Manju Beth Howard

THE #50PRECIOUSWORDS 2026 INTERNATIONAL WRITING CONTEST IS OPEN!!! Hurray! It’s time for the #50PreciousWords 2026 International Writing Contest! And THIS is the OFFICIAL contest post. If you are participating, please read through the guidelines and then pos…

THE #50PRECIOUSWORDS 2026 INTERNATIONAL WRITING CONTEST IS OPEN!!! viviankirkfield.com/2026/03/02/t... Please share to spread the word! #kidlit #iamwriting #contest #prizes

You are the heroes of this story.

Thanks @muellershewrote.com for having us on to talk data for good!

Global review finds human noise disrupts birds and cuts breeding success Noise pollution is affecting bird behavior across the globe, disrupting everything from courtship songs to the ability to find food and avoid predators, a large-scale new analysis showed on Wednesday.

Quiet! 🪶

How do you keep going on something when you feel like giving up? Podcast Episode · StoryKind · February 23 · 11m

Upbeat quick chats #kidlit podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

A total lunar eclipse to turn the moon blood red on Tuesday across many continents The spectacle will be visible Tuesday morning from North America, Central America and western part of South America.

A blood-red moon will soon grace the skies for a total lunar eclipse. The spectacle will be visible Tuesday morning from North America, Central America and the western part of South America. https://to.pbs.org/4rA0Y6E

Tricking Your Brain into Plotting for MG & YA with lecturer Janice Hardy

Registration is closing soon for this informative 2-Hour Webinar
+ Amazing Handout
+ 3 Submission Opportunities (for everyone registered)
March 7, 2026 / 10 - noon EST #kidlit

Go to: www.scbwi.org/events/trick...

The Twelve-Sentence Story

"Is all the info you’ve included necessary, or does some of it distract from the main point?" #kidlit www.nffest.com/2026/02/the-...

I appreciate Debbie calling this out, & I will say the advice “Work with what makes you weird” is only more salient in the age of AI. What is strange, what is tender, what is joyful, what is unique, what is real, what is most human about you? Write about that, because the robots sure can’t.

Here is my opening statement to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today.

Books for Year 4 children aged 8-9 in KS2 Books for Year 4 children aged 8-9 in primary schools including titles by SF Said, Malorie Blackman, Cressida Cowell and Roald Dahl.

Recently updated on our site:
Year 4 reading list for children aged 8-9. 📚👍🏼
schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-list...
#kidlit
Suggested reading books for Year 4 children, aged 8-9. A selection of exciting titles aimed at boys and girls of all abilities in lower KS2....

Poet Susan Alexander on pushing back against the rules you're taught – The Creative Independent Poet Susan Alexander discusses the power of a clean desk, tapping into the energy of your work and transforming grief into art

"Humans are such a small part of the bigger consciousness of the natural world. We tend to see only ourselves and our own concerns, but there is so much more going on." #poetry
thecreativeindependent.com/people/poet-...

fewer than 10% of students are restricted in school libraries by their parents

When parents can set reading limits for their own child, fewer than 10% choose to restrict access.

Most families trust guidance and conversation, not bans.

You can guide your child without deciding for mine.

Protect choice. Trust librarians. Keep libraries open.

#FreedomToRead #BooksNotBans

PSSST…Did You Get the Memo About Writing Nonfiction PB Bios?

"In addition to choosing a topic that captures the editor’s attention, here are the 3 L’s that might lift your submission to the top of the pile and tilt the acquisition scales in your favor." #kidlit www.nffest.com/2026/02/psss...

The Power of Creative Non-fiction

"Creative non-fiction can be especially powerful for younger readers because it blends the emotional pull of a story with the grounding precision of real events." #kidlit
www.nffest.com/2026/02/the-...

Your Jon Klassen, or, What’s Up With All the Board Books? We talk today with the often imitated (and never replicated) Jon Klassen about why, precisely, he's been so drawn to the board book form recently (and what it has to give).

"I felt really lucky that there was this great format waiting there that checked all the boxes." #kidlit
afuse8production.slj.com/2026/02/20/y...

What does it take to produce iconic photos from the Olympic Games?

Meet the photographer behind some of the Olympic Games’ most unforgettable shots.

Time to register for our #ConversationStarters webinar on 2/24 featuring #kidsbooks from @childsplayusa.bsky.social @florisbooks.bsky.social #CicadaBooks @nubeocho.bsky.social & @nosycrowus.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5463nnx4

Here's a comic from my latest book, Thinking About Thinking: Impossible Thoughts and Complicated Feelings, published by @abramscomicarts.bsky.social

Fall 2026 Children’s Sneak Previews See highlights of the children's and YA titles due out next season—including highly anticipated debuts, follow-ups to bestselling novels, and collaborations between favorite authors and illustrators—i...

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

USING SCHOLARLY JOURNALS IN YOUR RESEARCH

"One of the scenes in my debut picture book faced being cut at the eleventh hour, but was saved thanks to some obscure information about 19th century fruits and vegetables that I found in two scholarly journals." #kidlit www.nffest.com/2026/02/usin...

Ashley has raised millions upon millions of dollars for Minnesota. Our actual mayor has done nothing but go on TV.

Behind the Book: Gennifer Choldenko's Writing Process Learn which craft tips Choldenko uses for one book and not another. Then find out the techniques she uses for every book without fail.

www.eventbrite.com/e/behind-the...

Congrats, Sara Andrea Fajardo! #kidlit

NEW: ICE Confiscates Children's Letters at Dilley Concentration Camp. I've filed a FOIA Request to Get Them ProPublica recently published heart-wrenching letters from children at Dilley. ICE then raided the dormitories to confiscate and destroy those letters. I've filed a Freedom of Information Act Request.

NEW: ICE has raided dormitories at the Dilley concentration camp to confiscate letters from children per @pabloreports.bsky.social. I have filed a FOIA request for them. @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social: the second we get anything, we will send it to you. 1/ www.muellershewrote.com/p/new-ice-co...

Stephen Colbert says CBS banned him from airing this James Talarico interview Colbert posted it on YouTube.

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert says CBS blocked him from broadcasting an interview with James Talarico, a Democratic representative from Texas. #VOTE www.theverge.com/policy/88000...

From Lyrical Poem to Nonfiction Debut Picture Book: One Writer’s Journey

"Have you ever held a grain of sand, and wondered what was in your hand?" #kidlit www.nffest.com/2026/02/from...

A grid of twelve head and shoulders portrait of the same female subject facing forwards wearing different attire

Self Portrait by Berlin based Iranian artist Mona Hakimi-Schueler who explores the contradictions, strengths & limitations of Iranian female identity #WomensArt

I get it. I tend to prefer NIVs written by Jacqueline Woodson and Jasmine Warga.

For me, it works in verse novels. All my poetry is written in present tense. But I'm not a fan of first-person present prose novels.

WEAVING THROUGHLINES INTO NARRATIVE NONFICTION
The theme slowly reveals itself through the character’s actions and reactions, direct quotes or internality, or the author’s creative storytelling choices. #kidlit
www.nffest.com/2026/02/weav...