Category Archive: Author Voices

Does Soman Chainani, Author of The School For Good And Evil, Consider himself good?… or evil?

Posted in: Author Voices

“Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped.” Does that quote seem familiar to you? It’s the widely recognized first line of the book, The School For Good And Evil. Soman Chainani is the author behind the book, which is available through First Book. If you missed out on our video... Read more

My Mother Is a Foreigner But Not to Me: A Q&A with Julianne Moore

Posted in: Author Voices

Julianne Moore recently joined First Book at Round the Clock Nursery in Harlem to read her newest children’s book ‘My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me.’ After the event, she spoke with us about her love of reading and how she came to write children’s books. Q: Have... Read more

Stories For All: Todd Parr – It's Okay to be Different

Posted in: Author Voices

Author, illustrator, and macaroni and cheese aficionado Todd Parr, uses humor and bright illustrations to celebrate the differences that make us all unique. Most of Todd’s books are now available on the First Book Marketplace. First Book recently interviewed Todd about his inspiration for writing so many books that make... Read more

Janet Tashjian on Creating Imagination, Inspiration & Illustration with Reluctant Readers

Posted in: Author Voices

Janet Tashjian is a children’s author, an advocate for reluctant readers and strong supporter of First Book. She collaborates with her son Jake Tashjian, who creates the illustrations for her books. One of their joint efforts, “Einstein The Class Hamster” was not only released to retailers, but made available to... Read more

The Stories for All Project: Latina Author Guadalupe Garcia McCall on Books as Hope

Posted in: Author Voices

 Our guest blogger today is author/poet Guadalupe Garcia McCall, whose book “Summer of the Mariposas”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “First Book’s mission to make books accessible to low-income families is very close to my heart. It fills me with joy to... Read more

The Stories for All Project: Author Pat Mora on the Connection Children Make with Books that Include their Culture and Language

Posted in: Author Voices

Our guest blogger today is author Pat Mora, whose book “Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “Once upon a time . . .” A magic phrase that can change our breathing. As far as we know, humans are the... Read more

The Stories for All Project: African American Author Tony Medina on Connecting Multicultural Books with Children of Color

Posted in: Author Voices

Our guest blogger today is author Tony Medina, whose book “DeShawn Days”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “As a child in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects in the Bronx, I did not grow up with books. The only person I saw reading... Read more

The Stories for All Project: Native American Author Joe Bruchac on Growing Up on the Reservation and the Power of Books

Posted in: Author Voices

Our guest blogger today is author Joseph Bruchac, whose book “Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. What does a book mean to a child? A book all his or her own? I can’t remember a time when I didn’t... Read more

Happy Birthday, Amelia Bedelia! A Q&A With Author, Herman Parish

Posted in: Author Voices

It’s been 50 years since the original author of Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish, debuted the popular children’s book series. Peggy passed away in 1988 but her Amelia Bedelia legacy lives on. Herman Parish, Peggy’s nephew, took over the series after Peggy’s passing. First Book recently interviewed Herman Parish about Amelia... Read more

Why I Wanted to be An Author

Posted in: Author Voices, For Educators, Impact Stories

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be an author because I wanted to find one of my books on the library shelves.  Seriously, that was my dream: a big “PE” (for PERL) sticker on the spine and everything.  While I must confess that seeing my books on... Read more