Hello dear friends! I love helping to celebrate the launch of a new book…and what could be better than singing Happy Book Birthday to a book that is all about a birthday!! So, grab your cuppa and a slice of cake and let’s go!!!

PAISLEY’S BIG BIRTHDAY

Written by Heather Stigall

Illustrated by Natallia Bushuyeva

Clavis Publishing – August 22, 2023

Book Giveaway:
Heather is giving away a signed copy of PAISLEY’S BIG BIRTHDAY to one lucky winner in the U.S. Please leave a comment to a chance to win!

Book Description:
Today is Paisley’s birthday, right? Then why doesn’t she feel any older? She still has trouble reading, still has trouble jumping in the Hopstacle Course, and is still in Bunnygarten. When will she finally be big? A sweet story about having patience as we grow. For everyone ages 4 years and up.

Author Heather Stigall was exceedingly kind. We chatted and she prepared all the information I needed, plus some words about the inspiration for this book.
ME: Welcome, Heather! We are so excited to celebrate your book launch with you!

HEATHER:
Thanks for having me, Vivian! The origins of PAISLEY’S BIG BIRTHDAY began nine years ago when I picked up my youngest child from preschool on his birthday. He climbed into his car seat, wearing a glittery birthday crown and a slight frown. The conversation went something like this:

Birthday Boy:              “When is my birthday?”
Me:                              “Today!”
Birthday Boy:              (shakes his head) “No.”

I did a quick assessment: Birthday crown? Check. Empty birthday treat container? Check. Hmm…

Me:                              “Did everyone sing happy birthday to you?
Birthday Boy:              “Yes”
Me:                              “Because today is your birthday!”
Birthday Boy:              [pause] “But when is my real birthday?”
Me:                              “Today is your real birthday!”
Birthday Boy:              “It doesn’t feel like it.”

My mind began to spin. Why didn’t he feel like it was his birthday? Did something happen or not happen at school? What would it take for him to feel like it was his “real” birthday? A few questions later, I realized he believed that on his birthday he would instantly “feel” older; he would magically be able to do things he wasn’t able to do the day before. But I kept the conversation going during the ride home, through lunch, and for some time after that. I asked lots of questions and listened as he shared evidence for why it was most definitely not his birthday. I was enamored with his reasoning and determination, while underneath it all I felt his disappointment that this day, one that was supposed to be special, didn’t meet his expectations.

Not long after, I wrote a draft of a story about a bunny who hops out of bed the morning of her birthday, expecting to be all things “big bunny.” It went through several revisions and then sat in a drawer for several years. Then in February 2021 I took the leap and submitted it to Clavis Books. Fortunately, that leap paid off, and now PAISLEY’S BIG BIRTHDAY is not only available in English but is published in Dutch and will soon be available in Romanian, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. Not bad for a little bunny who dreamed big things for herself!

OH MY GOSH! I Love this story behind the story! Congratulations, Heather!

Folks, the best way we can encourage writers to keep writing and illustrating to keep illustrating and publishers to keep publishing is to:
Buy their books
Review their books
Tell friends about their books
Ask local libraries to purchase copies of their books

And here’s a little bit about the author and how to connect with her:

Heather Stigall uses her experience with children and her degrees in Child Development, Psychology-based Human Relations, and Social Work to create stories that speak to kids. She is the Critique Group/Meet & Greet Coordinator for the Eastern PA SCBWI Chapter, a member of the 12×12 Picture Book Challenge, and a parent to five children and one pup. When she’s not writing, you can find Heather hanging out with her kids (hopefully at the beach), reading, eating chocolate, baking, or creating all sorts of treasures. Her debut picture book, PAISLEY’S BIG BIRTHDAY (Clavis Publishing) will be released in August 2023 and is/will be published in four additional languages. Her second picture book, GILBERT AND THE GHOST, (Beaming Books) is due out fall 2026. You can connect with Heather through her website, HeatherPierceStigall.com, her newsletter, and her social media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.stigall/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/heather_stigall
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_stigall7/

You can find ordering links for her book on her website or at https://linktr.ee/HeatherStigall

And if you leave a comment, you’ll be entered in the giveaway – Heather is giving away a copy of this beautiful new book! If you share on your social media channels, you’ll get extra tickets in the giveaway hat.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!