Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Cheryl B. Klein

@cherylklein.bsky.social

3.2K followers 150 following 1.6K posts

I notice things for a living. Editorial director, Workman Kids; author of THE MAGIC WORDS: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS and five picture books, most recently IT’S HARD TO BE A BABY; 6yo mom; Virgo/goofball. Opinions my own.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · Nov 11

Hello, new followers! I'm a children's book editor with 24 years in the business & author of THE MAGIC WORDS: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS and five picture books. I post about books, writing craft, politics, publishing, NYC, my 5-year-old son, & things that make me laugh.

The cover of my fourth picture book, HAMSTERS MAKE TERRIBLE ROOMMATES, illustrated by Abhi Alwar, featuring the head of one manic white hamster hanging upside down and one irritated brown hamster with heavy eyebrows, both inside the bars of a cage. Despite the sound of that description, this is not a metaphor for America in any way the illustrator or I intended. It's actually about introverts vs. extroverts and learning to communicate with the people around, and it's pretty funny.

The cover of my most recent picture book, IT'S HARD TO BE A BABY, featuring at least 10 cute babies in colorful clothes, illustrated by Juana Medina.

The cover of my adult nonfiction book THE MAGIC WORDS: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS, featuring a white book open with pop-up houses and trees inside, against a blue background with a pale yellow sun and white clouds. If you want to know more: https://www.cherylklein.com/the-magic-words

10 5 130

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 52m

Have you posted this on Facebook too? I know some British kidlit
people over there but I don't think they're on BlueSky...

2 1

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · Jun 11

Black rain frogs (Breviceps fuscus) look like angry avocados and I'm here to share them with you.

(📷: Tony Rebelo, iNaturalist)

Black rain frogs (Breviceps fuscus) is swollen up with air to make it harder to eat, and it has a downward facing mouth, making it look like it's sad or angry or grumpy. It's black and bumpy like an avocado, with undersized limbs sticking out from underneath. It's sitting in leaf mold that is indistinct.

5 47 220

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 17h

aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage

Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 20h

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

280 7.2K 18K

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 23h

An illustrator alerted me to the attached email. Someone is impersonating me! Offering #kidlit illustrators fake deals!

This is not me! The deal-structure/schedule is insane. The deadline is quite friendly?! 10 picture books in 3 years?!

Please let me know if you receive an email like this!

18 41 67

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 22h

Impeach him, Rep. Clarke!!!

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Cos! but scarier @algernonentity.bsky.social · 1d

genuinely lol'd at this

a screenshot of a spotify playlist called "hozier after throwing a boomerang." it contains three songs, in order: It Will Come Back, (Moment's Silence), Run.

6 25

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Harold Underdown @hunderdown.bsky.social · 1d

A reminder: NEXT week I will be offering "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities," online via @highlightsfound.bsky.social, October 14 and 16, recording available, and resources included. $59

See the screenshot below for details or go here: www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshop/pub...

Banner graphic for "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities."

October 14 and 16, 7-8:15 PM Eastern

with Harold Underdown

Workshop details:

Another reminder, because I think this is going to be very useful, and I don't want anyone who would benefit to miss it: NEXT week is when I will be offering "Publishing Trends, Market Shifts, and Opportunities," online via The Highlights Foundation, on the evenings of October 14 and 16, with a recording available, and resources included. $59
On Tuesday, I'll be covering:
--different kinds of change in publishing, from fads to trends to market shifts, and how to respond to them
--how to do your own research into trends
--a short history of market shifts in children's publishing, from circa 1960 to today
--a look at the big market shift of this century
On Thursday, I'll move on to:
--the trends! from picture books to young adult, fiction and nonfiction
--the changes in publishing from outside of it, mainly
--diverse voices and banned books,
--technology, and especially AI

3 9

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 1d

DId you see the recent @gothamist.com article involving him as well? Similarly cartoonish: gothamist.com/arts-enterta...

The guy behind those ‘Friend’ ads in the subways is tired of talking to New Yorkers

New Yorkers are taking note and even scribbling their own graffiti on the ads. Avi Schiffmann, 22, says that's the point — but doesn't feel like talking to them.

gothamist.com

1 2

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 2d

It's a lovely book! And I'm really proud of how it offered representation to all of us girls with curves, as they say.

1 1

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 2d

Many years ago I wrote on Twitter that I wanted to publish a MG novel about scoliosis (which I wore a brace for from ages 10-16). @katemckean.bsky.social said “I rep a manuscript for that!”, she sent it to me & I bought it, & it became BRACED, the debut by now-bestselling author Alyson Gerber.

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 3d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

1 2 21

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Wandering Hoo @wanderlib.bsky.social · 3d

“One of the chants that has become ubiquitous at these protests at Broadview is, ‘Love your neighbor, love your God, save your soul and quit your job,’” said Black, who pastors at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. “Everybody chants that.”

55 270

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

This morning I was thinking about Chekhov’s gun

And then — what if you set a story in a minefield

And then — that’s what it feels like in the US right now:

waiting for the civil war

or the economy

or the government

or the environment

or the next pandemic

or or or

to go off.

1 10

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 3d

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

1.7K 21K 56K

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

Tonight I learned the secret for transferring text from one Word doc to another with the tracked changes intact: Turn off Track Changes in both docs first, then cut & paste. Easy peasy!

1 8

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

2000!

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

*high-fives in Carleton alum*

1 1

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 12d

Whether your state officially recognizes Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day, this month is an important time to share the true history of Columbus and the Taino People with kids (and smash the myths!) bookshop.org/p/books/hist...

History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People

Check out History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People - <b>Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth about Christopher Columbus, and learn all about the Taino people. Perfect for ...

bookshop.org

3 3 23

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 4d

Today’s favourite proof note:

Replace ‘this’ with ‘that.’

Which feels like a short summary of the entire process.

7 13 230

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 4d

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

26 2.3K 7K

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 4d

I like the work of both of them, but Taylor has barely had to think about anyone besides herself since high school & it shows.

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 4d

"AI is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be re-consumed" so succinct! so good!

Chibdm @chibdm.bsky.social · 4d

Robin Williams' daughter has some quality thoughts on AI slop

19 270 1.5K

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Micah @rincewind.run · 4d

as always, the most accurate summation of modern politics ever created

comic from webcomicname.com, "different"

panel 1: pink blob creature: "I want things to be different"

panel 2: creature smashes everything

panel 3: creature stands in wreckage: "oh no"

9 300 1.4K

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 4d

A magical sport? Why not!

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 4d

I just mistyped "teammate" as "teammage" and now I'm envisioning a YA fantasy series about group-based competitive wizardry. (Obviously if you write this you should send it to me.)

1 4

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 4d

I read it for the first time recently shortly after finishing WINTERSMITH and it was like "WOW, we really went from children's books to young YA to older YA quickly here!"