Book Cover Reveal: VEENA AND THE RED ROTI

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I’m always excited when authors share their covers – it’s like the unveiling of a beautiful piece of art – actually, the covers of picture books ARE works of art…and it’s my pleasure to show you this one – a debut picture written by Namita Moolani Mehra and illustrated by Beena Mistry and published by Kids Can Press.

The color palette is so vivid…and the cover is very engaging and inviting…kids will want to pick up the book and open it to find out more about the girl on the cover.

Here’s a little bit about the story:
Set during the Partition of India, a moving story about a girl who helps others the only way she knows how: by cooking up a small taste of home.

Veena loves her home, especially spending time in the kitchen learning how to make roti. But everything changes when India suddenly becomes free from British rule, and the country is to be divided in two according to religion. Fearing for their safety, Veena’s family flees in the middle of the night. They make their way to a dusty and crowded refugee camp, where life is difficult and her family struggles. Even the roti is different from what Veena remembers from home. She wants to do something to bring hope and comfort to the people at the camp. By making them tasty roti, maybe Veena can use her skills to lift everyone’s spirits. 

This poignant picture book is based on the experience of author Namita Moolani Mehra’s grandparents, who left nearly everything behind when they fled Sindh province in 1947 during the Partition of India. Sensitively written, the story can serve as an excellent starting point for classroom discussions of migration and refugees. Veena is an engaging and resourceful girl who helps put a face to the refugee experience. Beena Mistry’s colorful illustrations bring a relatable warmth to the story. The content also connects to social studies lessons on conflict and change, local and global communities, and the cultural importance of food. Back matter includes an author’s note, a map, contextual information about Partition and a glossary.

And how lucky we are! Author Namita stopped by to share the story behind the story. I know that every time I do a school visit, the students want to know WHY I wrote the book…and writers are the same, I think.
ME: Welcome, Namita. Thank you so much for visiting Picture Books Help Kids Soar and allowing us the honor of sharing the cover for your beautiful upcoming book that launches September 3rd, VEENA AND THE RED ROTI.

NAMITA:
My family is originally from Sindh, Pakistan but after the Partition of India, they were forced out of their homes and arrived in India as refugees. The Partition of India is one of the largest mass migrations in history – 14 million people were displaced and lost their homes. 

I grew up listening to stories of Partition from my grandparents- stories that were often charged with emotion and trauma. One day, my granduncle said to me– “you are a writer . . .  you must tell our family’s story!” His wife’s name (my grandaunt) was Veena and she is the inspiration for the main character in my story. 

Veena’s Red Roti is out September 3rd and is inspired by the story of my grandparents who left behind everything to start a new life. It is a story of home, belonging, hope, and memories.

Preorder links
https://www.target.com/p/veena-and-the-red-roti-by-namita-moolani-mehra-hardcover/-/A-90863547
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/veena-and-the-red-roti-namita-moolani-mehra/1144553734

The biggest challenge for me in writing this book was distilling down some very difficult truths in history and some particularly painful moments in my family’s journey –for example, they had to suddenly leave their home overnight and escape undercover in a freight train. I wasn’t sure how such a traumatic experience could translate as a kid-friendly, picture book. It was also very hard for me to detach from the real events and emotions because it is such a personal story, but thanks to my incredible critique group in Singapore (whom I meet with in person every Wednesday since 2016!) and my amazing editor Kathleen Keenan at Kids Can Press, I was able to fictionalize a bit more and tell a story that will leave young readers with a sense of hope. It took 27 revisions to get to the final story!

April 10 is a wonderful and auspicious date for this cover reveal because it is Cheti Chand- Sindhi New Year, and Veena’s Red Roti is dedicated to my grandparents and all the Sindhi grandparents who survived Partition. I am so grateful to be able to honor my family and my Sindhi heritage through this picture book.

Thank you so much, Namita, for sharing all of this.

What a very special book this is, dear friends! I hope you will check it out – and put it on your Goodreads Want To Read Shelf…and pre-order it…and share this post to spread the word!

And to find out more about Namita and to connect with her:

Namita Moolani Mehra is a children’s book author and the founder of social-impact business, Indian Spicebox, a company that has helped fund over half a million hot meals for underprivileged children in India. Namita’s published books include picture books The Light Within You and Anni Dreams of Biryani. She has also authored children’s cookbooks, including The Magic Spicebox and Superfoods for Superheroes. Namita crafts delightful culinary experiences in Singapore like cooking classes and street food pop-ups, and currently lives in Singapore with her husband and two young children. Namita has over 15 years experience as a digital and creative strategist in advertising and tech. She has worked at companies like Ogilvy and Facebook/Meta. Learn more at namitamehra.com
https://www.instagram.com/indianspicebox
Twitter/X @Namstwit
http://facebook.com/namitamehra

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us…and speaking about PRECIOUS…I’ll be announcing the results of #50PreciousWords on Sunday’s blog post…so don’t miss it!

Perfect Picture Book Friday: DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights PLUS Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I love when past guests return to Picture Books Help Kids Soar because it usually means they have a brand-new book that just launched…and that’s exactly why the lovely Lydia Lukidis is here today! Hurray! And get ready for a treat because Lydia stopped by to share the story behind the story…AND offer a giveaway. So, stick around and make sure you leave a comment!

DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights

Written by Lydia Lukidis

Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud

Published by Albert Whitman (April 4, 2024)

Ages:4-8

Themes: Women in Science, STEM, diversity

Synopsis: From the Amazon Sales Page:
“A quick but lyrical character study.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The sky proves no limit in Lukidis’s encouraging biography of Black female astronaut Mae Jemison.”—Publishers Weekly

The true story of Dr. Mae Jemison, whose lifelong passions of science and dance prepared her to become a trailblazing astronaut.



Today, Dr. Mae Jemison is famous for being the first Black woman to travel into outer space. But when she was growing up, she felt torn between two passions: science and dance. It seemed like an impossible choice. There had to be some way to make room for both—and Mae found one. As an adult, she combined her gifts of scientific logic and artistic creativity and became an astronaut.

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love finding out about Women in Science and stories I hadn’t heard before!
2. I love the lyrical writing and engaging narrative!
3. I love the vivid art that puts us right up there in space with Mae – and that helps the reader connect with the story.

RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Shiny Galaxy Slime

Photo courtesy: https://www.simpleeverydaymom.com/space-crafts-for-kids/

For detailed instructions and more space crafts: https://www.simpleeverydaymom.com/space-crafts-for-kids/

Are you still with us? Haven’t blasted off into outer space? Good, I’m glad…because author Lydia just landed and she wants to share a bit about the story behind the story.
ME: Welcome, Lydia! Thanks so much for stopping by.

LYDiA:
Thank you, Vivian! I’m so excited to announce the release of my latest nonfiction picture book Dancing through Space: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights illustrated by Sawyer Cloud and published by Albert Whitman.

I wrote this book as a dual narrative that features both of Mae’s passions. As the story unfolds, the two worlds merge, illuminating how art and science are both essential parts of our world.

But I confess, the road to publication was bumpier than usual and fraught with challenges!

Challenge #1: I wrote the first versions in 2013 and started pitched it at various pitch festivals online. One agent was interested but when I showed her my other books, she passed. Looking back, I was a newbie and had a lot to learn.

Challenge #2: I did a million more pitch festivals (and if you’ve done them, you know how stressful they can be). I got hearts but no offers. After querying a slew of agents, I finally signed with my first agent, yay! We went out on sub with this ms but got rejection after rejection, boo.

Challenge #3: I remember one of the critiques calling my writing “regular.” Looking back, those first versions were pretty terrible. I finally realized the problem: the focus was too wide and there was no hook. After several years of research, I finally found the hook; the intersection of dance and science. Editors responded well to it but still, no offers.

Challenge #4: I dove deeper into the hook and the book improved, but I parted ways with that agent. Boo… I bounced back pretty quickly and started a mad querying rush. I signed with a great agent, but she didn’t vibe with this story, so it was shelved.

Challenge #5: Uh oh, after a year, I parted ways with my second agent. I started to reassess my career at that point and fell into an existential slump. No querying or writing for a while.

Challenge #6: I decided to try to pitch the ms again and one editor was really gung-ho about it, it was Nivair H. Gabriel (from Barefoot Books at the time) so I sent her the ms. She loved it and wanted to acquire it, but asked for some revisions and I got to work. But when I tried to send it to Nivair, I found out she had just left Barefoot Books! I sent the revisions to the new editor but she didn’t share Nivair’s excitement and passed.

Challenge #7: In 2020, I signed with my dream agent Miranda Paul. I showed her the revised ms. She loved it, but worried I had already subbed earlier versions too widely and it would be a hard sell. She told me to be patient.

Then, yay, we got an offer from Albert Whitman! After a 10-year journey and 42 revisions, the book is done and released!

I’m grateful.

ME: And we are grateful, too. For this book, dear Lydia…and for you never giving up. Persistence…where have I heard that before? Oh yes…it’s one of my 5 Ps. Thank you so much for sharing your path to publication…an ELEVEN YEAR journey for this beautiful book!!!

Here’s a little bit about Lydia:
Lydia Lukidis is the author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was shortlisted for a Silver Birch Express (Forest of Reading) award, THE BROKEN BEES’ NEST(Kane Press, 2019) which was nominated for a Cybils Award, and NO BEARS ALLOWED (Clear Fork Media, 2019). A science enthusiast from a young age, she now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books.

Lydia is very involved in the kidlit community. She volunteers as a judge on Rate your Story, co-hosts the annual Fall Writing Frenzy competition, and is an active member of SCBWI, CANSCAIP, 12 x 12, and The Authors Guild. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program.
Lydia is represented by Miranda Paul from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

To find out more about Lydia and her books and to connect with her:
Web: http://www.lydialukidis.com/
Presale links: https://www.albertwhitman.com/book/dancing-through-space/
Blog: https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaLukidis
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaLukidis/

We all know how important it is to help new books become successful…and we can all help: We can:
Buy 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
Please do at least ONE of these things…if you do more, you get extra tickets in the giveaway hat. And make sure you leave a comment because Lydia is happy to give away a free copy of DANCING THROUGH SPACE (US only).

Thank you for spending your precious time with us.
I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.

Happy Book Birthday: THE MUD ANGELS: How Students Saved the City of Florence

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A couple of years ago, author Karen Greenwald showed me the manuscript for THE MUD ANGELS: How Students Saved the City of Florence. I read it and I told her: THIS IS A BOOK!

And now it is!!! HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO THE MUD ANGELS!!!

The cover is everything we could hope – wonderful color palette…and beautiful art! And I love how the title is sitting in the muck and mud! Olga Lee did a fabulous job!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Based on real events, this story shows how a team of international volunteers worked together to save priceless artifacts after a flood.

When the Arno River floods the city of Florence, Italy in 1966, it leaves slimy, smelly mud everywhere. A young girl watches students from around the world, many from the US, help save the town’s rare treasures, earning themselves the nickname Gli Angeli del Fango, the Mud Angels.

According to the publisher, the book targets ages 4-8 – but honestly, this is a picture book that also belongs in the upper elementary and middle school classroom! What a fabulous story to encourage young readers to become activists – to get involved with what’s going on around them, in their school and in their community and beyond.
So please, dear friends, spread the word:
Share on your social media
Place it on your GOODREADS WANT TO READ SHELF
Review it on Amazon
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection
Buy the book

And now, because author Karen is such a sweetheart, she stopped by to share a bit of the story behind the story – what drew her to write MUD ANGELS.
ME: Welcome, dear Karen…thank you for coming to chat with us!

KAREN: Hi Vivian, it’s lovely to be here. Thank you so much for joining the celebration for THE MUD ANGELS.
When you first begin learning how to write picture books, you start hearing about all the rules. This can feel overwhelming at times. However, there is one that I find myself returning to again and again—the idea that you should write what you feel personally connected to or have experience with. This is advice not to ignore! The Mud Angels touches on many facets of my life, from the environmental aspects to my obvious and enormous love of libraries, from the fact that it was the first-time books were treated as art, to my interest in studying various cultures…and, ultimately, the community of global youth that joined harmoniously to do something important for the world. I have loved researching, interviewing, and learning about this dark (and yet, hopeful) period in history. Along the way, the process has yielded me new friendships, education, and food for thought. It even inspired me to take Italian!

I hope others in kid lit find stories to write that nurture their souls as much as this one does mine!

That’s fabulous advice, Karen. Because when we feel connected with the story we are researching, the writing shows that – and the reader connects, too.

To connect with Karen and find out more about her books: https://www.karengreenwald.com/

And here’s a totally cool trailer for MUD ANGELS from Italy:

Thank you for spending your precious time with us. Please come back tomorrow for Perfect Picture Book Friday when we welcome Lydia Lukidis and her new book, DANCING THROUGH SPACE!