When I went to Maine last month to visit my dear artist sister, she told me about the above book. She returned it to her local public library on one of the errands we took together. Guess what book I promptly put on hold to get from my own public library as soon as I could? It was definitely something to look forward to when I got home.

I’ve been reading a story (chapter) a day from this book with my son for our homeschool Morning Basket. So fun! It has a one to two pages in each chapter that that tell the story behind some of the most famous children’s book authors and illustrators. It covers both picture books and chapter books. When you read this book you will learn some fun facts about Beverly Cleary, Maurice Sendak, Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling, and many more. If you love children’s books like I do, this a celebration of them you won’t want to miss! It’s a book you can read on your own, or read aloud to children ages 12 and up. For younger children I would skim over the pages and read aloud parts because 12 and unders tend to have shorter attention spans and more limited vocabulary.

Here’s an author’s note from the book’s amazon page:

“In my research of these authors, I began to see that our most treasured children’s books weren’t just built on creativity and imagination―many were born from extraordinary persistence and grit. Considering Benjamin Franklin’s quote, that a person should either write something great or do something great, it’s clear to me that the authors we admire most have done both. And perhaps it’s this secret ingredient that’s made their writing so genuine, so engaging, and so enduring.“

So go check your library’s online catalog and see if you can get a copy today! And do check out my sister Emily’s website for her book recommendations. As a professional illustrator herself, she has excellent taste!