When I speak to elementary audiences as a Visiting Poet, I often explain that in the making of children’s books, the author and the illustrator rarely meet or communicate during the book-making process.

I was lucky, however. Last fall, I got to meet Aaron Marin, the illustrator of TRUCKS, BOOTS, AND BELLS. Just look at this cover he created! TRUCKS, BOOTS, AND BELLS will be published by Holiday House in Oct. 2026.

Aaron is a warm, friendly, dynamic artist who cares deeply about this project. We talked about the intricacies of the illustration process, and about my father and his work in the FDNY. (I shared about my dad’s career in my cover reveal over on the Poetry for Children blog-– the story behind the book!) Aaron and I were steadfast in our commitment to depict a diverse fire crew, so all children could see themselves and imagine themselves in the role of firefighter. Aaron did so much research on the details of the firetrucks, equipment, and firehouse!

I’m so proud of the work we did together. And I can’t wait for you all to see TRUCKS, BOOTS, AND BELLS. For now, you can get some sneak peeks at a few pages, with more of Aaron’s incredible illustrations— plus a pre-order link— on any online retailer, like Bookshop.org, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. You can use this link to order from my local bookshop here on Cape Cod!