If you love picture book nonfiction, you need to know about two jam-packed panel discussions coming to Texas this month. I’m honored to have a part in both of them.

On Sunday, April 21, the International Reading Association convention in San Antonio will host “But Kids Haven’t Heard of That!”: Why Teaching Unconventional Nonfiction Is Important, moderated by children’s literature expert Susannah Richards. The discussion will feature Marc Tyler Nobleman (Bill the Boy Wonder), Shana Corey (Here Come the Girl Scouts!), Meghan McCarthy (Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum), Brian Floca (Moonshot), and me.

Just a few days later, on April 25, attendees of the Texas Library Association conference in Fort Worth can listen in as I moderate The Best of Both: Nonfiction and Historical Fiction Picture Books, a discussion among Shana Corey (again!), Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost), Doreen Rappaport (Helen’s Big World), Tanya Lee Stone (Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?), and Melissa Sweet (Balloons Over Broadway).

The next day, on April 26, I’ll take part in yet another discussion, this one featuring authors with books included in the 2012-2013 Spirit of Texas middle school reading program. Besides me (my Can I See Your I.D.? will be the honored title in late summer and early fall), the panelists will include Jennifer Archer (Through Her Eyes), Karen Blumenthal (Bootleg), Veronica Goldbach (Deep in the Heart of Texas), and Andrea White (Windows on the World).