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)
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.
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
FOR WRITERS, ILLUSTRATORS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS, AND BOOK LOVERS EVERYWHERE
TODAY’S GUESTS
What a joy this kid-lit community is!!! I just returned from Columbus, Ohio where I attended the National Council of Teachers of English conference – presentations by Jacqueline Woodson, Tom Hanks, and Angie Thomas offered hope and actionable steps for teachers AND writers as we move forward into the new year in this challenging world. Dozens of sessions by book creators, teachers, and librarians provided encouragement and fresh ideas for engaging students and for battling book banning. I loved it all – but the best part was connecting with attendees – old friends and new ones. And in a similar way, I’m thrilled to bring you another group of #KidLitJunction authors – Astrid is a familiar face – we hosted her cover reveal back in March…and Helen and Dominique are new to Picture Books Help Kids Soar.
Please enjoy each of their interviews – you won’t want to miss their insights – and make sure you leave a comment to let us know which prize you would prefer if you are one of the three lucky winners because each of our lovely authors is offering a wonderful giveaway! And don’t forget how important it is to share the post on your social media so that your circle of friends and family find out about their wonderful debut picture books!
ME: Welcome to Picture Books Help Kids Soar! We are so excited to chat with you, Dominique, Astrid, and Helen. You are up first, Dominique. Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?
DOMINIQUE: My favorite storyteller was my dad. He told us stories about a boy named “Sing Sing” and I loved them so much. I have read Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” hundreds of times. But my favorite book of childhood was “ Walt Disney’s Annette Sierra Summer”. My mom read it to me when I was little and it made me fall in love with reading.
ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
DOMINIQUE: You can make your very best even better. I totally panicked when I got my first round of edits from a professional editor. I just kept thinking “but I sent my very best! I don’t have anything left!” After completing those edits I was amazed at how much I’d grown as a writer simply by working on my own work!
ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?
DOMINIQUE: Voice to text in the car lol. Some of my best ideas happen on the freeway or in carline waiting for my kids. I find when I’m really on a roll my brain is moving faster than I can type so voice to text works so well for me! If I have real time to write I go to a specific coffee shop. I get the same drink and meal every time. Since I only write there my brain switches into work mode quickly and I can get a lot done!
ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?
DOMINIQUE: Literally whenever I can squeeze it in…which really isn’t as much as I’d like! This is the major part of my writing practice I’d like to change!
ME: Why do you write for children?
DOMINIQUE:The brevity of children’s books really grounds me. Slowing down enough to think about what I’m really trying to say and how to say it concisely has helped so many parts of my life! As the mother of young children I have found that sometimes the book our family needed hadn’t been written yet. So I write for children because of my own children.
Bio: Dominique Furukawa is a licensed clinical social worker and children’s picture book author. She lives with her wonderful family in the greatest city in the world, Los Angeles, CA. She is passionate about teaching little people big things in a way they can understand. Her debut picture book is Black Girls: A Celebration of You(Harper Collins, 2023).
Treat recipe: Listen friends. If you want to change your life, you’ll need the following four ingredients:
The chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ve been making forever
An extra ½ cup of chocolate chips
½ cup instant oats
Heaping tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice seasoning
You’ll never make those old chocolate chip cookies again. Giveaway: personalized and signed copy of Black Girls
ME: WOW! Thank you so much for sharing your journey, Dominique. And your super-powered chocolate chip cookie additions sound AMAZING!!! Okay dear friends. Are you ready for interview #2?Now it’s Astrid’s turn. Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?
ASTRID: Thinking of my childhood, I first think of my favorite storyteller, my grandma, who both read to us a lot and told stories, including from traditional Armenian folklore. My grandfather had created a huge library, and we were exposed to stories and fairytales from all over the world. As a young child, I was captivated by the world created by Lidia Charskaya, touched by the stories of Nodar Dumbadze and Alki Zei, and fascinated by poetry of Firdousi and Omar Khayyam.
ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
ASTRID: That I shouldn’t toss away the diary I kept in school!
ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?
ASTRID: I write whenever and wherever I get a chance. I wish I could say I have a writerly oak desk with some fountain pens in the drawer and a cat sleeping on top. On the technical side, I write first drafts on a laptop, then print to edit, and sometimes I use sticky notes of different colors to better structure my manuscripts. I also use the Evernote app on my phone, since some first drafts and ideas demand to be written down at random places, like playgrounds or the dentist’s office.
ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?
ASTRID: My muse is very kind in that she keeps nagging me all the time, but I am not that kind to her. I write as soon as my little ones allow me to, no matter the time of the day. Don’t be me, wake up early to get your writing done.
ME: Why do you write for children?
ASTRID: I love the world of childhood whimsy. I feel like with writing for kids I get transported back to that special state of the mind that kids have. It is also a safe, beautiful, and kind place to discuss difficult and important topics, and do so with the courage of a child, which I feel we all need today.
Bio: Astrid Kamalyan comes from a big, happy Armenian family, where she is the oldest of five siblings. Childhood summers spent in Artsakh are what inspired her to paint with words. Astrid’s debut picture book Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and received starred reviews from Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly. Astrid loves globetrotting with her husband and two sons. She currently shares her time between Chicago and Yerevan, Armenia.
Favorite treat: I call it The Happies Salad (and that, my friends, is how you market a fruit salad to kids).
I am an Armenian mama, which means I eyeball the measurements when cooking.
Turn on your favorite music, peek and slice a banana, peel an orange and dice into nice little triangles, peel and separate a mandarin or two, dice an apple, cut some prunes into 4 (really, just eyeball, the more prunes the sweeter the salad). Optionally, you can chop some walnuts or pecans, whichever you have at home. Transfer all that beauty into a bowl, dust with a little bit of powdered sugar (sorry not sorry!) and add plain greek yogurt (enough to generously cover the fruits), stir. Transfer into the most beautiful serving bowls you have and enjoy!
Giveaway: Winner’s choice: A copy of BÁBO or 30-min Zoom AMA.
ME: How fabulous, dear Astrid! I’m a huge fan of salad…in fact, I often have one as my evening snack, mixing fruits and veggies even though my son rolls his eyes because he’s a salad purist. And now it’s time to meet our third debut author, Helen Taylor. Welcome, Helen. Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?
HELEN: I loved humor—A Very Special House by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein’s poems, Roald Dahl’s stories, and Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar.
ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
HELEN: I’ve learned that I can talk myself into or out of just about anything—which story to write next, what structure fits a certain topic best, and so on—to the point where it becomes difficult to make a decision! So, I am working on listening more carefully to my instincts.
ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?
HELEN: I write on my laptop, but I like to revise on paper. There’s something about going back and forth that lets me switch between writer and editor modes. I prefer my backyard office, but I also end up working on my phone in parking lots, waiting rooms, etc. quite a bit.
ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?
HELEN: I try to write in the mornings while my kids are at school, but the muse often strikes at other times. If I’m out, sometimes I’ll send myself emails with new ideas. I also go through a lot of Post-it notes! Collecting all those fragments later on is not very efficient, but sometimes that’s just how it goes.
ME: Why do you write for children?
HELEN: My hope is that the stories I write will encourage kids to ask more questions about their world. STEM books are not just for tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. They model critical thinking, problem solving, and scientific literacy—skills that are important for everyone!
Bio: Helen Taylor is a children’s book writer whose favorite questions are how? and why? even though the answers are rarely simple. She started telling quirky stories in the museum world, writing about polar bear hair plugs, catfish physicals, and other curiosities. Now, Helen writes books that make science fun and accessible for kids. She lives in California with her family and How to Eat in Space is her picture book debut.
Recipe: In How to Eat in Space, there’s a spread in which the astronauts enjoy almond tart with caramelized pears, a special dessert created just for them by a Michelin-starred chef. My recipe isn’t that fancy (sorry!), but on the plus side, it’s much easier to make:
Pear Custard “Pie”
3 ripe but firm pears, halved and cored ¼ C unsalted butter, melted ⅓ C granulated sugar ⅓ C all-purpose flour 2 tsp vanilla 3 eggs ¾ C milk ¼ tsp salt ¼ C sliced almonds (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; butter a 9” pie dish. Slice pears lengthwise and arrange in a spiral inside the dish. In a blender, process the other ingredients (everything except the almonds) until smooth. Pour batter over the pears, sprinkle with sliced almonds, and bake for 40-45 mins, until golden and firm to the touch. Optional: Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Giveaway: Winner’s choice: A signed copy of How to Eat in Space OR a non-rhyming PB critique (1,000 words max)
A million thanks to our fabulous debut authors…for their insights and giveaways and very yummy recipes! Please, dear friends, make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win – remember to tell us which giveaway you would prefer if you are one of the THREE lucky winners! And please do at least one of the following things to help these books find perfect homes out in the world: SHARE this post on social media BUY copies of their debut books REVIEW the books on Amazon PLACE the titles on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf ASK your local library to purchase copies for their collection
And as we move into the hurry and scurry of December, I’ll share some photos of favorite moments at the conference and also a couple of quotes from one of the keynotes at NCTE, Jackie Woodson: “We read to learn, and when we learn, we have a responsibility to care for the world and make it better.” “Writing is a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets.” “Nobody has to do everything – but everybody has to do something.”
Let’s all embrace at least one of those thoughts – and move forward into the new year with passion and compassion.
Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I love books that bring me to a place I’ve never been…and today’s featured book definitely does. More than that, EGYPTIAN LULLABY provides us with a window on life in Egypt through the eyes of a young girl – and because of the fabulous text and gorgeous illustrations, we are immersed in the culture with every page turn!
EGYPTIAN LULLABY
Written by Zeena M. Pliska
Illustrated by Hatem Aly
Published by Roaring Brook Press (April 18, 2023)
Ages: 4-8
Themes: Culture of Cairo, multigenerational, family
Synopsis: From Amazon: A rich, beautifully layered ode to the great city of Cairo, Egypt, its people, and culture. Every night, my Ametti Fatma sings the sounds of Egypt to me as I fall asleep.
This is the Nile, that flows through the city. Swish, swoosh, swish. This is the boat, that glides on the Nile, that flows through the city. Swish, swoosh, swish.
Each night, a young girl’s Auntie Fatma puts her to bed, singing a lullaby filled with rich imagery of her home in Egypt. As Auntie Fatma sings, we are given a glimpse of modern Cairo, from boats making their way down the Nile to gentle calls to prayer from the mosques to young children joyfully playing soccer in the streets.
Join Zeena Pliska and Hatem Aly on a vibrant journey to Cairo in this gorgeous, layered song.
Why I Love This Book 1. The lyrical text – it wraps around me like a blanket – comfortingand warm. 2. The engaging illustrations give me a sense of being right there – this book serves as an important window and mirror and sliding glass door for every child reader. 3. I love the intergenerational aspect of the story that we see through the eyes of the child character and her grandmother.
No matter what language we use, it’s important to help new books to succeed. You can: Buy them Review them Place the title on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf Tell friends about them via social media – even sharing a book cover helps Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection.
Thank you for spending your precious time with us. Have a wonderful weekend!
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 