Children's Lit Newsletter 4/8/26
AKA Sharon's Book Rx
SHARON'S SOAPBOX IS BEING HANDED TO THE INCREDIBLE KATHERINE APPLEGATE THIS WEEK
CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO TELL THEM TO VOTE NO ON H.R. 7661
I love this determined look on Katherine Applegate's face. She is ALWAYS fighting the good fight. You can watch the reel here, on Instagram
We need all hands on deck to stop H.R. 7661, the federal book banning bill.
Your voice matters. Congressional offices track every call they receive—together, we CAN make a difference.
I hope you’ll join me and use your voice to stop this bill. Follow the link in my bio for a script to help you call.
@authorsagainstbookbans
INTERVIEW W/JULIE FOGLIANO & MARLA FRAZEE ABOUT THEIR NEW BOOK BECAUSE OF A SHOE
ALSO ENTER BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE COPY!!
Welcome Julie and Marla! I'm so excited to be able to interview you about this FABULOUS book!
Julie & Marla: Thank you, Sharon! And thank you for having us!
S: BECAUSE OF A SHOE, is lovely, funny and necessary. There are very few books that acknowledge that parents can also get angry, be unreasonable and you know, human.
The only book that I can think of is GO THE F TO SLEEP and obviously, yours is gentler and less profane than that one (I did love that one too and related all too well).
Julie, have you had any pushback because you show an honest, not perfect relationship?
Julie: No, not at all! In fact, I’ve experienced the opposite. Anger is real, frustration is real, shoes being too loose or too tight is real! As parents, we all beat ourselves up about the times we may not have been our best selves or didn’t show up for our kids in the way we would have liked, and kids do the same thing.
They might not be able to express those feelings, but they certainly have them. Parents seem to appreciate that Because of a Shoe provides an opportunity to explore these big feelings outside of the heat of the moment and understand that the value in those conversations outweighs the discomfort of facing our imperfections.
SL: Julie, how did the idea come about? Was it something that you two thought of, or did it come from an outside source, such as an editor or agent?
Julie: As a kid, I had all sorts of sensory issues and was certain that I would know just had to handle that kind of thing as a parent. Well… I did not.
When my daughter struggled with putting on her shoes everyday, I was not always proud of the way I dealt with it. So when I started playing around with the idea of a parent and child melting down at the same time, an uncomfortable shoe seemed like the perfect culprit.
SL: Marla, what was it like collaborating on this book?
Marla: I love Julie’s writing and hoped to illustrate one of her manuscripts someday. When I read this manuscript, it felt destined. You’re right, Sharon, that there aren’t too many books where a parent is absolutely losing it, but it’s actually a subject I’ve touched on before. In THE SEVEN SILLY EATERS by Mary Ann Hoberman, I illustrated the mom freaking out in the kitchen, having a total meltdown because her seven kids demanded seven different meals. In HARRIET, YOU’LL DRIVE ME WILD by Mem Fox, the mom snaps after an escalating series of toddler mishaps and behaviors. What makes BECAUSE OF A SHOE so unique is that the mom has her own tantrum right along with her child’s. It’s so honest and real. But thankfully not too scary—thanks to the humor and outlandish details in Julie’s text. It was a bonus for me that the tantrum centered on a red shoe! I’m obsessed with shoes. Especially red ones. Like I said, it was destined.
SL: Thank you Marla, I’d completely spaced on those books.
Marla, you've been both an author and an illustrator in your previous work. Is it hard to take off the ‘author cap’ when collaborating on a book?
Marla: It isn’t hard, but it is a different sort of exercise when I’m drawing pictures to words I haven’t written. I feel like I have a safety net under me.
I can take bigger swings and more chances. I know that if things don’t work, the manuscript is still intact, and I can always go back and start again.
When I’m both author and illustrator and therefore able to revise both words and pictures, the whole project can fall apart pretty easily. (It’s happened.)
SL: For you both, to steal other people’s work (me, not you) is there a favorite question you’ve gotten on this virtual book tour? Would you tell us what it is, and how you answered it?
Marla: I’ve been asked about the bounce house at the end. It wasn’t in the manuscript, but there were hints that lead me to it. For instance, the mom says they’re late, and everyone is waiting, and the shoes are the child’s best and favorite red shoes.
It wasn’t a huge stretch to imagine they were going to a birthday party in the park. But when I thought of the bounce house, where kids are required to take off shoes at the door, it made me laugh. And felt right.
It provided the right tone at the end for me, where all that drama was pretty much for nothing.
I love finding those opportunities to expand the story in the pictures and, of course, the best picture book writers (Hi, Julie!) leave space for that kind of visual storytelling to happen.
Julie: People often ask if this was based on one of my kids. The answer is YES!!! But I will not name names :)
S: Marla and Julie, this was a delight, just like your books!! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions about your wonderful collaboration!!
RANDOM HOUSE IS GIVING AWAY A COPY OF BECAUSE OF A SHOE to a reader of this newsletter!! You can enter here (only open to mailing addresses in the U.S. and Canada). You must enter by April 30th
PLEASE SEND ME YOUR EARTH DAY BOOKS FOR POSSIBLE REVIEW AND COVERAGE ON APRIL 22
I'd love to do an Earth Day column with reviews and giveaways on April 22nd. If you have an Earth Day title, please do reach out. I will confess that I am hard copy only, I truly do not like reading books (particularly picture books) on line. TIA!
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NOTE: I feel like a couple of you have sent info, but I can't find the e-mails in my in-box (I have about 5000 unopened e-mails in my three in-boxes). So, to help my sieve like brain, please resend with the subject line: EARTH DAY BOOK FOR NEWSLETTER.
Thanks so much!
YA BOOK CLUB FOR ADULTS - FIRST BOOK - DEAR MEDUSA
GETTING A LOT OF INTEREST, YAY!!! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU PREFER JULY 12 OR 19
Over the years, parents have said that they wish they had a book club like their children/teens do, so I’m thinking about having occasional Book Clubs for Grown Ups.
Right now I’m figuring out interest and timing. If you have time/energy/spoons (#SpoonTheory) please let me know what you think/if you’d like to attend.
Book Club would be a one time meeting on either Sunday July 12 or July 19 from 4-6 at Reach and Teach in San Carlos. My lovely colleagues there (Craig and Derrick) will supply treats, yum!!
And, you can stroll around San Carlos after and have a delicious dinner at one of the many amazing restaurants. :-)
The book would be DEAR MEDUSA by Olivia Cole, which was one of the finalists when I was on the LA Times Young Adult Book Award Committee. It’s an INCREDIBLE book!!!
Participants would read the book ahead of time (which is different from the multiple week book clubs I do with the students).
Cost would be $40 and include a paperback copy of the book, which could be picked up at Reach and Teach. If you’d like the book shipped to you, there would be an additional shipping cost.
I think this would be SO MUCH FUN!!! Please let me know what you think. Also, please feel free to share this.
Join us for a special hour with Pam Muñoz Ryan, the author of some of the most memorable books for kids and teens. Her stories, including Esperanza Rising, Echo, Riding Freedom, and Becoming Naomi León, have reached millions of readers and won major awards like the Newbery Honor and Pura Belpré Award. In this author talk, Pam will explain how she turns ideas into books, where her characters come from, and what inspires her stories about hope, courage, and finding your voice. Young readers, aspiring writers, parents, and teachers will all enjoy hearing from one of today’s top children’s authors. Get ready to listen, laugh, and be inspired. Find out why Pam Muñoz Ryan’s books are favorites in classrooms, libraries, and homes everywhere. This is a great chance for kids and families to meet an author whose stories stay with you long after you finish reading. ---- I cannot tell you how many times I've heard Pam speak and I always learn something new. She is an absolute DELIGHT and an incredible author!!
HOW JEWISH AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS REVOLUTIONIZED CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS
Children/YA book author Dashka Slater and illustrator/author Lisa Brown in conversation
Jewish Arts and Bookfest
Sunday, May 3, 2026
at UC Berkeley’s Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA
What do Frog and Toad, Curious George, Shrek, and the Wild Things have in common?
They were all written and illustrated by Jews. Join children’s book creators Lisa Brown and Dashka Slater for a conversation about groundbreaking picture book artists like Maurice Sendak, Ezra Jack Keats, and William Steig, and how their backgrounds, whether by design or not, influenced their thoughts about visual art, writing, and childhood.
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HOW I WISH I COULD BE AT THIS!! The amount of growing AntiSemitism in this world is terrifying (and shocked me out of my complacency). This discussion is going to be AMAZING!! Two brilliant and talented Jewish Women in Conversation.
About Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is a New York Times bestselling illustrator, author, and cartoonist of more than twenty books. Her award-winning picture books include: The Airport Book, The Hospital Book, The Moving Book, Mummy Cat by Marcus Ewert, and The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming, by Lemony Snicket, and is the creator of the “Baby Be of Use” series of board books for McSweeney’s. Her comics include The Phantom Twin, a graphic novel for young adults, and Long Story Short, a literary comic strip collection. She writes essays and book reviews for New York Times and other publications, and is senior adjunct faculty at the California College of the Arts. Lisa lives in San Francisco, where she chairs the board of 826 Valencia and drinks too much coffee.
Photo Credit: Kristen Sard
About Dashka Slater
New York Times-bestselling author Dashka Slater has been described as a “triple threat” for her success in journalism, adult fiction, and children’s literature. The author of many books of fiction and nonfiction for children, teenagers, and adults, her work has been translated into more than fifteen languages and has sold more than a million copies. She has received numerous awards for her writing, including the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award gold medal for Accountable, the 2023 Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Award for her short story, The Jeanines of Summer, and the 2018 Wanda Gág Read Aloud Award for her picture book, Escargot.
Her books for younger children include the beloved Escargot picture book series, The Feylawn Chronicles middle grade fantasy series, and The Antlered Ship, which received four starred reviews and was named one of the best picture books of the year by Amazon.com. Her New York Times best-selling young-adult true crime narrative, The 57 Bus, has received numerous accolades, including the Stonewall Book Award, and was named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. Her latest nonfiction narrative, Accountable, was the first young adult title to ever receive the prestigious J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize from the Columbia Journalism School and Harvard’s Neiman Foundation for Journalism and received numerous additional awards.
Photo Credit: Amy Sullivan
THEY CALLED US ENEMY
In April and May, join Redwood City Public Library for One Book, One Coast, which unites libraries and communities across California, Oregon and Washington around a shared book and conversation. The 2026 selection, They Called Us Enemy, is George Takei’s graphic memoir of his childhood incarceration during World War II. Read along to learn how shared books and stories build stronger communities.
Read along and attend the programs happening in May to join the discussions it inspires. Save these dates:
Morrish Collection: SAT MAY 9 at 1pm
Seeds of Activism: THU MAY 14 at 6:30pm
Book Bites: TUE MAY 26 at 12pm
Live-stream with George Takei: SUN MAY 31 at 2pm
These events are geared especially toward adults It’ll sort of be like Looking at Picture Books, except Jon and Mac will actually be, like, talking to each other (and sometimes some other writers and artists too).
Mac Barnett has written best-selling and award-winning picturebooks, but he also wants to change the way people think about the medium. Barnett’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages, sold more than 5 million copies, and won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Awards, and three E.B. White Read Aloud Awards. Barnett is also a leader in the literary world through his work as the ninth U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, appointed by the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader. With Jon Klassen, Barnett created the animated series Shape Island on Apple TV. The two also write a newsletter called Looking at Picturebooks, which explores how picturebooks work. Barnett’s beloved and strange style was succinctly celebrated by The San Francisco Chronicle: “He is a believer that picture books can have Swiftian absurdity and untidy endings, and that ‘life is absurd, and kids know that.’”
Jon Klassen was an illustrator and animator, working on films like Kung Fu Panda and Coraline, before he decided to write and illustrate his own books. Overnight, he became an international bestseller. His debut ‘hat’ trilogy (I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat, and We Found A Hat) are funny, minimalist, and at times dark picturebooks, and the winners of the Caldecott Medal and the Kate Greenaway Medal. Klassen’s inspirations, including Hitchcock’s Psycho, literature’s unreliable narrators, and Edgar Allan Poe, are not usually associated with children’s books, but Klassen’s work has the rare quality of attracting all readers, regardless of age. As The New York Times wrote, “Klassen, who speaks the language of the picture book like few other authors and illustrators these days, has created a masterpiece of honest feelings, emotional tension and poetic restraint.” Klassen’s books have been translated into 22 languages, and he has now co-authored books with Lemony Snicket and Mac Barnett. With Barnett, Klassen created the animated series Shape Island on Apple TV. The two also write a newsletter called Looking at Picturebooks, which explores the creation and intricacies of picturebooks.
90-SECOND NEWBERY IN OAKLAND!! THIS IS A FABULOUS EVENT!!
We're doing a special show in the Bay Area next month! On Saturday, April 18 at 12:30 pm at the Rockridge branch of the Oakland Public Library
(5366 College Ave.), we're doing a FREE screening of some of the BEST 90-Second Newbery movies we've received over the past 15 years of the film festival. Get your FREE tickets here!
You definitely want to see this! Charlotte's Web as a horror movie, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH in the musical stylings of "La La Land," Last Stop on Market Street in the style of a zombie apocalypse . . . it's all killer, no filler! And you might even be inspired to make a movie for next year's film festival. Anyone can enter, and adult help is okay! We've got lots of helpful tips on how to make a 90-Second Newbery movie on our website.
I'm excited to bring the 90-Second Newbery back to the Bay Area! We've been featured in SF Gate and Oakland North before. If you're on this list, you know how much fun these screenings can be!
Full details about the film festival here. I hope to see you at the Rockridge branch of the Oakland Public Library on April 18 . . . remember, get your free tickets here!
INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY, APRIL 25!!!
Check out what your local indies are doing that day!! All kinds of great events, swag, and special products ONLY available on April 25!!
INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING TO THE NEWSLETTER
NOTE TO AUTHORS, ILLUSTRATORS, BOOKSTORES HAVING EVENTS!!
I try (when I have time/energy/spoons) to visit store websites and pull event information. However, the best way to get your events in is to e-mail me directly with FOR THE NEWSLETTER as the subject line. There are over 2000 subscribers to this newsletter - plus it gets posted on Facebook, Twitter (I said what I said), BlueSky and my local NextDoor. I am happy to spread the word, it's just easier if 'the word' (not the religious one) comes directly to my inbox
I'm only as good as my sources, so please do feel free to share events, good news, etc.! Please e-mail me at sharonlevin at mindspring dot com and put For the Newsletter as your subject line.
I'm always happy to feature giveaways. There is NO paid advertising in this newsletter - I do not require anything to feature a giveaway. I'm just happy to do it.