if you want to see a whale, ride your bike to the park
If you want to see a whale, it is better not to pack a lunch, a picnic blanket, some books and the kids in the bike…
Where’s Waldo? Start with Hide-and-Seek Duck
Will he play soccer? The trumpet? Baseball? Will he run track? Be President of his class? Ski? Star in the musical or be a stagehand? One…
Meet Illustrator Rebecca Hirsch
Thank you, Rebecca Hirsch, for giving such detailed, inspiring and funny answers to my long list of questions about you and your work. In the interview…
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? GOOD MORNING!
The location has changed (my kids are no longer hanging in hook chairs from the center island to eat; instead we are all at the kitchen…
Building Our House/Building Our Home
In July, we will have lived in our house for two years. I believe in the power of place, and there is no place other…
I JUST CAN’T WAIT: Brand New Stead/Fogliano and Fancy Nancy
Have I mentioned that I am a HUGE fan of Philip and Erin Stead? And of Julie Fogliano? Why yes I have, here: and then it’s…
Wisconsin Women Write for Children; We Read Their Books
Last night, instead of reading picture books to my kids, I settled into a seat in the second floor ballroom at The Women’s Club of Wisconsin…
Little Blue Truck
“Horn went ‘Beep!’ Engine purred. Friendliest sounds You ever heard.” …begins Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008) AND…
A Small Child’s Poem about Grandpa/Bubba Bear
If you know my Dad, Bubba isn’t exactly the nickname you’d expect, but he has worn it graciously (and dare I say, with pride?) since my…
In Grandma’s (or make that, Mimi’s) Arms
We could not have gotten from Point A (my daughter’s birth just over three years ago) to Point B (today), without one very special lady—my Mom,…
Kitten’s First Full Moon, and My Son’s First Look at the Sky
At the risk of Picture Book House becoming Ode to Kevin Henkes House, tonight I am writing about one more of his books that we can’t…
Why Trixie, Why? My Emotional First Reading of Knuffle Bunny Free
As I wrote in a pervious post, we are having a Peter Rabbit Birthday party. The little guests will hop on over this Sunday. Also as…
The PBH Bedtime Canon
Who knew that getting a kid to sleep would be so exhausting… Is she too hot? Too cold? Hungry? Thirsty? Not tired? Overtired? Should we turn…
A(nother) Good Day, by Kevin Henkes
A Good Day by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books, 2007) begins like this: “It was a bad day….” Here at the Picture Book House, it wasn’t exactly…
The Rain is Raining all Around…Let it Kiss You
We are on our third day of steady rain with the occasional thunderstorm here in Oconomowoc, WI. It is also National Poetry Month. If I had…
A Good Day of Good Books
The nights when I sink into sleep thinking, “Ah, this was a good day,” are usually nights that cap days filled with good books. This morning…
Lucky Ducklings? Lucky US
I’m always telling my daughter she’s a lucky duck. “You’re a lucky duck! You get to go to the park!” “You lucky duck, you. You got…
FEE FI FO FUM! Another Generation Smitten with the Snortsnoot
I grew up in a book house. Years ago, my Dad’s family owned Brainard Books in Crystal Lake and Elgin, IL. My Mom, an English teacher,…
Who Lives Here, Lives Here, Now
Yet another snowy day here in Wisconsin. My inner snowman already went North for the summer, so I just couldn’t suit up the kids for March sledding. But…
Jasper & Joop: A Perfect Pair for my TIDY/MESSY Family
This morning my daughter and I had something we often don’t: time together, alone. We hung out at our local bookstore. Usually, book shopping goes like…
Picture Book House 