[1] She is best known for her memoir Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, her children's picture books, and the film project The Beckoning of Lovely.

Rosenthal had several books on the New York Times bestseller list: I Wish You More, Uni the Unicorn, Plant a Kiss, Exclamation Mark, Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, and Duck!

[15] Her follow-up, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, was published by Dutton Penguin Random House on August 9, 2016.

Her films include 17 Things I Made,[19] Today is a Gift,[20] ATM: Always Trust Magic,[21] The Kindness Thought Bubble,[22] The Money Tree[23] and The Beckoning of Lovely.

[30][31] Chicago Magazine described The Beckoning of Lovely: Rosenthal's masterpiece, unfolding over the past two years, began with a YouTube video called 17 Things I Made.

She expected a group of maybe 30, but roughly 400 curious people showed up, surprised to find themselves singing, dancing, blowing bubbles, and giving flowers to strangers.

[4] On March 3, 2017, at the age of 51, she announced that she was terminally ill with ovarian cancer, by way of a New York Times "Modern Love" essay.

[36] "I am wrapping this up on Valentine’s Day," she wrote, "and the most genuine, non-vase-oriented gift I can hope for is that the right person reads this, finds Jason, and another love story begins."