Dear Duck, Please Come! is the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book.

But writing the words is only half the story for a picture book. Which is why today, I’m delighted to share my conversation with the illustrator of Dear Duck, Please Come!, Charles Santoso.

Charles was born in Indonesia, raised in Australia, and now lives in Singapore. He’s illustrated tons of books we love here at Read-Aloud Revival, and I was over the moon that he agreed to illustrate Dear Duck.

In this episode, we’re diving into the collaborative process of creating a picture book, the inspiration behind Dear Duck, Please Come!, and how illustrations tell a story.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Charles decides on the tone and style of his illustrations
• The way the world of Dear Duck developed from first sketches to the final illustrations
• Charles’s best advice for aspiring illustrators

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-illustrations-tell-half-the-story

To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

At the start of a new year, we are overwhelmed with the phrase “New Year, new you!” And of course, we want to be better wives, better mothers, and better people.

This desire to improve ourselves filters into our reading lives, too. It’s easy to justify a lot of our reading if it helps us be better for our families and communities.

But what about reading for fun? What about reading fiction? When you’re a busy mom, is it worth it to carve out time to read just for the fun of it? And how would you even make that time?

But reading for delight is like stopping for water on a long, dusty hike. It’s a lifesource for us mamas. Today, RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy joins me to talk about how to be refreshed by your reading life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How stories nourish us in essential ways
• Why you have to give yourself permission to quit books that aren’t working for you
• The way reframing reading for pleasure will help you make time and model a rich reading life for your kids

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/you-can-be-refreshed

To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!

Gather your aspiring writers and littlest book lovers for this episode.

I am so excited to welcome back author Millie Florence to talk about the beautiful book we created together, Beyond Mulberry Glen.

Millie and I are chatting about the making of the book from inspiration to final draft with a series of fun questions from what scene was the hardest to write to what character she’d want to hang out with for an afternoon.

Beyond Mulberry Glen is a read-aloud novel for the whole family, featuring a gorgeous cover and illustrations by Astrid Sheckels. It’s Waxwing Books’s very first middle grade novel, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Millie describes her inspiration for the story as a collage of influences
• The challenges of editing the novel with the perspective of age and development as a writer
• What she loves most about middle-grade fiction

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/millie-florence-is-back

To join us for the "Reading as Refreshment" Retreat on 1/31-2/1, sign up at circlewithsarah.com!