Picturebooking

Host Shawna J.C. Tenney chats with author Janet Sumner Johnson about the picture book Braver Than Brave. This story is about a girl named Wanda finding the confidence to be her own kind of brave.

Plus, How Chris Evans inspired the social media campaign for today's book. And you will learn the main difference between a successful writer and one who is not. No "chicken exit" for this episode! Enjoy.

Host Shawna J.C. Tenney chats with author-illustrator Blythe Russo about the picture book Sloth Sleeps Over. This heartwarming friendship story is about Sloth's first sleepover. She thinks sleepovers are all about sleeping, but her friend wants to stay up all night!

Plus, you've heard past guests talk about leaving space in their writing for the illustrations, today book was created by doing the opposite. And then what does it mean to have a tight, polished dummy book? We'll give you the answers. Also, we'll get into why a hybrid traditional/digital illustration process provides Blythe with the best of both worlds?

Nick Patton chats with author Rebecca Gardyn Levington about the picture book, Brainstorm!, illustrated by Kate Kronreif. Brainstorm! depicts the creativity inside us through a shower of funny phrases, a whirlwind of adjectives and verbs and a downpour of enormous ideas.

Plus, why you should start your creative project for yourself but finish for an audience. And then we ask, what's a word bank, and how can you use it when creating your stories? Also, what should you be doing before bed to help solve your story's problems? All that and more in today's picturebooking episode.

Pre-order a signed and personalized copy of Brainstorm! at RebeccaGardynLevington.com.

Host Nick Patton chats with author Troy Wilson about the picture book, Hat Cat, illustrated by Eve Coy. Hat Cat is a profound and tender story about love, loss and trust.

Nick and Troy discuss their first experience with death and the strangeness of devastating news on bright warm days. Days that their world shifted, and yet nothing in the world changed.

This episode is ad-free and uncut. Thank you to the members of the Picturebooking Club on Patreon.

Host Nadia Salomon chats with author Jyoti Rajan Gopal about the picture book, American Desi, illustrated by Supriya Kelkar. American Desi is a poetic story that celebrates being bicultural.

On today's show, they discuss straddling multiple worlds and choosing to embrace all their fantastic colors!

Author, Julio Torres, discusses I Want To Be A Vase, illustrated by Julian Glander. This book features a plunger who wishes to defy his shape and become a vase.

Julio Torres is a comedian, the creator of the HBO special My Favorite Shapes, and has written for Saturday Night Live. He's also one of the masterminds behind Los Espookys, HBO's Spanish-language comedy about a group of horror enthusiasts.

Award-winning podcaster Zibby Owens teams up with New York Times bestselling illustrator Holly Hatam to create the picture book Princess Charming. Zibby and Holly discuss their views on talent and persistence.

New York Times bestselling author, Mac Barnett, returns to the Picturebooking Podcast to discuss The Great Zapfino, illustrated by Marla Frazee. Mac tells us the inspiration behind the story and why Marla Frazee was the perfect person to bring Zapfino's story to life.

Guest host Nadia Salomon chats with award-winning poet Van G. Garrett about the picture book, Kicks, illustrated by Reggie Brown. Kicks is an essential read for sneaker fans of all ages.

Nadia and Van discuss the relationship between music and writing in this "Van-tastic" conversation!

Guest host Nadia Salomon chats with debut author Chelsea Lin Wallace about the picture book, A Home Named Walter, illustrated by Ginnie Hsu. Walter has to heal his broken heart when the family he loves moves away.

This inspiring talk will give you a new perspective on your creative life. Wallace explains why creatives can't and shouldn't try to climb a ladder towards success.