Heather and I attended Day 2 of the Zig Zag Festival (Thru the Bologna Book Fair ) The highly respected Mac Barnett and the incredible Felicita Sala (Bored and so many other fantastic books) discussed storytelling, creativity, and their long-standing friendship. It was an inspiring reminder of why we do what we do.
As for Mac and his book Make Believe—which I've been asked about almost daily for the past month or two—he and editor Sally Kim discussed it on stage.
My takeaways were pretty simple:
Mac Barnett is deeply passionate about storytelling.
He's incredibly smart.
He genuinely cares about the industry that has given him a career.
But my biggest takeaway was this:
He's just trying to make the world a better place and he has the platform to make that happen.
Mac has a young son. I remember reading to my own kids when they were little and thinking, "I could write that book." Most of us have had that thought at some point. What I heard from Mac was a parent who wants better books, better stories, and a better world for his child—and for all children. If we accomplish that, the world becomes a better place for everyone.
As for the "crud" he talks about in the children's book industry? He's right. Is 94.7% accurate? Hard to say without some deep research, right?
But I, as an author/illustrator have worked on projects that needed more time. I've put out underdeveloped designs. I've written stories that could have been stronger. I've created illustrations that could have been tighter, more meaningful, or more impactful.
What I believe he's asking of us—as creators, as an industry and as humans—is to be more thoughtful. Slow down. Push beyond the expected. Take creative risks. Give kids more surprises. Give them more wonder. Give them more time to simply be kids.
That was my takeaway.
If you get the chance to read the book (it's only 100 pages and a quick read) and engage critically with its ideas—or better yet, hear Mac speak in person—I highly recommend it.
A Denver Book Sighting!
The Croaky Pokey was just seen in Denver, Colorado! Thanks, friends!
Fresh off the Press!
The advanced copies of Dog Meets Dog: Super Sibling Mega Battle have arrived! They look amazing! What a fun story for these two characters and I always have a blast creating the illustrations. 120 pages of art is a lot of work, but totally satisfying to see the end result. This book is available on August 25th, 2026!
Another Book Sighting!
My daughter Katherine and her friend Breezy spotted these at Book Bird in Avondale Estates, Georgia! Love seeing these books (and these faces) out in the world! 😀
Ethan on EPIC!
Check out my podcast interview on Author Chats with Epic! Thanks to Daniel Rezac and Cherish Mims for making it great!
Episode Description
With over 135 books to his name, Ethan Long is one of children's publishing's most prolific — and refreshingly honest — creative voices. Based in Queens, New York, Ethan is the creator of the beloved Scribbles and Ink series, seen on Epic and PBS Kids, where two artistic rivals learn that making mistakes is just part of the masterpiece.
In this episode Daniel and Cherish sit down with Ethan for Silly Cat Trivia, a deep dive into his creative journey, and some genuinely surprising stories about rejection, perfectionism, and what it really takes to build a career making art for kids.
Ethan gets real about not finding his storytelling voice until his 30s, why he stopped betting the farm on any single project, and why he believes artists are ultimately in the morale business. Plus he teases several new projects — including one top-secret collaboration he'll only reveal when it sells.
Find all Scribbles and Ink books on Epic: go.getepic.com/scribbles
Get Epic for your classroom: getepic.com/educators
Author Chats with Epic is brought to you by Epic — the leading digital reading platform for kids, trusted by over 50 million young readers and 2 million teachers worldwide.
Kirkus Reviews Framed in Paris!
Another great review is in for this fun book! For more information or to purchase a copy, start here!
FRAMED IN PARIS!
A Star Chapter Book
Author: Dan Yaccarino
Illustrator: Ethan Long
Online Publish Date: May 18, 2026
Publisher:Simon Spotlight
Pages: 112
Price ( Hardcover ): $18.99
Publication Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 9781665980630
Section: Children's
Series: Dog Meets Dog
Following On the Loose in London! (2026), canine siblings Betsy and Bones are traveling again, this time to the City of Light.
The pair couldn’t be more different: Bones accidentally flies to Paris, Texas, before making it to France; Betsy arrives with a minute-by-minute itinerary, starting with a trip to the Louvre. The naïve duo get to the museum just in time to help a mysterious stranger in a dark coat remove the Mona Lisa “to wash it!” Turns out that stranger was “scoundrel, international crepe expert, and art thief…the Fox!” By accidentally assisting him, the siblings end up in Inspector Fronch’s crosshairs. Betsy squeezes in tidbits of trivia about the various sites they stop by on their zany run through Paris (“Did you know that the Seine is the second longest river in France and—” “Not now, Bets”) as they evade Fronch and pursue the Fox to clear their name. The breezy story is mainly a vehicle to carry the characters from joke to joke: Bones offends a shopkeeper by slathering ketchup on a crepe; the siblings pose as mimes to avoid the inspector. The nonstop humor capitalizes on the comic format for visual gags, rewarding readers with laughs at almost every page turn. Two-tone illustrations place cartoonish images of the characters against edited photos of Paris.
An unabashedly silly, madcap caper. (Early reader. 5-9)
Watch me draw Betsy and Bones!
We made a fun video to promote Dog Meets Dog: On the Loose in London! Enjoy!
JMS Paperbacks just arrived!
This little beauties just came in the mail! Available for purchase on July 14th, 2026!
Podcast Interview!
I just completed a podcast interview with Author Chats with epic!, the digital reading platform for kids ages 12 and under. Once they’ve edited it and have it available for consumption, I’ll make sure to post it here. It was a fun time!
Book sightings!
Friends, readers, and colleagues spot my books out in the wild and send along photos.
Here are a few recent sightings!
Go go go, Dog Meets Dog!
Yahoo! Love seeing this making waves out in the world!
Will Chamelia ever get made?
The dream is to see this in lights: Chamelia: The Animated Series! My partner, Steven Wendland (formerly of Technicolor) has been diligent in his pursuit of a producer, and I still hold belief that it will find a home somewhere. He has some serious leads and I look forward to hearing an update from him soon. Go, Steven and Chamelia!
Current status: Still in search of a production partner.
Wilde and Phree!
I am collaborating with my life-long friend (45 years!) and fellow creative, Tim Steinouer, on two 48-page full-color picture books for Christy Ottaviano at Hachette/Christy Ottaviano Books. The stories star two anthropomorphic animal friends taking road trips around the United States. They are fictional stories with a huge amount of non-fictional elements. Tim is doing the writing and I am doing the designing and illustrating. Fun stuff!
Current status: Book 1 art is complete (available Summer 2027) and Book 2 is in early development.
text by Timothy Steinouer
The Pig Three GN series!
I am in the middle of illustrating a graphic novel/illustrated chapter book series that I collaborated on with with my old friend and super-writer, Jason Eaton. Jason has written many award-winning books, and also wrote the script for the movie Ice Age 3. For this project about the The Little Pigs as superheroes, Jason wrote a super funny manuscript (and ideas for a sequel.) It sold to David Linker at Harper Collins in a two-book deal. Can’t wait see this book complete! Super grateful! Update: Book 1 cover is below and the interior art is in the sketch stage.
Pub Day for Dog Meets Dog!
Dog Meets Dog: On the Loose in London (Book 1 in the exciting chapter book series) publishes today! Simon and Schuster/Simon Kids is really pushing this title to promote their new Star Chapter Book series, and we love the exposure! Thanks to Siobhan Ciminera for championing this series for Dan and I. Thanks to Laure Roode, Tim Travaglini and Rebecca Sherman for everything, too!
