Remembering Biologist Lincoln Brower, Advocate for the Monarch Butterfly

By Carol Hinz, Editorial Director of Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books

Have you spotted any monarch caterpillars or butterflies lately? We currently have three chrysalides at my house hanging from the top of a mesh butterfly habitat, and one rapidly-growing caterpillar who has been munching through milkweed leaves harvested from our backyard.

They’ve been on author Rebecca Hirsh’s mind as well. She wrote The Monarchs Are Missing, which we released this past spring, and after she heard the news that monarch scientist Dr. Lincoln Brower had passed away, she shared this remembrance. Read More

Flying Your Way this August: The Epic Origin of Super Potato

Super Potato Cover

A Superhero, Pre-PotatoBy Greg Hunter, Associate Editorial Director, Graphic Universe

The history of superhero comics is full of stories that tease—or even appear to implement—drastic changes to a character’s status quo. The goofiest versions of these stories took place during the 1950s and 1960s. During those times, comic book heroes would routinely transform into turtles or werewolves. They’d turn purple or split in two. Their friends and loved ones would react with alarm. The heroes themselves would wonder if their careers as crime fighters were finished. And the problem would find a hasty resolution by the end of an issue.

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3 Right Things that Look Wrong

book with writing over it

By Sara E. Hoffmann, School & Library Series Managing Editor

One thing about editing is that, no matter how many books you’ve edited, you still find yourself consulting the dictionary All. The. Time. throughout your workday to make sure that you’re spelling certain words correctly. See, there are a lot of of words that look like they are spelled correctly, but they actually aren’t. And vice versa: Lots of things look wrong but are actually right. Read More

On (Some) Girl Stereotypes in Picture Books

Stereotypes and Art

By Danielle Carnito, Trade Art Director

I’m currently in the midst of organizing a presentation about “keeping your eyes open” when creating illustrations for kids’ books. That’s a couple months away yet, but making notes on what to discuss has me now revisiting various projects, noting times when we have specifically directed art to avoid certain stereotypical representations. Read More