Tara Lazar

Mar 5, 2025 | taralazar.com | Jen Fier Jasinski |Lea Marie Ravotti |Tara Lazar

by Jen Fier JasinskiAfter only three months and six drafts writing SIDEWALK CHALK, I received a critique from a big-name agent that said: “I’m sorry to say that I am drawing a complete blank on how this might be improved.”I gasped. I danced. I queried that sucker. I got rejected for another three years and fifteen revisions. Ah, publishing. SIDEWALK CHALK breaks some rules. The most notable being that the manuscript is mostly illustration notes.

Feb 7, 2025 | taralazar.com | Jane Yolen |Madelyn Goodnight |Tara Lazar

by Heidi EY StempleMy new book begins, The night before play rehearsals began, Janie couldn’t sleep. It is now just days before my new book comes out, and like Janie, I can’t sleep. Not because I am nervous. Like Janie before the play, I can’t sleep because I am excited! I know. I know. I am not supposed to pick a favorite book. This one is, in fact, my 42nd published book. But, the subject of this book does mean it is just a little more special than the others. But, don’t tell them.

Jan 31, 2025 | taralazar.com | Tara Lazar

I have questions. Musical notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet—A thru G—but when we learn to play the piano, we begin at Middle C. Why? Why not Middle A? Odd questions like this may keep you up at night, and, they demonstrate an unyielding curiosity. This is an excellent quality to possess as a picture book author. It keeps us akin to our young audiences, who are asking the perennial “WHY?” questions about blue skies and 8pm bedtimes.

Jan 22, 2025 | taralazar.com | Tara Lazar

by PB25 VibesIn PB25 Vibes, a group of creators with books launching in 2025, we are all about vibes! Finding that feeling you want to leave with the reader is at the heart of writing a picture book. Our stories are ones that are meant to evoke emotions, and as we drafted our stories, we kept a feeling—a vibe—in mind.

Jan 6, 2025 | taralazar.com | Becca McMurdie |Tara Lazar

by Becca McMurdieA few years ago, I had the tremendous opportunity to spend two months living and learning in Costa Rica. I will never forget my first encounter with a wild toucan in the Monteverde rainforest. Immediately fascinated by these majestic creatures, I vowed to learn as much about them as possible. A local birdwatching guide told me about a famous toucan at a nearby rescue center who had endured an injury and received a prosthetic beak—the first of its kind. Grecia was the bird’s name.