Turning The Page

New Stories For Newtown

This past weekend, I attended the Turning the Page: New Stories for Newtown event in Connecticut. The tragedy that befell the people of Newtown at Sandy Hook Elementary School this past December left so many of us wishing we could reach out and help the community recover. This literary festival, cosponsored by the Children’s Book Council (CBC), the C.H. Booth Library’s Books Heal Hearts fund, and many children’s book publishers, including ABRAMS, had an important impact on the community.

The Cover Evolution of NERDS

Behind The Scenes With Creative Director Chad Beckerman

The following shows the process Ethen and I went through while working on the cover for Michael Buckley’s latest series, NERDS. I wish I could have better descriptions but I don’t want to give away all my secrets. See how the cover evolved after the break.

Kel Gilligan’s Daredevil Stunt Show

Share your child’s daredevil moment!

Kel Gilligan’s Daredevil Stunt Show came to me while my wife and I were in the midst of potty-training our son, Finn. Like many kids, Finn found the potty intimidating—what if he fell in and he couldn’t get out? Well, the awesome thing about my son is that sometimes he can overcome his fears and become a pint-sized Evel Knievel (minus the horrible, bone-crushing motorcycle crashes). One day Finn mustered the courage and before we knew it the “potty of doom” was a thing of the past. It was then that I realized that his life was full of intimidating, often scary events that required a lot of bravery—from eating new foods, to dressing himself, to going to bed alone in his room. As grown-ups, we take this stuff for granted. Kel Gilligan celebrates the bravery in the everyday courage of a child. I hope it makes your children laugh and feel proud of them and maybe even give broccoli a chance.