Happy Book Birthday: ANH’S NEW WORD Plus Giveaway

Posted on May 14, 2024 by viviankirkfield

Pull up a chair, dear friends. It’s time to blow out the candles and celebrate the launch of another amazing picture book!!! ANH’S NEW WORD, written by Hanh Bui and illustrated by Bao Luu is based on the refugee experience of the author – it’s a story that serves as a mirror and window and sliding glass door – and it will help many children feel seen, while helping others to learn about cultures and experiences that are new to them. And kind and generous Hanh is offering a giveaway of a signed copy of the book, so please be sure to leave a comment for a chance to WIN.

What a totally inviting and engaging cover! And because the story is based on Hanh’s actual experience, she was able to provide photos to the illustrator so that he would know how to draw the refugee camp at Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania. In fact, we can all watch a documentary that was made by pioneer PBS film producer Anne Stanaway when 8-year-old Hanh was there in 1975.

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Macmillan website

A child living in a Vietnamese refugee camp learns their first word in English with a little help from their teacher and grandmother in this heart-warming picture book based on the author’s childhood.

Many things are different for Ánh now that they’ve left Vietnam with their family. The weather is colder and they live in a communal barracks at a refugee camp while they wait for their new life in America to start. Ánh finds comfort in their warm-hearted teacher, Miss Mary Ellen, but has trouble with the foreign sounds of learning to speak English in class.

All Ánh wants is to be able to say “thank you” out loud to Miss Mary Ellen, but will the words ever stop getting stuck between their head and their voice? With a little inspiration from their grandmother—as well as the chance discovery of an adorable animal—Ánh will try to gather the courage to finally say their first word in a new language.

Exquisitely illustrated by Bao Luu, Ánh’s New Word by Hanh Bui is a hopeful story of finding your voice, inspired by true events from the author’s childhood.

I mentioned that the story is based on Hanh’s real life experience – and what is truly amazing is that over 40 years after she was encouraged to say her 1st English word, Hanh reconnected with that special teacher. And here is Miss Marilou, reading the dedication to her in the book. Inspired by her first teacher in America, Hanh went on to became a teacher. ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! And now Hanh’s books are inspiring a new generation of children.

Miss Marilou reading the dedication in Anh’s New Word

Here’s a little bit about the author and the illustrator of this beautiful book.
Inspired by her first teacher at the refugee camp, Hanh Bui pursued a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and taught second grade before becoming a full-time mother to three children. She also served as a Development Officer for Senhoa Foundation in support of women and children who survived human trafficking in Cambodia, and has served on boards supporting children and parents in building community. Hanh serves as co-chair of the Equity and Inclusion Team for the Mid-Atlantic region of SCBWI, and has been featured in Highlights For Children magazine, Next Avenue and Forbes. She is the author of The Yellow Áo Dài and Ánh’s New Word.

Bao Luu dreamed of becoming an artist as a child, and today his work as an illustrator focuses on bright, playful colors and unique textures. He is the illustrator of Simple Thanks written by Deborah Wiles and Ánh’s New Word written by Hanh Bui. He was born and raised in Vietnam and currently lives near Houston, Texas.

New books need our help, dear friends…we can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Place the book on our Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about the book (Please share on social media)
Ask our local library to purchase copies

And here’s a lovely graphic showing Hanh’s upcoming book events – If you are local, DON’T MISS!!!

Thank you so much for spending your precious time with us. I hope you all have a wonderful week! And don’t forget to leave a comment and share the post for a chance to WIN a copy of this wonderful book, AHN’S NEW WORD!

Happy Book Birthday: LION OF THE SKY Plus Giveaway

Posted on May 7, 2024 by viviankirkfield

Thank you, dear friends, for stopping by today. How about a slice of yummy cake? Today’s featured book is a bit different from my usual picture book fare. We’re celebrating the launch of LION OF THE SKY, a middle grade in verse written by Ritu Hemnani and published by Balzer & Bray – so, let’s blow out the candles and sing!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
An evocative historical novel in verse about a boy and his family who are forced to flee their home and become refugees after the British Partition of India. Perfect for fans of Other Words for Home.

Twelve-year-old Raj is happiest flying kites with his best friend, Iqbal. As their kites soar, Raj feels free, like his beloved India soon will be, and he can’t wait to celebrate their independence.

But when a British lawyer draws a line across a map, splitting India in two, Raj is thrust into a fractured world. With Partition declared, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim families are torn apart—and Raj’s Hindu and Iqbal’s Muslim families are among them.

Forced to flee and become refugees, Raj’s family is left to start over in a new country. After suffering devastating losses, Raj must summon the courage to survive the brutal upheaval of both his country and his heart.

Inspired by the author’s true family history, Lion of the Sky is a deeply moving coming-of-age tale about identity, belonging, and the power of hope.

WOW! I love middle grade novels – and LION OF THE SKY is such a compelling story. I hope you check it out.

And here’s a little bit about author Ritu from her wonderful website
Ritu is passionate about promoting diversity and nurturing inclusivity and empathy through
writing stories that center marginalized communities and encompass universal truths;
spotlighting human interest articles with heart, and collaborating with local literary and
charity organizations to promote literacy. She shares the seeds of her writing journey and
the inspiration behind her deep dive into her own family history in her 2019 TEDx Talk, An
Inheritance Worth Sharing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-GelCkt-t4

When not writing or teaching, Ritu delights in family game nights, strumming the strings of
her guitar, and paddling through Hong Kong waters on her carrot-colored kayak.
You can find Ritu on Twitter @rituhemwrites or at her website: www.rituhemnani.com

Please leave a comment if you’d like a chance to WIN a copy thanks to Ritu and her publisher. Maybe you can share the title of a favorite middle grade novel from your childhood.

BTW, we are also celebrating Children’s Book Week…and I’m looking forward to receiving lots of wonderful stories for #50PreciousWordsforKids. If you are a parent or teacher, please encourage your kids to participate…just email their entries to me at viviankirkfield@gmail.com and I’ll be publishing them in my special Mother’s Day post on Sunday. Let’s encourage our children to get in touch with the storyteller that lives inside each one of us!

I’m also celebrating Children’s Book Week at one of my local indie bookstores, BALIN BOOKS, Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St #101A, Nashua, NH on Saturday, May 11 at 1pm – 2pm. We’ll have coloring pages for the kids, 25% off discount for teachers (because it’s also Teacher Appreciation Week) and bookmarks and cookies for EVERYONE!! If you are local, please stop in…I’ll be reading PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER, and several of my local SCBWI author friends will be reading from their favorite books.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thank you for spending your precious time with us…speaking of precious…I’m up to distributing I#50PreciousWords prize #56.

Happy Book Birthday: NOURA’S CRESCENT MOON

Posted on April 16, 2024 by viviankirkfield

Cake? Check! Candles? Check!
And a gorgeous new debut book written by Zainab Khan and illustrated by Nabila Adani that checks every box!!!!

WOW! What a beautiful cover! Nabila Adani’s art is so engaging. And a perfect match up with Zainab Khan’s lovely text!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Venturing out after dusk with her family, a child is eager to watch for the new moon that signals the start of Eid ul-Fitr celebrations in this charming picture-book debut.

Noura can’t wait for the sun to go down! With Ramadan and her first month of fasting almost over, she and Mama and Papa are headed to the hills for a moonsighting picnic. It would be truly special if Noura could catch a glimpse of the faint silvery crescent, something even her mother has never managed to do. If the moon stays hidden, that means one more long day before Noura can wear her sparkly new dress and the joyful Eid celebrations begin—bringing with them visits with friends, eating sweets, and painting henna on her hands. In a lighthearted introduction to Ramadan and Eid, this family-centered tale of anticipation under the stars pairs an inviting text from Zainab Khan with Nabila Adani’s vibrant illustrations, capturing everything from the bustle of a shared meal to the swirling magic of the night sky. Relevant terms, from food items to the Islamic lunar calendar, are explained in a glossary at the end.

Noura’s Crescent Moon – text by Zainab Khan – art by Nabila Adani

I’m always so honored to join in the celebration of the launch of a new book…and we can ALL join that celebration and help. We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Place the book on our Goodreads Want to Read shelf
Tell friends about the book (Please share on social media)
Ask our local library to purchase copies
How will you help?

And here’s a little bit about the author and illustrator:
Zainab Khan received her BA from Boston University and taught elementary school for several years before starting her own preschool program. Noura’s Crescent Moon is her first picture book. Through it she hopes that children will learn a little something about the Islamic lunar month Eid ul-Fitr and Ramadan and recognize that “regardless of their faith, people celebrate in similar ways: with family, food, and gifts, and with prayers for those who are religious.” Of Pakistani heritage, Zainab Khan lives on Long Island with her husband, two children, and a cat.

Nabila Adani worked briefly as a product designer in Japan and Indonesia before moving to the United States to study children’s book illustration. Among the children’s books she has illustrated are Be a Bridge by Irene Latham and Charles Waters and Sunny and the Birds by Wendy Meddour. Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she enjoys illustrating and telling stories for children around the world.