Happy Book Birthday: THE GENTLE BULLDOZER Plus Giveaway

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It’s time to sing, dear friends! Another beautiful picture book is launching today! Congratulations to author Amy Baron, illustrator Rogerio Coelho, and publisher Yeehoo Press!!!

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to THE GENTLE BULLDOZER!

Written by Amy Baron – Illustrated by Rogerio Coelho – Published by Yeehoo Press

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
In this rollicking read-aloud, a powerful bulldozer is off to find his true purpose. With the help of new friends and old, he might just find a gentler calling.
 
BANG! CRASH! SLAM!
Bulldozer spends his days on a construction site. He and his friends are tasked with an important job: to tear things down and smash things up. But Bulldozer dreams of something bigger–could he and his crew be made for more than this?
 
Perfect for fans of GOODNIGHT GOODNIGHT CONSTRUCTION SITE and CALVIN CAN’T FLY, this story features a bulldozer with a tender side. Gift this to young readers who love construction vehicles!

I love that this story is going to appeal to all construction-loving kids…but with a softer approach – celebrating kindness and showing that it’s okay to have a gentle nature. And that it’s important to be yourself!

And guess what? I asked author Amy Baron about the path to publication for this book and she shared a little behind the scenes discussion she had with her editor at Yeehoo Press:

AMY: Here’s a quick story about the publishing process. My wonderful editor Zhiqiao brought to my attention that perhaps it was unrealistic to have Bulldozer lift his blade off the ground as he does in one scene in the book. Young children are quite keen on construction vehicles and may notice this is factually incorrect. Front loaders lift in this fashion, not bulldozers. However, a book title like “The Gentle Front Loader” lacks the contrast of “Gentle” paired with “Bulldozer.”

Ultimately, Zhiqiao discovered there is a technologically advanced type of bulldozer with an “angle and tilt” blade that can be lifted off the ground.

We decided that Bulldozer would keep his blade down for the majority of the book and it was okay to exaggerate a little on a few pages and show his blade high in the air.

So not only is Bulldozer gentle, but he is also very fancy with his special blade.

Wow…I love getting a peek behind the scenes of the publishing process, don’t you? If you’d like to learn more about the creators of this delightful book:

AUTHOR:
Amy Baron fell back in love with her childhood hobby of writing while reading stories to her kids. Now she’s excited to introduce her own debut book to the world.
Amy is an optometrist, but she promises not to recite children’s stories during your eye exam.
Born and raised in Florida, she now lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband and their children.

ILLUSTRATOR:
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Rogério Coelho now lives with his family in Curitiba, a city in Southern Brazil. He has been drawing since forever and has illustrated more than one hundred books for publishers in Brazil and the United States, including Boat of Dreams and Roof Octopus.

Here’s a link to view Amy’s excitement when she received the author copies of GENTLE BULLDOZER: https://twitter.com/amygbaron/status/1556021856074977284

Please remember that authors and illustrators and publishers need our help – you can buy the book, review the book, tell friends about the book, and ask your library to purchase copies of the book.

And please don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of GENTLE BULLDOZER.

41 thoughts on “Happy Book Birthday: THE GENTLE BULLDOZER Plus Giveaway”

  1. THE GENTLE BULLDOZER, sounds like the perfect book to add to our collection! When our grandson was younger, he loved the show “Bob the Builder” and the many trucks and vehicles that were part of the show! Vivian, thanks for sharing! Congratulations, Amy! 🙂

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    • I love hearing about Amy Baron’s Gentle Bulldozer, as construction site, truck loving kids will get this great message of strength in gentleness, and gentle strength. Thanks for the inside view on how a good editor, and author, can enhance authenticity by getting the facts straight. My grandson was truck obsessed, but alas, has moved on to other interests – still, he won’t part with any of them. Still it seems like a fun family read kids will want to keep, along with their vehicles. Best wishes Amy and the Big B!

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  3. Congratulations! It’s interesting to read about the editing process. Going over factual parts of fictional manuscripts can be a challenge during critiques. I enjoyed reading how you worked it out!

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  11. I do enjoy characters who act out of their “stereotyped behaviors” so readers can see that physical traits do not make the person. Congratulations on a wonderful book that will resonate with all readers.

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  12. I love this story’s main concept. It’s important to include all temperaments in stories for children. Congratulations!

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  14. My grandsons would be the kids that pointed out the inconsistency of how the bulldozer works. Just goes to show you how important research is. They would love getting to know this special bulldozer. Congratulations!

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  16. This sounds so fun and love the idea of a bulldozer wanting to be gentle! Unexpected and so cool! Kids will love this book! 🙂

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  18. Pingback: Happy Book Birthday: THE GENTLE BULLDOZER Plus Giveaway - Ngon Giấc

  19. AMY & ROGERIO have created a CLASSIC in the making with this SWEET book! I LOVE the idea of showing kids (especially boys) that having a gentler side can also be a strength. SUCH an IMPORTANT message and done in SUCH a SWEET way! This is a MUST for my bookshelf!

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