People are always talking about staying in their lane around politics and social issues. Kids are our lane. All kids everywhere always are our lane as children’s book folks: creators, writers, illustrators, editors, reviewers, readers, educators. http://dlvr.it/TRDqnc

THE FATE OF FAUSTO by @oliverjeffers (2018). Why this picture book? It’s a fable. It’s about a white man who wants to own everything, and it speaks to colonization, greed, billionaires, environmental degradation, and white supremacy. It speaks to the powers that be and have… http://dlvr.it/TRBHSN

SHOW WAY by @jacqueline_woodson illustrated by @hudson.talbott. Why this picture book? It’s incredible. It shows us:
history, family, love, perseverance, storytelling, writing craft. It brings us all the way to now and all the way back to the beginning. Show us the way of… http://dlvr.it/TR3HHb

A RAMADAN NIGHT written by @nadinepresleyauthor illustrated by @asma.enayeh. Why this picture book? It lovingly and richly portrays one special night of Ramadan with a father and son. It teaches figurative language through metaphors! It’s gorgeously, thoughtfully, creatively,… http://dlvr.it/TR1QHZ

J IS FOR JUSTICE: A Social Justice Book for Kids written by @nekimal illustrated by @hiccupbk. Adorable Baby Joy loves her city as much as she loves her Mama and Daddy and “brown sugar oatmeal with apples and peaches.” And she discovers, like all kids can, that she loves… http://dlvr.it/TR0M7V

RHEA’S RODEO by @laekanzeakemp illustrated by @rizzyfig. This picture book is a stunner with so much heart! It’s about Rhea, her horse Galleta, Escamuza Charra (women’s Mexican rodeo), tradition, and how the best prizes aren’t necessarily gained when you win. Instead, this… http://dlvr.it/TQxZHz

SCHOOL VISITS ARE COOL!
Author visits leave a lasting impression,inspiring kids to read, write, create-and keep making! In-person or virtual, interactive, and flexible. Plus when we read and talk about To Make, we always include crafting! Here’s a testimonial from Jessica… http://dlvr.it/TQwPyg

Had a super neat author visit with a school here in LA to kickstart the year! I got to share To Make with 145 eager student-makers at @jtdschool. They were delightful as was the generous, thoughtful librarian. At interactive presentations like this one, we talk about the steps… http://dlvr.it/TQvM3S

TEN MICE FOR TET written by Pegi Deitz Shea and Cynthia Weill with illustrations by To Ngoc Trang and embroidery by Pham Viẽt Dinh was published in 2004 and is worth a read twenty years later. Ten mice celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year via incredible and charming… http://dlvr.it/TQtMPl

A huge thanks to the folks organizing to raise money to combat I C E and support immigrants and communities in Minnesota. It’s only a couple of days, starting now! Thursday the 29th (ending Friday, January 30), and the goal is 30k, so let’s do this!
From… http://dlvr.it/TQd731

COMMUNITY SNOWMAN by @deborahkerbel.books and @tinemodeweghansen. Why this picture book? Because we all need it right now! It’s wordless and so perfectly captures people showing up for people in their community in ways that are fun and joyful and also meaningful and practical,… http://dlvr.it/TQXnbt

FIERCE AUNTIES written by @lauriegoodluck illustrated by @artnerdforever. We must all be fierce Aunties for children. “Fierce Aunties are a force of nature…” http://dlvr.it/TQWwhD

The other morning, I woke up early and caught the sunrise by surprise, my favorite. I was stuck in place, transfixed, looking out the giant windows of our apartment. Like the dawn in LA’s winter sky, our impending move unfurled over me, grief after six years of struggling,… http://dlvr.it/TQQh9R

ASTRO by @manuelmarsol translated by @lizzie_davis_
This picture book is going on my favorite existential kids book shelf and honestly helped me keep going. A planet. A traveler. An arrival. A curious narrator. A friendship. A loss. Questions, despair, grief. And then… http://dlvr.it/TQP3hG

Two picture books with kids fighting for rights! VIVA’S VOICE by @raqueldonosobooks and @carlosvelez_ilustra & ALEJANDRA FIGHTS BACK! by Leticia Hernández-Linares and @robert_tres, translated by Carla España. One about fighting for the rights of bus drivers on strike, one… http://dlvr.it/TQLcNd

The first of hopefully many picture book creators I admire. First up, Donald Crews! This year I discovered (very late as it’s from 1992) SHORTCUT here in LA at @otherbooksla. It is such a gem of suspense and storytelling. And his others! Gems as well of color, composition,… http://dlvr.it/TQJkP0

A JOURNEY TOWARD HOPE written by Victor Hinojosa and Cory Voorhees with illustrations by Susan Guevara. This picture book is about four migrant/refugee children traveling north from their respective countries on their own just like over 50,000 kids do every year. They have… http://dlvr.it/TQGpqc

Shared my most influential reads (and a few quotes) in my latest newsletter, PSA from Danielle Davis. Here are books that made an impact: middle grade fiction, picture books (as a writer and reader), adult fiction, and non-fiction + a few quotes in the mix! What is one fave… http://dlvr.it/TQFqnp

Invisible and external milestones and intentions for the year past and presently unfolding. I believe it’s important to celebrate our wins the way we do with children.
I believe it’s even more important to celebrate our INVISIBLE or internal wins and not just the ones that are… http://dlvr.it/TQCXvF

Auntie + faves visit to handmade gingerbread houses at @thediscoverycube. 🍭🍪 http://dlvr.it/TQ9Nrx

MR. LEPRON’S MYSTERY SOUP by @giovannazoboli and @machi_dg : an anticapitalist kids’ book.
Why this picture book?
It shows how more and more, bigger and bigger—solo endeavors and factories and global reach—are not ultimately satisfying.
It’s basically an anti-capitalist… http://dlvr.it/TQ8dW3

WITNESS by the children of The Children’s Village of @phrc_ps. How do you describe a book like this? “Children share what they witness—loved ones lost, homes destroyed, lives shattered…What Palestinian children are seeing today is not new. When my life began in 1989, children… http://dlvr.it/TQ7k20

🔥🐴 🌹😜Gonna keep the fire going, gonna keep galloping as best we can in the year of our reality 2026. Change is inevitable.

📷: @sydstudios.photo who we connected to via @agoodusedbook and is fantastic! http://dlvr.it/TQ6CTS

Another winter solstice, another solstice anniversary spent hiking and dinner-ing at our fave @chifa_la. Another year—perhaps the most challenging and growth-inducing ever—of being partners, friends, family, comrades, collaborators. Another year of loving and discovering and… http://dlvr.it/TPyTbd

Special solstice outing. Art + astronomy + sunset + dear ones. 🌅 Thank you to the @la.astronomical.society for the tip about Gestation III in Santa Monica at Palisades Park, a sculpture by Baile Oakes that aligns with the winter solstice on and around December 21st in the… http://dlvr.it/TPxfMg

MOON SONG by @michaelagoade. This picture book is perfect for the winter solstice. A gorgeous invitation for today, for winter. “Come! Haagú! Follow the light” on Sheet’ka or Sitka, Alaska. And bask in the dark too. Brother and sister, warm family, discovery, dazzling magic… http://dlvr.it/TPxZgQ

Over the last two years+ @campsbreakerz has had an amazing food initiative, Et’aam @cbcrew_etaam, delivering—by miracle!—food to 25 CB families in Nuseirat in Gaza. Now, they are turning to art therapy. You can follow and support Colors of Hope @colorsofhope.cb for more on… http://dlvr.it/TPtz39

Had a chance to visit @coritaartcenter a couple of weekends ago. It’s free (by appointment) and it’s a very special space with special art-books-prints from or about Corita Kent that makes you want to make…change! http://dlvr.it/TPtG85

NOT LIKE EVERY DAY: Finding calm during school lockdown drills written by @grubreport illustrated by @gabriellegrimard_illustratrice. This picture book is a comfort in a world where things exist that shouldn’t (hate, unsafety, injustices, rampant guns). It centers children. It… http://dlvr.it/TPryC8

I consider collaborating with writers on their stories to be sacred work. It’s true! It’s an honor when writers on any stage of their path trust me with their projects and process as mentor, editor, and motivator—as coach. :) I’m so struck, especially on video calls or in… http://dlvr.it/TPpGHJ