I'm not writing about elephants or humans, yet today's research taught me that while humans have only 400 functional olfactory receptor genes, elephants have over 2,000. I love my job. (And elephants!) #amwriting #research #kidlit
Becky Levine
@beckylevine.bsky.social
Kidlit writer, knitter, beginning drummer. Come for the writing and books, stay for the cat, yarn, and travel pix. Opinions are my own. Unless you love them, in which case I'm happy to share. She/Her www.beckylevine.com
I'm telling you, the number of times I'm struggling with how to write something and the minute I turn off the computer, it comes to me I should probably just never turn on the computer. 😂
Today's writing task: See if switching from 1st person to 3rd will help the voice in this WIP #picturebook. #amwriting #kidlit I'm going in.
Nancy Drew with Flashlight Drawing
Alt: Nancy Drew with Flashlight Drawing
static.klipy.com
All the books of Larry's that I've read are so good.
Nancy Hudgins@nancyhudgins.com · 6d ago📚 #MG #nonfictionkidlit rec from my newsletter: TWELVE DAYS IN MAY: FREEDOM RIDE, 1961, by 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗿. Telling the story in the present tense makes it more intense. Compelling narrative. Contemporaneous photographs. Studies in courage. #BeAnAmbassador
You are too kind! Thanks for joining us, and for sharing your lovely work with the world.
Nancy Hudgins@nancyhudgins.com · 2w agoI had a wonderful conversation with @navsaria.bsky.social about #UrsulaNordstrom and BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU. Such a thoughtful, kind man. Check out the Reach Out and Read podcast, wherever you listen. @reachoutandread.bsky.social
Just a few chapters in but, oh, this book! The world-building is exquisite. The thought and care Jaleigh Johnson has put into the hurt, anger, fear, and cautious hope of a sentient house (😍!) is beautiful & seamless. And the human characters are fantastic, too! #cozyfantasy
Today's agenda: Get out my knitting & let my brain roam & wander until it's ready to make the creative shift from the quiet, lonely MC of my last #picturebook WIP to the confident, exuberant MC in the WIP that's on deck, waiting for its turn at bat. And how's THAT for a sports metaphor? #kidlit
I bought Sue Soltis and Sonia Sánchez' THE MOON MOVED IN "just" because I loved it, but it's become a frequent mentor text. Look at that first spread. Everything you need to know about Stella's ordinary world in 18 words. The (wonderful) inciting incident lands on the very next page. #pb #kidlit 📚👍🏻
How you know you're a #picturebook writer Reason #4,178. You're struggling to tighten a manuscript around theme/the takeaway, and you realize that you absolutely need to change the word "everything" to "anything." #kidlit #amwriting
Flashing Lightbulb Idea
Alt: Flashing Lightbulb Idea
static.klipy.com
The reading equivalent of sitting down at the end of a long hard day with a bowl of the world's best mac & cheese. Meg Cabot does not disappoint. (Neither does illustrator Bethany Crandall.) 💖 #kidlit 📚👍🏻
All politicians should be saying this without hesitation.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani@mayor.nyc.gov · 3w agoThis morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old man said goodbye to his wife and daughter and left for work. Moments later he was dead, shot in the head by ICE agents, the second man ICE has killed in six days. ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE.
If you haven't yet read NOBODY HUGS A CACTUS by Carter Goodrich, pretty sure this spread will persuade you to rectify that situation. ❤️ #kidlit 📚👍🏻
The question I'm currently working on for my #picturebook WIP: What is my secondary character's job, in terms of partnering with/provoking my main character into discovery, understanding, and change. And to help me out, a stack of #mentortexts. #kidlit 📚👍🏻
This book! I'm only about 1/4 of the way in, and all I can say is...This book! Well, that, and...Gary D. Schmidt (this time, with Ron Koertge) has done it again. And as only he can, he's done it in a way that isn't like any of his other books. Brilliant. #middlegrade #kidlit 📚👍🏻
Just picked up my copy of LEROY HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. If this beautiful book (written by Emily Rosenthal & illustrated by Thai My Phuong) hasn't been on your radar, get it from your favorite bookstore or library. It's a sweet and important story to share with the children in your lives. #kidlit 📚
Hi! Rob Sanders and I are teaching an advanced Picture Book class in Fort Lauderdale in October! Spread the word!
I'm working on a #picturebook revision for a story I just keep falling deeper in love with, so I'm dropping in once again to wave my arms and shout out the infinite value of having good critiquers in one's life. #amwriting #kidlit
Dogs Group Hug in Snow
Alt: Dogs Group Hug in Snow.
static.klipy.com
Support the Right to Read Act! Senator Jack Reed (RI) and Representative Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) have introduced the Right to Read Act (H.R.6440 / S.3365), landmark legislation that invests in school libraries, strengthens literacy, and defends students' freedom to read.
SEND AN EMAIL: Support the Right to Read in the United States
In a moment when censorship is spreading rapidly, and school libraries remain dramatically under-resourced, this bill sends a clear message
action.everylibrary.org
Since I'm opening to queries in 80 minutes, here are my top wishlist items: 1) queer or feminist or bipoc mystery or domestic thriller that is FUN to read and has something to say 2) upmarket sffh/speculative with a killer hook and voice set in the south, the Midwest, Appalachia, or rural FL
It's June 30th, so if anyone feels like telling me the best #kidlit books you read in the first half of 2026, it would go a ways toward giving me something nice to do, in between writing VOTE postcards and swearing loudly at SCOTUS. 🏳️⚧️ I'll start in the first comment..
Anti-Prime Day starts…NOW! 🥳 Today through 6/26, enjoy free standard shipping site-wide, all while supporting local, independent bookstores.
I'm happily enjoying a reread of A WIZARD'S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING. Looking for something cheerful and funny that simultaneously puts power in the hands of those who need it? Highly recommend. Especially if you're particularly fond of your sourdough starter. #booksky
I've been writing to The Klezmatics' 40th Anniversary album for several days. I don't think it's a coincidence that my WIP is progressing in happy leaps and bounds...just like a freylekh! #klezmatics #klezmer #weweremadeforthesetimes www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQcT...
Forty Year Freylekhs
YouTube video by The Klezmatics - Topic
youtube.com
