Perfect Picture Book Friday: JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED Plus Signed Book Giveaway

Posted on by
35

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I have a very strong connection with today’s featured book…I was a freshman in college when JFK was assassinated – I remember watching the funeral and the grace with which his widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, conducted herself. And so, when I heard about this new book, I knew I’d want to share it with all of you.

JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED

Written by Ronni Diamondstein

Illustrated by Bats Langley

Published by Sky Pony Press (November 7, 2023)

Ages: 4-8

Themes: Books, Jacqueline Kennedy, Be true to yourself

Synopsis: From Amazon:
“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” —Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Discover a delightful new story about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, one of the most famous women in the world.

History remembers Jackie as the consummate First Lady, especially for her White House restoration and the cultural events she instituted during her husband’s administration. Jackie was on the world stage in 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated. She led the nation in grieving the fallen leader with grace and dignity.

In this inspirational celebration of reading, Ronni Diamondstein, with her engaging writing style in this picture book biography, introduces readers to an independent and confident Jackie and the idea of how books guided her life. The insightful story paints the portrait of a child captivated by reading and a love of literature and writing—from five‑year‑old Jackie reading Chekhov stories to a seasoned and confident Jackie at her desk as an editor in the last two decades of her life.

Jackie never wrote a memoir but revealed herself in the nearly 100 books she brought into print. Jackie and the Books She Loved is a dazzling book about the real woman behind this American icon of style and grace brought to life by the whimsical and tasteful artwork of Bats Langley. 

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love that we get such an authentic picture of Jackie as a young girl and how her love of books and reading influenced her life.
2. I love the beautifully written text!
3. I love the engaging illustrations that follow Jackie as her life unfolds – and we get to see the places and people she knew.

Q&A With Author Ronni Diamondstein
ME: Ronni was kind enough to stop by to chat about how she came to write this book.

RONNI: Thank you for spreading the word about my book, Vivian. Jackie and the Books She Loved is a celebration of books, reading and writing and the star of the show is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis!

I was inspired to write JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED because I always admired Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I was eight years old when John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. I remember Jackie, especially how she led the country in mourning her husband. I was always interested in her style and admired her for becoming a book editor. After she passed away, I had an idea for a novel about her and started researching her. I started to interview people who knew her. When I was talking to Margot Datz, the illustrator of Carly Simon’s children’s books that Jackie edited, she suggested that I write a children’s book. I have an extensive library of books about Jackie and the Kennedys. I first wrote a long chapter book that got no traction and then about five years ago I thought a book about how reading and writing were a thread through her life.

ME: Were you in contact with anyone in Jackie’s family regarding the book?

RONNI: I was thrilled to get permission from Ambassador Caroline Kennedy to reprint her mother’s poem “Sea Joy” that she wrote when she was 10 years old. 

ME: We know that quite often, authors don’t have much contact with illustrators, but you mentioned that this book was a true example of teamwork. Can you explain?.

RONNI: I had a great collaboration with the illustrator Bats Langley. I have lots of books about Jackie and the Kennedys was able to provide himwith photographs he could use to incorporate so many realistic details in the illustrations. One day Bats wanted to know about Jackie’s favorite birthday cake was. And of course, I had the answer. I had a book called Cooking with Madam in my collection, so I sent him pictures of Jackie’s birthday cake that you’ll find in our book.

I love to hear that. Thank you so much for stopping by, Ronni.

And here a little bit about Ronni in her own words:

RONNI: I have spent my life surrounded by books and immersed in the world of children’s literature. 

 An avid reader since childhood, libraries, books, and writing are my life’s work. As a school library media specialist and teacher of gifted and talented students in the U.S. and abroad, I nurtured my students’ creativity by sharing my love of reading with them. I took great pride in my collection development as I enriched the lives of my students with extraordinary books, both fiction and nonfiction, that I read and recommended to them. I grew up reading and writing stories and creating writing opportunities for myself. I successfully pitched a column for the school newspaper, so I had a voice. Many years later I gave a voice to my toy poodle by creating the Maggie Mae Pup Reporter column in a local magazine, writing from a dog’s point of view that developed into a blog. I graduated from Syracuse University, attended Bread Loaf Writers Conference, and led writing workshops and open mics to encourage people of all ages to tell their stories. I proudly served on the Board of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and am a Past President of the Chappaqua Library Board of Trustees. I live in Chappaqua, New York with my toy poodle, Maggie Mae.  

For more about me and the book, here’s a link to my website: https://ronnidiamondstein.com


And now, dear friends, how about a related craft activity for the kiddos.
MAKE A BOOK

Thank you for spending your precious time with us…and please remember to leave a comment and share widely on social media for a chance to WIN the fabulous giveaway: A SIGNED COPY of this beautiful book, JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED.

Other things we can do to help books like this one success:
Buy the book
Review the book
Put the book on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Book Birthday: DESERT QUEEN Plus Zoom Chat Giveaway

Posted on by
12

It’s time to sing Happy Book Birthday to a beautiful new nonfiction picture book biography!!!!

Oh my goodness! What a glorious cover! Illustrator Svabhu Kohli is a genius! And what a wonderful story by Jyoti Rajan Gopal.

Here’s a little bit about DESERT QUEEN from the Amazon sales page:
This picture book biography in verse follows the life of beloved Rajasthani drag performer Queen Harish, known as the Whirling Desert Queen of Rajasthan. Lit by an inner fire and propelled by a family tragedy, Harish defied the gender conventions of middle class Indian life, battled discrimination and intimidation, and eventually grew up to dance with Bollywood movie stars and on stages across the world.

Jyoti Gopal’s rhythmic phrases evoke the particular sounds and beats of the music Harish danced to, and capture the passions and conflicts of his life. The poignant and inspiring tale is interpreted by internationally acclaimed Rajasthani artist Svabhu Kohli in kohl-black lines and shapes and brilliant jewel-like colors.

And here’s a little bit about the inspiration for the book from author Jyoti Gopal:

JYOTI: When we visited Rajasthan, India in Dec 2018 and sat down for the Queen Harish show, little did I know that for the next two hours, I was going to be beguiled and captivated by a master performer. As a child, Harish Kumar loved watching the folk artist troupes in his town of Jaisalmer perform. He was especially fascinated by the female dancers with their bright swirling skirts and their sparkly, jangly jewelry. But he never dared to dream that one day, he would be one of those performers, dancing to cheering, clapping crowds. His path to the stage was not an easy one as he bucked the traditional conventions of his community. But through the ups and downs, he kept his smile, his grace and his humor, and became a fierce advocate for Rajasthani folk music, dance, and gender fluidity. I am honored to have been able to bring Queen Harish’s story to life.

And here’s a little bit about the author:
Growing up, Jyoti lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, China and India. She finally settled in New York where she raised two daughters with her husband (who also grew up all over the world). As a child, she adored and devoured books but did not enjoy writing. At all.  

As a grown up, she is a forever kindergarten teacher and mom. She still adores and devours books. But now, she likes to write!    

Her two picture books AMERICAN DESI illus. by Supriya Kelkar (Little Brown) and MY PAATI’S SARIS(Kokila), illus. by art twink, were released in 2022, and this year a picture book biography DESERT QUEEN illus. by Svabhu Kohli (Levine Querido) releases on Oct 24. She has three more releasing in 2024: ONE SWEET SONG illus. by Sonia Sánchez (Jan.16, Candlewick), SISTER DAY illus. by Fanny Liem (July, FSG) and LOVE IS HERE WITH YOU: A LULLABY OF BLESSINGS illus. by Nabi Ali (Fall, Candlewick).
My Link Tree
For a SIGNED COPY: Order DESERT QUEEN at Books of Wonder for a signed copy

Kirkus review of DESERT QUEEN

To connect with Jyoti and find out more about her books:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram        

Please be sure to leave a comment and share this post on your social media for a chance to win a wonderful 30-minute Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chat with Jyoti. And please do at least one more thing as we all need to help books become successful…otherwise, publishers will stop making them.
Buy the book…links are in the post
Review the book (Amazon reviews are especially important)
Place the book on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

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

Board Book Saturday: CHALLAH! Plus Giveaway

Posted on by
14

it’s time for another Board Book Saturday! Hurray! Today’s featured book is the wonderful creation of author/illustrator Varda Livney, one of the members of my #JewishBoardBooks group that also includes Nancy Churnn, Ann Koffsky, and Sarah Aroeste. Varda’s book, CHALLAH!, just launched…and I’m excited to share it with all of you…as well as a day in the life of Varda, who was kind enough to give us a tiny peek into what it means to be living in Israel right now.

What a fabulous cover! Now I want a piece of challah! And the story is so adorable – all about a very little boy bunny who hasn’t said his first words – and when he does, his family worry that perhaps that will be the only word he ever says.

Dear friends, the situation in Israel is terrifying…and we are all praying that those taken hostage will be returned safely and that the terrorists will be destroyed and that the people of Israel and Palestine will be able to live in peace. Perhaps some of you watch the news and see some of what’s going on. But what is life like for a resident of Israel? I’m grateful to Varda for being willing to share the letter she wrote to our board book group a couple of days ago. I think it’s really important for us to put a face on the people of Israel – and see their hearts.

VARDA: My immediate family is so far safe.. We had sirens here for the first couple of days, but since then, nothing. 3 miles away, 5 miles away, but nothing where we are. 

The situation is really horrible and awful, and lifechanging, not in a good way, for many, many, many people.

It will never be the same.  and yet…..

Hopefully some good will come out of this when it is all over.  

No more rockets? Better government on all sides? Change of priorities? Peace?  A girl can dream, can’t she?

The good I see now, is Israel, which has been torn into itty-bitty pieces politically for the last 9 months, is now one big family (for the most part).  People are running around like bees in a beehive trying help anyone they can find. We are in Jewish-mother mode. This is us at our best. It is our superpower.

From the local council: “Hi, we need 450 meals for some soldiers who are staying nearby for a few days while they are training. Attached is an excel sheet. Meat, vegan, dessert, napkins… please sign up and have the meal here by 12.”

From the office of the kibbutz: “ Hi, our accountant is in Ashkelon, and she is not coming into work, so we need someone to drive her laptop down to her house right now.” 

“Hi, I’m leading some yoga in the clubhouse for whoever wants at 5:00, bring a mat.”

From a teacher: “Hi, we’re under the dining room, the high school kids are making gift packages of snacks for the police. Here’s a list of the kind of snacks we want. Bring them by 3 pm.”

This is just a little list from our local community. This is HUGE, and is is an incredible silver lining of this crap situation.

My daughter is in the army, but she is safe. For the first few days she was being sent to be at the funerals of soldiers from her base (loss of innocence at 21). Now they have started fitness training again, so she is back on her usual schedule, training combat soldiers. She has many friends in danger, and some who have died. But she sounds better than she did last week.

My husband is Rabbi of the synagogue on the kibbutz. He is organizing all sorts of singing sessions, going to the kindergarten to talk to the kids, raising money for assorted things. (Last week one of my daughter’s friends wrote that they have more soldiers than usual, and they had just had the first rain, and they were all kind of stressed and headach-y. So the synagogue bought umbrellas, sheets and assorted over-the-counter meds and sent them to her base.)  He was in touch with the local council about what we could do to help, and they said they need combat vests for everyone guarding the communities, so he is reaching out to his contacts in Kansas (where he is from ) to see what he can do. 

I usually have a day-job 3 days a week working for an artist who does big art with wood and metal. I didn’t go in all last week. I would never have been able to do my own writing work, except for my critique group! It was my day this past Sunday to present (we each present once every 5 weeks), so I HAD to make progress. THIS is what is so great about critique groups. I DID get something done, war and all.

Otherwise, I am buying snacks for the police when I’m asked, baking vegan for the soldiers when I’m asked, cooking for my extended family, ordering pizza for my son and the boy next door who just got home from the army (and his mom got stuck out of the country), doing Israel pr when nobody asked me to, glued to the news, and trying to find people from the south who need a house….. because we have an empty volunteers house (all of the volunteers went back to their countries) and people are clearing out of their houses to get away from the rockets. I am volunteering for watching the gate at the kibbutz, and if they come at me, I will kill them with my charm.  My friend Roxanne asked the head security guy on the kibbutz (Actually, the head of security was called to the army, so they put someone else in charge, and then HE was called to the army, so this is the 3rd in charge) “Really, you want ME to guard the kibbutz?” and he said, “I asked the army for a SWAT team, but they didn’t send one, so yes, I want you.”  

Oh my dear Varda…thank you so much. You showed us such an intimate and honest picture. Our hearts and prayers are with you.

And friends, I’m adding a giveaway of a copy of Varda’s newest board book. For a chance to win CHALLAH!, please leave a comment (maybe you can tell us what you favorite bread is) and please SHARE this post on your social media.

Other things we can do to help new books succeed:
Put the on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf
Review them
Buy them
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

Please have a wonderful weekend, everyone. I was supposed to go to Boston today to attend the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Memorial – but a day of rain convinced me to stay at home.