Isn't it fascinating how powerfully this swan takes off and runs over the water with its #webbedfeet ? #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #Stunday #Swanday #ClassicMono #photography #nature #wildlife #EastCoastKin

I just can't anymore with the influencers mocking fashion choices from just a few years ago. Hello, some people keep their clothes instead of getting a whole new wardrobe every five years.

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When the market reaches saturation on a certain topic/theme publishers tend to lean away from it for a spell, which should also be factored into your research. If you see a ton of it out there, you may be observing the tipping point.

I’ve seen more than one picture book dummy recently that was near perfect terms of voice and style but ended up being a pass because it didn’t align with current market trends. Checking the bestseller list each week, noting which titles are face out at the bookstore—these practices can help. #kidlit

I guess this has probably already gone viral somewhere but I am simply dying at this picture of a bear that looks like it hired a photographer to do a glamour shoot

Wow. Even after print declined, Heritage was a money-maker, as Strib did other papers who had dumped their printers. Outsourced to Iowa(!) has to mean BRUTAL early deadlines & I‘d say this is the final step before digital-only. Big North Loop redevelopment site tho - if you can handle demo/reno $$.

When despair for the world grows in me . . . onbeing.org/poetry/the-p...

Stand up and fight hard for democracy! In court. In the media. In peaceful protests. Together we must use our voices and our platforms to protect the constitutional rights of everyone, the rule of law in all circumstances, and free and fair elections in 2026.

Hey, can we stop comparing rude or incompetent politicians to children? It's so insulting to kids.

"Go to an old cemetery. See all the baby graves from before the 1950s & 60s? After that, hardly any. That's when people started vaccinating their children. If you're unsure what to do to protect your kids, the answer is literally written in stone." — Michael Okuda How quick we forget.

ONE CAN BE, shares Little Free Library joy. So, authors from all 50 states will add a copy to a LFL near them. The parade starts in Wisconsin with Joshua Feyen, who writes memoir and had a tiny love story published in the NYT. One state down. 49 to go! #onecanbe #50states #booksky #megakidlit

Happy #BookBirthday to @beamingbooksmn.bsky.social ONE CAN BE "is about the joys of being an introvert with a hat tip to #LittleFreeLibraries" www.patzietlowmiller.com/my-books/one...

It shouldn't be up to American children to save each other from getting shot. It's the job of American adults to stop shootings from happening in the first place. Ban assault weapons again now.

Good morning everyone. I hope you are okay today - especially you, Minneapolis. Check on your neighbors. Call your family members. Smile at children and old people. Pound your swords into plowshares. Topple tyrants with righteousness. Call your reps. Demand the cessation of gun sales. Pet a puppy.

Shame on you. Shame on anyone who is taking away mental healthcare instead of guns.

Channeling my anger and fear about the mass shooting that happened at a school in Minneapolis today into action by signing up to give blood. It feels so small, but I can't stop thinking about those children who need it right now. www.redcrossblood.org

There was a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis this morning. Every parent's worst nightmare. My kids are playing happily in the other room and I'm sitting here fighting back tears and rage.

A reminder at awful times like this

Not every book has to be for every reader. Not every reader needs to want the same kind of book every day.

Big Bear Was Not The Same is 4 years old today! After experiencing a natural disaster, Big Bear is not the same. "An accessible, age-appropriate primer that sheds light on trauma and PTSD." - Publishers Weekly. @beamingbooksmn.bsky.social #teacher #counselor #PTSD @naomijkrueger.bsky.social #fire

ironically the education for its own sake, Enlightenment-coded, Great Books-ass liberal arts degree is one of the better employment bets you can make. learn how to read, write, think critically, develop curiosity so you can pick up new skills quickly, etc etc

But why aren't they rolling their actual, largest ball of twine made by one man? This ball is puny compared to the real thing.

Twin Cities folks, have you seen this child? She's missing and finding her is urgent. Last seen on Saturday near Minnehaha Falls.

Check out this interview with debut illustrator Annie Cron. She shares how she approached her first book, which artists inspire her, why she loves Little Free Libraries, and how you could WIN A COPY OF ONE CAN BE. tinyurl.com/musfnffh. #booksky #megakidlit #kidlit #SCBWI #onecanbe #giveaway

It's a perfect summer day, but I have to limit how much time my kids spend outside because of wildfire smoke. This is so sad.

I was working on my crop art but the midwestern instinct to go watch the storm roll in took over

It is very hot and humid today. 91⁰F and 61% humidity. Yeti needed an extended bench rest and I don't blame him. Even with the clouds this sticky air is 🥵

I grew up with public radio on in the background in the car and on the radio at home. My family listened to the news, classical music, and shows like A Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, and Calling All Pets. I continued to listen all my life. I am devastated that our country no longer values it.

Me after saying I wasn't gonna buy any more books for a while

Follow-up on my earlier post about WeTransfer using user files to train AI. The company has updated its terms and revised wording. Have to say I'm not impressed by the company saying it was rewording because of user confusion rather than any misstep on its side. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Ugh. This is not good.

A nice review of ONE CAN BE from @publisherswkly.bsky.social. I love how they described Annie Cron's illustrations as "citrus-colored." They are! And they're beautiful. www.publishersweekly.com/9781506499932 #picturebooks #booksky #megakidlit #skybrarian #booktrovert #kidlit

I’m a K-5 art teacher, and I’m constantly emphasizing to my kiddos how important and true and beautiful it is to see brush strokes and dents and mistakes because it shows that a human being made this thing. They’ve taken to calling out all kinds of human things as showing “the hand of the artist.”

Inches away from one of the tiniest butterflies in the world… Between the rainstorms, I decided to take out my macro lens to see what was about. I was rewarded with Cupido comyntas, the fabulous male Eastern Tailed-Blue butterfly. Half inch wingspan. Those scales🤯 #Photography99 📷🌱 #Butterflies 🦋

I can't post birds from Hacienda el Bosque #Colombia without the spectacular Shining Sunbeam. This #hummingbird is one of those rare ones that you want to see from the back, as the front is rather plain. #birds #nature

Today I learned, at 424 Washington Ave. N, Minneapolis I’ve never been in the direct presence of lutefisk, to my knowledge. But I’ve run across Kildall Fish Co. ads in old newspapers here and there. #alwaysreadtheplaque

I still get people who say things to me like the turtleneck guy in my comic. Including recently, when I told someone I was going to switch to writing MG/YA for a while. Their attitude was "oh good, it's about time you write REAL books". Grrrrrr. #KidLit #PictureBooks

Most exciting crop art news since the yellow mustard scandal!

I was on vacation last week in Colorado and it was glorious. But there's nothing quite like home either. Spent yesterday afternoon with neighbors at a pool, then pizza at their house before walking to get ice cream together. Life is good.

"I want to thank all librarians, because you guys are the pillars of our democracy." — The fabulous George Takei at ALA (yes, it rhymes) Check out "It Rhymes With Takei." #ALAAC25 #itrhymeswithtakei

“If you don’t believe that the picture book is real literature, then in some level you don’t believe that children are real people. And that’s unacceptable.” Thank you, Mac Barnett. #ala25.

This happened in Massachusetts too and now the story of neighborhood allyship is a picture book. Love wins. www.beamingbooks.com/store/produc...

I love this!

So excited about this book and so proud of the series as a whole!!

It's frightful that people who are so ignorant should have so much influence. ~ George Orwell

Hey book people. I need a recommendation for an engrossing novel to read this summer. Loved God of the Woods, Project Hail Mary, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Nothing dystopian please. Real life is bad enough.

Devastating situation in Minnesota this morning. We are heartbroken and horrified. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

"We all do better when we all do better" --Paul Wellstone And we all do worse when some of us do worse. We're all connected. Let's work toward our mutual thriving.