Kate Dopirak

I am super-excited to share the big, fat news that you can pre-order Jessica Young’s MY BLUE IS HAPPY. (I love Jess and her writing, and I am completely confident that you will, too.)   Follow one girl’s journey through her neighborhood as she explores what colors mean to different people. ls red angry, like a dragon’s burning breath? [...]

Check Out These Books: A Suggested Reading List for Kids Education.com Falling into a book – relating to a character or a place or a concept – has the power to change a child’s life. Don’t we all remember that one book where we found ourselves? A book can allow a child to see the [...]

Higher Ground The steep hill leading to my new home mocked me. But I had baby weight to lose, and I was determined to conquer it. By Kate Dopirak from Parents Magazine While I was in the hospital after giving birth to our first son, Joey, my husband wanted to make an offer on a [...]

At my brother’s 40th birthday party, lots of people made toasts: our parents, our uncle, our friend, our sister – the list goes on and on. But, not me. I wimped out – missing the chance to chat up my big bro in front of some of the most important people in his life. And [...]

At our WPA SCBWI conference, illustrators had the chance to submit images for review. After lunch, we projected their art onto a big screen so all attendees could hear the editors and agent critique each piece. When Nora Thompson’s work hit the wall, a collective ‘WOW’ escaped from the crowd and from the professionals on the panel. [...]

My sons watched an episode of Pink Panther as I drove. I couldn’t see the screen, of course, but I loved listening to my boys. Here’s what went down: 7-year-old: “It’s a rabbit!” 5-year-old: “I know it!” 7-year-old: “It’s gonna be a rabbit!” Both boys: “Ahhhhhhhhhh! IT’S A CHICKEN!!!!” Laughs and laughs and more laughs. [...]

Hooray! It’s time to register for Picture Book Idea Month. Take the 30-picture-book-ideas-in-30-days challenge with me. Come on. It’ll be fun. I promise. Still not sure? You can win prizes. Yes, I said prizes. What are you waiting for? Go-go-go.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Courtney Stevens Potter at the LA SCBWI conference. Courtney made me laugh, really laugh, and I had a blast with her, but she’s also so warm, so real, so honest, that at times, she made my heart beat in my ears. She gave me shivers three times [...]

Jay Asher was a keynote speaker at the 2009 New York SCBWI conference. Thirteen Reasons Why had exploded onto the scene in 2007. He was an author on the rise – a star in the making. And I was lucky enough to be in the room with him. His speech was passionate, funny, warm and [...]

You’ve read (and fallen in love with) Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s middle grade novel, Selling Hope, right? (If you haven’t read Selling Hope, read it right this very second. Go ahead. I’ll wait. If you have read Selling Hope, then yay for you and please continue reading this post.) Because I love everything about this smart, [...]