Category Archive: Author Voices

Debbi Michiko Florence: Creating the Drumming Mochi Queen, Jasmine Toguchi

Posted in: Author Voices

Debbi Michiko Florence, the author who brought us eight-year-old mochi-loving, flamingo-focused Jasmine Toguchi, was about eight years old herself before she realized eating a side of rice with a plate of spaghetti was not necessarily universal. That experience, which came as part of what Florence describes as growing up both... Read more

“It Gives Me a Tremendous Amount of Hope:” Author Hena Khan on Kids, Tolerance, and the Universal Experience of Middle School

Posted in: Author Voices

Middle school anxiety does not discriminate, Amina’s Voice author Hena Khan told First Book. It’s why we all can mirror each other’s experiences in some way, no matter where we’re from—and that gives Khan hope, she said. Read more about Hena, Amina, and the relatability of generous aunties in our... Read more

A Very Special Valentine’s Day Message From Kwame Alexander

Posted in: Author Voices, Focus on First Book, For Educators

Award-winning author, poet, and friend of First Book, Kwame Alexander has a special Valentine’s Day message for you!   Kwame Alexander is one of our Authors in Action! We love working with illustrators and authors like Kwame to bring new books to kids in need. Click here to learn more... Read more

Author Jacqueline Davies on The Lemonade War and #KidsCan

Posted in: Author Voices

The Lemonade War was intended to be a stand-alone book—but five books later, The Lemonade War and its entrepreneurial protagonists have prompted kids nationwide to raise more than $150,000 to end childhood cancers, in addition to many other causes. First Book asked author Jacqueline Davies, who has since founded the... Read more

Kids Helping Kids — Because #KidsCan

Posted in: Author Voices

Hurricane Irma missed Charleston, South Carolina by about 200 miles, but it did not leave the historic city untouched. The storm’s outer bands came at Charleston with tidal surges reaching 10 feet high, the likes of which the town hadn’t seen since Hurricane Hugo nearly two decades earlier. It was... Read more

Using Facts as a Bridge into the Joys of Imagination: Writing the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker Series

Posted in: Author Voices

Natalie Pope Boyce has always been one for the details. She grew up in a military family with her sister, author of the Magic Tree House series, Mary Pope Osborne, and lived abroad at a young age. While learning different languages, Natalie found delight in the nuances of different words... Read more

It Was Almost a Magic Whistle: Mary Pope Osborne Reflects on 25 Years in the Magic Tree House

Posted in: Author Voices

A note from Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO, First Book: This year, First Book is celebrating our 25th year of providing brand new books and educational resources to educators serving kids in need. Today, we are so delighted to share that celebration with a very special First Book friend who’s also... Read more

The Magic of Día: A Conversation with Author Lupe Ruiz-Flores

Posted in: Author Voices

  The celebration of Día, or El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), can happen every day, but traditionally culminates each year on April 30th. This nationally recognized initiative emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is a... Read more

Andrea Davis Pinkney on Connecting the African American and Jewish American Experience

Posted in: Author Voices

First Book President and CEO Kyle Zimmer recently sat down with award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney for a conversation about her latest book, A Poem for Peter — a book she describes as her “love letter” to Ezra Jack Keats, creator of the iconic children’s classic, The Snowy Day. In researching... Read more

Welcoming Week: Q&A with Author Anne Sibley O’Brien

Posted in: Author Voices

Welcoming Week is a special time of year. Communities across the country will come together to celebrate and raise awareness of immigrants, refugees and new Americans of all kinds. Whether it’s an event at your local art gallery or showing support on social media, the goal is to let anyone... Read more