What books on writing do you recommend?

Concerning books on writing, my personal favorite is Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul. She gets into the nitty-gritty on everything from addressing a dual-audience to character development to rhyming and rhythm. Excellent read. Bring a highlighter. Keep it handy when you write, edit or critique.

My other favorites, which are more geared toward chapter book and adult writing, but that still have something to teach us, are How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card and You Can Write a Novel by James V. Smith, Jr. (cheesy name, but a great book). Again, I like these because they really get into the mechanics of writing: the nitty-gritty of how to do specific things and why such-and-such works and such-and-such doesn't.

What books do you recommend?

What a good question!

I am about to read Anastasia Suen's Picture Writing. I'll let you know how it is afterwards.

I tried to read The Encyclopedia of Writing and Illustrating Children's Books by Desdemona McCannon, but it was a difficult read and I found it hard to go through. Maybe others might feel differently, but I couldn't stay awake.