What a fun time I had at the Writer's Loft holiday book festival in Hudson, MA! It was great to meet so many talented children's book authors and learn about their latest projects.
Janet Costa Bates was there celebrating her picture book "Time for Bed, Old House" - a sweet story about a grandpa who helps his grandson settle down for a sleepover. Janet shared how meaningful it was when a mom told her that her biracial son saw himself represented in the book's main character. Representation in kids' books is so important, and it's awesome to see more diversity.
I also chatted with Helen Kampion about her book "Rolling on Down the Line" - a fascinating look at Lady Bird Johnson's 1964 civil rights tour of the South. Helen and her co-author were inspired by Lady Bird's courage in making this trip despite death threats, in order to promote the new Civil Rights Act. Sounds like an empowering story for young readers.
Over at the "Cryptid Academy" table, author Howard Woolke told me all about his fantasy series featuring mythical creatures like golems, genies, and sphinxes attending a secret school. I love the idea of blending real-world mythology into an engaging school story.
And Ellen Cohen shared the premise of her mystery novel "Searching for Lucky Number 3002" - a boy trying to uncover the truth about his donor-conceived background. Such an interesting topic to explore through fiction and give kids a window into different family structures.
So many great books and wonderful authors at this event. I'm already looking forward to reading more from these talented writers and hopefully having them back on my "Reading with Your Kids" podcast soon!

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