Dec 27, 2024
What a fun time I had at the Writer's Loft holiday book festival
in Hudson, MA! It was great to meet so many talented children's
book authors and learn about their latest projects.
Janet Costa Bates was there celebrating her picture book "Time for
Bed, Old House" - a sweet story about a grandpa who helps his
grandson settle down for a sleepover. Janet shared how meaningful
it was when a mom told her that her biracial son saw himself
represented in the book's main character. Representation in kids'
books is so important, and it's awesome to see more diversity.
I also chatted with Helen Kampion about her book "Rolling on Down
the Line" - a fascinating look at Lady Bird Johnson's 1964 civil
rights tour of the South. Helen and her co-author were inspired by
Lady Bird's courage in making this trip despite death threats, in
order to promote the new Civil Rights Act. Sounds like an
empowering story for young readers.
Over at the "Cryptid Academy" table, author Howard Woolke told me
all about his fantasy series featuring mythical creatures like
golems, genies, and sphinxes attending a secret school. I love the
idea of blending real-world mythology into an engaging school
story.
And Ellen Cohen shared the premise of her mystery novel "Searching
for Lucky Number 3002" - a boy trying to uncover the truth about
his donor-conceived background. Such an interesting topic to
explore through fiction and give kids a window into different
family structures.
So many great books and wonderful authors at this event. I'm
already looking forward to reading more from these talented writers
and hopefully having them back on my "Reading with Your Kids"
podcast soon!
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