There are a number of picture books about books, stories, or picture book writers. Janie Writes a Play: Jane Yolen’s First Great Story (2025) is one of them. It tells the story of how Jane Yolen, author of more than 400 books (for kids, teens, and adults) wrote her first story, a play for school.
The illustrations by Madelyn Goodnight include references to Yolen’s many stories, some directly, by including books on bookshelves with those books’ titles, and some less directly (through the figures shown in some scenes). Author Heidi E.Y. Stemple (Yolen’s daughter, and an established writer in her own right) tells this story in a clear and accessible fashion.
And…that’s about it. I don’t mean to be cruel, but if this weren’t about Jane Yolen, I’m not sure there’s enough here for it to get published. It is clear and pleasant, but there’s almost no conflict, and even the youngest kids will likely see the successful ending coming.
