Craft Articles
Join us in exploring others’ craft and building our own.
Here you will find explorations of mentor texts – articles that dive into specific craft elements in published books, interviews with authors, and tips on growing and improving as a writer.
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Lea Lyon: Following Curiosity and Trying New Things
Lea is the illustrator of several picture books, including Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi. Lea is also the author of Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina (illustrated by Jessica Gibson) with more books for kids on the way. Her nonfiction book for older kid readers, The Double V Campaign: African Americans Fighting for Freedom at Home and Abroad, won the Grateful American Book Prize.
Weaving Details and Carving Icebergs: Revising a Novel
The story that I hadn’t been ready to tell for the first edition, became my guide for the second. The question was, where to begin? The first edition was like a locked house—I needed to find a way in, rearrange the furniture, and tear down some walls without burning the house down.
Observing the World: A Q&A with Author-Illustrator Isabella Kung, the Creator of the NoFuzzball! Series
I think in order to capture the essence of a person, an environment, or even an emotion, a creator must observe and try to learn all its nuances.