🎃👻 Happy Halloween from #12x12PB! 👻🎃 📚 A COSTUME FOR CHARLY @ckwritesbooks.bsky.social 📚 HAPPY OWL-OWEEN @authorlauragehl.bsky.social 📚 LILA AND THE JACK-O-LANTERN Nancy Churnin 📚 THE BOO CREW NEEDS YOU @fangmousbooks.bsky.social More fall reads: buff.ly/iNgLc8S

Board book? Picture book? How do they differ? How do you write a board book? A roundtable full of great advice & examples from @authorlauragehl.bsky.social @nchurnin.bsky.social, Laura Purdie Salas, & Darrin Lunde. Part 2 next week w/Sue Heavenrich! groggorg.blogspot.com/2025/11/writ...

Q&A with Laura Gehl about her new children's picture book, ORSON AND THE WORLD'S LOUDEST LIBRARY. tinyurl.com/7k2xyced @authorlauragehl.bsky.social

MY BODY CAN, illustrated by Alexandra Colombo, is a book full of Jewish joy. Over the course of one Jewish year, this book celebrates all the things our bodies can do--from hiking to eating to swimming to laughing (four of my very favorite things). I hope you will check it out!

Elevator on 74th Street is charming tale of friendship bit.ly/4nPDlES #kidlit @simonkids.bsky.social @authorlauragehl.bsky.social

🎉 Happy Book Birthday to @authorlauragehl.bsky.social! 🎉 📚 THE ELEVATOR ON 74TH STREET, illustrated by Yas Imamura and published by Simon & Schuster, is here! 📖✨ Find it here: buff.ly/Io8UdaM #kidlit #12x12PB

Happy book birthday to The Elevator on 74th Street, about an elevator who decides to play friendship matchmaker! I'm so excited that this book is now out in the world. The illustrations by Yas Imamura are absolutely fabulous. I really love this book and hope you will read and share it!

✨ Celebrating Rosh Hashanah with #12x12PB books! ✨ 📚 KAYLA & KUGEL’S SUPER ROSH HASHANAH @artbyann.bsky.social 📚 MY SHOFAR @artbyann.bsky.social 📚 THE ROSH HASHANAH RECIPE @authorlauragehl.bsky.social More buff.ly/kX6QxPi

🍿📚✨Book Trailer Premiere! @kidlittv.bsky.social is proud to present the #booktrailer for THE ELEVATOR ON 74TH STREET written by our NEW Author Sponsor, @authorlauragehl.bsky.social, and illustrated by @yasimamura.bsky.social. 🎬 Watch here from 7AM ET: www.kidlit.tv/BookTrailerP... #kidlit

My daughter created this adorable book trailer for The Elevator on 74th Street! The book is out September 20.

Thank you to the Center for Children's Books for a wonderful review of THE ELEVATOR ON 74th STREET. As a huge Shel Silverstein fan (who also recognizes that The Giving Tree has some problematic messaging), I was delighted and honored by this comparison. Our book is out 9/20! Pre-order now!

Bucket List Item: Write a picture book that has an ice cream sundae on the cover ✅ I'm SO SO EXCITED to share the cover for the book that Sarah Lynn Baker and I have created. It is a story of summer fun, of grandma love, of being brave, and, of course, ice cream! Available for pre-order now!

Thank you so much to SLJ for a glowing review of THE ELEVATOR ON 74th STREET! The reviewer also noted, "This story will be useful for engaging children in discussions about the effort that it takes to form friendships and would be useful at the start of the school year." I love this idea!

I can't even describe how excited I am about this book that Julia Patton and I get to put out into the world! It is about bunnies who defend their forest from a dastardly new resident not with weapons but with poetry and baked goods. Available for pre-order now!

I guest-blogged for the Association of Library Services to Children about how libraries build community (and how I wrote a book about it). You can check out my post here: www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2025/06...

Grateful for two new glowing reviews! Thank you Kirkus and SLJ! DONUT/ROSQUILLA is out now, and THE ELEVATOR ON 74th STREET is available for pre-order. #kidlit

I'm so delighted that DONUT, illustrated by the fabulous Andrea Zuill, is now available in a bilingual board book format!

ORSON AND THE WORLD’S LOUDEST LIBRARY is out today! This book is a love letter to libraries and also to all the kids (and adults!) who crave quiet. ORSON is about the ways that libraries not only connect people to books but also connect book-lovers to one another. I hope you will check it out!

Looking for an eggscellent #Easter art activity for kids? Join #kidlit illustrator @joycewanbooks.bsky.social for Ready Set Draw and learn to draw Peep & Egg from PEEP AND EGG: I’M NOT HATCHING.🐣 buff.ly/3l1nGHM @authorlauragehl.bsky.social

Thank you to Booklist for reviewing ORSON AND THE WORLD'S LOUDEST LIBRARY! Less than a week until this book gets to meet its readers!

Yay, my author copies arrived! Can't wait to share this book with readers in less than two weeks! #KidLit #Library #LibraryLove #Libraries #Librarians

I had so much fun presenting to these 1st graders today as part of York County Libraries' GOAL program. My very favorite idea these kids came up with was a chicken and a teddy bear who are happily living together...until THE CHICKEN RIPS THE TEDDY BEAR'S ARM OFF. Yikes! What a great conflict!

The Blueberry Award celebrates the best nature books for kids, and I'm so delighted that WHO LAID THESE EGGS? is a Blueberry Honor book for 2024. It was a joy to work on this book with illustrator Loris Lora, our editor Meredith Mundy, and the wonderful team at Abrams.

In just a month, ORSON AND THE WORLD'S LOUDEST LIBRARY will be out in the world, and we have an adorable new activity sheet to go with it! ORSON features two imaginary books within the story, and this coloring sheet allows readers to create their own imaginary book! lauragehl.com/free-resourc...

A shout out to @authorlauragehl.bsky.social It was so thrilling to see my book cover on your visual wish list. Laura Gehl is one of the generous mentors participating in PB Rising Stars @pbrisingstars.bsky.social www.pbrisingstars.com/laura

So honored that WHO LAID THESE EGGS? is the Cybils Award 2024 Board Book Winner! Thank you very much for recognizing our book @cybilsawards.bsky.social!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! My 14-year-old daughter made this book trailer for my upcoming picture book ORSON AND THE WORLD'S LOUDEST LIBRARY, illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson. Hope you enjoy! The book is available for pre-order now and out in April. #KidLit #libraries #library #librarylove

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! My 14-year-old daughter made this book trailer for my upcoming picture book ORSON AND THE WORLD'S LOUDEST LIBRARY, illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson. Hope you enjoy! The book is available for pre-order now and out in April. #KidLit #libraries #library #librarylove

Get a sneak peek at ORSON AND THE WORLD'S LOUDEST LIBRARY (out in April!), as well as the twists and turns along the path to this book's publication. Sign up here: www.12x12challenge.com/gehl @12x12challenge.bsky.social

The first review of ORSON AND THE WORLD'S LOUDEST LIBRARY, beautifully illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson, is in from Publishers Weekly! ORSON is out April 15 and available for pre-order NOW through your favorite indie or online bookseller. You can also request that your library order a copy!

What are your favorite TWO-PLAYER card games or board games (for teens or adults)? Cribbage is the only one we play, and we would love other options. Bonus points for games that are not very complicated/hard to learn. @debbieohi.com, I feel like you might have some great suggestions...

I got actual paper proofs for my upcoming picture book, beautifully illustrated by Yas Imamura. So exciting! Coming fall 2025 from Paula Wiseman books/Simon & Schuster.

I just sent out my newsletter, this one entitled "Snow, Ice Cream, and Other Cold Stuff." It included info about my new book (SNOW IS...) and my new obsession (making ice cream). Like every edition, it also included a giveaway. To receive future newsletters, sign up here: lauragehl.com/contact/

Maryland/DC families, I hope you are enjoying our winter wonderland conditions! I also hope you will join me for a snowy SUNDAY Storytime at People's Book in Takoma Park this coming Sunday, 1/12, at 9:30 am. Snowy songs, stories, and crafts! RSVP here: peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/snow-i...

If you are a cave lover like I am, Belize is paradise for more than just the gorgeous beaches and reefs. We had the chance to canoe, tube, swim, and hike through three different cave systems.

📚👍Happy #flakeappreciationday!❄️ Celebrate by reading SNOW IS by @authorlauragehl.bsky.social & @soniasanchezart.bsky.social . Here's my review of this beautiful ode to snow: www.heatherpiercestigall.com/ramblings--r... #KidLit #WhatToRead #picturebooks #bookreview @simonandschuster.bsky.social

Excited to see No Rules Tonight on New York Public Library's a roundup of wintry books, alongside books by @reneekurilla.bsky.social @kateallenfox.bsky.social @stephenbriseno.bsky.social @authorlauragehl.bsky.social @ellemcnicoll.bsky.social @marimancusi.bsky.social @esofii.bsky.social and others!

Do you live in the DMV? Are you excited for snow? Whether your personal answer is "Bring it on" or "Please no," come join me to celebrate the fluffy white stuff that kids love! This Saturday 12/14 in Baltimore, MD, or Saturday 1/4 in Alexandria, VA. Music, crafts, and SNOW IS...! #kidlit

Tomorrow!

Baltimore-area friends with kids, come join me for storytime this Saturday at 10:15 am at Charm City Books! We will read snowy books, sing snowy songs, and do snowy crafts! RSVP here: www.charmcitybooks.com/events/15494...

Someone please hire Tara to make a unicorn book STAT! The world needs Tara's unicorns.

Go low-tech and high-tech this winter! ROBOT SHABBAT, in which a child builds a robot out of junk, will encourage kids to create their own robots out of recyclables. On the high-tech end, there's this cute remote-controlled AND voice-activated robot dog! #KidLit @steamteambooks.bsky.social

A gift duo to enjoy when there is snow outside AND when there is not! Pair SNOW IS..., about the magic of a big snowstorm, with this fifty-pack of fluffy snowballs. My kids received these snowballs as a present years ago, and had epic "snowball" fights in our basement for years. #KidLit

Baltimore area families, I would love to see you or snow-themed stories and crafts on December 7 at Charm City Books!

4 super talented @SteamTeamBooks authors share insights into their awesome November #STEM books. www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/... Donna McKinney Science, Naturally @suzannelipshaw.bsky.social @authorlauragehl.bsky.social Apple & Honey Press Jennifer Swanson Little Brown YR #interview #kidlit

Happy Book Birthday to STEAMTeam Member @authorlauragehl.bsky.social and ROBOT SHABBAT. It is illustrated by Dave Willams, releasing with Apples and Honey Press. Don't miss this adorable picture book! #stemforkids

Did you grow up watching the Jetsons on TV? Well, here's your chance to spend a few more minutes immersed in a Jetsons-like community brought to life by artist Dave Williams. This book is out today, celebrating the joys of building creations out of junk and the Jewish holiday of Shabbat.

Look what's drifting into bookstores for the month of November! Congratulations to STEAM Team authors Donna, McKinney, @suzannelipshaw.bsky.social, @authorlauragehl.bsky.social, and @jenswanbooks.bsky.social!

Is it going to be 80 degrees in Maryland this week? Yes. Do I have a new book out today about the magic of a snow day? Also yes. Sonia Sánchez's illustrations are gorgeous, portraying a loving interracial family. There are shiny silver snowflakes on the cover too! I hope you will check it out.

Happy one-week-before-Halloween! If you're looking for a board book to enjoy before and after the 31st, I hope you will consider YOU'RE THE PUMPKIN IN MY PIE. Every page describes the bond between a child and a grown-up with a different lovey-dovey fall metaphor.