New Books in Children's Literature

Today we host the wonderfully talented award-winning author-illustrator Kristine A. Lombardi and celebrate her enchanting and funny brand new book, Crouton, published by Random House, in which a cat explains how it went about adopting a human. We talk about her early career and breaking in from advertising into children's literature. We also discuss the importance of persevering and of finding the right agent (in her case Stephen Fraser).

Kristine A. Lombardi has written and illustrated many other books for children, including Lovey Bunny, Mr. Biddles, My Wish for the World and The Grumpy Pets.
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Leila Sales wears many hats. She is the author of eight critically acclaimed novels for children and young adults, including This Song Will Save Your Life and Once Was a Time. Leila is also the editor of award-winning and bestselling fiction and nonfiction books for readers of all ages. Most recently, she is Editorial Director at Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group. Leila has also managed classic children’s publishing properties including Corduroy, Angelina Ballerina, Ferdinand, The Snowy Day, and others. In our wonderfully candid interview we discuss her new role at Kar-Ben and her wish list, her own career as an author, and what makes a great picture book. We also discuss her recent book, The Museum of Lost and Found (illustrated by Jacqueline Li, Abrams, 2023).
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Michelle Knudsen, celebrated author of over fifty children's books (and a personal favorite) agreed to interview Mel Rosenberg on the eve of publication of the North American version of Emily Saw A Door (Orit Magia, illustrator, Random House Studio, Feb. 24th, 2026), Mel's debut picture book overseas. We talk about how Emily Saw A Door came to be, the author's journey and process.
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In this, our second interview, I talk to Melissa Stoller about her new book Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart, Anita Bagdi (Illustrator), published by Gnome Road (2025). It's a story of two friends who were inseparable until one moved away. They keep their friendship alive through letters, but when they meet again, their interests have changed and they have trouble finding an eventual away to rekindle their friendship. Most of us adults (me included) have experienced this occurrence, but picture books about the topic are rare. After all, how do you explain it to a five year old? Melissa does a terrific job. We talk about the ups and downs of her career, and where ideas for stories seem to come out of nowhere, or everywhere.
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In this, our second interview with children's author Cindy Williams Schrauben, we celebrate her new book, Hank's Change of Heart (The Little Press, 2025) Hardcover, illustrations by Sasha Richards, published by The Little Press just last month (Nov. 2025). We talk about the difficulties in traditional publishing, both for those aspiring to be published, and those already published. We discuss the role of the message in the story, the joy of writing, and the pain of rejection, and the importance of obsessive perseverence in getting traditionally published.
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