Louisa Learns to Write

Louisa May Alcott Creates Little Women

Illustrated by Sofia Moore
Hardcover
$19.99 US
On sale Jan 20, 2026 | 40 Pages | 9781629794563

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Through persistence and hard work, Louisa May Alcott goes from a little girl writing in her “Imagination Book” to the world-renowned author of Little Women.

This nonfiction picture book will inspire creativity and spark interest in writing for kids ages 7–10.


Louisa May Alcott wrote the beloved classic Little Women, but she started out as just a little girl scribbling in her journal. 

Born into the middle of a spirited, creative group of sisters, Louisa was always up for exploration, play, dreaming, and creating—the traits that would one day make her a writer. Even when times were hard, Louisa’s family held each other close and persevered. So when Louisa dared to write a novel, she wrote about the thing that mattered most to her—family! The four Alcott sisters became the four March sisters in the smashing hit novel Little Women.

Award-winning writer Kate Hannigan and illustrator Sofia Moore bring Louisa to life, and she is just as spunky and charming as you’d hope Jo March’s creator would be.
© Erielle Bakkum Photography
Kate Hannigan loves digging up stories about remarkable people forgotten by history. She is the author of The Detective's Assistant, the story of America's first woman detective, which won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for best middle-grade fiction. She is also the author of the Cupcake Cousins series. Kate lives in Chicago, Illinois, with her family and dog. Visit katesbooks.com View titles by Kate Hannigan
Sofia Moore is a Ukrainian-American artist and illustrator. She loves painting traditionally and layering textures both on paper and digitally. Her recent book Dream By Dream by Geri Kolesar was a 2024 Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year. Her other titles include Pencilvania by Stephanie Watson, named one of the best books of 2021 by the New York Public Library, and A Beam of Light by Elisa Boxer. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. View titles by Sofia Moore

About

Through persistence and hard work, Louisa May Alcott goes from a little girl writing in her “Imagination Book” to the world-renowned author of Little Women.

This nonfiction picture book will inspire creativity and spark interest in writing for kids ages 7–10.


Louisa May Alcott wrote the beloved classic Little Women, but she started out as just a little girl scribbling in her journal. 

Born into the middle of a spirited, creative group of sisters, Louisa was always up for exploration, play, dreaming, and creating—the traits that would one day make her a writer. Even when times were hard, Louisa’s family held each other close and persevered. So when Louisa dared to write a novel, she wrote about the thing that mattered most to her—family! The four Alcott sisters became the four March sisters in the smashing hit novel Little Women.

Award-winning writer Kate Hannigan and illustrator Sofia Moore bring Louisa to life, and she is just as spunky and charming as you’d hope Jo March’s creator would be.

Author

© Erielle Bakkum Photography
Kate Hannigan loves digging up stories about remarkable people forgotten by history. She is the author of The Detective's Assistant, the story of America's first woman detective, which won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for best middle-grade fiction. She is also the author of the Cupcake Cousins series. Kate lives in Chicago, Illinois, with her family and dog. Visit katesbooks.com View titles by Kate Hannigan
Sofia Moore is a Ukrainian-American artist and illustrator. She loves painting traditionally and layering textures both on paper and digitally. Her recent book Dream By Dream by Geri Kolesar was a 2024 Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year. Her other titles include Pencilvania by Stephanie Watson, named one of the best books of 2021 by the New York Public Library, and A Beam of Light by Elisa Boxer. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. View titles by Sofia Moore