My new picture book is released today — wheeee!  And what better way to celebrate than with a lovely review from the Chicago Tribune, which called it “winsome”?  Thank you, C. F. Payne — you are blazingly talented, and your sublime (and yes, winsome) illustrations are everything a writer could hope for!

It’s not officially in bookstores for another month or so, but C. F. Payne and I just got an early Christmas present — a starred review in Publishers Weekly!

The great thing about writing a picture book is that I can brag about the illustrations, since I had absolutely nothing to do with them!

Is this beautiful or WHAT?

I am so incredibly fortunate to have my story illustrated by C. F. Payne.  Wait until you see the artwork inside.  He’s amazing.  And so is Chloe Foglia, the talented designer in Simon & Schuster’s art department who masterminded this adorable cover. Talk about a powerhouse team!

I can’t wait to hold the new baby when it’s published next February.  (Yeah, I know, 2011 is a long time from now … but I couldn’t resist offering you this squeak sneak peek.)