Badger loves adventures with his good friend Hugo. But one day, Hugo’s too busy to play. So of course, Badger does WHAT BADGERS DO BEST. “Pretty-pretty please, with honey on top?” How can he learn to give his friend space, slow down his pace, and badger less?

WHAT BADGERS DO BEST
 
Badger and Hugo are always together, having amazing, exciting adventures.                                     
But today, something’s different…
  
“Let’s go, Hugo!”
 
“Sorry. I’m busy. Come back later.”
 
“Busy? You’re busy? What about ME?  Come on, Hugo. Let’s play…
 
“Pleeeeease?  PRETTY please? Pretty-PRETTY please? Pretty-pretty please with HONEY on top?”
 
“Nope. I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait.”
  
“I’ll be your FRIEND. Your very BEST friend. Your very best friend in the WHOLE WIDE FOREST.”
 
“Badger, you already are my best friend. But I’m doing something important.”
  
“But the rowboats are rowing. The zip lines are zipping. The hot-air balloons are all hot-air ballooning! And I’m here, ready to DO something. What could be MORE important?”
 
“You are important. And so is my project. Do me a favor… don’t badger.”
 
“Don’t badger? But that’s what badgers do BEST.”
 
“Just for a while, try badgering LESS.”
 
“How can a badger be less of a badger?”
 
“Relax. Take a nice long stroll in the forest. You’ll find the answer.”
 
Badger strolls.
 
He mumbles and mutters.
 
He kicks at the dirt.
 
He badgers the forest…
 
“ComeOnComeOnComeON. Show me the answer! HOW can a badger be LESS of a badger?”
 
Badger flops.
 
Then…
  
he looks up.
 
            cheedle-dee! sweet-sweet-sweet! fee-bee!
 
He listens to the birds. He listens to the wind. He listens to the stream.
 
He breathes out...and in.
 
Out…and in.
  
He delights in what’s happening all around him.
 
“Wow.”                                                                                                           [egg hatching]
 
“Amazing.                                                                                                       [flower blooming]
 
“Exciting.”                                                                                                      [squirrel leaping]
  
He soaks up the glow of a slow-moving sun
 
and thinks of his friend.
  
Badger strolls homeward, peaceful and calm.
 
“Hi, Hugo. Can I help with your project? If you’re too busy…I’ll see you tomorrow.”
 
“Please, come in, Badger...
 
                                    [banner: “Happy Best Friends’ Day!” (cake, gifts, confetti)]

“SURPRISE!” 
 
“So, this was your project! It’s like I always say...good things come to those who wait.”                     
 
“I’ve never ever ever EVER heard you say that.”
 
“Hugo, it’s my turn to give you a present.” 
  
Badger still does what badgers do best.
 
“Let’s go, Hugo! ComeOnComeOnComeON!”                                [leading Hugo into the forest]
 
But…
  
he also knows how to badger less.                                                      [lying together in the forest]

     Here's my entry for the always FUN Halloweensie contest, from Susanna Leonard Hill. This year's challenge was to write a children's story, in 100 words or less, containing the words skeleton, creep, and mask.
     How'd I do? Leave a comment below (treats only, please; no tricks).

     I’ve had a chance to read an F&G of this beautiful book, which releases May 19, 2020. Through the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Created Narnia, beautifully distills the formative events in the life of writer-theologian C.S. Lewis.
     We feel the power of Lewis' childhood imagination and of his invented worlds, and we come to understand that his imagination was his salvation in a difficult life—at boarding school, through war, and into adulthood.
     I came away from this book feeling as though The Chronicles of Narnia existed within Lewis all his life, bound to one day come alive on the page.
     Author-illustrator Lina Maslo enhances her story with charming and emotive drawings. My favorites are the one where Lewis performs theatrics for two young cousins who are sitting in a wardrobe (lots of vibrant purple on this page, and lovely woodwork); the one where Lewis lies awake after his mother’s death, a rich red carpet taking up most of the space, and the carpet design hinting of the lion and witch; and the page in the trenches in WWI, only the writer’s feet, knees, paper and pencil visible.
     This bio spans many rich and complex years in the life of the man who brought us one of our most enduring and beloved fantasy stories. Through the Wardrobe is sure to engage young readers, and there's plenty of historical depth here for readers to think about, write about, and research further.

      This year, the "Valentiny" contest challenge is to write a children's Valentine's story in 214 words or less, in which someone feels curious!
     Here's my 204-word entry--"What Do You Love?"
     Thank you, Susanna Leonard Hill, for offering this fun challenge. I LOVE my little story and am glad this contest inspired it.
     p.s. My debut book comes out on April 7. Check it out here!

Illustrator Robin Rosenthal packs her characters with style, personality, color, humor, and a touch of irony. There's no shortage of visual details for young readers to pour over, and they'll love finding the deadpan cat on the margins of every scene.

With crisp, active rhymes and plot-twisting surprises, author Gabi Snyder has created a canine-counting playground! Little ones learning to read and count will want to pick this book up over and over, to experience the mayhem again--and have fun with words and numbers.

     All month long I've been stewing and brewing a tiny poem potion in my cauldron, and now it's ready to be served.
     The challenge? Write a 100-word (or less) children's Halloween story including these three key words--potion, cobweb, and trick.
     The sponsor? As always, the clever, generous, and talented Susanna Leonard Hill, who hosts this annual contest on her blog.
     The result? A rhyming story that was SO much fun to write!
     Thanks, Susanna, for the opportunity to participate. And good luck to my fellow contestants.

Adelaide sWitches Careers
 
Adelaide Witch isn’t partial to scaring.
She prefers generous giving and sharing.
Adelaide vows, “I will ditch evil potions,
conjuring up only happy emotions.
This Halloween, I will brew a new mission.
I’ll switch careers and become—a magician!”
 
First, the kids tremble, afraid of her show.
“Help us!” they yelp as they watch her wand glow.
Then—“Hocus-pocus!”—from down in the tip
of her hat, a white rabbit appears in her grip.
“More!” cry the children. She pulls from her glove
a cobweb that flies, turning into a dove.
 
That’s how one witch
traded tricks in
for love.

     llustrator T.L. McBeth scales way, way back, creating an almost entirely character-based book that focuses on feelings and reactions rather than setting and scenery. The pops of color and texture among white backgrounds and bold black lines are provided by photographic images of little knit sweaters (or dresses, or sweater-dresses)--to great effect.
     Cleverly conceived and charmingly executed, this book pairs well with Neither, by Airlie Anderson. And in a world of shorter and shorter picture books, Ogilvy has just a bit more content, plus a fun rhyming structure and strong story construction, which makes me want to recommended it for multiple readings on home bookshelves.

   Picture book writers, take note. This is how an artist can take emotional moments and run with them. When you understate the text in the peak emotional moments of your story, you do yourself, your reader, and your illustrator a favor. If you pick up a copy of this book, just look at Jamie's facial expressions. Seeing how she feels is far better than being told. When we see how she feels, we feel it too. A picture pulls the reader in.
   The story is 158 words, people. 158 words!
   Here's a great interview with Matt Myers  and a brilliant quote--"A picture book is not called a word book, after all.  If you love language, show your love by making a few words feel special. Let the pictures write a line for you."
   This is Myers' debut as both author and illustrator, and he does a superior job at both. Hum and Swish is a great mentor text for those of us who only write.
   With art that's both playful and rich in feeling, Hum and Swish turns a simple scene of a girl playing in the sand into a portrait of an artist that says something profound about creativity, childhood, and living in the moment.
   Oh, and it's from Neal Porter's new imprint at Holiday House so...no wonder it's good.

   Short, clear, lyrical sentences with easily digestible information are just right for young readers. The  lyrical and figurative language in Flying Deep made this story feel like a literal, visceral journey. I love it as a read-aloud!