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.

Cover Reveal: SARANG SAVES THE SCHOOL

Posted on January 27, 2025 by viviankirkfield

Hurray!!! It’s time to take a peek at an upcoming book written by one of my Storm Literary Agency sisters, Korena Di Roma Howley and illustrated by Joowon Oh and published by Candlewick. It’s quite a special book…with an engaging cover that you are going to see in 3…2…1…

Congratulations, Korena and Joowan!!
And we are so lucky because Korena stopped by to share a bit of the story behind the story – and we also have pre-order links…yippee!

ME: Welcome, Korena!! Thank you so much for stopping by! Can you tell us where the idea for the story came from?

KORENA: Thank you so much, Vivian. It’s wonderful to be here and to see the cover and know that the book will be arriving in bookstores on July 8th!
Here’s why I wrote this story:
In 2019, I read a news article about South Korean grandmothers who had enrolled in school for the first time. I was incredibly moved by their story, and when I began to write picture books the following year, it quickly came back to mind. My fictionalized telling went through many iterations, but the bond at its heart—between a granddaughter and grandmother who each discover that change can be made at any age—remained the same. The name Sarang means “love” in Korean, and I chose it for my young character because, when all is said and done, love is indeed what saves her schooI.

ME: Oh, I love that, Korena! So many children are going to relate to this story.

And, dear friends, we all have a part in helping new books get into the hands of the children who need to hear these stories.
We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Put it on your Goodreads WANT TO READ SHELF
Tell friends about the book (please share this post on your social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

And here’s a little bit about Korena and some links to follow so you can connect with her:
Korena Di Roma Howley grew up in Asia and the U.S. and always had plenty of books in tow while traveling around the Pacific. A freelance journalist and editor, Korena primarily reports on science news and education for multiple outlets. Her second picture book, A Hanbok for Hana, also with Candlewick and illustrated by Jaime Kim, will be published in 2026. She lives in Virginia with her husband and son.
Website
www.korenahowley.com
Instagram and Twitter
@korenahowley
BlueSky
@korena.bsky.social

Preferred sales pre-order links:
The Fallen Acorn Bookshop
Bookshop.org
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

And here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Inspired by true events in South Korea, this tender and tenacious tale of female empowerment—at any age—proves that it’s never too late to fulfill a dream.

At a seaside school in a sunny fishing village, Sarang and her classmates are surrounded by empty desks. More and more families have been moving away, and, with so few students, their rural school may be forced to close. Their village may be getting smaller, but it’s still home—a place filled with love and memories. So Sarang hatches a plan. If the school needs more students to keep its doors open, why not offer local grandmothers, including her own beloved Halmeoni, the education they were denied as girls? Can Sarang and the other students and villagers convince the reluctant grandmothers to join forces and embark on their educational journey together? Set in contemporary South Korea and inspired by real events, Sarang Saves the School is a fresh and timely take on the power of intergenerational bonds and a charming testament to taking action for causes you believe in.

I hope you all have a wonderful week, dear friends! Our next post will be on Saturday, February 1st…and it will the HEADS-UP-THE-#50PreciousWords International Writing Contest-IS-COMING-SOON post! Yes, it’s almost time for #50PreciousWords!!! Are you ready? There are over 60 amazing prizes! And 8 amazing judges ready to read your stories! If you don’t already follow my blog, please click on the ‘follow my blog’ icon on the right sidebar. I’m actually updating my website a little, so if things look a bit strange or different, please don’t worry. It’s business as usual with #50PreciousWords!

Cover Reveal: THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST

Posted on January 13, 2025 by viviankirkfield

HURRAY!!! Today we do one of my favorite posts…a cover reveal of an upcoming book! It’s a bit like the unveiling of a new work of art at a museum, right? And I’m doubly excited because it is for an author I’ve worked with, the lovely Lynn Street for THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST

WOW!!! I just love the art!!! What a beautiful way to invite children to pick up a book and open it!!! Illustrator Anne Hunter did a wonderful job!!!

Here’s some info about the book so that you can request your local llibrary and local independent bookstore pre-order copies for their shelves:

Title: THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST

Author: Lynn Street

Illustrator: Anne Hunter

Release Date: August 5, 2025

What the book is about

Busy blue jays race to stockpile acorns before winter arrives—tap, tap, tapping them into soft ground. But time is short, and other hungry animals scramble for the same seeds. While jays depend on acorns to help them survive, oaks depend on jays to scatter fruit far and wide. Some of the cached seeds that aren’t eaten will sprout. This nature story celebrates the symbiotic relationship between blue jays and oaks and the forests that flourish from this connection.

And we are so lucky because author Lynn Street stopped by to chat with us and give us a bit of the story behind the story:

LYNN: Thank you so much for having me, Vivian. I’m so excited to share the cover. Illustrator Anne Hunter did an incredible job with her true-to-life depictions of the jays and oaks and the changing seasons.

I recently found out that this nonfiction picture book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. I’m looking forward to libraries having this title on their shelves for curious readers to explore!

ME: WOW! That’s fabulous, Lynn. What inspired you to write this

LYNN: A photograph of a blue jay carrying an acorn in its beak inspired this book. I sensed a mystery—and a story—here. That an oak can grow from a tiny acorn is amazing. That one bird caching acorns over a lifetime can impact the growth of forests is astounding.

The connection between blue jays and oaks is an example of mutualism, a symbiotic relationship between two different species that benefits each of them and encourages survival and growth. Oaks supply jays with food and shelter, and the trees rely on jays to transport acorns far away so that seedlings flourish in new places.

Both blue jays and oaks are keystone species—a species critical to the survival of other species in an ecosystem.

I hope that readers will be as excited as I was to learn about this relationship between blue jays and oak trees. Throughout the research process, I paid close attention to the birds in my neighborhood, and I’ve been able to watch blue jays gathering acorns each fall.

To connect with Lynn and find out more about the book and her writing:
Website – lynnstreetbooks.com
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lynnstreetbooks/
Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/lynnstreetbooks.bsky.social
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lynn.street.1466

Here’s a little bit about Lynn:
Lynn Street is a science-inspired author sharing lively, lyrical STEM stories with young readers. She loves concepts that cross disciplines, and personal narratives set against a sea of facts. Her passion is writing for curious observers who want to discover the wonders of their world.

Lynn’s writing celebrates nature and invites readers to slow down and explore. She is dedicated to environmental education and integrating art, science, writing, and nature for kids. Lynn holds an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

And here’s a little bit about illustrator Anne Hunter
Anne Hunter grew up in South Florida in a community of birders and naturalists, and she went on to combine her love of nature and drawing as an illustrator and author. Now living with her family in the woods of Vermont, she is the illustrator and sometimes author of twenty picture books and the winner of a Geisel Honor for her book Where’s Baby?

.And here are Lynn’s Pre-order links to the online bookshops
Little Shop of Stories
My book link: https://littleshopofstories.com/book/9781682636046
Bookshop.org
My book link: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-blue-jays-that-grew-a-forest-lynn-street/22084564?ean=9781682636046
Amazon
My book link: https://tinyurl.com/mtnnz4je
B&N
My book link: Vhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blue-jays-that-grew-a-forest-lynn-street/1146518529?ean=9781682636046

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. I’ve been busy, gathering prizes for #50PreciousWords – and I’m happy to tell you that we now have over 60 prizes including editor and agent critiques and submission opportunities, plus author career consults and promotional opportunities, in addition to dozens and dozens of author critiques and Ask-Me-Anything Zoom Chats. The Heads-Up-The-Contest-Is-Coming-Post goes live on February 1st…and the contest will OPEN on March 2 at 12:01am and will close on March 3 at 11:59pm. Our AMAZING judges, Maria Marshall, Carmen Castillo Gilbert, Diane Tulloch, Amber Lavoie, Leah Moser, Pamela Courtney, and Shirin Shamsi are all returning…and we are EXCITED to read your precious words!

Happy Book Birthday: MAMIACHI AND ME!

Posted on January 7, 2025 by viviankirkfield

Hello everyone!!! One of my favorite posts to create…a Book Birthday post for a dear friend!!! So please, tune up your instruments and get ready to sing along for MAMIACHI AND ME! MY MAMI’S MARIACHI BAND, written by Jolene Gutiérrez and Dakota Gutiérrez and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers…launching TODAY!!!

First of all, look at that cover! The joy and energy EXPLODE off the page! The illustrator did a fantastic job choosing the color palette…and her art is amazing – we feel the emotional connection between the two characters…and we become emotionally connected as well!

I was lucky enough to read the book – and the quality of the illustrations continues throughout every page. And the emotional connection comes not just from the pictures…THE TEXT hooks you from the very beginning – and pulls you into the story with every page turn!

Here is a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Mamiachi & Me is a lyrical and empowering picture book written by Jolene and Dakota Gutiérrez and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega, winner of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor, about what it means to be a mariachi in an all‑female band.

Today’s the day! Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band. But as they fasten the shiny botonaduras and tie the moños on their charra suits, Rosa begins to worry. What if the audience doesn’t like her? Is she ready to perform?

With her mamiachi and madrinas by her side, Rosa’s stage fright is soothed away by the sound of trumpets, guitars, and violins. Centering on the power of sisterhood, community, and music, the warm and lively text by mother-and-son writing duo Jolene and Dakota Gutiérrez—joined by Mirelle Ortega’s beautiful illustrations—provides a unique perspective to the male-dominated world of mariachi.

Back matter includes additional context on the history of the beloved Mexican tradition and the rise of all-female mariachi groups, as well as a glossary, a bibliography, further reading, and a fun, detailed look at a mariachi’s signature charro suit!

BELIEVE ME…if you are a teacher, you will want this book for your classroom! If you are a parent, please don’t miss this heartwarming and empowering story that your kids will want to hear over and over again!

And we are so lucky because Jolene stopped by to chat with us and share the story behind the story. WELCOME, JOLENE! It was wonderful seeing you at the NCTE conference a couple of months ago in Boston. And I’ve got my fingers crossed that we will meet up again this coming November in Denver.

Jolene and her son, Dakota, at a launch event at Second Star to the Right Bookstore in Denver

JOLENE: Hello Vivian! Yes, it was great seeing you in Boston. Let’s put our positivity hats on for Denver. Thank you for helping celebrate MAMIACHI AND ME! The way Mamiachi & Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band came about is that during the pandemic, my husband watched an NPR interview with Mariachi Flor de Toloache and when he was telling me about it, he said, “I just watched this great piece with an all-female mariachi band.”

What I *heard* was, “I just watched this great piece with an all-female mamiachi band.”

So I said, “Did you just call them mamiachis?”

And he said, “Um, no…”

But my brain was already racing with a story idea. During that same time, my son was learning from home and missing out on all of the performing arts programs he used to participate in, including the mariachi program he’d planned to join his senior year. My daughter and I had just finished co-writing a manuscript (it was The Ofrenda That We Built), so I was eager to create something with my other child. Luckily, Dakota said yes and we co-wrote Mamiachi & Me.

Oh Jolene…I love that! And that just shows us that story ideas are EVERYWHERE and we need to be open and alert! Thanks so much for stopping by…and Happy Book Birthday!!!

Jolene Gutiérrez is an award-winning neurodivergent teacher librarian who has been working with neurodivergent learners at Denver Academy since 1995. Jolene writes for young readers and hopes her books will help some readers feel seen and will help others learn and grow in compassion. Her books have been printed in 10 countries and 9 languages. Jolene is an active member of SCBWI, part of the KidLitCollective group, and a co-creator of #KidlitZombieWeek and Picture Book Gold. Jolene is represented by agent Kaitlyn Sanchez and is the author of Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp (Abrams Childrens, 2026, co-authored with Minoru Tonai), Mamiachi and Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band (Abrams/Appleseed, 2025, co-authored with her son Dakota), The Ofrenda That We Built (Chronicle, 2024, co-authored with her daughter Shaian), Too Much! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams/Appleseed, 2023), the Stars of Latin Pop series (Rourke, 2021), Bionic Beasts: Saving Animal Lives with Artificial Flippers, Legs, and Beaks (Lerner, 2020), and Mac and Cheese and the Personal Space Invader (Clear Fork/Spork, 2020). Find her online at www.jolenegutierrez.com or on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, or Threads @writerjolene.

Dakota Gutiérrez is a college student with a passion for music and writing. His family has roots in Jalostotitlan, Jalisco, Mexico, where some of his favorite memories are of visiting the plaza to watch the mariachi bands perform on the weekends. Dakota is a student at the Colorado School of Mines where he is majoring in Civil Engineering and is active in the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and intramural sports. He will graduate with a Master’s Degree in May 2026.

Mirelle Ortega is an award-winning Mexican artist and writer for kidlit and animation based in Los Angeles, California. She is the author-illustrator of River of Mariposas and IMagic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, for which she received a 2023 Pura Belpré Award Illustration Honor and an International Latino Book Award bronze medal.

New books need our help, dear friends. We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Put the book on our Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about the book (Please share on social media)
Ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL WEEK!