A Wombat To Enjoy
I’m busy updating the website (do check out new pages for Wombat Underground; Brown Is Warm, Black Is Bright; and A Pandemic Is Worldwide), so no super-exciting post today…but do enjoy this picture of a wombat, which I hope will brighten your day.
BROWN review “Best Picture Book of the Year”
There’s really nothing like having your book called “the best picture book of the year.”
Also, “one of the sweetest picture books ever created, ever, in the history of picture books.”
It’s probably going to go to my head.
So much is conveyed through the poetic words and gorgeous art of this sweet, peaceful, and long-overdue book. Go buy some copies.
Thanks, WackyMommy of Because I Said So book reviews!
Read More
The Jean Little Library Praises Brown Is Warm
I’m both elated and humbled by this review for Brown Is Warm from the Jean Little Library.
This book is perfect in combining the diversity I want to see in my collection with subjects that teachers and parents are looking for and which will make it a popular choice and, possibly, an enduring classic.
Verdict: If you long for beautiful and diverse high-concept books but know they won’t circulate well for you, this is the book you need for your collection! If those high-concept books are easy circulators for you, this lovely book will be a wonderful addition. Either way, I recommend it for most collections.
Along with the illustrator, the editor, the designer, and the production team, I work my hardest at making a book that is beautiful, lyrical, a pleasure for the senses. But the one thing that is always a bit up in the air is reader engagement. I try to keep my readers in mind always, but I’m not sure any writer can ever really read their own work as a reader would–coming to it completely fresh. And the difficulty is doubled when the writer is an adult and the reader is a child.
It’s so gratifying, then, to hear praise from a librarian not just for the literary quality of the book (I mean, thanks for that, I do appreciate it), but also because she believes it will circulate–go into a reader’s hands over and over again. Because that’s what makes a book complete.
Read MoreVirtual Picture Book Panel
I’m so thrilled (and perhaps a touch nervous) to be sharing the news that I’ll be doing a virtual author panel for Brown Is Warm, Black Is Bright. This is the book that School Library Journal describes as:
The book makes for a beautiful read-aloud for a group setting with its detailed full-color vibrant imagery and for individual sharing. File this under Black joy, childhood, autumn reveries, or pair with other celebrations of Black strength and beauty.
The panel will be moderated by the fine staff at Books of Wonder in New York. If you would like to tune in, we’d be so delighted to have you. And please feel free to share this with anyone else you think might be interested.
Date: September 3, 2022
Time: 1:00 PM
How to join
(They recommend reserving a spot, so do check it out before the event starts.
The other authors on the panel will be Sophia N. Lee and Isabel Roxas (Holding On) and Thyra Heder (Sal Boat).
Signed copies of all the books will be available for order. Please come! Spread the word!
Read More
Sarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews