Debbie Ridpath Ohi
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debbieohi.com
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
@debbieohi.com
46K followers 7.7K following 18K posts
Kidlit author & illustrator. πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦. Illus in books by Judy Blume, Michael Ian Black, others.

Newest:
πŸ“š I WANT TO READ *ALL* THE BOOKS
πŸ“š I'M BUSY (w/ Michael Ian Black, 2026/02/24)

publish.obsidian.md/debbieohi/bluesky
DebbieOhi.com @work.debbieohi.com
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debbieohi.com
Debbie Ridpath Ohi @debbieohi.com Β· 4d
Bloggers / reviewers/ media outlets: If anyone is interested in I'M BUSY, please let me know? My publicist at Simon & Schuster has asked me for suggestions.

Pls reply or use my Contact form (debbieohi.com/contact/) w/your details, and I'll forward the info. Thanks so much!
#KidLit
debbieohi.com Debbie Ridpath Ohi @debbieohi.com Β· 10d
Excited about the Feb.24 launch of I'M BUSY, written by @michaelianblack.bsky.social
& illustrated by yours truly (Simon & Schuster BFYR), part of our I'M series about kids' emotions. Available for pre-order!

Thanks Kirkus for nice review: www.simonandschuster.com/books/Im-Bus... #KidLit #ImBusy
Illustrated book cover reading β€œI’M BUSY” in large red letters. A pink flamingo stands on the letter B, a small potato sits above the letter M, and a girl with pigtails struggles to carry a tall stack of papers and notebooks as loose pages scatter around her.
debbieohi.com
Final packing for NYC.

Looking forward to meeting up w/ @jpchanda.bsky.social @gingerninja.bsky.social @brianlarossa.com and others.

Hope to see some of you at #scbwiNY26! I am bringing my one (1) copy of I'M BUSY, if anyone wants to take a peek. 😁
debbieohi.com/book/book-im...

#KidLit #ImBusy
A person with green glasses peers over an open picture book titled β€œI’M BUSY,” holding it up in front of their face so only their eyes are visible. The open book shows the title on the right page and the names Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi on the left page, with illustrated characters and scattered papers. The background is orange with the word β€œbusy” repeated in white outlined text.
January 12, 2026 at 3:04 PM
debbieohi.com
The link was in the first post in the thread, but here it is again: rhttps://reading-2026.paperform.co/

Thank you for filling out the survey!
January 11, 2026 at 9:33 PM
debbieohi.com
Nearly 100 respondents so far! Thanks to who have been spreading the word. Interesting results so far, will share more next month. One thing is clear, tho: physical bookstores & libraries are VERY important in helping with book discovery process.
debbieohi.com Debbie Ridpath Ohi @debbieohi.com Β· 1d
How do YOU discover books to read? Have your reading habits changed in past year? Pls take a few minutes to answer this anon, multiple-choice informal survey:

reading-2026.paperform.co

I'll post results on my blog. One goal: to help book creators. Thank you! πŸ©·πŸ“š
#BookSky #EduSky #KidLit
A mug of tea casting a curved shadow on paper, with a drawing of a seated child reading a book positioned on the paper to make it look like the child is sitting on the shadow, leaning against the handle of the mug. Art by Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
January 11, 2026 at 9:16 PM
debbieohi.com
Bwahahahaha!
January 11, 2026 at 8:49 PM
debbieohi.com
Thanks so much, Maria! If it's a written interview, I'm in. If it's audio-only for a podcast, I will have to pass for now; I find these stressful right now but really appreciate the interest. 🩷
January 11, 2026 at 8:49 PM
debbieohi.com
Thanks, Caroline! I just responded. I really appreciate the support!
January 11, 2026 at 8:47 PM
debbieohi.com
Ironic that I'm busy now putting together promo materials for I'M BUSY that I haven't been able to work on earlier because I've been too busy. πŸ˜‰
January 11, 2026 at 7:55 PM
debbieohi.com
Putting together some sample illustrations from I'M BUSY to add to the bonus page (debbieohi.com/book/book-im...) and am struck by how much this book applies to ME right now. #ImBusy
A picture book illustration from I'm Busy shows a young girl standing in a grassy field with flowers, looking toward a large pink flamingo holding a small brown Potato under its wing. Blue text in the sky reads, β€œI guess there will always be lots of things to do, but maybe I can make sure that no matter how busy I get, I always leave time for me.” White text near the flamingo reads, β€œAnd your friends?”
January 11, 2026 at 7:53 PM
debbieohi.com
Darn it....just noticed my camera clicker lanyard hanging down behind one of the books. Will try to fix that if I have time, but then need to get back to packing for my trip.
January 11, 2026 at 7:02 PM
debbieohi.com
Finally got around to taking some updated author promo photos! Too cold to take photos outside (I did try.... brrrr) so did a green screen photo with my iPhone camera instead in my bsmt office, inserted Laurent Linn's brilliant I'M BUSY endpapers behind me. #KidLit #ImBusy
A green screen backdrop stands against a wall with a small round stool placed in front of it. A ring light on a stand is positioned to the right, and shelves with boxes and supplies fill the background. A large book poster reading β€œI Want to Read All the Books” leans against the shelves. A woman with long dark hair and green glasses smiles while holding up a picture book titled β€œI’M BUSY.” The book cover shows a pink flamingo above the red text β€œI’M BUSY” and a child running while papers scatter. The background is orange with large white outlined text repeating the word β€œBUSY.” A person with green glasses peers over an open picture book titled β€œI’M BUSY,” holding it up in front of their face so only their eyes are visible. The open book shows the title on the right page and the names Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi on the left page, with illustrated characters and scattered papers. The background is orange with the word β€œbusy” repeated in white outlined text.
January 11, 2026 at 7:01 PM
debbieohi.com
Thanks so much, Ryan!
January 11, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
lawrenceschimel.bsky.social
πŸ‘‡πŸ½πŸ‘‡πŸ½

#writingcommunity #callforsubmissions
seventydys.bsky.social David Hayden @seventydys.bsky.social Β· 1d
I chair the acquisitions meeting of @reaktionbooks.bsky.social, an independent publisher. We're open to unsolicited book proposals: history, art, music, film, food, animal studies and any great indefinable non-fiction book ideas you might have. Check out the list and get in touch.
January 11, 2026 at 4:24 PM
debbieohi.com
If anyone out there speaks Korean, I would very much appreciate a rough gist of what the lyrics say. :-)

My agency's foreign rights department is fine with it, and Greatbooks is a respected publisher in Korea, so I'm assuming all is fine.
January 11, 2026 at 3:51 PM
debbieohi.com
cont'd

Apparently Korean kids found the original way I drew eyes scary (!), hence the changes (with my permission) by an in-house artist. See the video notes for details.

Korean edition included in this Greatbooks collection:
www.greatbooks.co.kr/introduce/co...
μΆ€μΆ”λŠ” 포포
μ˜μœ μ•„μ—μ„œ μ΄ˆλ“±κΉŒμ§€ 연령별 λ°œλ‹¬λ‹¨κ³„μ— λ”± 맞좘 λ‹€μ–‘ν•œ μ˜μ—­μ˜ 전집을 μ†Œκ°œν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€.
www.greatbooks.co.kr
January 11, 2026 at 3:43 PM
debbieohi.com
Thanks to Greatbooks for permission to share this music video they made to help promote Korean version of my #KIdLit picture book, WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? Thanks also to the Curtis Brown Ltd's foreign rights dept.

youtu.be/6X13XA-bjE4?...

Some of you may notice the art looks a bit different cont'd
Promo video created by Greatbooks for the Korean edition of WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?
YouTube video by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 3:41 PM
debbieohi.com
Feel free to scoop this graphic with a QR code to share with other readers, if they aren't on Bluesky. Thanks so much for spreading the word: tho this is just an informal survey, I'm hoping to get input from as many people as possible - thanks! #BookSky #LibrarySky
Text reads β€œPlease take my anonymous survey about how you discover and read books?”. A black-and-white QR code appears in the bottom right corner. The graphic is partly a real-life photo and part digital illustration. A mug of tea casting a curved shadow on paper, with a drawing of a seated child reading a book positioned on the paper to make it look like the child is sitting on the shadow, leaning against the handle of the mug. Art by Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
January 11, 2026 at 2:13 PM
debbieohi.com
How do YOU discover books to read? Have your reading habits changed in past year? Pls take a few minutes to answer this anon, multiple-choice informal survey:

reading-2026.paperform.co

I'll post results on my blog. One goal: to help book creators. Thank you! πŸ©·πŸ“š
#BookSky #EduSky #KidLit
A mug of tea casting a curved shadow on paper, with a drawing of a seated child reading a book positioned on the paper to make it look like the child is sitting on the shadow, leaning against the handle of the mug. Art by Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
January 11, 2026 at 1:51 PM
debbieohi.com
Working on free I'M BUSY door hanger templates for educators to use with young readers, as well as not-so-old readers. 😁

debbieohi.com/book/book-im...
#EduSky #TeacherSky #ImBusy
A copy of the book I’M BUSY beside printed door hanger templates that say β€œI’M BUSY,” some colored in, with crayons scattered on a desk. A door handle with a paper door hanger that reads β€œI’M BUSY… reading,” illustrated with a child holding an open book with a heart on the cover.
January 10, 2026 at 9:02 PM
debbieohi.com
I recently overheard someone say that audiobooks aren't "real" books & shouldn't count toward reading goals. As someone with visual issues & super-limited time to read, I embrace reading in ALL formats, including audio. I still read print but then typeface / type size / room lighting are key.
debbieohi.com Debbie Ridpath Ohi @debbieohi.com Β· 2d
I switched from Audible to @libro.fm last year. Not only do my audiobook credits never expire but I can support indie bookstores like @bakkaphoenix.bsky.social.

Pls consider using my referral link to check out Libro.fm? (helps me get more #audiobooks πŸ“šπŸ˜):
libro.fm/referral?rf_...
Screenshot showing a β€œPurchase successful” confirmation with a green checkmark and the message β€œThank you for supporting Bakka Phoenix Books.” An order summary lists The Neverfear (pre-ordered audiobook, purchased January 10, 2026, available September 1, 2026) and The House in the Cerulean Sea (purchased January 10, 2026), with options to listen, download, or play.
January 10, 2026 at 1:41 PM
debbieohi.com
For my own mental health, I'm getting back into the habit of starting each day with a short morning mellow moment, even if it's just a minute of mindful breathing, gratitude, & listening to music like this improv from my friend @angrykem.bsky.social. Also avoiding news headlines until later. #Uplift
January 10, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
shannonhale.bsky.social
Books don't tell readers who they personally are or who they are supposed to be. They do show readers a variety of characters. Implicit in that is this: "Here are some ways of being." Kids books aren't altering your kid to be someone new. They are simply showing them parts of humanity.
January 10, 2026 at 7:00 AM
debbieohi.com
I switched from Audible to @libro.fm last year. Not only do my audiobook credits never expire but I can support indie bookstores like @bakkaphoenix.bsky.social.

Pls consider using my referral link to check out Libro.fm? (helps me get more #audiobooks πŸ“šπŸ˜):
libro.fm/referral?rf_...
Screenshot showing a β€œPurchase successful” confirmation with a green checkmark and the message β€œThank you for supporting Bakka Phoenix Books.” An order summary lists The Neverfear (pre-ordered audiobook, purchased January 10, 2026, available September 1, 2026) and The House in the Cerulean Sea (purchased January 10, 2026), with options to listen, download, or play.
January 10, 2026 at 1:26 PM
debbieohi.com
Wow, so generous of you!
January 10, 2026 at 1:20 PM
debbieohi.com
Good luck with your sweater! I made several attempts to learn how to knit or crochet well enough to craft a piece of clothing, but never made it past a (very small) scarf. Rooting for you!
January 10, 2026 at 1:20 PM
debbieohi.com
Mimi is looking wonderful, Kelly. 🐌

And yes, be careful of your crocheting fingers!
January 10, 2026 at 1:19 PM