Early in June, you joined me to sing Happy Book Birthday for one of my awesome critique buddies, Tina Cho. And now, just two months later, we are ready to celebrate with her again…for yet another picture book! Tina…you are on fire, girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, THE OCEAN CALLS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Written by Tina Cho and illustrated by Jess X. Snow and published by Kokila, the book has already received starred reviews!

 Striking digital artwork by Snow (Black Girl Magic) captures the swirl of the ocean currents, the contrast between the sun’s citrus hues and the ocean’s blues, and the bounty of sea life. In one spread, Snow shows grandmother and granddaughter heading for the beach as the sun casts shadows behind them that look like mermaid’s tails. Sturdy prose by Cho (Rice from Heaven) highlights a segment of Korean society whose women preserve a vibrant tradition of enterprise, stamina, and cooperation, and Grandma shines as a kind of generous real-life superhero. Back matter offers additional information about ““Korea’s granny mermaids.” – Publisher’s Weekly

 This expressive story is a must-have for any collection. As a bonus, the back matter provides extensive history on the haenyeo tradition, along with safety protocols and quotes from divers. – School Library Journal

We are so lucky because Tina is offering a copy of this glorious book as a giveaway, so please make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win. Why not share if you’ve ever found treasures at the beach. For extra tickets in the giveaway hat, please share this post on social media (Facebook is still not a fan of my WordPress URL, so you will have to circumvent that if you share on FB).

The book is available for purchase at all bookstores…here’s a link for my wonderful Indie that is still offering free shipping to US addresses, Toadstool Books: https://www.toadbooks.com/book/9781984814869

And to leave a review on Amazon (these are very important), please go here.

I am just so darn proud of Tina and the beautiful books she is creating! I learn so much with every story she writes!

I hope you all have a wonderful week! I’m continuing to pack – just donated a couple of boxes of art books to the art teacher at the Amherst Middle School – I’m excited to share the love my late husband had for art by sharing the books he treasured.