Yes! It really truly is another opportunity to eat cake!! Hurray for a Happy Book Birthday for MY DOG IS NOT A SCIENTIST by Betsy Ellor, illustrated by Luisa Vera, and published by Yehoo Press! And even though it is her book’s birthday, Betsy is giving the presents!! If you leave a comment and share this post on social media, you’ll have a chance to win the giveaway…winner’s choice of a copy of this fab book OR a Picture Book Critique from the author!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:

A humorous, endearing story about a passionate, young scientist who is determined to achieve her goal–no matter what!
Yara is out to prove that she’s the greatest scientist in town!
Her annoying neighbor Eddie always wins the Science Fair, but this year is going to be HER year. Like every good scientist, Yara starts with a question, makes observations, and comes up with a hypothesis . . . but each time she starts an experiment, her dog, Renzo, ruins it!
Could Renzo be up to something more than making trouble?
From Betsy Ellor and Luisa Vera comes a humorous, endearing story about a passionate, young scientist who is determined to achieve her goal–no matter what!

I got to chat with the author and she shared how she was inspired to write this story:

BETSY:
First off the idea for the story came from my son and my dog. I did loads of science projects with my son growing up and our crazy dog, River, was always right there with us. One day  I noticed that River was an expert at observing with her senses and asking questions. The next day I wrote the draft of the story. I actually made a little video about where the story came from. It’s here if you want to check it out.

Unlike my other as-yet-unpublished manuscripts which I slaved over for months, I wrote that first draft of  My Dog Is NOT A Scientist in one sitting and revised it maybe twice before submitting it. I sent it off to a few places and forgot all about it. Then a year later Yeehoo reached out to acquire it. The day that inspired the story was joyful and I wrote the story in that state of happiness. That joy and humor was evident in the manuscript and I think that’s what really sold it. I should add that I did more revisions with my editor at Yeehoo before the book came out, but if there’s one thing I learned it’s that the most important thing we bring to our storytelling is joy.  

FIND JOY! Yes! Although sometimes it’s definitely difficult to find joy when rejection after rejection pile up. Or when you receive feedback that doesn’t align with your vision for the story. Or when…
Yup, there are lots of factors that can discourage us. Maybe it’s good to take a step back, go for a walk, watch a silly movie, get out your crayons or paints and play…and remember why we are writing for children.

Here’s a little bit about the author:
Betsy Ellor lives in a house near the beach where curiosity and chaos run wild. She divides her time between seeking out great stories and designing spaces like science labs, classrooms, and restaurants where others can cultivate their own curiosity. Her previous works include the anthology Heroic Care, and Sara Crewe, a family musical that’s been performed across the U.S.

And here’s a little bit about the illustrator:
Luisa Vera was born in Spain. After getting a degree in Fine Arts, she moved to New York, where she continued her illustration studies. Her characters have nosed their way into the pages of The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tibune, La Vanguardia and El País, and have dressed up for all kinds of occasions, such as book covers, posters, catalogues, children’s books, and exhibitions.

There’s also a 30-page curriculum guide available to help support literacy, STEM, and SEL in the story. You can download that here: https://www.wordsunboundstudio.com/my-dog-book-page

WOW! How fabulous!!! Teachers are going to love this book and the guide is wonderful!
For more information about how and where to order this super cool book: https://linktr.ee/betsyellor
And for a chance to WIN a copy or a Picture Book Critique from author Betsy Ellor, please leave a comment below and also please share on social media…let’s spread the word!