Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect—I’d love to hear from you!
Nachos, picture books, and a chat with author Sandra Nickel
In this delicious interview, discover Sandra Nickel’s forthcoming book Nacho's Nachos, which tells the true story of Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, who invented one of the world’s favorite snacks.
An Ordinary Extraordinary Book About Moths
I first "met" Karlin when she asked to do an author interview on the release of my first book, Halloween Good Night. Of course I had to follow suit (i.e., steal her excellent idea!) to celebrate the release of her second book, An Extraordinary Ordinary Moth.
Five More Poetic Picture Books: All Zolotow
Poetry Month is coming to a close, and with it I'll share five Zolotow picture book classics. Books like these are "out of style" in current publishing, which is a shame. I'd much rather read Flock of Birds over and over than books about crazy hair or farting dogs.
National Poetry Month Continues in Picture Books
As we continue to celebrate poetry, I continue to study picture books. I don't think I could count how many I've absorbed in the past years. Oodles? Oodles of oodles? A lot.
Five Poetic Picture Books for National Poetry Month
In honor of National Poetry Month, I'll be sharing some of my favorite poetic picture books. Beautiful, vivid, delightful reads. Here are five by Cynthia Rylant, an amazingly prolific author with an insane diversity of titles to her name.
One of My Favorite Things: Alicia Books by Lisa Jahn-Clough
Alicia’s Best Friends and Simon and Molly Plus Hester by Lisa Jahn-Clough are two of my favorite picture books and here's why...
Halloween Picture Books To Die For
A round-up of recent favorite Halloween picture books!
14 Board Books Every Family Should Own
Our family loves books. And I mean LOVES books. So below I've compiled a short list of our personal favorites. The books we have read and re-read until the covers fell off, then bought new copies to read again. Some are classics, ones I grew up with. Others are new.
A Wreath of Hearts: Valentine's Day Picture Books to Love
All the cutest Valentine's Day picture books! Ok, a few of the cutest. First up, Shape of My Heart. Valentine's Day and shapes. I enjoyed the illustrations immensely and liked the educational content. This would be a household favorite, I think, though I found myself wishing...
Picture Book Round-Up: Three Fun Books
Three recent 2015 picture book releases read by ... me!