A picture book is a dance that begins with a solitary dancer, whose success depends on sharing the stage with future partners. In truth, it is a company of dancers: author and illustrator, editor, designer, and art director. And only together will the dance flourish. But as Patrick Swayze famously...

In order to create compelling narratives without ever making anything up, authors of long-form narrative nonfiction employ such elements as setting, character, and plot development; specificity of detail; and dialogue, forming an intimate connection between research and craft. Book design is not generally in our purview (for a variety of...

I love chocolate. I love fruit. But I prefer to enjoy them separately. If, on the off chance, I do bite into a clever combination of the two, it is generally after I’ve been given some kind of heads-up — perhaps one as simple as the label on the inside...