Tag Archives: Board Books

Happy Birthday, I’M A BABY!

|

Yesterday, Familius released my latest board book! And, for me, it didn’t go quite as expected, as the first signed copy went to my back surgeon… in the surgery room! Yes, I had to have minor back surgery on book release day (sigh…). Still, I wanted to let everyone know it is now available for purchase from your favorite bookseller!

I’m feeling much more clear-headed today, and I suppose it’s a lesson that advanced planning is useful. Thank goodness for scheduling social media posts, interviews, reviews, and giveaways in advance (thank you, Sincerely Stacie and Simply 7 for making my book release even more special!).

This delightful board book is illustrated by the talented Volha Kahliaha. Her bright, eye-catching, humorous illustrations are full of expressive faces (including the cat!) that are bound to have the family giggling. I wrote this story from a baby’s perspective (if babies could talk!) to capture a day-in-the-life of an active baby. I hope everyone enjoys it and finds it a book worth bonding over and providing much sweet, lap time reading.

HELLO, MEADOW! Kirkus Review…

|

This just in…Kirkus has said HELLO, MEADOW!, my latest board book with Yosemite Conservancy, is “An early, age-appropriate lesson in how to appreciate the natural world.”

Here’s what they said:

“Rhymes and pictures urge us to protect the fragility of deceptively sturdy-looking, wildlife-rich meadows.

As in Eat Up, Bear! (2021), author and illustrator again team up to show small folks—and their parents—how to enjoy nature without harming it. The opening spread shows heedless human behavior (littering, flower-picking) in a lovely natural site, but the rest of the book instructs readers how to treat flora and fauna with respect (staying on the trail, observing wildlife from a distance). A rocking, slightly evolving refrain appears on most spreads: “Hello, Meadow! How are you? / We can help our meadows, too!” The simply drawn, brightly hued illustrations are graced with a multitude of accurately depicted plants and animals: red-shouldered hawk, Turk’s-cap lilies, lupine, blue flags, milkweed, monarch butterflies, red-winged blackbird, and much more (though none are identified as such in the text). The friendly mouse on the cover can be spotted on every page, and in the final spread, the very people who were endangering the meadow back at the start are now enjoying the same activities without risking harm to the environment. The last couplet underscores the point: “Every grown-up, every child, / can help keep meadows strong and wild.” Human characters vary in skin color and age, from a bespectacled, light-skinned older adult to a brown-skinned infant in a carrier. (This book was reviewed digitally.)An early, age-appropriate lesson in how to appreciate the natural world. (Board book. 1-4)“

For complete details, visit their website HERE.

PUB-DATE: APRIL 11, 2023.
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE.

From Idea to Bookshelf Part 6 (It’s Here!): Love Can Come in Many Ways

|

It’s Here!

In my last post, I spoke about waiting while your book has gone to print. It can feel like forever so when it arrives at your door and you FINALLY get to hold YOUR BOOK in your own hands, well, it’s nothing short of magical. Here’s a video of me seeing Love Can Come in Many Ways for the first time. Oh, and you never know when your books will arrive, so please excuse the down-dressed appearance. And I never realized how squeaky my voice gets when I’m excited!

I don’t know if you could tell, but there were tears in my eyes. It’s so incredibly special to hold my book for the first time. And I am profoundly grateful to my editor, Ariel Richardson, Chronicle Books, and our wonderful illustrator talent, Suzy Ultman.

Now, I cannot wait for little ones to hold in their own hands! It’s coming out October 20, but you can preorder HERE.