Andrew Larsen – författare

★“The narrative is upbeat and provides opportunities for counting and talking about dressing to go outside. This combination of cheerful drawings and omniscient narrative, plus joyful dogs, will appeal to young readers. The book works for both story time or independent reading. A strong first buy.”—School Library Journal (SLJ), starred review

Sally is going out in the snow!

It's a winter's day and Sally the dog is headed to the park! But first she has to put on some warm clothes: coat and boots. It's not easy to zip up a pup, but finally she's ready to sniff and snout her way through the snow. At the park she finds other pups to play with and sees people rolling snowballs to make snowdogs of all shapes and sizes! Sally sniffs them all before saying goodbye to her new friends and heading back home for a well-earned snooze.

In the inspirational sequel to Andrew Larsen’s A Squiggly Story, a boy meets a blank page in this fun exploration of the writing process, celebrating self-expression, self-discovery and letting your imagination roam.

The young boy listens as Mr. Lopez tells his class about next week’s assignment: write a story about yourself. “You can write about ANYTHING,” he says, “as long as you write about YOU.” Marcus is going to write about his hat collection. Alia is going to write about the vampires she talks about all the time. But all the boy can come up with is a title: “The Story of Me by Me.” He can’t figure out what it should be about. His sister suggests starting with lists — Things I Like, Things I Know. Only, the things all seem disconnected. Is there some way to connect them, and make them into a story?

The kindergartener who learned to use squiggles to write a story in award-winning Andrew Larsen’sA Squiggly Story is now in second grade and learning to write an autobiography. Told in the same authentic child’s voice, this playful book encourages readers to just start, even if they don’t know how their story will go. It offers an accessible early language arts lesson on the writing process, exploring important basics (brainstorming, first draft, revising) and key terms (autobiography, editing, title, cover). Mike Lowery’s bold illustrations incorporate story panels and dialogue bubbles, keeping the energy high and giving a fresh and modern feel to the pages. A strong tie-in with early literacy curricula, this book also works well for supplementary or at-home learning. It’s a perfect choice to inspire the storyteller in every child!

In this poignant story from Andrew Larsen, a child spends time with a beloved grandmother during her final days and experiences love that will last a lifetime.

When Grandma gets sick and comes to stay at her grandchild’s house, she brings her bird feeder. Grandma loves birds. And the child loves the time they now get to have together, drawing pictures of birds and “talking about interesting things.” After a while, though, Grandma’s health declines, and she moves to the hospice. Hanging Grandma’s bird feeder outside the window there makes things better. After a while, though, Grandma continues to grow weaker, and her ability to interact lessens. Difficult as it is, the child adjusts, knowing that, while the situation keeps changing, their love for each other never wavers.

Award-winning author Andrew Larsen beautifully captures the special bond between a child and a grandparent, and sensitively deals with a child’s loss of a loved one. Using the motif of their shared love of birds and its physical manifestation in the form of the bird feeder allows for a continuity in the child’s life that puts the loss in a larger context. Larsen offers an authentic, straightforward presentation of the process of a loved one’s death, from being sick, to going to the hospice, to participating less and less in their relationship, to death. It will lead young readers to ask their own questions about life, death and how we remember those who die. The cool palette and simple lines in Dorothy Leung’s art evoke empathy for the child’s experience, while the presence of the birds adds life and hope to the visual story.

A child shares feelings about their identity with their dad in this powerful story about change, acceptance and, above all, love.

One winter, while creating their annual ice rink together, a child starts a conversation with their dad about something important. “Do you ever feel mixed up about who you are?” the child asks. But the father misunderstands the question. So, the child tries again later. “Do you ever feel different than the way you look?” Again, the father doesn’t get it. But this time he asks to hear more. And the child explains. “I look like a boy, but sometimes I feel more like a girl.” At last, it’s been said. The child shares that their name feels like an itchy sweater and they want to change it to “Gray.” It’s a big change, but one they can grow into together. And when Gray’s dad finally uses their chosen name, it feels warm and right, just like hot chocolate after the first skate of the season.

This personal story, co-written by acclaimed author Andrew Larsen and his son Bells, is inspired by Bells’s own experience as a transgender person. It’s about the joy and comfort a child feels when a parent affirms their identity, and how the transition can be complex for the rest of the family. An excellent conversation starter for families with a child who might be questioning their gender identity, it centers the child’s experience of navigating and sharing what they feel, and shows that, though the child’s sense of themself is changing, their place in the family is not. It also demonstrates a supportive and respectful family environment, where home is a safe space. Tallulah Fontaine’s softly focused illustrations punctuated by the red of Gray’s cap create an inviting, wintery setting.