What a AMAZING way to start off the New Year, dear friends!!!

It’s the launch of a beautiful new book from author Kellie Byrnes, who resides in beautiful Queensland, Australia! So, please join with me in singing…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:

Here’s a little synopsis from Amazon:

Love is shown in many ways. When we look closely, we see it everyday!

Love is a constant in all of our lives, but how we express that love differs person to person! This warm picture book shows children and adults expressing love in many different ways through words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, quality time, and physical touch.

Reading together at bedtime? That’s quality time.
Giving a friend your cape to wear? That’s a gift.
Saving your friend a seat on the bus? That’s an act of service.
A great big bear hug? That’s touch.
Telling someone, “You’ve really improved!” Those are words of affirmation.

With friendly art, How Do You Love? will warm hearts and open up minds. Young readers will begin to recognize how we each express our love differently―and that’s okay!

And just look at the first page of the book! Inviting, engaging, and beautifully diverse!

And how about this one!

Friends, this is exactly the type of book we want to share with very young children. When I heard that Kellie had another book coming out, I knew I’d want to feature it on my blog. And guess what? She stopped by to chat about the path to publication and some of the challenges she encountered:

KELLIE: How Do You Love? has had the same name all along but I have written MANY different versions of the story, with all sorts of structures and story arcs and styles. It took a while (years!) to find the right way to bring this concept to life for young children, but I hope that readers feel it works nicely now to introduce kids to the idea of expressing and receiving love in multiple ways and can prompt discussions on this valuable topic. 

KELLIE: The book has been pushed back a few times due to the shipping delays caused by the global pandemic, but I feel that 2022 is a year when we all need and want to focus on love more than ever, so perhaps those delays were all for the best!

That’s so true, Kellie! These days, we definitely need more books like HOW DO YOU LOVE. I’m so excited to add this book to my picture book collection…and thanks to Kelli and her generous publisher, Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, there is a giveaway copy up for grabs for one lucky winner – U.S. or Canadian addresses only, please.

To be entered in the giveaway, just leave a comment (maybe share what your favorite way to show love is) on this blog post and spread the word on your social media. But honestly…don’t wait to win a copy – pop over to your favorite indie bookstore and order it! And, after you read the book, remember to leave a review on Amazon, B&N, and/or Goodreads. Also, ask your local library to purchase copies for their shelves.

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of this first week of the New Year! I’ve been participating in Julie Hedlund’s 12 Days for Writers…what a great way to acknowledge the challenges/failures/disappointments of 2021…and then let go of them so that we can move forward into 2022.

I’m also on board for Tara Lazar’s STORYSTORM, a 30-day blog fest of inspiring posts from published authors, illustrators, and other creatives in the kid lit world. It started January 1…and you can sign up till January 7, so don’t delay! There are already over 1600 people registered – there will be prizes at the end of the challenge – and I’ll be participating as one of the bloggers.

HERE’S TO A SAFE, HEALTHY, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!