098 - Winning with Wordplay with Julie Hedlund
Picture Book Summit Podcast
Our own wordplay warrior, Julie Hedlund, gave a stupendous workshop encouraging us to have fun with our writing by turning it into play. Today, we share a snippet of that presentation where Julie reveals what wordplay is, where it can be used effectively, and how to use it to make your audience feel smart. Remember, you can purchase lifetime access to any past Summit Superstar Presentation or Workshop, including this one, at .
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096 - 2026 Caldecott Conversation Part 1
Picture Book Summit Podcast
Join the Picture Book Summit Team as we celebrate this year's crop of Caldecott Winners and Honorees. We have so much to say that it can't be contained in one episode! Today, we analyze OUR LAKE, written and illustrated by Angie Kang, and EVERY MONDAY MABEL, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan. Plus, we discuss commonalities in all of this year's Caldecott books, what we loved and observed about these books, and while picture books look easy, these are particular ones are so layered and full of nuance. From thoughtful and beautiful to funny and relatable, we hope this conversation inspires...
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095 - Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett Find Themselves in a Triangle
Picture Book Summit Podcast
To celebrate our 10th Anniversary Picture Book Summit, we hosted returning Superstar Speakers Jon Klassen and Mac Barnett to talk about how they construct picture books together. You will be fascinated by the details behind one of their seemingly simple stories. (You might also leave with a greater appreciation of 8-bit video games.) Enjoy this insight into their partnership, how they think, and how they play off one another's work. Remember, you can purchase lifetime access to any past Summit Superstar Presentation or Workshop, including this one at .
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094 - Everyone Needs Feedback
Picture Book Summit Podcast
Who needs feedback on their picture book manuscripts? You do! (Don't worry. We do too!) In fact, every writer needs good critiques of their work before it's ready for publication. So, what kind of feedback are you looking for and where can you get it? Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, Katie Davis, and Kelli Panique share their best advice on getting feedback that will actually make your writing stronger.
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093 - How to Be a Good Literary Citizen
Picture Book Summit Podcast
What does it mean to be a part of the writing community? How can you be a good literary citizen within the writing community? In this episode, Emma Walton Hamilton, Julie Hedlund, Katie Davis, and Kelli Panique share easy ways you can support your fellow writers and illustrators, as well as booksellers and libraries. (Guess what? Many of these suggestions are free things you can do help get the word out about books and support the reading, writing, and literacy communities.) What will you do to be a good literary citizen in your neighborhood and online?
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092 - Meg Medina on Writing for Young Readers
Picture Book Summit Podcast
When National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina joined the Picture Book Summit, she discussed the three Rs of picture book writing: Readers, Relationship, and Revision. Today, Meg shares about what it means to write for young readers and what matters to them by exploring the genesis of her own books. She even provides a fun writing exercise to get us started on our own stories. Book mentioned in this episode: by Meg Medina and Claudia Munoz by Meg Medina and Angela Dominguez by Meg Medina and Sonia Sánchez At no additional cost to you, Picture...
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090 - How to Ruin a Picture Book Biography
Picture Book Summit Podcast
Julie Hedlund and Angela Dalton are both authors of picture book biographies about well-known celebrities. Julie wrote SONG AFTER SONG: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews and Angela authored TO BOLDY GO: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights. Before their books were acquired, they did everything wrong. In this snippet from a past Picture Book Summit workshop, Julie and Angela reveal a couple of mistakes they made so you don’t have to.
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091 - Grace Lin on Finding Your Why
Picture Book Summit Podcast
Can a car company executive help you find your picture book writing why? Grace Lin thinks so! In a past Summit, Grace divulged an insightful (and relatively easy) way to find your why. She challenged us to look at our picture book manuscripts and ask if those stories really want to be picture books or if they are served better in a different kidlit genre. If you’ve been fighting with a work-in-progress, Grace Lin is here to help!
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089 - Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
Picture Book Summit Podcast
What makes a great picture book? Artistic duo The Steads share their approach to picture books and how something seemingly so simple actually takes a lot of work, nuance, and collaboration. Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead are the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Medal Book A Sick Day for Amos McGee. They have collaborated on many books together, including Bear Has a Story to Tell, Lenny & Lucy, Music for Mister Moon, and The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer. Philip and Erin create their books in the hayloft of an old barn at the edge of...
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088 - The State of the Picture Book Publishing
Picture Book Summit Podcast
What in the world is going on in picture book publishing? Is it slow for everyone or is it just you? Are global events affecting the industry? Surely, COVID-19 isn’t still impacting our market. In this episode, Emma, Julie, and Kelli explore what publishing looks like currently for picture book creators, what we hope it looks like in the future, and what we can do about it right now. With the current state of picture book publishing, every submission opportunity counts. Lucky for you, there’s still time to get a Summit + Submissions Ticket to Picture Book Summit 2025 and take advantage of...
info_outlineIt's time for How to Analyze a Picture Book - Part 2.
In this episode, we talk about how to analyze a picture book's illustrations and other things to look for when analyzing a mentor text.
First up, illustrations: What's the job of the illustrations? What do they add to the story? How does color make a difference? If you're an author-only creator, how can you leave room for the illustrator and still get your story across? Is it okay to use art notes?
Then we jump into a variety odds and ends to consider and pay attention to as you continue to analyze and study picture books, including "is this book for kids" or "what makes this story uniquely kid-centric"?
Download the How to Analyze a Picture Book Handout HERE and use it with your next haul of library books!
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Me...Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell
- No More Señora Mimí written by Meg Medina and illustrated by
- Spencer's New Pet written and illustrated by Jessie Sima
- Hot Dog written and illustrated Doug Salati
- Where the Wild Things Are written and illustrated Maurice Sendak
- Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews written by Julie Hedlund and illustrated by Ilaria Urbanati
- Waiting in the Wings written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton and illustrated by EG Keller
- The Enchanted Symphony written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton and illustrated by Elly McKay
- Press Here written and illustrated by Hervé Tullet
- The Pink Hat written and illustrated by Andrew Joyner
- Dr. Fauci: How a Boy From Brooklyn Became America's Doctor written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Alexandra Bye
- River of Dust written by Jilanne Hoffmann and illustrated by Eugenia Mello
If you didn't catch part 1 of How to Analyze a Picture Book, listen HERE.