Perfect Picture Book Friday: A GIFT FOR NAI NAI Plus Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I love how picture books often help us reconnect with our childhood. When I was a little girl, my grandmother taught me how to crochet using my finger. Eventually I learned to use the crochet hook – and in later years, created many sweet baby sweater sets and blankets for my own children AND grandchildren. A GIFT FOR NAI NAI definitely touched a happy chord in my heart and I’m excited to share this beautiful book with you. And please stick around for the entire post (it’s not too long) because you’ll need to leave a comment if you want a chance to win the fabulous giveaway: Winner’s choice of a copy of the book OR a Picture Book Critique (nonrhyming).

A GIFT FOR NAI NAI

Written and illustrated by Kim-Hoa Ung

Published by Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan (December 5, 2023)

Ages: 4-8

Themes: Intergenerational relationships, mastering skills, self-esteem

Synopsis: From Amazon:
Lyn Lyn’s beloved Nai Nai has a birthday party approaching! All Lyn Lyn wants to do is make a lucky hat for her very special grandma, but her crochet skills are not nearly as refined as Nai Nai’s.

So Lyn Lyn hatches a plan for the best crocheter she knows to help her make the perfect lucky hat for Nai Nai!

Through perseverance and their special bond, Lyn Lyn comes to realize that the perfect gift for Nai Nai comes from within.

Beautiful Book Swag that Kim-Hoa sent me

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love the connection that Lyn Lyn has with her grandmother. It reminds me of the connection I had with my grandmother – and I know that many children will relate to Lyn Lyn.
2. I love the beautiful text that captures our hearts.
3. I love the glorious illustrations that Kim-Hoa created. And just wait until you read the little interview and find out about her challenging moment on the path to publication for this book.

I often ask authors and illustrators if they had a challenging moment on the path to publication. Sometimes they share that the launch date was pushed back. Or perhaps that the editor asked for a different beginning or ending. Kim-Hoa stopped by to answer that question – and this is what she said:

KIM-HOA: A challenging moment on my path to publication was when I had to redraw all the characters in human form. The characters in A GIFT FOR NAI NAI were originally pandas. I felt more comfortable illustrating animals than humans so that was a challenge for me. I had completed my dummy and colored a few spreads already, so it was time-consuming to redo almost everything. But, I’m proud of how Lyn Lyn and Nai Nai turned out.

ME: Oh my gosh…that was definitely a challenging moment, Kim-Hoa. Congratulations on being open to the editor’s vision for the book – and for succeeding so excellently! Even though books with animal characters are lovely, I believe that having real people portrayed in this story adds another important layer – and it becomes a book that will help so many children feel seen and heard.

RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Hand-crocheting with Kids

Photo courtesy: https://www.topcrochetpatterns.com/blog/8-easy-crochet-projects-to-do-with-kids

I love that this website shows how you can teach a young child to crochet WITHOUT crochet hooks: https://www.topcrochetpatterns.com/blog/8-easy-crochet-projects-to-do-with-kids

Here’s a little bit about Kim-Hoa:
Kim-Hoa Ung is a Chinese American author-illustrator and amigurumi artist. Just like Lyn Lyn, she crocheted hats for her grandma. When Kim-Hoa is not creating stories, you can find her crocheting pieces for art shows, sending snail mail, and making arts and crafts with her kids. She lives with her family in Southern California. A Gift for Nai Nai is her debut picture book.
You can connect with her and find out more about her books here

And now, dear friends, it’s time to sign off until the next post (which will be a COVER REVEAL on Monday for David McMullin’s debut picture book). Please remember to leave a comment for a chance to WIN either a copy of A GIFT FOR NAI NAI or a PICTURE BOOK CRITIQUE from our generous author/illustrator, Kim-Hoa. And also, please do at least of one the following:
Buy a copy of the book
Review the book
Put it on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf
Tell friends about it (share on social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

26 thoughts on “Perfect Picture Book Friday: A GIFT FOR NAI NAI Plus Giveaway”

  2. Thank you, Kim-Hoa on sharing about your experience writing the book. I illustrate as well but like you I am comfortable illustrating animals. How much time did you take to illustrate the new humans version? Congratulations on your book. So inspiring and motivating!

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Aww, thank you so much, Kiran ❤ I hope your projects are going very well. It took me about a month to get them in human version. Have you heard of Storyteller Academy? I will be having a virtual event with them on December 11th around 5pm PST to discuss behind the scenes for A GIFT FOR NAI NAI. I will be posting more information on my Twitter page – @AutumnLeaflet. Good luck with everything, Kiran ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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      • A month is really amazing. 🙂 Yes, I have heard of Storyteller Academy but I have not attended any virtual events. I am based in Malaysia so sometimes I end up missing the events because of the time difference. Thank you for sharing the details of the virtual event. Will check it out. Thank you for sharing your twitter handle – I have been following you for a while now. 🙂 So nice to know more about you through Vivian’s blog. Thank you for the wishes. Good luck to you too and wishing you tons of success. 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

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  3. Thank you, Kim-Hoa for sharing about your experience writing the book. I illustrate as well but like you I am comfortable illustrating animals. How much time did you take to illustrate the new humans version? Congratulations on your book. So inspiring and motivating!

    Like

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  4. This looks like such a sweet story! My aunt taught both me and my daughter how to crochet, so this really tugs at my heart. And wow….what a challenge to redraw so much!! I think pandas would have been adorable too, but seeing real people is so impactfull for kids. Best of luck on your debut & here’s to loads more scarves & blankets, LOL!

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Thank you so much, yangmommy! So sweet that your aunt taught you and your daughter how to crochet. I’ve been trying to teach my daughter but it’s too frustrating for her. Hopefully she’ll be interested more someday to try again. Thank you for your kind support ❤ and yes to more scarves and blankets haha…

      Liked by 1 person

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  5. So exciting to see KIm’s book is almost out! Kim and I were in Storyteller Academy together when this story was born and I treasure our connection and friendship from that time. Kim’s art is so endearing. Ty for sharing that you had a setback w/drawing people over animals. I think I remember the pandas!

    Vivian, KIm’s swag is the best. I have it up in my office now and love how happy it is. Congrats, Kim!!!!

    Liked by 2 people

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