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.
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!
Hold onto your hats, my friends! Today is T minus 1 day until #50PreciousWords! And what could be better while we wait to post our contest entries than to celebrate another beautiful book in the pipeline and reveal the cover of ABUELITA’S GIFT – EL REGALO DE ABUELITA, written by Mariana Ríos Ramírez and illustrated by Sara Palacios.
Author Mariana was kind enough to stop by and provide us with everything we need to know as we get ready to celebrate this upcoming book.
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers Author: Mariana Ríos Ramírez Illustrator: Sara Palacios Release Date: September 10, 2024 Spanish edition available: El regalo de abuelita: Un cuento de Día de Muertos
A bit about the book: Julieta is excited for Abuelita’s spirit to visit on Día de Muertos. She is determined to find the perfect gift to honor Abuelita and to show how much she misses her. However, her ideas fail one by one and Julieta grows worried. It is only when Julieta embraces the memories she once shared with her abuelita, that she realizes the perfect gift comes from the heart. An uplifting story about both life and death, family, and the threads that connect us, long after we are gone. Illustrated by award-winning Sara Palacios, this is a touching story that celebrates ancestors and teaches that the most meaningful tributes come from the heart.
Mariana says: From the moment I met Julieta and Abuelita for the first time in the sketches, I’ve been blown away by Sara’s talent. Since then, getting to see how her beautiful art brought the words of my story to life has been a true gift. Regarding the cover, I’m amazed by how the essence and heart of Julieta and Abuelita’s story is perfectly captured in a single image. I love how colorful, sweet, and joyful the cover is, and the way Sara managed to include some of the most characteristic elements of the Día de Muertos celebration, without making those the center of attention. Abuelita’s Gift is a story that happens on that particular holiday; but it’s mostly a tale about a girl who misses her abuelita and how she ultimately finds a way to feel close to her after she has passed away. Julieta and Abuelita’s warm, loving, and strong connection really shines through this cover; and their special relationship is highlighted in such a clear and beautiful way, that I hope readers will be able to feel that love too.
What fascinates me most about Día de Muertos in Mexico is that instead of being a time to mourn our dead loved ones, it’s an opportunity to honor their lives and remember them with joy. For me, it’s a pleasure to share with you glimpses of the culture and folklore that surround this wonderful tradition, which is essentially about love, family, and how we’re all connected to our ancestors.
I’m so grateful to Sara and the amazing team at Knopf that made this book possible. Special thanks to my agent Natascha Morris, my editor Gianna Lakenauth, designer Taline Boghosian, and copy editor Artie Bennett. Thank you all for your invaluable work on this book, and thank you Vivian for hosting our cover reveal on your wonderful blog.
Oh WOW! Thank you so much, Mariana, for sharing the story behind the story – I’m thrilled that the path to publication was made smooth by the amazing team at Knopf.
And now, dear readers, here’s the information you need to pre-order your own copy and spread the word about this wonderful book, through reviews and social media.
And here’s a little bit about these fabulous creatives:
Mariana Ríos Ramírez is a Mexican children’s book author who loves sharing elements of her culture, language, and traditions through her stories. She received a degree in international business from Tecnológico de Monterrey (México) and an MBA degree in Tecnológico de Monterrey and Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, USA. Before becoming a children’s book author with her debut Santiago’s Dinosaurios, she worked as a high school teacher and co-owned an online business of customized party decorations. Mariana is a member of SCBWI, Storyteller Academy, Las Musas, and Rate your Story. Besides writing, Mariana enjoys photography, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. She also loves flowers, dogs, and Chai Lattes. Mariana currently resides in Anderson, South Carolina. To connect with Mariana: Website: marianariosramirez.com Twitter: @marianariosrmz1 Instagram/Threads: @marianariosr Facebook: @marianarioswrites Bluesky: marianarios.bsky.social
Sara Palacios is the recipient of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Award for her work on Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match and has illustrated many picture books for children. Sara earned her B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where she lives with her husband. Sara works with a variety of media such as collage, ink, and digital artwork. To find out more about Sara: https://www.sarapalaciosillustrations.com
We always love to welcome new books…because each one comes from the heart of an author and illustrator who is trying to connect with the heart of the child who reads the story. Do you have a story you want a child to connect with? Will you be entering #50PreciousWords tomorrow? The official contest post goes live at 12:01am on March 2nd and closes 11:59pm on March 3rd. Amazing prizes. Encouraging camaraderie. And loads of fun! Hope to see you back here tomorrow!
What a perfect time to have a baby…a book baby, that is! And it was love at first sight…for me and for School Library Journal who gave it a STARRED review!!!
Written by Kris Tarantino – Illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld – Published by Waterbrook
Now this is a cover that puts you in a good mood, right? It looks like party-time at the monster’s house but someone’s not happy. Kids need a bit of silliness and joy these days. Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
A hilarious and heartwarming picture book about a sweet little monster who really wants to celebrate a not-so-monstery holiday: Valentine’s Day.
“There are powerful messages about the nature of love on almost every page.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
Snoodle is an unusual monster. She loves candy hearts, fun parties, fuzzy kittens, fancy hats, sparkly stickers, and . . . valentines! There’s just one problem: Monsters don’t do Valentine’s Day! And when Snoodle tries to throw a Valentine’s Day party for her monster friends, nothing goes right. Every attempt to show them what love looks like turns into monster mayhem! With each disaster, Snoodle tries to be patient and kind, and to not be rude or get easily angered. But if the party isn’t perfect, how can Snoodle convince the other monsters to be her Valenslime?
Debut author Kris Tarantino and New York Times bestselling illustrator Cori Doerrfeld bring to life a wonderful cast in this laugh-out-loud exploration of the true meaning of love.
And we are so lucky! Debut author Kris Tarantino was kind enough to stop by to share the inspiration for the story, plus the challenges and humorous moments on the path to publication. PLUS, she and her publisher are offering a giveaway, so please make sure you leave a comment.
ME: WELCOME, KRIS! THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY TO SHARE YOUR PATH TO PUBLICATON WITH US.
KRIS: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON YOUR BLOG, VIVIAN! I’M THRILLED TO CELEBRATE MY BOOK BIRTHDAY HERE.
Inspiration for this book:
The inspiration for Be My ValenSLIME came together after years of experiencing people who repeatedly demonstrated a lack or void of love and kindness. I found myself saying, This doesn’t feel like love. What’s love anyway? Then the idea of exploring What’s love anyway kept rolling around in my head. And I thought what better way to get down to the kid-level on the topic of ‘love’ than with the opposite kind of character—a mash-up of monsters (typically viewed as a nasty unloving group). But they all couldn’t be monster-y. Then Snoodle burst on the page, along with the fun title, and the rest was history.
Challenging moments: I had a multi-step challenge with the acquisition of Be My Valenslime.
I met both my agent and editor at an online conference (covid time). During my One-on-One with the editor, I chose to spend my time pitching her as many of my stories as time would allow. I wanted to gauge her interest on each story because we all know that writers are only allowed to send one manuscript to a faculty member post-conference. It turns out she was looking for holiday books and lit up when I pitched Be My ValenSLIME. She asked me to send her the manuscript post-conference (which I did). And then said they only work with agented authors. Gulp. I told her I was working on that part.
Post-conference, I signed with my agent. Hooray! As this was happening, the editor got back to me and said there was internal interest and would I be willing to revise and resend? Then reminded me that they only work with agented authors. I replied that yes, I’d be happy to do an R&R, and told her I just signed with an agent!
First, my agent and I went through two months of revisions. After the R&R was sent, the editor said she took it to an acquisitions meeting. The group was very interested, but no offer, yet. They wanted to see more storylines developed with Snoodle and the monsters. There was talk of making this into a picture book series, maybe, no promises. Did I hear that right? A possible series?!
I had to think of 6-8 additional story summaries. I’d never done this before, but I was determined to try. So, after another 4 weeks, the series ideas were done and sent. Shortly after that we received a formal offer! Even though the offer ended up being for one book (and not a series) the acquisitions group still thought a series was a future possibility.
Surprising editorial moment: At the editorial kick-off meeting, I learned that there had been even more internally discussion about the monsters. The original story that sold had Snoodle (the main character) and groups of other non-specific monsters. My editor asked that I develop a few of the monsters, have them appear alongside Snoodle as secondary characters, and give them personalities and character traits. Enter in—Iggy, Zee-Zee, and Fleck. There were other changes to the story as well. Overall, we went through three rounds of revisions over two months. My editor’s vision ultimately made the story much stronger!
Surprising amazing incident: Once the manuscript was ready for art, my editor asked me to put together a list of illustrators who I thought would be a perfect fit for the story. I was shocked. Afterall, it’s well-known in the industry that the author doesn’t pick the illustrator, the art director and editor do. I was honored and delighted that they asked for my input, even if they decided to pick someone else. So, I poured over all my favorite picture books and put together a list of illustrators, including why I liked their style, and how it could best fit Snoodle and her monster friends.
And here’s the cool part. My editor put together a list too. And Cori Doerrfeld was on both of our lists! How amazing is that? I love it. And, it turns out that one of Cori’s favorite things to draw is… you guessed it—monsters!
ME: Oh my gosh! Kris! What an AMAZING story of how your story came to be. Lots of writing and rewriting! Lots of patience and perseverance! We are so proud of you!!
Dear friends, here’s a little bit about Kris, although with all that she shared with us, I bet you feel like you know her already. Kris Tarantino is a children’s book author. She’s member of SCBWI and the 12×12 Picture Book Writing Challenge. She has participated as a faculty speaker on several SCBWI Writer/Illustrator Panels, and has won numerous writing and mentor awards. Kris holds a B.A. in Business, Marketing, and Art. Prior to writing children’s books, she worked in marketing, licensing popular characters for companies that make fun products like toys, books, and balloons. Kris is represented by Keely Boeving at WordServe Literary. You can find her online at www.kristarantino.com, as well as Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin.
Thank you so much for spending your precious time here with us. Please make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of BE MY VALENSLIME – and please share on your social media to spread the word. Other things you can do: 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.
This is the last planned post of the year, dear friends. Stay safe as the New Year approaches…find joy, be kind, and love each other.
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 