave and clever, and making friends. Full of subtle puns, delightful surprises, and engaging and expressive art, I dare you not to fall in love with KNIGHT OWL!
 
Read this review on Goodreads and Amazon.
Did you read and like this book? 
One of the best ways to support authors and illustrators is to post reviews for their books. Support an author/illustrator today by leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon!

This fun book celebrates all things parade! It depicts several well-known American parades and concludes with a cute joke (note the asterisk) and back matter with interesting history and facts. Andrea Denish’s rollicking rhyme combined with Guilherme Franco’s bright, detailed illustrations makes this book a great read aloud that will engage young readers and have them begging to read it over and over again.
 
Read this review on Goodreads and Amazon.
Did you read and like this book? 
One of the best ways to support authors and illustrators is to post reviews for their books. Support an author/illustrator today by leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon!
​

This book is so cute and relatable and will resonate with many children (and adults). What a clever way to cover the topic of consent! The illustrations are bright, colorful, and engaging; the text is kid-friendly and fun; and, although this book relates an important message, it does it in an approachable, not too-message-y way. A must read!
 
Read this review on Goodreads and Amazon.
Did you read and like this book? 
One of the best ways to support authors and illustrators is to post reviews for their books. Support an author/illustrator today by leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon!
​

In the first of this graphic early reader series, we meet Bella and her family. Bella sometimes struggles with anxiety. Her dad and grandmother help with her everyday worrie, but when Bella meets a therapy dog she names Blue, they all quickly discover that the two are a perfect match. When Bella gets the blues, Blue chases them all away! This book is perfect for emergent readers who love the graphic-novel format, kids who are worriers (or know people who are), and dog lovers. I love the charming illustrations in mostly black, white, and shades of gray, but with the signature color of blue featured throughout. The characters and storylines are relatable and fun. As a dog owner, a mom of a worrier, and daughter of someone who loves to shop, I can relate to Bella’s family, and I’m sure many other readers will too. Brava to debut author-illustrator, Berrie Torgan-Randall for this adorable book. I can’t wait to read more!
 
Read this review on Goodreads and Amazon.
Did you read and like this book? 
One of the best ways to support authors and illustrators is to post reviews for their books. Support an author/illustrator today by leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon!
​

​Did you know the third Sunday in January is World Snow Day? That sounds like the perfect reason to read all about a group of animals who celebrate more than a week of snow:

This picture book follows a group of woodland creatures who celebrate as snow falls, each wondering, “How high will it go?” Kristen Schroeder’s lyrical and layered text includes an introduction to the days of the week, animals from small to large, circular storytelling structure, and repetition. She expertly weaves a story whose arc rises gently and then descends to a conclusion that will have readers begging to read the book again and again. Sarah Jacoby’s darling, watercolor illustrations capture the magic of snowfall and the joyful expressions of the animal characters as they frolic in the snow. I have a soft spot for bunnies, illustrated end papers, and surprise “undies” covers under the dust jacket, and this book ticks all those boxes, and then some. A perfect read aloud for a group or for a cozy lap-read by the fire, SO MUCH SNOW is a must for your bookshelf!
 
Read this review on Goodreads and Amazon.
Did you read and like this book? 
One of the best ways to support authors and illustrators is to post reviews for their books. Support an author/illustrator today by leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon!

​It’s the end of the year. Or is it the beginning of the new one? Do you mourn for the end of things or look forward the beginnings? This book is a little bit about beginnings and middles, but most definitely about ends:

Get ready to blow your kid’s mind! John Bray takes a creative look at how readers can view ends and beginnings (and even middles) with a new perspective. Sad about something ending? Maybe you can get excited about beginning something else. Bored in the middle? End it by beginning something new. Not happy with what you began? The end! The text encourages readers to think differently but is also spirited and fun. Josh Cleland’s vibrant, engaging illustrations are engaging and add another layer of humor to the book. This book has school and summer break, cats and dinosaurs, forts and books, and a clever approach to viewing beginnings and ends. A great addition to your bookshelf!
 
Read this review on Goodreads and Amazon.
Did you read and like this book? 
One of the best ways to support authors and illustrators is to post reviews for their books. Support an author/illustrator today by leaving a review on Goodreads or Amazon!

​​It’s been a VERY long time since I rambled on about my mouse visitor. If you have no idea what I’m talking about (or need a refresher because, as I said, it’s been a LONG time), read “A Visitor for Heather” Part 1 and Part 2. If you’ve clicked those links and thought to yourself, “I don’t have time to read all of that!” here is a summary: Mouse is the little visitor who represents children’s book writing. For many years, he tried to wiggle his way into my life, but I ignored him or whisked him away, until around 2012, when I finally became serious about becoming a children’s book writer. 
 
Part 2 ended with me allowing Mouse to visit more regularly. I wrote ideas and lines of text between driving and meal prep, revised during sports practices, and regularly read and studied new children’s books. My husband entertained the kids for some chunks of time on weekends so I could write. At the end of 2014, and thanks to “Tuesdays with Grancy,”*  I was able to commit to a local, monthly, in-person critique group. I gradually immersed myself in the children’s literature community by subscribing to blogs, listening to podcasts, following kid lit folks on social media, watching webinars, attending conferences and book events, participating in challenges, getting professional critiques on my manuscripts, networking, and volunteering for my local SCBWI chapter. I learned and wrote and revised and revised again.

​I entered 2021 with an even more aggressive plan to submit to agents and small presses that allowed non-agented submissions. One of those presses was Clavis, a well-established, reputable company that publishes authors and illustrators from around the world. During the pandemic, Clavis posted several read aloud videos. I got a feel for their tastes and wondered if a story I had written several years prior might be a good fit for their list. I pulled it out of the virtual drawer, made a few small changes, and submitted it to them in February 2021. I continued writing and revising and submitting other stories to agents. I continued collecting rejections and filling my jar, reminding myself that it only took one yes. Then one Sunday morning in March, I opened my email and saw a message from Clavis. I scanned it quickly and read, “It is a nice and sweet story, very close to children and told from their perspective.” I expected the rest to read the typical, “but, unfortunately, it isn’t a fit for our list.” Oh, well, another dollar in the jar. 
 
But it didn’t say that.
 
Instead, it said, “So, we would like to consider publication.” 

​What?! That couldn’t be right. I read it again. I looked around for someone else to read it to make sure. For so long, everyone was home—ALL the time. But, at this very moment, NO ONE WAS HOME! I had been waiting for Mouse to bring a publishing friend for tea (or chocolate), and now he was here, but no one was around to witness it! I think I was afraid he’d change his mind and scurry away before anyone else could meet him. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Before the shock and confusion wore off, my husband arrived home. I pointed to the computer and asked, “Can you read this and tell me if it means what I think it means?” 

​After that there was lots of hugging and smiling and sharing the news with my family and critique partners (who all are, incidentally, the best cheerleaders anyone could have). Later, I had a meeting with the CEO of Clavis who explained that the book would be published in Dutch first and then English several months later.****  I signed a contract (after careful review, of course). The wonderfully talented Natallia Bushuyeva gave life to the characters I dreamed up and made them our characters. A translator translated my text into Dutch. Then, 20 months after that email, a copy of a picture book, written by me, arrived at my doorstep. 
 
And that rejection jar? I emptied exactly $100. 
 
Then I started filling it again, waiting for Mouse to invite another friend for tea. 
 
And he did!

​But those are stories for another day.