On Pizza Hats, Sleepovers, Pregnant Dog Farms, and Being a Best Friend Forever (Probably) by Julie Falatko

October 03

Best friends are such a huge part of growing up that they are almost mythical. Kids know that your bestie has your back, your bestie is there in a lonely moment, your bestie will come to your rescue. Kids who can’t point to one BFF might wonder why they aren’t one of the chosen ones, […]

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Throwing Stories off the Cliff by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Tim Miller

March 01

  Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever is the first book I wrote where I knew who the illustrator was going to be. I usually don’t imagine what the illustrations are going to look like while I’m writing, but this time I did. And I usually don’t include art notes, but I had […]

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Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in a Sequel) by Julie Falatko and Tim Miller

July 12

I am very excited to announce that Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book!) will have a sequel, coming your way in the fall of 2017! I knew we could do it! I knew if we kept bugging that author lady, she’d make another book about us! Oh brother. I don’t […]

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Chocolate Cake by Julie Falatko

February 02

Is all reading important? You bet. Because you never know which words will steer your life in a new direction. A nonfiction (grownup) book came out in December 2015 called First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson. One of the things Wilson talks about is that we dislike food we’re forced to […]

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Ten Ways Kid Writers Are Just Like Grownup Writers by Julie Falatko

December 13

When I talk to students about how I write, I can see they’re skeptical. They have trouble believing that I struggle with the same things they do. In most ways, adults and children approach writing the exact same way. The biggest difference between writing from a student standpoint and from a grownup standpoint is time. […]

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The Alligator at the Door by Julie Falatko

June 04

In the movie “Stranger Than Fiction,” Karen Eiffel, an author played by Emma Thompson, is astounded when the character she’s writing about walks into her office. “Your hair…” she says, amazed. “Your shoes!” It’s a nice bit of meta storytelling, but it’s also a shockingly truthful description of what it’s like to be an author. […]

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It’s Okay to Write Terrible Stories by Julie Falatko

November 18

You should be writing terrible stories. Some writers love what they write and don’t want to revise. Some writers want their first drafts to be perfect and are afraid to write anything at all. Some writers write a perfect first draft that, the next day, has mystically turned into something horrible. Most writers are a […]

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Ten Ways to Raise Writers by Julie Falatko

We are a family of writers. This is a new thing. Last year was the year I started to take myself seriously as a writer. And, somehow, that has rubbed off on my kids. The other day my 10-year-old was grinning when he came home from school. “I came up with a great idea for […]

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Writing for No One by Julie Falatko

Recently Colby Sharp and I got talking about picture books, and picture book writing, and how there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like your book. And Colby said: Yeah. Of course. The kids. But I couldn’t deny the panicky feeling welling up in my chest. And then New York Times bestselling picture book […]

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Ten Ways to Raise Readers by Julie Falatko

When I was pregnant with my first child, the only thing I knew for sure was that we could never have enough books. Nine years and four kids later, I’m navigating around piles of books, trying not to trip. When I look at all my children, draped around the living room in various states of […]

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