Back coaching my daughter's 2nd grade ⚽ team all while making a story about a ⚽ team. The kids are slightly easier to coach this season - at least there are less shoes that need tying, but I'll never figure out how to keep them from throwing grass everywhere.

I'm pleased to announce that I've officially teamed up with Andrea Morrison at Writers House! It feels good to join the talented crew, and I'm excited for what's ahead.

Many thanks to everyone who celebrated Umami with me at the Secretary of State's tent this past Friday. It was a joy to read, draw, and talk about things to eat at the fair!

Find me this Friday at the Secretary of State's Tent from 10am-12pm, giving away 100 copies of Umami! Many thanks to Alexi Giannoulias and the IL State Library for making it all possible 📚🎉 #ilstatefair

My Virtual Saturday Stories with The Society of Illustrators is now on youtube, so grab your oil pastels and follow along as we make a monoprint! www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JHF... @soi128.bsky.social #kidlitart

Doodles from 🇨🇦 - We were lucky enough to spend the first couple weeks of July visiting family and friends in Kitchener, Toronto, and Muskoka - which meant lots of sketching!

Chicago friends! Join me @ 10am this Sunday for a free Umami storytime, draw-along, and hands-on art project at BASH Kids Club 🐧🖍️🎉

Materials for this week's Virtual Saturday Stories with @soi128.bsky.social 🖍️🎉 - oil pastels (student Cray-Pas are perfect) - color pencils - spoon - 8.5x11 printer paper (bring a few sheets) - a space where you can be messy Register here: societyillustrators.org/event/virtua...

While digging through my grade school art I found a favorite! Pretty sure I was just supposed to make a house 🔥

🖍️Free event!🖍️ I'm excited to be teaming up with @soi128.bsky.social for an Umami edition of Virtual Saturday Stories next month. Bring the kids, some oil pastels, and color pencils, and be prepared for a little mess! #kidlitart societyillustrators.org/event/virtua...

🐢 studies #kidlitart

A translation donation for @oakparklibrary.bsky.social 🌎📚 I dropped a big box of books off at the library yesterday with translations of my books from Spain, Poland, Korea, Taiwan, France and the Netherlands. Happy to have the books out of storage and out in the neighborhood! #kidlit

Monoprint demo from a workshop with 5th graders last week 🦕 The more colors, the better! #kidlitart

This Saturday I have the good fortune of joining a panel alongside Valerie Reynolds @jashar.bsky.social and Lindsay Bonilla - Hooray for picture books! If you're in Columbus drop by and say hello 📚🎉 #kidlit

The great green room at Blue Marble Books complete with a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush 💚 Many thanks to the shop and Ft Thomas Schools for making me feel so welcome! #kidlit

Cincy & NKY Friends! Join me at Blue Marble Books this weekend for reading, drawing, and lunch with Filipino food truck Lasang Pinoy 📚✏️🥄 Sarap! #kidlit

Indianapolis! Come out and draw some 🐧 with me at Kids Ink Books this Saturday! I can promise you much fun, and a minimal amount of seagulls. #indianapolis #indianapolisbookstore #kidlit

Indianapolis - Northern Kentucky - Jacksonville - Columbus - The Umami midwest hoopla kicks off next weekend! 🐧📚🎉

It's nice here.

A day at the state capital with Umami! It was a joy to be on a picture book panel at the @ilreadcouncil.bsky.social conference alongside @ruthspiro.bsky.social, Doug Cenko, Kat Chen and @mollycranch.bsky.social - we talked about all of the normal kidlit things like dnd and romance novels

See you next year, Turtle! I've spent the past several months finishing the art for my upcoming book, Turtle Slept In, and at last it's off to the publisher. I'm going to miss stepping into this beach adventure each morning, but it's time for the next one. #kidlitartpostcard

An Umami Menu! Whether my favorite foods are a little obscure, or I'm just not the best at drawing, I've had a few families ask "What the heck is on that plate?" Wonder no more! I now have a list for all of our adventurous little eaters out there. Bon appétit 🐧🍽️

Umami is returning to the Bologna Children's Book Fair - this time as part of the Society of Illustrators Original Art show! You can't keep this bird out of 🇮🇹 #bolognachildrensbookfair #kidlit

Happy World Read Aloud Day 📚🎉 Virtual visits here we go! #wrad #worldreadaloudday #kidlit

Just one week until World Read Aloud Day! 📚🎉 It's going to be a full day of virtual visits, but I still have room for one more school at 130pm CST if any K-2 educators would like to join me for some reading and drawing. Lemme know! #wrad #worldreadaloudday #kidlit

Back from NY after one last look at the Society of Illustrators Original Art show - this time with the fam, (kid-free 👍). We celebrated my Mom's birthday with art, food, drinks, and all of the gross weather the city could muster. I even found some time to swing by my favorite booksellers! 🖋️🐧📚

Check out this amazing 2025 Illinois Reads book! And, don’t miss meeting the authors who will be joining us at the 2025 Illinois Reading Council Conference! Find out more at: www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org/conference-i... illinoisreads.org #IRCreads @ILReadCouncil @jacobgrantbooks.bsky.social

A tasty one from @thehornbook.bsky.social 🍽

Happy New Year 🐧🎉 Eat your noodles today!

Oak Park! We'll all be looking for ways to keep the kids busy on the final day of winter break. Join me @oakparklibrary for an Umami event in the neighborhood! Space is limited, so RSVP today: oakpark.librarycalendar.com/event/drawin... #kidlit

See you in 2025 🐧❤️

Holiday delivery from 🇯🇵! The Bologna exhibit in Japan made Umami washi tape and it is SPECTACULAR. I want to put it on everything. There's extra, so stay tuned for a giveaway in the new year! #kidlit

Umami school visits all wrapped up for 2024! 🐧🎒 Many, many thanks to the schools who made me feel so welcome, and the bookstores who made it all possible: Cover to Cover, The Book Stall, Anderson's, and Booked. #kidlit More visits coming up in the new year!

Umami Cover Exploration 🐧✏️ With some books, thinking up cover ideas can be a real challenge. And then I have a book about a hungry penguin and my sketchbook overflows with a smorgasbord of options. Do you have a favorite? #kidlitart

This Saturday in Evanston! 🐧🎉 I had fun visits to several schools in the area yesterday and I'm excited to return to at Booked tomorrow for more Umami celebration. Hope to see you there! @evanstonroundtable.bsky.social

Umami amigurumi! Our niece crocheted this little traveler last week, and it is now one of my most precious things. 🐧🎒🧶 She's in high school now, but back when our niece was born, we were in bookshops looking for cool children's books, and I thought to myself: I wonder if I could make a book?

A fun morning reading and drawing with @carmichaels.bsky.social  🐧❤️ Always love my time in Louisville. They still have a few signed copies of Umami if you're looking for something special for the holidays!

Food picture books sound like a GREAT idea for Thanksgiving morning. I need to find Viking Childrens @jacobgrantbooks.bsky.social UMAMI! pclkidsbooks.blogspot.com/2024/11/revi...

Have a little bit of everything this Thanksgiving ❤️ Umami @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social #thanksgiving #kidlit #kidlitart

Louisville! Join me this weekend and support your favorite indie bookseller on Small Business Saturday. No better time to get those personalized books for the holidays! 🐧🎁 #loufamfun #liveinlou @carmichaels.bsky.social

Umami activity sheets are now free to download on my site 🐧✏️ jacobgrantbooks.com/umami.html Enjoy! #earlyeducation #activitysheets #worksheet

Don’t miss this 2025 Illinois Reads Book! IRC is thrilled that many of the authors will be joining us at the 2025 IRC Conference! Find out more at: www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org/conference... illinoisreads.org #IRCreads @IllinoisReadingCouncil @ILReadCouncil @jacobgrantbooks.bsky.social

This Saturday in Chicagoland! Join me at The Book Stall for a special Umami storytime and be ready to draw some 🐧🐧🐧