Welcome, dear friends! It’s always a pleasure to celebrate the launch of a new book with a Happy Book Birthday post. And today, my joy is unmeasurable…since the new book is actually one of mine!
When my editor asked me to write a sequel to the popular PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE, I was thrilled. And with talented illustrator Jill Weber on board again, I knew the book would be magical…and I was not disappointed! Every page bursts with color and action!
Join Pippa’s generous friends and neighbors as they come together as a community in this joyful companion to Pippa’s Passover Plate.
Filled with rhymes and repetition, this is a perfect title to share and read aloud as you celebrate your own Hanukkah festivities! Pippa loves everything about her Hanukkah latkes—making them; eating them; and most of all, sharing them! But when her ingredients go missing, Pippa’s dinner guests become Hanukkah helpers as she searches the whimsical winter landscape.
When a surprise twist brings the latke ingredients and new guests to her table, Pippa is thrilled to have gathered the most important ingredient for any holiday meal: a community to enjoy it with.
An end note explains the origins and meaning of the holiday—with special attention to everyone’s favorite traditions like chocolate gelt (chocolate coins wrapped in foil) and the game of dreidel (spinning top).
Just in time for Hanukkah, this joyful story will bring smiles to our youngest story lovers…and by following the illustration clues, kids will be eager to solve the mystery of the missing potatoes.
Please help this story about community, compassion, and kindness become a success. You can: Buy the book (the link is from Bookshop.org, but you can purchase it on Amazon or from your local indie bookstore) Review the book (on Amazon or any other review site) Tell friends about the book (share on your social media and TAG 2 friends) Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection
To enter the giveaway of a signed copy of PIPPA’S HANUKKAH HUNT, please do at least ONE of the above…and in the comments, let me know what you have done. If you do more than one, you’ll receive extra chances in the giveaway hat.
And, if you didn’t get a chance to see the unboxing video on Facebook, here it is.
Hurray! Thank you for stopping by. It’s an exciting day because we are celebrating an early Book Birthday for a fabulous new picture book, BACKYARD STEW, written by the talented Heather C. Morris and brilliantly illustrated by Deborah Schreiber and lovingly published by Gnome Road Press.
It’s always so much fun to celebrate new books…and it’s especially fun when we get to chat with the author…and Heather was kind enough to stop by to visit. I actually met Heather in person last November in Denver at NCTE – and, when I heard she had a book coming out, I knew I’d want to share it with you all and have her tell you all about it.
ME: Welcome, Heather! Thank you for coming to Picture Books Help Kids Soar. Can you tell us a little bit about BACKYARD STEW and how it came to be?
HEATHER: Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, Vivian. It’s a joy to be here to tell folks about the book and how it came to be. Short summary of the story
From the author of the award-winning book TRUNK GOES THUNK! A WOODLAND TALE OF OPPOSITES comes another exploration of the wonder and fun that can be found just outside your back door.
This fun, interactive picture book adventure encourages kids to explore the natural world and exercise their imaginations as they mix up their very own Backyard Stew. As they tap the tops of wild strawberries, wiggle wild onions out of the ground, and rub every dandelion, young readers will delight in making this tried and true “recipe” over and over again. Especially when they discover the secret ingredient!
And here is what inspired me to write this story:
The story behind Backyard Stew just goes to show that inspiration can strike anywhere…and that sometimes you need to be a little bit bored.
One day, I was walking my dog…trying not to be bored. And I passed a gorgeous ginkgo tree. It was Fall, so the leaves were a perfect gold. It made me think, “Hmmm…ginkgo. I think you can make tea out of ginkgo leaves. I wonder what else I could eat around here!” Then I remember – in my neighborhood alone – wild strawberries, honeysuckle vines, wild onions, and more. I thought, “what if some kids got together and made a ‘stew’ that included many of these things?” You know, like making mud pies. BUT THEY DIDN’T EAT IT!!! Then I added interactive elements like tapping, turning the book upside-down, shaking the pages, and more, and the story really sparkled.
ME: That’s wonderful, Heather! And I truly love the interactive elements in the book!
Inside spread from Backyard Stew
And here’s a little bit about the author:
Heather C. Morris is the author of multiple books for kids, including the picture books, Trunk Goes Thunk! A Woodland Tale of Opposites and Backyard Stew, a ghost story in the Haunted States of America Anthology, and the upcoming picture book, Dribble, Shoot, Swish (2027). She lives in a house with a large backyard, which is perfect for stirring up pots of boredom-busting stew. Visit her online at heathercmorris.com.
As well as a little bit about the illustrator:
Deborah Schreiber is an illustrator from Munich, Germany. She can always be found dreaming of new adventures in life and on paper. Her travels brought her to many different countries and finally to the seaside town of Falmouth, England, which she now calls home.
Inspired by nature, wildlife, and personal experiences, Deborah creates atmospheric and playful illustrations that seek to spark wonder and curiosity amongst children and adults alike. While primarily working with traditional media such as watercolor, gouache and colored pencils, she also embraces digital tools to maintain a flexible creative process.
Outside of illustration, Deborah enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the outdoors and sharing a meal together.
This is such a fabulous book…I am sure many of you would like to snag your own copy. Here are a few preferred pre-order or order links
Backyard Stew will be released on September 15, 2026! But you can pre-order a copy through any local independent bookstore, on Bookshop.org, or wherever books are sold.
However, if you’d like a SIGNED copy, you can pre-order through her local indie bookstore, Snail on the Wall, in Huntsville, AL. They ship anywhere within the continental U.S.
Thank you, dear friends, for spending your precious time with us. We have a couple of other posts coming up this month…on Friday, we’ll welcome one of my long-time writer friends, Doris Imahiyerobo-Umoinyang for a Perfect Picture Book Friday and her debut, MEET FREIDA AMENZE FRIDAY…and there is a Giveaway! Then on September 18, we’ll welcome another long-time friend and CP, Alayne Kay Christian with another Perfect Picture Book Friday featuring her newest book, TURKEY ON THE RUN. And, while all of that is going on, I’ll be traveling…first to New Jersey to spend a few days with ANOTHER long-time friend (Jane and I have been friends since we were TWO YEARS OLD…that’s almost 78 years of friendship)…and later in the month, I’ll be traveling to Vienna and then on to Greece with my son. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend…see you soon!
Hello dear friends! I’m so glad you’ve stopped by today…and I know you will be, too…because we are celebrating the book birthday of a wonderful new book written by the talented Rachelle Burk and brilliantly illustrated by Craig Orback.
It’s always a joy when authors return to Picture Books Help Kids Soar…and I’m thrilled to welcome Rachelle who has agreed to share the story behind the story.
ME: Hello my friend! So nice to see you here again. I’m hoping you can share a bit about the book and how it came to be.
RACHELLE: It’s lovely to be here, Vivian. Thank you for helping to celebrate my newest book. And it certainly does have a wonderful backstory.
Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah by Rachelle Burk illustrated by Craig Orback
I love adventure! A few years ago, I wrote Space Torah: Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman’s Cosmic Mitzvah—a true adventure picture book set in space. Next came Passover on Everest, the story of a mother-daughter climbing team who held a Seder on the world’s highest peak. As a scuba diver, I knew my next book had to dive into a true, Jewish-themed ocean adventure.
That dream is now a reality with my new picture book biography: Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah: Reverse Tashlich for a Better World.
The book tells the inspiring true story of Rabbi Ed Rosenthal. He created “Reverse Tashlich,” an environmental tradition where people clean beaches and oceans to practice Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). From this initiative, he founded the organization Repair the Sea (Repairthesea.org).
Our first meeting felt like destiny. When I learned about Rabbi Ed, I was already scheduled to fly to Tampa for a school author visit. Coincidentally, that was exactly where he serves as a college campus rabbi!
He invited me to dive with his college club, the “Scubi-Jews.” Unfortunately, the boat engine failed that day, and we never left the dock. Instead of diving, I spent the afternoon conducting interviews right there on the deck. That boat ride may have been cancelled, but the book was born!
The book follows Ed’s journey from his childhood love of the ocean to the global growth of Repair the Sea. It focuses on modernizing a centuries-old ritual:
Traditional Tashlich involves symbolically casting away past wrongs by tossing breadcrumbs into the water. Reverse Tashlich flips the concept. Instead of putting debris into the water, participants remove physical “sins”—like plastic, trash, and marine debris. This new tradition protects marine life and restores local aquatic ecosystems.
What started as a local project has exploded into a global movement. People of all backgrounds now participate. To date, the initiative has mobilized thousands of volunteers across 6 continents, 31 countries, 307 communities!
Rabbi Ed and I are celebrating the book launch with a unique event in Palm Beach, Florida. The celebration will include scuba diving and an underwater “reading” of the book, with the audio dubbed in after the dive!
Stay tuned—the fourth book in my true Jewish adventure series is already in the works, featuring a true Hanukkah story set deep in a cave!
ME: THIS IS FABULOUS, RACHELLE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING ALL OF THIS.
And now, friends, here’s a little bit about the creators of this fabulous new book.
Bios: Author:
Rachelle is the author of over twenty fiction and nonfiction titles for children ages 0-13. Her books include Don’t Turn the Page!, How to Be an Awesome Toddler: 50 Easy Rhymes to Make Growing Up Exciting & Fun, and Stomp Wiggle Clap & Tap. Biographies are The Story of Simone Biles, The Story of Taylor Swift, The Story of Caitlin Clark, and Happy Birthday to You: The Sisters Who Wrote the Most Famous Song in the World. Rachelle’s science-adventure novel, The Walking Fish, received a Science Teaching Association/National Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book award.
She has also published acclaimed Jewish children’s picture books such as She’s a Mensch! Jewish Women Who Rocked the World; Space Torah: Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman’s Cosmic Mitzvah; Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah; Passover on Everest; Mitzvah for George Washington and Matzah Ball Chase. Rachelle loves to visit elementary and preschools around the country with her dynamic author visit programs. Visit her at www.RachelleBurk.com
Illustrator
CRAIG ORBACK has illustrated over 20 children’s books, including Space Torah: Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman’s Cosmic Mitzvah, Passover on Everest, Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah, The Boxcar Children, and Starring Steven Spielberg: The Making of a Young Filmmaker. Craig lives near Seattle, WA, where he teaches children’s book illustration classes at several local colleges. Visit www.craigorback.com to see more of his work.
Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. Stay tuned for a Perfect Picture Book Friday post later this month as we celebrate a new book from the lovely Kim Larson…DOLL TROUBLE!
