Category Archive: Author Voices

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

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

Q&A with Author Jason Reynolds

Posted in: Author Voices

Author Jason Reynolds’ books start the conversations about the difficult issues facing kids today. His experiences, as told through the characters in his stories, are very much like those of the children we serve – which is why we feel it’s so important for them to hear Jason’s voice. We... Read more

Author Kate DiCamillo Finds Summer Fun at The Local Library

Posted in: Author Voices

This summer, kids can access great books, go on adventures to faraway places and even win prizes – all at their local library. Kate DiCamillo, author of Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux and the recently released Raymie Nightingale, appreciates the importance of reading – especially during the summer.... Read more

Kwame Alexander Q&A: Poetry Provides Possibilities

Posted in: Author Voices

We recently had the opportunity to talk with author Kwame Alexander about how poetry can draw a reluctant reader into a lifelong love of books and the creative process behind his book, “The Crossover,” awarded the 2015 Newbery Medal for Most Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children. The first thing we noticed about... Read more

Q&A with Mary Mazzio: Underwater Dreams documentary filmmaker

Posted in: Author Voices

We had the privilege of speaking with Mary Mazzio – an award-winning filmmaker and creator of Underwater Dreams, a documentary film chronicling the inspirational story of four teenage boys, each the son of Mexican immigrants, who enter a sophisticated robotics competition and defeat the likes of engineering powerhouse MIT. In addition... Read more

teacher reading with black and brown students

On Creativity and Culture: Yuyi Morales

Posted in: Author Voices

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we had the opportunity to talk with the award-winning author and illustrator Yuyi Morales about why she became an author and illustrator, the role of children’s books in understanding and celebrating cultures and her new book, “Viva Frida.” Click here to read this blog in Spanish.... Read more

My Yiddish Vacation: Q&A with Ione Skye

Posted in: Author Voices

Ione Skye recently celebrated the launch of her first children’s book “My Yiddish Vacation.”  Ione’s generous support of First Book has helped to bring hundreds of books to kids in need. We sat down to talk with her about how her love of books as a child inspired the writing... Read more

Graphic featuring The Pigeon by Mo Willems with text that says, 'Mo & Cher Willems want to double your gift! Give the joy of reading to TWICE as many kids in underserved communities when your gift is matched by the Mo and Cher Willems Foundation, up to $75,000. DON’T miss your chance to make your gift go twice as far!' with a button that says 'Donate now'.