SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Joan in the Cone
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.billysharffbooks.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: SATA 396
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: two.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Making movies, writing songs, visiting bookstores.
AWARDS:Caterpillar Poetry Prize commendation, 2019, for “For the Losers.”
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Billy Sharff is a writer based in New Hampshire. In addition to writing children’s books, he is a filmmaker and songwriter. He has also written poetry, including the poem “For the Losers,” for which he was awarded a commendation from the Caterpillar Poetry Prize.
In 2022, Sharff released his first book, a picture book for kids called When Santa Came to Stay. The volume finds a young child thrilled when Santa Claus enjoys his cookies so much that he decides to come back to his house to have some more. The return visit occurs on New Year’s Eve. Santa enjoys being at the youngster’s house so much that he decides to stay. Mrs. Claus, their son, and their cat come to join him on Valentine’s Day, and Santa continues inviting more family members and friends. At the crowded house, Christmas is celebrated every day, but soon it becomes less special. The child comes to understand that part of what makes Christmas fun is that it only comes once a year. In an interview with Cherokee Crum, contributor to the YA and Kids! Books Central website, Sharff discussed the inspiration behind the book, stating: “My daughter was (is) obsessed with Santa. She was only interested in Christmas books with a lot of Santa in them, and we didn’t have any with enough Santa, so I thought I’d attempt to write a book with Santa on every page. I don’t think Santa is quite on every page, but it’s very close!” When Santa Came to Stay received favorable assessments from critics. Jennifer Noonan, a reviewer in School Library Journal, asserted: “This is a fun and silly story that will be giggled over while shared time and again during the holiday season.” “Together, the story and art make for a smileworthy book with lots of playful silliness,” commented a Kirkus Reviews writer.
In the same interview with Crum, Sharff offered advice for aspiring writers. He stated: “Don’t be afraid to revise. And find good beta-readers you trust.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2022, review of When Santa Came to Stay.
Publishers Weekly, September 12, 2022, review of When Santa Came to Stay, p. 70.
School Library Journal, September, 2022, Jennifer Noonan, review of When Santa Came to Stay, p. 93.
ONLINE
Billy Sharff website, https://www.billysharffbooks.com (March 2, 2023).
Jill Grinberg Literary Management website, https://jillgrinbergliterary.com/ (March 2, 2023), author profile.
YA and Kids! Books Central, https://www.yabookscentral.com/ (October 19, 2022), Cherokee Crum, author interview.
Billy Sharff is an author who writes picture books and poems for kids of all ages. He is the author of When Santa Came to Stay, illustrated by Eda Kaban (Penguin Dial, 2022), Joan in the Cone, illustrated by Hala Tahboub (Penguin Dial, 2025), and Robot’s First Snow, illustrated by Hannah Abbo (Sourcebooks, 2025), as well as a yet-to-be-announced picture book with Penguin Dial. He received a commendation for the Caterpillar Poetry Prize in 2019.
Billy lives in the woods of New Hampshire with his wife and two children. He works in close collaboration with his brother, Aaron Sharff. When he’s not writing, he makes movies, writes songs, and visits every bookstore he can find.
He is represented by Jill Grinberg Literary Management.
Interviews with Billy Sharff & Hala Tahboub (JOAN IN THE CONE), Plus Giveaway~ US ONLY!
July 14, 2025No Comments
Written by Cherokee Crum, Blog Manager and Staff Reviewer
Posted in Authors, Giveaways, Interviews, News & Updates
Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Billy Sharff and illustrator Hala Tahboub!
Read on to learn more about the author & illustrator, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Billy Sharff
Billy Sharff is the author of When Santa Came To Stay. He writes stories and poems for kids of all ages, working in close collaboration with his brother, Aaron Sharff. Billy lives in a little house in the woods of New Hampshire with his wife and two kids. One of their favorite activities is visiting their grandmothers and their two wonderful dogs, who are always happy to steal a shoe, a hat, or a stuffie, and leave it somewhere surprising.
Website * Instagram * X
Meet the Illustrator: Hala Tahboub
Hala Tahboub is the author/illustrator of Kevin Goes First and illustrator of Just What to Do by Kyle Lukoff. She started her creative journey as an architect and interior designer before winning the SCBWI Canada East chapter’s Storyteller Award for Illustration in 2019 and becoming SCBWI’s December Featured Illustrator in 2020. Hala believes in kindness, coffee, chocolate, and in the immense power of stories. She lives in Montreal.
Website * Instagram * X
About the Book: JOAN IN THE CONE
For fans of Grumpy Monkey and The Pout-Pout Fish comes the heroic tale of one dog’s journey to cope with life’s inconveniences and all its . . . accessories
Joan’s life is wonderful, wild, and grand—
running and playing as much as she can!
Days full of fun, where she’s never alone.
And then . . .
came . . .
the cone.
For Joan the dog, life is different now. With her cone, she gets trapped in the doggy door. And she doesn’t command the same respect she once did at the dog park. Through funny challenges and mortifications, Joan reflects on her pre-cone glory days, including what led to her injury (let’s just say, certain choices were made). But with time, Joan begins to see there is love and life and joy beyond the rim of the cone—and sometimes popcorn inside it too, because, it turns out, the cone makes a great snack bowl.
This picture book is guaranteed to make kids and caregivers laugh, and see the trials of life—and dogs in cones—in a whole new way.
Purchase * Goodreads
~Author Chat~
YABC: What inspired you to write this book?
Billy: You would think I was inspired by a dog, but the inspiration actually came from a feeling in me—the kind of feeling a dog might have when trapped in the cone. The story sprung from this feeling, and the desire to rise out of the cone, somehow.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
Billy: I love the feeling in the cake-eating scene—a feeling of enjoyment while teetering on top of a chair. But it’s not nearly as satisfying, in the end, as the feeling of returning a big pile of drool-covered treasure.
Hala: The scene in which Joan falls off the chair. I am pleased with Joan’s expression here and the way I used the background colours to help make Joan the focal point of the spread while keeping a sense of chaos around. I’m also proud about the dramatic transition from this scene into the gentle yet sad moment between Joan and the vet.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Billy: With Joan, I learned to capture feelings in text more vividly than I had in the past, and I’ve been following that more and more.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
Billy: I like the contrast of the party flags with poor Joan’s expression.
Hala: This is the first book cover that I’ve illustrated in which the background is fully painted and I’m pleased with how the colours work together. I also really like the subtle use of the colorful bunting which hints at the story without giving too much away.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?
Billy: The message is that your good days might not really be your good days, and even a bad day might be your best day, strangely, in the end.
YABC: Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing/illustrating?
Hala: I like to listen to the live radio while I’m working. I usually alternate between the BBC and the CBC radios. Some of my favourite radio hosts are Nicholas Grimshaw, Clara Amfo, Tom Power, Julie Nesrallah and Tom Allen.
YABC: What is your favorite snack when writing/illustrating?
Billy: I don’t listen to music while writing. I think because my writing is musical, music clashes with my work. It would be like trying to write a song while listening to a different song.
Hala: I don’t usually eat while I’m working, but I love having a cup of filtered coffee while I do.
YABC: How do you cope with criticism from editors or the public?
Hala: I think that a good book is the collective effort of many creative minds who believe in the project, each having their unique input. That’s why I am always happy to hear an editor’s and an art director’s insights on work that I share. Jessica’s, Jason’s and Jennifer’s insightful comments have helped make Joan’s book what it is. As for the public, a book is intended to be read, and I do value the readers’ thoughts on books that I work on regardless of whether I might agree or not.
YABC: Do you have an unusual office supply that helps you in your writing routine?
Billy: I’ve started using two computer mice, one for each hand. I feel very powerful with my two mice (though I can only use one at a time).
Hala: I have a small lucky jar filled with mini drawings, paper origami stars, figurines and a gnome, as well as a carved penguin, both handmade by my daughters.
YABC: What new release book are you looking forward to in 2025?
Hala: I’m excited about the release of Joan in the Cone, The Interrupted Plans of Mango and Nan, a picture book I’ve written and illustrated, and Gus Gordon’s graphic novel Into the Bewilderness.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Billy: I have several other books cooking. I have a robot book out in the fall of ’25 (Robot’s First Snow) and a few unannounced projects.
Hala: My second author-illustrated book, The Interrupted Plans of Mango and Nan will be coming out this August. Currently, I’m working on making the art for a book written by Nicholas Day that will be published in the Spring of 2026, and on my third author-illustrated book.
YABC: Is there anything that you would like to add?
Hala: One of the many things I love about Joan’s story is the heartfelt way in which it’s written. I connected to this little dog’s tale from the start and that made this book a true joy to illustrate.
Title: JOAN IN THE CONE
Author: Billy Sharff
Illustrator: Hala Tahboub
Release Date: 7/15/2025
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0593533143
ISBN-13: 9780593533147
Genre: Hardcover Picture Book
Age Range: 3-7
Billy Sharff is an author who writes picture books and poems for kids of all ages. He is the author of When Santa Came to Stay, illustrated by Eda Kaban (Penguin Dial, 2022), Joan in the Cone, illustrated by Hala Tahboub (Penguin Dial, 2025), Robot’s First Snow, illustrated by Hannah Abbo (Sourcebooks, 2025), and Rock & Pebble (Penguin Dial, 2027). He received a commendation for the Caterpillar Poetry Prize in 2019.
Billy lives in the woods of New Hampshire with his wife and two children. He works in close collaboration with his brother, Aaron Sharff. When he’s not writing, he makes movies, writes songs, and visits every bookstore he can find.
Sharff, Billy ROBOT'S FIRST SNOW Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (Children's None) $17.99 10, 7 ISBN: 9781728279992
Automatons working in a factory learn the importance of taking a break to have fun.
Our intrepid hero, a tiny robot with a domed head, spindly arms and legs, and a light on top, finishes work for the day and looks longingly at the stars. The other robots--the Multibots and the Vacuumbot--are still busy clanging away at their tasks. The next morning, an unknown substance has fallen from the sky. "Robot, Robot, wake and stare. / What is falling through the air? /Beep, beep. Whirr / Detected: SNOW. // What's it like? / You do not know." The tiny robot cautiously steps outside and begins to play, instinctively knowing how to throw snowballs and make a snowbot. In the distance, a family of pale-skinned humans are having a good time. Can our hero get the other bots in the factory to join in on the fun? Theyare programmed to help humans, after all. Some may find the melding of artificial intelligence into family life a bit disconcerting, given recent headlines about the threat of AI, but watching these humans and bots build a joyous snow slide together is truly heartwarming. Images of silver-colored machinery and short staccato text make for an enchanting tale.
A satisfying wintry story about the delights of curiosity, connection, and play.(Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Sharff, Billy: ROBOT'S FIRST SNOW." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A851177826/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7464bded. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Sharff, Billy JOAN IN THE CONE Dial Books (Children's None) $18.99 7, 15 ISBN: 9780593533147
"Some days you find every last hidden bone! / And some days you're stuck in the cone."
A philosophical streak runs through this tale, written in second person and centered on Joan, a happy-go-lucky, floppy-eared brown pup with a spot on one eye. Most days the pooch plays with Louise (Joan's young owner) or the cat or a group of other dogs who meet in the park. Most days are great fun but one day, Joan sees "a glorious thing" up on a table: Louise's birthday cake. The pup climbs on a chair to get closer. Yum! It's the best taste ever. Joan's practically floating on air--until the little dog falls. Outfitted in a cast and a cone, Joan's sure that "the good days are through." But an unexpected discovery in the toy bin perks Joan up--a rubber ducky stolen from Louise ages ago. Louise is thrilled when Joan returns the toy, so Joan digs up plenty of other treasures that once belonged to other members of the household, returns them all, and feels much better. "Some days are wonderful--in a NEW way, / With new tricks to try, / And new games to play." This rhyming tale zeroes in on delightful details that will be familiar to any dog lover, though youngsters will find many parallels to their own lives. Tahboub's digitally created illustrations are dynamic, expressive, and funny. Joan's family is light-skinned.
An appealing puppy-centric parable.(Picture book. 3-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Sharff, Billy: JOAN IN THE CONE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837325465/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f9ab0cdd. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.