Perfect Picture Book Friday: MISSING VIOLET Plus Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I probably connected with the author of today’s featured book during one of the #50PreciousWords contests (which is coming up soon – March 3-5 – so please stay tuned for details). I don’t know if Kelly Swemba entered a form of MISSING VIOLET, but if she did, I’m sure it was a winner because it’s a wonderful story. The book launches on January 31 (Yup…just a few more days – but it’s available for PRE-ORDER at your local indie bookstores and Amazon). And the lovely Kelly is offering a giveaway – one lucky person is going to win a copy of MISSING VIOLET! Please make sure you leave a comment at the end of the post – and please share on your social media for extra tickets in the giveaway hat.

MISSING VIOLET

Written by Kelly Swemba

Illustrated by Fabiana Faiallo

Published by Beaming Books

Ages: 4-8

Themes: Loss, SEL, friendship

Synopsis: From Amazon:
Life is full of sunshine for inseparable friends Violet and Mia. Until one day, Violet leaves school sick and doesn’t get better. Without her best friend, Mia slips into a gloomy existence. As she moves through the stages of grief like the colors of a rainbow, Mia wonders if she will ever feel like herself again. When Mia reaches out to her classmates, she remembers what she loved most about Violet.

A sensitive and poignant story about the loss of a friend and experiencing the different stages of grief.

Why I Love This Book:
1. Beautifully told SEL story.
2. Illustrations truly capture the emotions of the main character and help the child reader connect.
3. I love stories that parents and teachers will also enjoy reading…this is definitely one of those.

And guess what? Author Kelly Swemba was kind enough to stop by to share a bit about her path to publication for this wonderful story!

KELLY: MISSING VIOLET follows Mia’s journey through grief after her best friend gets sick and doesn’t recover. Like the many colors in the rainbow, she experiences various emotions. I’ so grateful to Fabiana Faiallo for her vision of this story. She really poured so much into these characters and her details really bring the story alive. 

The most challenging part about this story was finding the best way to approach Violet’s death. I wanted to be very gentle with how I presented it, but also knew that I didn’t want any confusion. My wonderful editor Andrea Hall was with me every step of the way, and encouraged me to take another look at the scene. With her support and guidance, I was able to hopefully accomplish a balance of delicate truth. 

To learn more about Kelly and her books:
Kelly Swemba has been passionate about big feelings since she was little. She holds a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing, worked as a preschool intervention aide for children with autism, and is a special education secretary. She’s a member of SCBWI, 12×12, and Children’s Book Insider. Kelly lives with her family in Columbus, Ohio. This is her first picture book. https://kellyswemba.com/

RELATED ACTIVITIES

Photo courtesy: https://liltigers.net/friendship-activities-for-kids/
Please check out the post at this website: https://liltigers.net/friendship-activities-for-kids/ – there are so many activities that can help build friendships for your children. Here are a few:

  1. Write a friendship card or letter
  2. Make a friendship bracelet
  3. Friendship pictures
  4. Craft a friendship picturebook
  5. Play “Things we have in common”
  6. Make a friendship craft
  7. Go see a movie together
  8. Paint friendship rocks
  9. Write a story together


Please make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of MISSING VIOLET by Kelly Swemba. The best way we can help a favorite book become a success is to buy it, review it, share about it on social media, and request your local library purchase copies for their collection.

93 thoughts on “Perfect Picture Book Friday: MISSING VIOLET Plus Giveaway”

  2. What a wonderful interview, Vivian! This beautiful book needs to be shared with children everywhere. Not only with ones who are grieving, but with those who need to understand those who are. Congratulations, Kelly and Fabiana.

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  4. Books are such a powerful tool for kids (and adults!) to process life. Thank you for tackling a difficult subject. I look forward to reading it. Congratulations.

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  5. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, more than one of my classmates never came back to school due to illness or tragic accidents, and no one ever really addressed it at home or in school. I’m glad we have more ways to open up conversations about these kinds of painful experiences today. Thank you for sharing this important book, Vivian! And thank you, Kelly, for writing it!

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    • Jilanne, that must have been so hard. I’m sorry you went through that. I think the topic of grief and death isn’t an easy one, and even more difficult when it involves a child. But what you said is important, because it does need to be discussed. I’m hoping MISSING VIOLET can help 💜

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  6. I’m so excited for this book! Truly there needs to be more tough topic and illness related books out there. Thank you for writing this and paving the way in a gentle but important way. I look forward to attending the virtual read aloud next week. 🙂

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    • Thank you for your kind support! I truly believe that kids need all kind of books and there is a place for all of them. I’m excited to talk with everyone on Tuesday!

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      • Very true. I just feel this area isn’t represented nearly enough and many others including myself have faced rejections due to the topics we write about. So this is hopeful- that is what I mean.

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  9. I’ve been looking for a good grief book with a different focus — haven’t really seen any about friends passing in PBs. Most focus on pets and grandparents. Perfect share for me! And, this is a good one to have on hand for great grand kids. Enjoyed the interview and learning about Kelly’s journey! Congratulations!

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    • Hi Patricia! Thanks for stopping by to read the interview! I wanted to write MISSING VIOLET because to my knowledge, there hadn’t been a PB that showed the loss of a childhood friend. I wanted kids to know they weren’t alone in the grief, and to hopefully help them start to understand their feelings. 💜

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  14. AHHHHH! I’m so excited about this book. I remember flipping out over your pitches in a Twitter pitch event years ago. Maybe this was one of them? Can’t remember specifically but I’ve been a Kelly Swemba fan ever since. Obviously, I’m going to order this book but it would be cool to win a copy too. I’d give it to my first grader’s classroom.

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  18. Hi! I’ll be placing a request of this book at my local public library. I’m sure it’ll be a terrific addition to their collection. Thanks for writing such a special story!!

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  19. A lovely book that challenges those tender feelings of loss!! (I’m blessed to have received my preorder copy!!) Great job Kelly!! A gift to kids of this age to help them sort out those feelings of losing a friend, permanently.

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  20. I’m absolutely certain this book is needed far more often than we know. Just this week, we lost a 5-year-old to brain cancer who was followed by the entire community. Certainly, she has left behind many grieving friends.

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