Perfect Picture Book Friday: BENFORD DRAWS A BLANK Plus Critique Giveaway

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I totally needed this book when I was a kid. I loved to draw…I had a big round cookie tin that was filled with broken crayons. I remember the day I got a new box of Crayola crayons…the big 64 color box with the SHARPENER…it was 1958 (that was the first year Crayola released the 64-crayon box with the sharpener) and I was 11 years old – and I felt like I had just gotten the best gift ever! But I didn’t have much confidence in my art – and most of the time, I colored in coloring books…allowing my creativity to be confined within the boundaries of the lines on the page. Danielle Dufayet’s newest book, BENFORD DRAWS A BLANK, is all about creativity and imagination and believing in oneself…and something many of us writers experience – not knowing where to begin! And before you begin reading this post, I want to let you know that the lovely Danielle is offering a fabulous giveaway: winner’s choice of either a signed copy of the book OR a Picture Book Critique! WOW!

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Happy Book Birthday: FRANZ’S PHANTASMAGORICAL MACHINE

It’s time for ice-cream and cake and a hearty happy book birthday to a very special book from a very special writer friend of mine, Beth Anderson. I remember reading the early drafts of this manuscript a number of years ago – and I’m thrilled that it is now a real book!!!

Written by Beth Anderson – Illustrated by Caroline Hamel – Published by Kids Can Press
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Cover Reveal: BRAINSTORM! Plus Giveaway

Revealing the cover of a picture book is like when the curtain is lifted off an important piece of art at a museum. We get a peek at the creative process that has been ongoing for a year or more with input from editor, art director, and perhaps even the author. We gaze at the brilliance that teamwork generates.

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