About viviankirkfield

Writer for children - Reader forever - Mom of 3, educator, author of FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (PomegranateKids, PIPPA'S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House), SWEET DREAMS, SARAH (Creston Books); MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: THE INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND MARILYN MONROE (Little Bee Books); FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jan 19, 2021); PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World (Calkins Creek/Astra, Feb 20, 2024) picture book junkie, lover of travel, hiking, fly-fishing, cooking, and playing Monopoly with my grandson.

Moving Forward into the Light of Possibility PLUS GIVEAWAYS

Posted on December 21, 2025 by viviankirkfield

Hello dear friends and loyal blog followers! I’m grateful to all of you…and so, in the spirit of the season, there will be THREE giveaways today! Giveaway #1: a signed copy of any one of my books. Giveaway #2: a 30-minute Zoom chat with me about anything. Giveaway #3: a picture book critique. There will be three questions randomly scattered through this post…and you can answer them in the comments…let me know in the comments which prize you would prefer.

GIVEAWAY QUESTION #1: WHEN DID I BUY THE OUTFIT I’M WEARING? (Hint: I’ve had it for a long time)

I apologize for my absence and sporadic social media presence. Many of you know I’ve been dealing with vision challenges for a long time. On December 9^th, my eye surgery went smoothly and the doctor says everything looks great…although to me, things are still blurry…but he feels that within a few weeks, my vision should sharpen. Meanwhile, I’m able to use the computer since I can increase the font size and also change the background for greater contrast.

Huge thanks to an organization called Future Insight which is active in New Hampshire and provides assistance in the form of in-home mobility and technology training. One of the simplest…and most helpful aids has been my use of Siri on my iPhone. Honestly, I was aware that Siri existed on my iPhone, but I never used it. Picture getting up in the middle of the night and fumbling with your phone to navigate to find out the time…or frantically swiping through apps to find the flashlight icon. And then. on one of the visits from the Future Insight angel, I learned that all I needed to do was press the home button and ask Siri for the time…or to open a particular app. LET THERE BE LIGHT!

And while I’m on the topic of light, today is the first day of winter…the shortest day of the year…the day when there is the least number of hours of light. But in that moment, there is also the promise of possibility…because from that day on, the days lengthen and the hours of light increase! Even as a child, I was struck by that knowledge…and it always gives me hope as I moved forward into the new year.

With the new year approaching, it seems appropriate to look back on 2025. It was a difficult year for many, both here and around the world and my heart goes out to all who struggle with illness, loss, and danger. In those respects, I have been fortunate. Although my younger son was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer a few months ago, he, too, is moving forward with a positive outlook for his future.

Fortunately, for myself, other than the eye issues, my health is excellent and I was able to enjoy several trips…to Costa Rica in February with a dear local friend…and to Austria and Portugal in April with my son. The year began with the launch of my latest NF PB bio, ONE GIRL’S VOICE: How Lucy Stone Helped Change the Law of the Land, which received the California Reading Association Silver Eureka and was a Mighty Girl pick and a Junior Library Guild selection. Huge thanks to my fabulous editor, Carolyn Yoder…and to the incredible illustrator, Rebecca Gibbon. I was able to present at schools in Dunstable and Billerica, MA as well as participate in bookstore events…at the Silver Unicorn in Acton, MA and at G.Willikers in Portsmouth, NH.

Also in March, we held another successful #50PreciousWords, receiving 586 submissions, distributing 65 prizes, and donating over 200 books to the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). I’ll ever forget the very first contest in 2016 when I thought a few friends would enter…but we had 128 submissions and the winner, Julie Abery from Switzerland, walked away with 1st place, a critique with my amazing agent, Essie White, and who later sold that story which became a board book series! I can’t express how rewarding it is to receive an email from a former #50PreciousWords participant who shares that they now have an agent or a book deal because of that contest.

GIVEAWAY QUESTION #2: WHAT YEAR DID 350PRECIOUSOWRDS START, HOW MANY SUBMISSIONS DID WE HAVE AND WHO PLACED FIRST IN THAT CONTEST?

In October, I was invited to panel at the New Hampshire Book Festival in Concord NH…sharing the stage with several other NH authors, Kari Allen, Sandra Nickel, and Erin Dionne.

In November, I traveled to Denver to attend the NCTE conference (National Council of Teachers of English)…and again presented on a panel for a cohort of fabulous authors: Jolene Gutierrez, Nyasha Williams, Nadia Salomon, and Bianca Schulze. It was so much fun…and I got to meet one of my long-time critique buddies, Tina Cho!

GIVEAWAY QUESTION #3: WHO IS MY FABULOUS EDITOR FOR ONE GIRL’S VOICE AND WHO IS THE INCREDIBLE ILLUSTRATOR FOR THAT BOOK?

November also heralded my receiving the New Hampshire PBS Literary Award for Excellence for PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World. I’m grateful to the New Hampshire Writers Project and its director, Masheri Chapelle, who is certainly a beacon of light for New Hampshire writers.

I also submitted a new manuscript to my agent…a story I co-authored with the amazing Hanh Bui. She immediately sent it out on submission.

Which brings me to looking forward into the light of the possibilities of 2026…hoping for positive responses from editors, getting ready to reach out to my fabulous #50PreciousWords judges: Maria Marshall, Diane Tulloch, Pamela Coutney, Shirin Shamsi, Leah Moser, Carmen Castillo Gilbert, Amber Lavoie (fingers crossed they all want to return as judges) and equally incredible prize donors; planning a presentation for World Read Aloud Day on February 4^th for a Bronx, NY school; already ticking off a tentative packing list for a trip to Scotland and England in May; and extremely excited for the launch of two brand new books in the Fall: PIPPA’S HANUKKAH HUNT (the sequel to Pippa’s Passover Plate) and FRIENDS COUNT, a board book that will be a PJ Library selection for our littlest story-lovers.

Thank you all again…for your friendship…and for sticking it out till the end of this post. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway…the three questions can be found in the captions of some of the photos.

And please remember that the best gift you can give an author is to buy their book, review their book, tell friends about their book, and ask your local library to purchase copies of their book. Three of these suggestions don’t cost any money…just a few minutes of your time…and they say that Amazon reviews are important – they say that 50 is a magic number and when a book gets more than 50 reviews, it is given precedence in some way on Amazon. I just checked…and ONE GIRL’S VOICE, which came out almost a full year ago, only has 31 reviews, even though it’s a Junior Library Guild selection, a Mighty Girl Pick, and was awarded the Silver Eureka from the California Reading Association – and I just found out that it will be used at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts for student field trips in the coming year. If any of you haven’t reviewed it yet, maybe you can find a few minutes to do so – I’d be grateful!

I’m wishing you all the happiest of seasons…and a New Year filled with light, love, and laughter.

Cover Reveal: TIC-ERRIFIC ME!

Posted on November 17, 2025 by viviankirkfield

I always feel so blessed to be part of this incredible kid-lit community. Whether I meet folks in person at a conference or book event, connect via an online class, or read their wonderful submission to #50PreciousWords, it’s a joy! And today’s cover reveal is for a book written by long-time blog follower and #50PreciousWords participant, Alicia Meyers…it’s called TIC-ERRIFIC ME! and I know it’s going to be TERRIFIC!

What an affirming and positive cover this is!!! I love the joy and energy! Kids will want to pick it up…and the story will act as mirrors and windows, helping many children feel seen and heard, while helping other become accepting and empathetic.

Alicia was kind enough to stop by to chat about the book and the story behind the story, so let’s welcome her to Picture Books Help Kids Soar!

ME: Hello, Alicia. It’s so lovely to have you visit. Can you share a little bit about the book and it’s path to publication?

ALICIA: Thank you again for partnering with me to reveal this special book to the world!

I am honored to get to do this with you, as you have been such a support in the Kidlit community to me for so many years.

Short Summary/Synopsis:

Tics are what my body does, they’re part of who I am. In TIC-ERRIFIC ME, we meet a young neurodiverse child diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome: A condition of the nervous system that causes movement and sound tics in the body. She is a unique child with many talents–and any tics that decide to join her. She takes us through how her body responds when she has sounds or movements she needs to let out and talks about techniques that work for her. This story is a simple ode to being truly tic-errific! After all, our tics only add to how great we already are.

TIC-ERRIFIC ME also includes a backmatter board game that encourages readers to try different Ready, Set, Reset strategies that can calm their brain and body.

Why I wrote this book:

Like the girl in this story, I have Tourette syndrome. Some days, my tics fly under the radar. Other days, they are harder to control. Growing up, I felt embarrassed, and worried that the noises and movements my body made bothered people. I tried to hide my tics and hold them in—which only made them worse. But as I got older, I realized how my tics made me, me. There is no one exactly like me. I wrote this story to share my experience living with Tourette syndrome, as well as to empower readers to learn to embrace their tics, and show the world how truly tic-errific they are.

Humorous incident OR challenging moment to share about path to publication

In March 2023, I was a showcase finalist in Mindy Alyse Weiss’ PB Party contest with a fictional, rhythmic story called Tic, Tic, Stop, about a girl’s day-in-the-life with TS. Free Spirit requested the full manuscript, but when I later connected with them–they instead told me about an opportunity to write for their upcoming “Disability Books for Kids” series, where each author lives with the condition. Though Tic, Tic, Stop had to hit the shelf for a bit, this felt like the opportunity of a lifetime–a chance to share my story of TS with the world. I couldn’t say no!

Short Bio for me AND the illustrator:

Alicia Meyers is a second-grade teacher in Washington, DC, and was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at a young age. As a neurodiverse author and teacher, she hopes to encourage those with TS to embrace their tics as part of who they uniquely are. When she’s not teaching or writing, she can be found singing loudly, curled up with a book, eating pasta, planning her next trip, or reminding others how totally tic-errific they are.
Cait Brennan is an easily excited illustrator from the coastal town of Charleston, South Carolina. Cait credits much of her inspiration to growing up around great Southern storytellers who valued nature, food, family, and humor. At an early age, she discovered that drawing was a great way to make people smile—or, even better, laugh. As a total ham, that was very appealing. Her motivations haven’t changed much, and she loves celebrating joyful moments, big and small, in her work. When she’s not on a deadline, you can find her making big messes in the kitchen, trying to get a laugh, or planning her next trip.

My Social Media Links:

Website: www.byaliciameyers.com

Instagram: @byaliciameyers

X: @byaliciameyers

BlueSky: @byaliciameyers.bsky.social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciameyers/

Pre-Order Links:

Releases June 2, 2026 during “National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month”

Published by Free Spirit

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tic-errific-Me-about-Tourette-syndrome/dp/B0FWHPB9VQ/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tic-errific-me-alicia-meyers/1148648957?ean=9798885547529

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/tic-errific-me-a-book-about-tourette-syndrome-alicia-meyers/1252fe1da5fe31d0?ean=9798885547529&next=t

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242837498-tic-errific-me

TCM: https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/products/tic-errific-me-a-book-about-tourette-syndrome-151876

This is all fabulous, dear Alicia. Thank you for sharing. I’m hoping we will get to meet in person at NCTE this week!
And thank you, dear blog followers, for spending your precious time with us. If any of you will be at NCTE, I hope you’ll check out my panel: IGNITING BOLD DREAMS: USING PICTURE BOOKS TO HELP READERS CONNECT WITH HISTORY AND FIND THEIR VOICE: Friday, Nov 21 at 11am to 12:15pm in Room 610 of the Convention Center. I’ll also be signing ONE GIRL’S VOICE on Friday, Nov 21 at 1:30-2pm at the Astra Booth #922.

And if you leave a comment and plan to be at NCTE, please include your panel or book signing times and locations if you would like to share them.

Cover Reveal: THE CABBAGE SEED’S COLOSSAL SECRET

Posted on November 10, 2025 by viviankirkfield

Seeing a new picture book cover is like going to a museum for an opening! So, when my very dear kidlit friend Karen M. Greenwald’s new book cover was ready to make its debut, I knew I had to be the one to share it!

The Cabbage Seed’s Colossal Secret tells the story of a child who plants a tiny seed and wonders what secrets it might hold. As it grows, she nurtures the little plant until it isn’t so little anymore―in fact, it’s COLOSSAL. What does one do with a colossal cabbage? The girl dreams that the cabbage feeds a soup kitchen full of neighbors, inspiring her to grow more veggies to share, inspiring kids country-wide to grow veggies for their own communities. And when she wakes up, she is ready let the world in on the cabbage’s colossal secret.

What an adorable cover! Don’t you love how the child sits on the head of cabbage? I can almost feel her swinging her feet back and forth!

The book is inspired by the true story of Katie Stagliano, her forty-pound cabbage, and the nonprofit Katie’s Krops. Backmatter includes ways for readers to start their own sharing garden.

A hallmark of Karen’s stories is her passion for shining a light on unexpected heroes and the surprising communities they form. In her own capacity, she runs two (or more!) annual book drives aimed at getting brand new books (yay, new book smell!) in the hands of students attending underserved schools across the country. I am sure this newest book will inspire any and all who read it!

Karen M. Greenwald is the author of The Mud Angels and A Vote for Susanna, which was a Kansas 2022 Notable Book and represented Kansas at both the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival and in their Great Reads from Great Places initiative. She cofounded the #SunWriteFun writing contest, founded the annual #BookHero book drive, and works with kidlit charities. Her strategic branding efforts have earned nineteen international awards. Most recently, Karen’s educational marketing efforts won the title, “BEST IN CATEGORY” from the 2024 international Summit MEA competition. She shares her office with a very noisy dog.

Alejandra Ruiz is an illustrator of picture books and visual storyteller. She illustrates stories hoping to build empathy in others and to help children find an infinite love for reading. She lives in Bogotá, Colombia with her boyfriend, two cats, and a whole lot of plants. When she’s not working, you can find her reading, cooking, or baking bread.

The book launches February 17^th on National Cabbage Day!
And guess what? It’s available for Pre-Order

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. I hope you all have a wonderful week!