This beloved author has been dubbed America's Hans Christian Andersen and the Aesop of the 20th century. Her books have won many awards including the coveted Caldecott Medal, multiple Nebula Awards, and the Christopher Medal to name just a few.

What is evident from her prolific body of work (more than 200 titles!) is that Jane Yolen is an author who loves the writing process and wants you to love it too. In updating Take Joy, she offers a blend of classic and new writing advice that is upbeat, practical, and at times irreverent. Whether she is addressing the development of plot or the importance of using the correct point of view, Yolen bolsters your confidence and helps you to feel genuinely happy and content about your writing life and work.

Reading Take Joy is like having a visit with a beloved mentor-you laugh a little, you learn a lot, and when you leave, you're as eager and confident as can be to begin your project. Yolen's positive attitude and her blend of encouragement and instruction are a welcome change from many of today's more cynical how-to write books. Like Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, Take Joy is a timeless classic. What sets it apart is that Yolen manages to offer solid, sensible advice in a format that celebrates the pleasure to be found in following your writing dreams.