In May, 1945, Ruth Krauss's THE CARROT SEED, illus. by Crockett Johnson, was published. 🎈Happy Book Birthday!🎈 It's still in print. #UrsulaNordstrom suggested Ruth write for young children. In the #kidlit world, we always talk about agency. Ruth conveys agency in her MC in 101 words.

I so enjoyed @nancyhudgins.com’s biography of Ursula Nordstrom, Books Good Enough for You!

Award winning recording artist Barbara Rosenblat performed the audiobook for BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU. We met at Sardi’s to celebrate! And yes, she’s as smart and fun in person as she is in her recording. And yes, that is her portrait on the wall behind her. #fun #nonfictionkidlit

Seen in the wild at the Mall at Short Hills @suzylevinson.bsky.social @100scopenotes.bsky.social

Dropped by the wonderful Books of Wonder in NYC today. They surprised me with all these books to sign! 🩷 Thank you !!! @booksofwonder.bsky.social

So 🎈exciting🎈 to see my book at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C. Of course I had to sign it! If you live in, or are visiting, the D.C. metro area, this bookstore has a large, well-curated #kidlitnonfiction You won't want to miss it!

Found in the wild: EMILY SAW A DOOR by @melrosenberg.bsky.social, illus by Orit Magia— at Politics and Prose Bookstore in D.C.

It’s fun to read these posts, but even more fun to own the book! Congratulations 🎉🍾🎉 to @infinite-women.com for doing the hard work of collecting and platforming these women!

From the ALA: 4,235 unique titles were challenged in 2025; 40% of those “represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.” In addition, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups and government officials, up from 72% in 2024. #bookbanning #thisneedstostop

Thanks! Hoping you'll let me know what your daughters think.

Ever been to the fabulous bbgb bookstore in Richmond, VA? Look what I found in the wild @suzylevinson.bsky.social ! #kidlit #poetry

Thanks, Mike!

🎈So happy to see this! Congratulations to Brooke and Gordy!🎈 You can *pre-order* the book now!

So exciting! Thanks @beckylevine.bsky.social! And so cool to be paired with @melrosenberg.bsky.social!

🎉Happy Book Birthday to🎉 COWBOYS AT THE BALLET: THE STORY OF CHOREOGRAPHER AGNES de MILLE, by @clairebobrow.bsky.social, illus. by Haria Urbinati. Bobrow masterfully conveys Agnes’ gritty determination to revolutionize ballet. Buy this now! It's wonderful! #PB #biography #kidlitnonfiction

Announcing: BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #audiobook!!! Read by recording artist Barbara Rosenblat. Yes! THAT Barbara Rosenblat who you've enjoyed listening to for years. Her recording is wonderful--hitting all the best notes and humor in the book. You'll love it! (I love it!) @libro.fm

How did I miss this pub date? 🎈Happy Book Birthday🎈 to INTO THE WILDERNESS, by @havenivy.bsky.social, illus. by August Zhang. Haven's #PB highlights a child's agency and touches on the lessons one can carry from hiking in the wilderness. Also great back matter about the "wilderness." #kidlit

New this month!!! Happy Birthday to MY SOMEONE: A PET ADOPTION STORY, written and illustrated by the talented @midnightatelier.bsky.social! An endearing #PB about a little stray dog who finds his "someone." #kidlit

No Kings. Find your event for this Saturday, March 28th. www.nokings.org #NoKings

A viral dog rescue from 2016 is now immortalized with a statue in Kazakhstan. When a dog fell into the Sayran reservoir, bystanders formed a human chain to pull him to safety. The statue is a reminder of the value of unity, solidarity and collective action. 14/10 for all

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Don’t miss Aura Lewis’s fun and whimsical art throughout the pages. Her art elevates the book! On the front and back cover, she gives clues to some of the children’s books #UrsulaNordstrom edited which are celebrated in the book. #abramsbooks

Just wanted to make sure everyone knows that TODAY is INTERNATIONAL WAFFLE DAY🧇🧇🧇!!! Many people are saying that waffles eaten on this day have no calories...I'll let you know when I hit the scales tomorrow.

Brilliant idea! And now would be a good time to start one in your library. Hat tip to @kncbooks.bsky.social for the repost.

🎈🎈🎈PUBLICATION DAY!🎈🎈🎈 Happy Book Birthday to BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU! I had so much fun researching this book and learning about #UrsulaNordstrom and the creative people she met and collaborated with. I hope you enjoy it. #nonfictionkidlit #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Author’s Note Fitting for🎈PUBLICATION DAY!🎈Here, I tried to thank everyone, especially Rachel Orr, my agent, and Amy Novesky and Courtney Code, my editors. They all gave smart advice as well as an education in how to write for children. #abramsbooks 🎉🎉

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 20: Last Chapter A summary of #UrsulaNordstrom’s awards and career highlights. Also, her relationships with Sendak and Mary, and a eulogy from Charlotte Zolotow, her one-time assistant, long-time colleague, author and friend. #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 19: In The Night Kitchen Sendak drew squiggles for a penis on his toddler protagonist who fell out of his pj's in a dream. A librarian paints a diaper on him. #UrsulaNordstrom leads the fight against #censorship; still happening today. #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 18: William’s Doll #UrsulaNordstrom encourages Charlotte Zolotow to write for children. After many books, she writes this one. William wants a doll, but his father wants him to have manly toys. Another stereotype challenged. #abramsbooks

🎉🎉🎉Celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth by visiting this database. Awesome!

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 17: I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip John Donovan’s MG/YA novel about a friendship between two 13-year-old boys includes a kiss between them—a first in 1969. #UrsulaNordstrom was proud to publish it. #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 16: Stevie #UrsulaNordstrom meets 16-year-old John Steptoe. She admires his paintings and encourages him to write for children. Stevie is written in the vernacular of his Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood—a first in 1969. #abramsbooks

Happy 🎈 Book 🎈 Birthday (yesterday) to The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown, edited by #UrsulaNordstrom! Published in 1942. It's origin story is in Books Good Enough For You, chapter 4.

BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 15 Harriet the Spy #UrsulaNordstrom and Charlotte Zolotow help Louise Fitzhugh flesh out her ideas for her #MG novel. Harriet breaks the mold of stories about precious girls and Ursula takes to the telephone to promote the book. #abramsbooks

🎈Today is Mary Chalmers's birthday.🎈 She was born in 1927, a year before Sendak. #UrsulaNordstrom sent her several books to illustrate, before asking her to illustrate her own book--The Secret Language. She also persuaded Mary to launch her Harry the Cat series, which she wrote and illustrated.

BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 14: Where The Wild Things Are #UrsulaNordstrom mentors Sendak for 12 years, culminating in the first #PB, he both writes and illustrates. He hits writer’s block. Ursula’s smart, perceptive question helps him finish the book. #abramsbooks 🧵1 of 2

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 13: The Secret Language #UrsulaNordstrom wrote an #MG novel about a girl at boarding school. She said it’s NOT autobiographical, only “just in some of the details.” A tantalizing thought. Ursula learns writing is harder than editing! #abramsbooks

Thanks, Becky! I have valued your wise advice at every stage.

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 12: The Rabbits’ Wedding #UrsulaNordstrom edits Garth Williams’s first #PB, in which a black bunny marries a white bunny. Some people assert Williams’s book brainwashes 4-8 year-olds about interracial marriage. #abramsbooks #youcantmakethisstuffup

Time is running out to **pre-order**🎈signed🎈inscribed🎈 copies of BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU Go to napabookmine.com/book/9781419... Fill out the “Customer Comments” at the bottom of the order form for a signed copy, and add specific wording if you’d like an inscription. #nonfictionkidlit

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 11: Bronzeville Boys and Girls #UrsulaNordstrom, who wrote poetry as a teenager, is thrilled to edit this book of poems by Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks, pub’d, 1956, reissued, 2007. Ursula urges her to write a YA novel. #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 10: Harold and the Purple Crayon #UrsulaNordstrom initially misses the creativity of Crockett Johnson’s manuscript and sets it on her Confused Table. Upon re-readings, realizes her mistake and buys it. #abramsbooks

Visited L. A.’s Central Library yesterday, and looked what I found on the Bradley Wing! Kudos to the architects and planners. @lapubliclibrary.bsky.social #kidlit

BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #nonfictionkidlit Ch. 9: A Hole Is To Dig #UrsulaNordstrom is introduced to Maurice Sendak. When Ruth Krauss sends this manuscript, Ursula can’t find a prominent artist—then remembers Maurice. A brilliant pairing that brought Ursula joy! #abramsbooks

Feels like Van Gogh!

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU #kidlitnonfiction Ch. 8: The Carrot Seed #UrsulaNordstrom meets Ruth Krauss, and encourages her to write for children. Ruth writes about a boy who plants and tends a seed, knowing in his heart it will grow. Also, Ruth teaches Ursula about Women’s Lib. #abramsbooks

Just finished listening to the audiobook of The Teacher of Nomadland: A World War II Story, by Daniel Nayeri, a #MG novel. Daniel did the narration. Such a great story of kid resilience and agency. I highly recommend it! #kidlit

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU Ch. 7: Charlotte’s Web The story behind the story. White decides to write about a spider; many drafts and “ripening time” later, he takes it to #UrsulaNordstrom; they collaborate with Garth Williams. And what a result! #nonfictionkidlit #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU Ch. 6: Stuart Little #UrsulaNordstrom is honored to receive E. B. White’s first children’s book manuscript. Searching for the perfect artist, they agree on Garth Williams. The book is an instant bestseller. #nonfictionkidlit #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU Ch. 5: Goodnight Moon #UrsulaNordstrom edits Goodnight Moon. It is NOT an overnight success. She works with Margaret on additional manuscripts, accepting some, rejecting some. And, Ursula meets the love of her life. #nonfictionkidtlit #abramsbooks

🎈BOOKS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU Ch. 4 The Runaway Bunny #UrsulaNordstrom begins a life-long friendship with Margaret Wise Brown, edits The Runaway Bunny, and learns about lyrical picture books from Margaret. #nonfictionkidlit #abramsbooks