222: All About Board Books - Interview with Ruth Spiro

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Ruth Spiro on the show! Ruth's journey as a writer is one I think many word nerds can relate to. She never imagined she'd be a writer…until she started doing it! And now she writes innovative books for kids about science, technology, engineering and math…or STEM as is the buzzword right now. Her debut picture book, Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist won awards from Writer's Digest, Willamette Writers, and was a Bank Street College of Education Best Book. Ruth followed up this success with her awesome Baby Loves Science board book series. This groundbreaking series includes books on a number of different topics including: coding, green energy, quarks, and my personal favorite quantum physics, which explains the Schrodinger's cat thought experiment in language that a toddler can understand. This amazing series has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Popular Science and Working Mother. And the series features iconic and adorable illustrations by Irene Chan. When an illustrator can make Quarks look cute…OMG! So listen in as Ruth and I geek out over this awesome series, and give you an inside look into the exciting niche of board books. In this episode Ruth and I discuss: Techniques to craft a book that is engaging to both children and adults. How to make abstract ideas accessible to young children. Breaking into a specific publishing niche. Why you need to be smart in how you network. A step by step guide to producing a board book. Plus, Ruth's #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/222