Exploring Children's Literature through Interviews and Book Trailers
Happy, happy first day of school to everyone in Naperville Community Unit District 203, the district where I live! To celebrate, I invited Andrew Hacket to stop by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed classrooms, Arthur Lin's illustrations, picture books, memory books, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and he wrote the words in black . Thank you, Andrew! In This…
Dear Reader, You might be wondering what Unidentified is all about but, much like the title suggests, it’s not so easy to categorize. That’s because the book blends the intrigue of a spy novel, the drama of middle school, and the wonder of science fic-tion into one incredible adventure! Unidentified follows Alex, a middle schooler desperate to save his family’s struggling UFO‑themed mini‑golf park…
I'm SUPER EXCITED to celebrate Lily-May's Joyful Day with readers and booksellers at these upcoming events: * Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois — September 10 * The Book RePort in Port Washington, New York — September 16 * bbgb in Richmond, Virginia — September 24 * Scrawl Books in Reston, Virginia — September 29 * The Enchanted Forest Bookshop in Snohomish, Washington — October 15 *…
I know it's only August 3, but I've started keeping track of my favorite books of 2027. So far, I've added 8 titles to THIS PAGE . HERE IS my 2026 list.
Happy, happy Monday! I'm grateful Edward Hemingway stopped by to finish my sentences. We discussed Fizzy, rollercoasters, case covers, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and he wrote the words in black . Thank you, Edward! Fizzy: A Fish-Out-of-Water Story is about a very clever fish who dreams of riding the roller coaster on the shore! Every day after swimming with her school, Fizzy swims to…
Lily-May's Joyful Day releases one month from today! Hooray! "Such a breath of fresh air. The kids loved it, and we had such a lovely conversation. . . ." —Colby Sharp, 5th Grade Teacher and Author
Happy, happy Saturday! I'm grateful Razan Abdin stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed Splendidly Sawsan , Shahrzad Maydani's illustrations, picture books, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Thank you, Razan! Splendidly Sawsan tells the story of a vivacious, neurodivergent child as she navigates her big, bursty emotions. At its…
Happy, happy Wednesday! I'm grateful Travis Jonker and Gracey Zhang stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed Cadbury Creme Eggs, Jim Hoover, a greedy king, Mackinac Island, and more! I wrote the words in purple, Gracey wrote the words in black , and Travis wrote the words in green . Thank you, Gracey and Travis! 1,000 Horses for the King ’s cover was based on Cadbury…
Happy, happy Thursday! I'm SUPER, SUPER excited Newbery Medalist Jerry Craft stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences! We discussed Aren Anderson, Anime Academy, superheroes, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and he wrote the words in black . Congratulations, Jerry! Aren Anime: The New Realm 's cover is definitely a departure from the style that fans are used to seeing with my…
Happy, happy Saturday! I discuss Jasmine Warga's A Rover's Story during every school visit presentation for grades 3 to 6, and I cannot wait to announce during my fall presentations that Jasmine has written a companion called A Martian's Story. She stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. today to share the cover and finish my sentences. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the word in black .…
Happy Monday! Today marks the seventh time Elly Swartz has stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences! We discussed Almost True 's cover, Grace Millstein, writing, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Congratulations, Elly! Jen Bricking’s cover illustration and Michelle Cunningham’s cover design for Almost True are magical. They took this high…
Happy Tony Awards Day! (AKA one of my favorite days of the year!) To coincide with one of Broadway's biggest nights, Travis Jonker revealed the cover for This Is a Theater , illustrated by Jaime Kim and written by me today. It is our love letter to theater and the transportive power of the performing arts! It releases on March 2, 2027! Pre-order a copy today ! Candlewick's Description: Raise the…
Happy Tuesday! I'm excited to celebrate the book birthday of Better Pets with Leigh Bardugo and Liz Climo! We discussed Yvette, Fredward, Richard Scarry, Hot Sauce, and more! I wrote the words in purple, Leigh wrote the words in black , and Liz wrote the words in green . Thank you, Leigh and Liz! Better Pets tells the story of best friends Yvette and Evan and their quest to find perfect pets. They…
Happy, happy Monday! It is always a wonderful day when Lynda Mullaly Hunt stops by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed How To Build a Miracle 's cover, Peter, Russ, Nancy Paulsen, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Thank you, Lynda! Martin Haake’s cover illustration for How to Build a Miracle is a gorgeous collage. I’m in love with his…
Happy, happy Friday! I'm thrilled Saadia Faruqi stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed Shadia Amin's illustrations, graphic novels, ghost stories, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Thank you, Saadia! Shadia Amin’s cover illustration and Steve Ponzo’s cover design for Don’t Be Scared is reminiscent of a Scooby-style haunted…
Happy Wednesday from Michigan! I'm grateful Dr. Karen Huff, the coordinator of the B.Ed Elementary Education and the MS in Literacy Education programs at Shenandoah University in Virginia, stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed Shenandoah University's Children's Literature Conference, Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo, the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, and…
Happy, happy Friday from El Paso, Texas! I'm honored and grateful Valerie Bolling stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences! We discussed poetry, poetry, and MORE poetry! I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Thank you, Valerie! Nigel Turner’s cover design for Writing Poetry Month by Month: Inspiring the Poet in All Students is magnificent and bold. I hope…
Happy, happy book birthday to the paperback edition of This Is a School , illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison and written by me! Hooray! Happy, happy book birthday to the paperback edition of This Is a Story , illustrated by Lauren Castillo and written by me! Yay!
Erin Entrada Kelly's The Second Life of Snap releases on May 12, 2026. Pre-order a copy today!
Happy Wednesday from Boston! I'm SUPER, SUPER excited that Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed Wallace West, writing, dogs, story, and more. I wrote the words in purple, Katherine wrote the words in black , and Gennifer wrote the words in green . Thank you, Katherine and Gennifer! Wallace West’s cover illustration and L.…
Happy Tuesday! I'm thrilled Dev Petty and Lauren Eldridge stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to celebrate Claydate 's book birthday! Dev Petty and Lauren Eldridge: First off, thank you Mr. Schu for asking us these questions about this book so long in the making. To this day, we get emails from librarians and teachers who still use CLAYMATES in the classrooms, making characters animating them,…
Happy Tuesday! I'm celebrating Squirrel Draws BIG Feelings ' book birthday with Erin Dealey! I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Thank you, Erin! Squirrel Draws BIG Feelings tells the story that Lucina Navarro Powell and I have been working on for six years! (See prompt #2.) It’s a hopeful, uplifting picture book about Squirrel, Porcupine, and Bear who struggle to deal…
Happy Friday from Washington, D.C.! I'm super excited Abi Cushman agreed to finish my sentences. We discussed penguins, pet projects, toilets, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Thank you, Abi! Penguins Don’t Wear Pants ’ cover was so much fun to draw! I wanted to show all the different kinds of penguins from the book smooshed together into one big crowd…
Happy Thursday from Virginia! I'm grateful Blythe Russo stopped by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. We discussed frogs, perma-frowns, picture books, and more. I wrote the words in purple, and she wrote the words in black . Thank you, Blythe! Frog Face ’s cover is actually based off the sketch I used as the cover for the book dummy. When it came time to discuss the cover art, I whipped…
I asked Cátia Chien, Jashar Awan, Angie Kang, Drew Beckmeyer, and Zeke Peña to answer two questions and finish two sentence starters. Angie Kang's Responses Zeke Peña's Responses Jashar Awan's Responses Drew Beckmeyer's Responses Hello, Cátia Chien! Congratulations on receiving the 2026 Caldecott Medal for Fireworks . I love hearing about the CALL. What was running through your heart when the…