New Books in Children's Literature

A splendid interview (I'm biased, but so what, it really is splendid) with Annie Kelley, who makes children's books come true at Random House Books. We talk about what she looks for in a manuscript (strong voice and not generic, needs to stand out in some way). She talks about her love for children's books as a child and how she found her dream job as editor. Annie urges authors to ignore the advice of "writing to the trend" and to write from the heart. Annie talks about her 'specialty', finding the right illustrator for the right book. Annie talks about some of her recent and current books (including mine!!!). So am I lucky or what? Heads up, people: EMILY SAW A DOOR, illustrated fabulously by Orit Magia, launches on Feb. 24th, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inspired by the true story of the friendship between Rembrandt and Rabbi Menashe Ben Israel. Painting scenes from Bible stories is Rembrandt's passion. Many of his Amsterdam neighbors are Sephardic Jews, and the children often come to play with the costumes at the renowned painter's house. Rabbi Menashe Ben Israel encourages his neighbors to pose for Rembrandt's biblical scenes. He helps the painter understand the descriptive words in the Hebrew bible. At the rabbi's home for Sabbath dinner, Rembrandt watches his friend cup his hands over his children's heads and say a blessing, which gives him an idea for a very special painting. Tami Lehman-Wilzig is the award-winning author of sixteen Jewish content picture books, including On the Wings of Eagles, SOOSIE, The Horse That Saved Shabbat; Keeping The Promise; Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles; Passover Around the World; and Hanukkah Around the World. Here, we we talk about her brand new picture book, Rembrandt's Blessing, (illustrated by Anita Barghigiani, Kar-Ben Publishing, Sept. 2025), and her writing journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liz Bicknell is one of the most celebrated editors of children's books ever! She began her publishing career at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1986, joined Candlewick as editor-in-chief in 1997. Among Bicknell’s coups was signing Jon Klassen, who burst out of the gate with his Caldecott Medal-winning I Want My Hat Back and Caldecott Honor-winning This Is Not My Hat. Liz cultivated work by creators as wide-ranging as popup makers Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart, illustrator Ekua Holmes, and fantasy author Gregory Maguire. She edited M.T. Anderson’s National Book Award-winning The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing; Carole Boston Weatherford’s Newbery Honor-winning BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, illustrated by Michele Wood; and Laura Kvasnosky’s Geisel-winning Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways. Other authors and illustrators who worked with Bicknell won Caldecott Honors, Printz Honors, the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, and more. In our wonderful interview Liz and I talk about her life and her career, and her thoughts on choosing and publishing picture books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harold Underdown has worked as an independent editor and publishing consultant, providing developmental edits and strategic consulting; and as an in-house editor with Kane Press, McGraw-Hill Education, Charlesbridge, and Orchard Books. He also mentors individual authors - me included! Harold speaks and gives workshops through the Highlights Foundation and SCBWI's national and regional conferences. He wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Children's Book Publishing, now in its third edition. He founded and runs "The Purple Crayon," a respected web site with information about the children's publishing world at www.underdown.org. In this, our third discussion, we talk about Harold's upcoming workshop for Highlights on trends in kidlit, and how our process of working together evolved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Museum of Shapes. Alma is the curator of the museum. She decides which shapes should go where. Triangles have three sides and three angles. Can you help Alma find all the triangles on the shelves? Almas favorite shape is a circle. All the points on the edge of a circle are the same distance from its center. Not all shapes are geometric. Some lines are wiggly and messy. Can you make a wiggly line with your body? The Museum of Shapes (Cicada Books, 2025) is an engaging and informative book about the shapes that make up our world. The narrative framework is complemented by interactive texts and gorgeous, minimalist illustration, shedding new light on the beauty of geometry. Sven Völker is Professor for Experiment and Strategy in Graphic Design at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam. He studied at the University of Art in Bremen and received an master degree from Middlesex University in London. In 2004 he was appointed professor for graphic design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruhe and since 2010 tought at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art in Halle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suzy Levinson is a children’s author and poet whose work has been featured in numerous anthologies, including A World Full of Poems (DK Children), I Am a Jigsaw (Bloomsbury Education), and Shaping the World (Macmillan), and magazines, including Highlights and Cricket. Her critically acclaimed debut picture book–length poetry collection, Animals in Pants (Abrams), was published in 2023. In our wonderful interview we talk about her brand new book, Dinos That Drive (Tundra Books, 2025) illustrated by Dustin Harbin, which hits the shelves...tomorrow! And she’s got more books on the way! Originally from Massachusetts, Suzy now lives in New York with her sweet husband and spicy cat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friederike Ablang is an award-winning children's illustrator. She was born in East-Berlin and studied photography and design in the United Kingdom and Germany. She has illustrated dozens of picture books and school books. In our conversation we discuss the recent book which she illustrated, O'win and the Moon by Roseanne Baxter Frank, published in March, 2025 by Wonder House Books. We also talk about her process, her journey to success, and her advice for aspiring illustrators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our wonderful interview, Dr. Danna Trachtenberg Zeiger and I celebrate her debut picture book, Rewriting the Rules, a STEM nonfiction picture book which was just released from Millbrook Press (Carol Hinz, editor) on September 9, 2025". She is represented by Gaby Cabezut at The Seymour Agency. A published scientist, Danna's research has appeared in top scientific journals such as Science, Neuron, and PNAS. Formerly a biology professor and program director at Fisher College, she now focuses on writing for children. In our conversation Danna describes her transition from scientist to author, and the benefits that a career in science can bring to the writer's table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hannah Shafiroff is celebrating a book about celebrations! In our interview we talk about her brand new picture book which she both wrote and illustrated, My Little Book of Big Jewish Holidays (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2025). We talk about her own childhood and memories of Sabbath and holidays, and how her she was able to turn her childhood passion for art into a professional career as writer-illustrator. Hannah also shares some tips for aspiring authors, including a musical method for dealing with rejections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her thirty plus years of enthusiastic dedication to Random House Children’s Books, Mallory Loehr has played a seminal role in the development of this business. She has led numerous editorial teams, working with them to develop strategies for growth, across trade and brand, for all ages and formats, including for Random House Books for Young Readers, Random House Studio, Crown, Doubleday, Labyrinth Road, Little Golden Books, Rodale Kids, Dr. Seuss publishing, and an extensive licensed and proprietary portfolio. Her teams and their books have received the highest accolades, from the Newbery to the Caldecott and more. Mallory is also author of a dozen children's books, ranging from unicorns and leprechauns to an early reading version of Alice in Wonderland. As an editor, Mallory shaped the careers of many authors, including global powerhouse Mary Pope Osborne, whom she began editing at the inception of the Magic Tree House series. She has an exceptional eye for quality children’s books and a keen ability to discover and nurture new voices and artists, including Emily Winfield Martin and her book The Wonderful Things You Will Be, which has become a new classic and remains on The New York Times bestsellers list today after more than four hundred weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices