#50PreciousWords has been a blessing for me! It’s helped to connect me with so many amazing kid lit folks, including the author of today’s featured book, FREE TO BE FABULOUS! Actually, David McMullin was an early follower of my blog and was a top winner of the contest in 2017. So, having him on Picture Books Help Kids Soar is like welcoming an old friend – and it’s an honor for me to share the cover of his upcoming book, illustrated by Robbie Cathro, that launches from Clarion Books on April 30, 2024.
What a glorious cover!!! Definitely a quicker-picker-upper – kids will naturally gravitate to the joyful action and beautiful color palette.
Here’s a little bit about the book: Free to be Fabulous is the story of Daniel who dances like his favorite pop star, Fabulina, at his school’s talent show. That’s when the bullying begins, but he soon finds that the very thing they tease him for is what helps him find his strength.
And here’s a note from David: This book has been a long rewarding journey. It will be six years from idea to publication with three R&Rs (revise and resubmit) with the editor before an offer. Much like my main character, I knew that following the path I loved would get me to my destination despite the obstacles. Most of the stories I write lean towards the silly side of life, so to have my debut be such a personal book is quite special. Then to be matched with Robbie’s magical art—I couldn’t be happier.
And here’s a little bit about David McMullin: David is a picture book writer, illustrator, and children’s poet. His debut book, Free to be Fabulous comes out April 30, 2024 with Clarion. His poems are featured in several magazines and anthologies. Honors include an SCBWI Ann Whitford Paul Award, an Astra International Picture Book Writing Contest award, and a Madness Poetry championship. David and his husband are currently full time world travelers, bird nerds, and YouTubers. In past careers he was a Broadway actor, an educator, and a children’s librarian.
And here’s a little bit about illustrator Robbie Cathro from his website: I am an Illustrator & Storyteller living in Bristol, UK, working from my studio in The Island. I love to make fun, colourful and charismatic work whether that’s for a lively children’s magazine, an editorial piece or even for stories of my own invention. With my work I hope to create a playful composition that translates the mood and atmosphere of the work I’m illustrating! I graduated in 2016 from The University of the West of England with a 1st-Class Honours in (BA Hons) Illustration.
And here are several links for preorders because we all know that one of the best ways we can help a book become successful is to buy copies: HarperCollins Book Sales Amazon Barnes and Noble
And last but not least, here are a couple of other ways we can help: Review the book on Amazon and other sites Put the book on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf Tell friends about the book (you can do that by sharing this post on your social media) Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection
As always, I’m grateful for all of you who spend your precious time with us here. May this be a season of light and love for you and the world.
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.
Woo-hoo! Another fabulous book in the pipeline that I know kids are going to LOVE! COSMIC COLLISIONS: ASTEROID VS. COMET – Just the title will have them pulling it off the shelf…and it’s written by an honest-to-goodness astrophysicist! And it launches on April 2, 2024!
What a FABULOUS cover!!! Illustrator Matt Schu packed a lot of excitement right up front!
Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page: What happens when two massive hunks of hurtling space debris slam into each other? Welcome to round one in the Cosmic Collisions series—an exciting children’s debut from an expert astrophysicist.
There’s a comet speeding in from the outer solar system, and it’s about to slam into an asteroid. Who will be left standing after this interplanetary smackdown? The pockmarked asteroid, a veteran fighter who’s already seen some action? Or the dazzling comet, with its incredible velocity and a tail that stretches millions of miles? Kicking off a dynamic series on cosmic collisions, Asteroid vs. Comet starts by comparing the two opponents, then offers hints and context to encourage readers to use real science to form a hypothesis. Action-packed full-color illustrations with a graphic, comic-book feel will attract reluctant readers and kids who love smash-and-crash, along with budding scientists. Curious readers can find back matter addressing the question of fact versus fiction, how to become a citizen scientist, and comets and asteroids in the news.
Luckily for us, Dr. Marc Kuchner, the author, stopped by to share a little bit about the story behind the story…the challenges in writing this book…some humorous moments…and more.
MARC: The challenging moment on the path to publication was, of course, COVID. I started showing ideas to people in 2019—calling these books the “Cosmic Battle” series. News was already circulating of a dangerous virus in China, and my wife, an epidemiologist, was called to testify at a congressional hearing about it. In March 2020, of course, all heck broke loose. Nonetheless, Jermey Matthews at MIT Press managed to find time to read my manuscript, and in May of 2020, he encouraged me to submit a proposal for a book series. I sat on that offer for months! Like everyone else, I was struggling to juggle school closures and toilet-paper shortages. Then, unable to take our customary winter trip to see the grandparents, my family holed up for Christmas break in a rented off-season beach apartment, just for a change of scenery. And while the winter winds swept down the shoreline and my kids baked cookies to occupy themselves, Lisa Amstutz helped me craft a proposal—which I finally submitted in January 2021.
But there were humorous moments as well. Constructing a book for children means serious discussions about silly topics. Should “WUBBA WUBBA WUBBA SLURB” be all-caps? My editor, Kristin Zelazko, patiently guided me through a labyrinth of similar dilemmas. But the moment in our editorial conversation that had me rolling on the floor is summed up in this email I sent her late at night after examining some proofs.
“I have refrained from commenting on the text. I’m making no comments on the text whatsoever. I want you to appreciate the restraint I’m showing. Because, for example, the text does not mention a can of beans. Nonetheless, there is an excellent line drawing of a CAN OF BEANS on spread 14.” An earlier draft of Asteroid vs. Comet had in fact mentioned canned beans. They are about as dense as an asteroid.
Dear friends, I love when we are able to see behind the scenes of the path to publication for a book. I know we are all grateful to Marc for sharing all of this with us. Here’s a little bit about Marc:
Need a Dad joke? Or a long-winded speech on some esoteric topic in astrophysics? Dr. Marc Kuchner can hook you up. He’s the author of the Cosmic Collisions series (Candlewick/MIT Press, 2024) and several other forthcoming STEM books for children.
Marc was born in Montreal, Canada, and he earned his Ph.D. in astronomy in 2001 from Caltech. He’s scienced at Harvard, Princeton and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and written more than 100 scientific papers on topics such as exoplanets, white dwarfs, brown dwarfs, exotic binaries, debris disks, Kuiper belt objects, young stellar objects, gamma ray bursts, and supernovae. Kuchner won the Early Career Award from the SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, for his work on tools for exoplanet hunting. NASA recently selected Kuchner for an award for excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), for his work promoting Citizen Science.
Back in 2011, Marc began writing to help out his colleagues, authoring Marketing for Scientists: How to Shine in Tough Times. Astronomy Magazine called it “lively, engaging” and Neil deGrasse Tyson called it “the first of its kind”. Marc also writes music and lyrics. Many of his songs have been covered by aspiring pop and country artists and have appeared on VH1, MTV, BET, and PBS.
And we hold the power to help make this wonderful book a success doing at least one of these things: Buying the book Reviewing the book Place the book on your Goodreads WANT TO READ SHELF Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 