Kathi Appelt's Blog

I want to tell you a small part of my experience of writing Angel Thieves. To a certain extent, all of my books feel a bit slippery as they come into being, but this one was like trying to walk a dozen cats on the ends of a dozen leashes. The various story lines kept

So, I take setting extremely seriously. Those who have read my other novels, know that I reply upon the setting to help inform the work. So, when I set out to write this new novel, I knew that it would take place in Houston, and also that, for the most part, the events of the

Greetings! Welcome to my new blog, “What the Cat Dragged In.” It’s been a very long time—7 years to be exact—since my last blog entry. That feels like a lifetime ago. But with the launch of this new novel, the time seemed right. Plus, there’s so much I want you to know about this story

Greetings!
Several years ago, we were decorating our annual tree when I pulled out a box that was stored next to the ornaments. In it were our sons' baby shoes. Instead of neatly wrapping them back up, I decided that they needed a new life, and hung them on the tree.

Later, I [...]

This past summer, while participating in the Highlights Foundation Summer Institute at Chautauqua, I had the opportunity to chat with Caldecott-winning author/illustrator Eric Rohmann.
I think that some will say that Eric's new book, Bone Dog, is perfect for Halloween, and they would be correct. But I think it's perfect for any time [...]

Tami Lewis Brown dazzled the picture book world with her beautiful biography of Elinor Smith, Soar, Elinor!

And now, she has a brand new novel to her name, The Map of Me.

I've had the great privilege of working with Tami, both as a student at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and more recently as a colleague. [...]

Greetings, Sports Fans!
A few years ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting Deborah Halverson at an SCBWI retreat in Indiana. One morning, we got up early and took a leisurely stroll through the beautiful woods of Brown County State Park. I remember being so impressed with her warmth, her humor, and her [...]

Have you ever read a book that makes you want to hug it?
That's how I feel when I pick up Liz Garton Scanlon's new picture book, Noodle and Lou. Illustrated by Arthur Howard, this is the story of Noodle, an earthworm who is having a very hard time figuring out his place [...]

"Dini has heard of hearts sinking. She has always thought that was an odd thing for hearts to do."
Now that, my homies, is a line worth framing! And it's only one of many terrific lines in Uma Krishnaswami's newest novel, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, with illustrations by Abigail Halpin. In [...]

I confess. I'm addicted to libraries. They're very high on my obsession list. So, here's my homage to all you library types, both those of you who work in them and those of you who love them too.

My first library was here, at Pearl Rucker Elementary School, in South Houston:

Then there was [...]