Debra Collins

MOWMT 1: Fair-Weather Fairytales with Lynne Marie You might have heard that, as far as stories, everything has been done before, and that there’s nothing truly new under the sun. Well, that’s not exactly true! Yes, it’s correct that with most tales, ...

Here is our very first March On With Mentor Text post! Join in the fun, fundamentals and PRIZES!! It's a worthwhile event for writers and authors so please share far and wide to support the cause! Comment on the blog for a chance to win those prizes! www.rateyourstory.org/post/mowmt-1...

KNOW-HOW It’s amazing what kids can do. Take, for example, this story of a young woman named Victoria who turns discarded, unwanted clothing into lovely, lively, fashionable pieces that are sold to fund a...

Welcome to March, everyone! In my blog this month, see how kids' Know-How is shown in NANCY BESS HAD A DRESS by Claire Noland. Let's not underestimate kids! @claireannette.bsky.social
www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b... #PictureBooks #SEL #KidLit

Three writers I know just won Promising Manuscript Awards from #SeasonsofKidLit! Congrats, Donna Rossman @donnarossman.bsky.social, Robin Currie @robincurrie.bsky.social, and Andrew Fairchild @robincurrie.bsky.social And congrats, Kelly Clasen, PhD
@kellyclasenwriter.bsky.social & Stephanie Owen!

Reposted! Thank you, #MSWL!

Hello Writing Community! We are delighted to announce our Second Official Bluesky *** #MSWL Day *** February 26, 2026. 🎉🎉🎉

Agents + editors can post what they ✨wish✨ they had in their inboxes; writers can find their next best fit for querying.

Learn more: manuscriptwishlist.com/2025/01/the-...

FROM CODDLED TO COMPETENT Picture the shining eyes of a child celebrating another milestone. “I can do it, all by myself!”   What of a pampered child who never needs to lift a finger? Does such indulgence make them...

Every month I spotlight a PB with SEL benefit. My blog post this month, "From Coddled to Competent," features THE PALACE RAT. Shout-out to author Lynne Marie @literallylynne.bsky.social #PictureBooks #KidLit #SEL
www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

BREAKING OUT OF SELF-DOUBT When working with kids who are afraid of trying, lest they fail, I tell them I have a “perfect” necklace made of gold. They agree that it’s valuable. Then I ask them to look closely at my...

"Breaking Out of Self-Doubt," the new post on my SPOTLIGHTS blog, features"Perfectly Imperfect Mira" by Faith Pray, a picture book story of growing self-awareness and self-management. #PictureBooks #KidLit #SEL www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

Coming Out on Top Original Post: 12/2/24 on CBA Blogfish.

For Hanukkah 2024, my blog post, "Coming Out on Top" spotlighted author Elissa Brent Weissman's HANUKKAH UPSIDE DOWN. Take a look at what this wonderful book has to offer! #PictureBooks #KidLit #SEL www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

WHAT SHALL WE CELEBRATE? Every day, we grown-ups are inundated with messages urging us to mistrust, exclude, and expel certain people.     How do we “grow up” to this? Children do not find these attitudes modeled in...

December's here! My "SPOTLIGHTS" blog post, "What Shall We Celebrate?" features the true Christmas-Hanukkah story JACKIE'S GIFT. Sharon Robinson, daughter of the great Jackie Robinson, authored this interfaith tale. #PictureBooks #SEL #KidLit www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

Wow, our worlds seem to be in sync!

My November blog post, "Common Ground," spotlights THE FORT by Laura Perdew. From conflict to community, a shout-out to @lmperdew.bsky.social #PictureBook #KidLit #SEL
Here's the link: www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

And a shout-out to the author, @joanapastro.bsky.social !

FROM PASSIVELY PRETTY TO PRETTY DARN POWERFUL Why do I write this blog? As a school psychologist, I’ve worked to foster children’s social-emotional development. Referencing the CASEL framework, I highlight character-driven stories that...

This month SPOTLIGHTS blog, titled FROM PASSIVELY PRETTY TO PRETTY DARN POWERFUL, shines on a glorious picture book: LILLYBELLE, A Damsel NOT in Distress, author Joana Pastro, illo Jhon Ortiz. #PB #KidLit #SEL
www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

My September blog, "I See Myself in You," suggests picture books offer wisdom for adults, not only children. It features A MOON FOR MOE AND MOE (Jane Breskin Zalben, Mehrdokt Amini) and THAT FLAG (Tameka Fryer Brown, Nikkolas Smith). #PIctureBooks #SEL www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

SPOTLIGHT blog ​You may know the fable of the blind folk who were shown an elephant. They surrounded the animal, each touching a different part. Coming away with very different perceptions, they argued...

It's already August! This month I spotlight picture books that cultivate the capacity to take another person's perspective: DUCK! RABBIT! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and XO, Exoplanet by @underwoodwriter.bsky.social #SEL #PIctureBooks
www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

SAFE ENOUGH TO BE BRAVE ​Children who are easily overwhelmed have narrow comfort zones. It is far too easy for everyday situations to trigger self-protective “fight or flight” reactions, whereby the autonomic nervous...

Hello, all! For July, my spotlighted PB is JUST LIKE MILLIE by Lauren Castillo.#KidLit #SEL #PictureBooks Find my post, SAFE ENOUGH TO BE BRAVE, at www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

Time for my happy dance! My debut picture book is announced! SCAT, CAT! A Story of MItzvahs, forthcoming from Kar-Ben, illustrated by Billie Michaels. #KidLit #PictureBooks #JewishJoy

CARING FOR THE CARER by Dr. Debra Collins

Also posted at Children's Book Academy, childrensbookacademy.weebly.com/blogfish/car...

CARING FOR THE CARER A popular quote (author unknown) begins, “Your kindness is never wasted. Even when it goes unnoticed, even when it's taken for granted.” How nice, though, when it IS noticed. Even nicer, when it...

Happy June! My featured PB this month is A HAT FOR MRS. GOLDMAN by Michelle Edwards @michellejedwards.bsky.social, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. #KidLit #SEL #PictureBooks Find my post, "Caring for the Carer," at www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

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#KidLit #ChildrenBooks #KidsBooks

SPOTLIGHT blog This month’s book highlights and nurtures social-emotional capacities of Social Awareness and Relationship Skills through metaphor, rather than a character-driven plot.

Hi, Debbie! I am a PB author (my debut book will be announced in a few months). I'd love to # my blog posts to this feed. It's a monthly blog re PBs with SEL. www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b... (my posts also appear on Children's Book Academy).

SPOTLIGHT blog This month’s book highlights and nurtures social-emotional capacities of Social Awareness and Relationship Skills through metaphor, rather than a character-driven plot.

For May, my "SPOTLIGHT" warmly welcomes everyone to gather under THE BIG UMBRELLA by Amy June Bates. #KidLit #SEL #PictureBooks Check in at childrensbookacademy.com/blogs/kidlit...
or at my website,
www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

My pleasure! I enjoyed it.

BLOGFISH by Dr. Debra Collins

This post is also at childrensbookacademy.weebly.com/blogfish

SPOTLIGHT blog Last month’s spotlight featured a character with attributes that truly were quite different from his peers’.  In this month’s story, PAULA’S PATCHES, a girl who believes her situation is...

My "Spotlights" blog post for April features PAULA'S PATCHES by Gabriella Aldeman (Author) and Rocío Arreola Mendoza (Illustrator). See it on my website, www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b...

CONGRATS to Winners and Honorable Mentions from @viviankirkfield.bsky.social 2025's #50PreciousWords contest! Shout-outs to Winners and HM's I've studied with: @susaninez.bsky.social, @jessicammilo.bsky.social, @charlinebarger.bsky.social, @donnarossman.bsky.social, @robincurrie.bsky.social,

Did you know that school libraries not only foster a love of reading and literacy in kids, but also impact their level of academic achievement, including test scores and graduation rates?

School libraries matter!! 🩷
#kidlit #WritingCommmunity #literacy #schoollibrary #BookHero

MOWMT: Playing with Point of View by Roxanne Troup March 4, 2025[Note: Click on Titles to Buy Books]Point of view (POV) is the lens with which we tell a story. But choosing the right point of view can be a challenge. Occasionally, we get it right the ...

"POV is the lens with which we tell a story. But choosing the right point of view can be a challenge." Check out this craft post with PB mentor texts to study (by me!).
#kidlit #mentortexts #storytelling #writerstoolbox

www.rateyourstory.org/single-post/...

Who else is enjoying March On with Mentor Texts? Thanks for hosting this, #RYS, @literallylynne.bsky.social

FITTING IN WHEN YOU’RE UNIQUE ​Forming a group, by definition, involves making many into one. It’s a unit made up of multiple, non-identical elements. For the group to run smoothly, the purpose or expectations of the unit...

My March picture-book blog post, FITTING IN WHEN YOU’RE UNIQUE, features Helen H. Wu's book, LONG GOES TO DRAGON SCHOOL (Yeehoo Press). On my website at www.thewritedebracollins.com/spotlights-b... and at Children's Book Academy, childrensbookacademy.weebly.com/blogfish/fit... #kidlit #PB #SEL