Category Archives: Crafts for kids

Perfect Picture Book Friday: A FEATHER, A PEBBLE, A SHELL Plus Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. Get ready for a FABULOUS post, thanks to the talented author/illustrator Miri Leshem-Pelly who stopped by to share some of the behind-the-pages process of her newest book, A FEATHER, A PEBBLE, A SHELL.

ME: Welcome, Miri! Thanks for visiting. And we are listening!

When reality mimics imagination

Look at this photo vs drawing, both of a girl on a tree. I bet you’re thinking I used this photo as a reference while drawing this sketch, right? Wrong!

What if I tell you that I drew this tree out of my imagination? And that I took this picture AFTER I drew this sketch? 

Well – let me tell you the story behind the picture.

It all happened after I’ve finished working on the pencil sketches for my book. The sketches were approved by the publisher, and I was about to start the final color illustrations.

One of the scenes in the book happens in a place called Sataf, in the Jerusalem mountains. When I drew the pencil sketch of the girl sitting on an olive tree in Sataf, I looked at many olive tree photos but couldn’t find exactly the tree I needed, so I made one up from my imagination.

Around that time, we were invited to my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah. This boy loves hiking and decided to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah with a family hike to Sataf! I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to take pictures of some ancient olive trees that grow there. But I didn’t expect to find the tree from my sketch! When I saw this tree, I asked my niece to sit and hug it just like the girl from my sketch. My sweet niece is about the same age of the girl character in my book and she even had a similar hat!

And that’s how this funny story happened. I imagined an olive tree in Sataf, drew it, and then discovered that this tree actually exists right there, in Sataf. Sometimes reality mimics imagination, and I have the picture to prove it.

WOW! That’s amazing! Thank you so much, Miri. And friends, take a look at the awesome cover of our Perfect Picture Book Friday feature:

A FEATHER, A PEBBLE, A SHELL

Written and illustrated by Miri Leshem-Pelly

Published by Kar Ben (May 7, 2024)

Ages: 3-8

Themes: Nature/STEM, Girl explorer, Israel

Synopsis:
A FEATHER, A PEBBLE, A SHELL follows a girl’s hikes through the diverse nature sites of Israel. Whenever she runs in a field, climbs up a hill or swims in the sea, she looks for something small to hold in her hand. It’s a picture book about curiosity and connection to nature, and about little wonders of nature that children love to discover!

Why I Love This Book:
I love picture book stories that take me on a journey. Child readers will be swept away to a calm and peaceful place in their hearts as the main character visits river, beach, and field. The writing is captivating – the language is lyrical and visual – and the illustrations are stunning. The additional STEM sidebars add value for teachers who can use this book in the classroom. Highly recommend!!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Photo courtesy: https://temeculablogs.com/nature-crafts/

Check out a bunch of lovely Nature crafts for kids here: https://temeculablogs.com/nature-crafts/

And there’s more! Miri has activities on her website:
Get here free downloads for this book: https://mirileshembooks.com/free-downloads/

To find out more about Miri and her books:
Miri Leshem-Pelly is an author-illustrator of 17 picture books, many of them about nature and animals. Miri does more than 100 school visits per year. She is an SCBWI RAE (Regional Advisor Emerita) after serving more than ten years as a regional advisor of SCBWI in Israel.
Miri is represented by literary agent Anna Olswanger.
Connect with Miri:
Website: http://mirileshembooks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miri_leshem_pelly/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirileshem


Dear friends…great books need our help. Books like A FEATHER, A PEBBLE, A SHELL need to be in library and school and home bookshelves all around the world. So, how can we help? We can:
Buy the book:
Lerner website: https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/23133
Amazon
Review the book:
Amazon
Add it to your Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about the book (Please share this post on your social media – that really helps)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

A Feather, A Pebble, A Shell 979-8-7656-0774-9 (LB) 979-8-7656-1339-9 (EB epub) Whenever the author-illustrator runs in a field, climbs a hill, or swims in the sea in Israel, she looks for something small to hold in her hand. She finds a basalt pebble from the ice-cold Dan River, formed from lava over 100,000 years ago. Israel’s national bird, the hoopoe, leaves a feather in the grass at HaYarkon Park. Dead hood coral grows in the Red Sea, where fish play hide-and-seek. She holds small things in her hand and then leaves them in their habitats. . . for the reader to find.

Please leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of this glorious book and tell us how you will help spread the word. Maybe you can also tell us what object YOU would have kept if you had been on those hikes.

And please come back here on Sunday for our special Mother’s Day post containing the #50PreciousWordsforKids stories!

Perfect Picture Book Friday: LADYBUG LAUNCH: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space PLUS Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. Our feature today is from author Meilissa Trempe – you may remember that she was one of last year’s #50PreciousWords top winners. And it’s the type of picture book I really enjoy – based on true events. Get ready for a fun post – Melissa shares some great writerly advice – and she is offering a fabulous giveaway – winner’s choice of a Picture Book Manuscript Critique or a copy of the book. Please make sure you leave a comment for a chance – and share the post wherever you can.

LADYBUG LAUNCH: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space

Written by Melissa Trempe and Dr. Natalia Ojeda

Illustrated by Manuela Montoya

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon and Schuster)

Ages: 4-8

Themes: STEM, perseverance, science, space, girl-power, ladybugs

Synopsis from Amazon:
Based on a true story, this out-of-this-world picture book follows the exciting scientific journey of a chica and a chinita with sky-high aspirations—perfect for fans of Mae Among the Stars and What Miss Mitchell Saw.

Natalia is a chica, an ambitious girl with dreams of becoming a scientist. Luna is a chinita, an adventurous ladybug that dreams of visiting the stars. But neither dream is easy to reach. Ladybugs are meant to munch on garden pests. And no one from Natalia’s family has ever been to college. Still, both Natalia and Luna want más.

Then Natalia’s all-girl class designs an experiment. If astronauts want to live in outer space, they’ll need to grow food. Could chinitas go along to keep the pests away? The girls are eager to find out, and Luna is hungry to help. If their theory is correct, it’s a project worthy of NASA itself—and the stuff all dreams are made of.

This inspiring picture book is based on the real story of Chilean high school girls who convinced NASA to send ladybugs to space!

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love books based on true events that can inspire young people to follow their dreams!
2. Fabulous text that captures our interest with a fascinating STEM story!
3. Bold illustrations that pop off the page and rocket us through the book with exciting action!

Here’s a little bit about author Melissa Trempe and how you can connect with her:
Melissa Trempe is a picture book author of fiction and nonfiction in the Philadelphia area. As a former educator, she loves connecting with readers during school visits. Melissa provides a critique service for fellow authors and is represented by Amy Nielsen at The Purcell Agency. When she isn’t working, she loves reading with her kids, camping, skiing, playing with her dog, and eating just about any flavor of ice cream.

Learn more about her and connect by going to her website at www.melissatrempe.com.

Co-author Natalia Ojeda’s Bio:
Natalia Ojeda grew up in a simple home in the southernmost country of the world: Chile. Her family had few resources, yet her faith, determination, and experience in the ladybug project helped her to overcome the odds and achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. She is a doctor in the Palliative Care Unit of San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santiago, Chile. As a mother of four girls, she wants to share her story of strength and hope with children around the world.

Here’s a bit of writing advice from Melissa, based on her experience publishing Ladybug Launch.

Always be open to feedback, and don’t resist trying a different angle. Here’s why:

When I stumbled on the fact that ladybugs had traveled to space with NASA, I knew that was a picture book begging to be told. My first draft was a funny and inspirational story about a little ladybug who didn’t want to be ladylike. She wanted to be an engineer, build a spaceship, and rocket to the moon. I loved it! However, when I shared it with critique partners, I heard one piece of feedback over and over: Your back matter about the Chilean girls who convinced NASA to take ladybugs to space is fascinating! Why don’t you tell THAT story?

At first, I resisted. I’m a fiction writer. In fact, I’m a humorous fiction writer, and I don’t “do” nonfiction or even fiction based on true events. Yet finally, I relented. I tried a genre I had never written, and it became my debut picture book! While Ladybug Launch is not nonfiction, it’s closer to nonfiction than anything I had ever written. And now, I am writing nonfiction and loving it!

It’s been such an amazing experience collaborating with Natalia, my co-author. She is truly an inspiration, and I’m so happy to be working together to tell this story!

So, my advice to you is listen to the universe, stretch yourself to try things outside your comfort zone, and KEEP WRITING!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

No-bake Recipe for Ladybug Cookies

You and your kids will love making these adorable, no-bake ladybug cookies together!https://kidsactivityzone.com/ladybug-oreos

Feeling crafty? Here are 10 ladybug craft ideas!

10 Lovable Ladybug Crafts perfect for little Kids to make!
Photo courtesy: Artsy Craftsy Mom

How can we help books become a success, you ask? We can:

Buy them
Review them
Tell friends about them (Please share this post on your social media.)
Ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection.
Follow the creator:

Website: http://www.melissatrempe.com
X/Twitter: @melissa_trempe
Instagram: @melissatrempe.author
Facebook: @melissaluerytrempe

Melissa is also offering a giveaway of a copy of Ladybug Launch or a picture book critique. Please make sure you leave a comment – what did you dream of becoming when you were little?

Extra bonus! Order Ladybug Launch and attend Melissa’s revision webinar for FREE in May. Email her a snapshot of your receipt at melissatrempebooks@gmail.com.

Thank you so much, Melissa, for your insights, cookie recipe, craft ideas, giveaway…and for writing such a fabulous book!
And thank you, friends, for spending your precious time with us.
The #50PreciousWords prize distribution continues…if you are waiting to be contacted by me, please be patient – this is a long process – as of Thursday evening, we are up to Winner #18.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Perfect Picture Book Friday: DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights PLUS Giveaway

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23

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I love when past guests return to Picture Books Help Kids Soar because it usually means they have a brand-new book that just launched…and that’s exactly why the lovely Lydia Lukidis is here today! Hurray! And get ready for a treat because Lydia stopped by to share the story behind the story…AND offer a giveaway. So, stick around and make sure you leave a comment!

DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights

Written by Lydia Lukidis

Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud

Published by Albert Whitman (April 4, 2024)

Ages:4-8

Themes: Women in Science, STEM, diversity

Synopsis: From the Amazon Sales Page:
“A quick but lyrical character study.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The sky proves no limit in Lukidis’s encouraging biography of Black female astronaut Mae Jemison.”—Publishers Weekly

The true story of Dr. Mae Jemison, whose lifelong passions of science and dance prepared her to become a trailblazing astronaut.



Today, Dr. Mae Jemison is famous for being the first Black woman to travel into outer space. But when she was growing up, she felt torn between two passions: science and dance. It seemed like an impossible choice. There had to be some way to make room for both—and Mae found one. As an adult, she combined her gifts of scientific logic and artistic creativity and became an astronaut.

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love finding out about Women in Science and stories I hadn’t heard before!
2. I love the lyrical writing and engaging narrative!
3. I love the vivid art that puts us right up there in space with Mae – and that helps the reader connect with the story.

RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Shiny Galaxy Slime

Photo courtesy: https://www.simpleeverydaymom.com/space-crafts-for-kids/

For detailed instructions and more space crafts: https://www.simpleeverydaymom.com/space-crafts-for-kids/

Are you still with us? Haven’t blasted off into outer space? Good, I’m glad…because author Lydia just landed and she wants to share a bit about the story behind the story.
ME: Welcome, Lydia! Thanks so much for stopping by.

LYDiA:
Thank you, Vivian! I’m so excited to announce the release of my latest nonfiction picture book Dancing through Space: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights illustrated by Sawyer Cloud and published by Albert Whitman.

I wrote this book as a dual narrative that features both of Mae’s passions. As the story unfolds, the two worlds merge, illuminating how art and science are both essential parts of our world.

But I confess, the road to publication was bumpier than usual and fraught with challenges!

Challenge #1: I wrote the first versions in 2013 and started pitched it at various pitch festivals online. One agent was interested but when I showed her my other books, she passed. Looking back, I was a newbie and had a lot to learn.

Challenge #2: I did a million more pitch festivals (and if you’ve done them, you know how stressful they can be). I got hearts but no offers. After querying a slew of agents, I finally signed with my first agent, yay! We went out on sub with this ms but got rejection after rejection, boo.

Challenge #3: I remember one of the critiques calling my writing “regular.” Looking back, those first versions were pretty terrible. I finally realized the problem: the focus was too wide and there was no hook. After several years of research, I finally found the hook; the intersection of dance and science. Editors responded well to it but still, no offers.

Challenge #4: I dove deeper into the hook and the book improved, but I parted ways with that agent. Boo… I bounced back pretty quickly and started a mad querying rush. I signed with a great agent, but she didn’t vibe with this story, so it was shelved.

Challenge #5: Uh oh, after a year, I parted ways with my second agent. I started to reassess my career at that point and fell into an existential slump. No querying or writing for a while.

Challenge #6: I decided to try to pitch the ms again and one editor was really gung-ho about it, it was Nivair H. Gabriel (from Barefoot Books at the time) so I sent her the ms. She loved it and wanted to acquire it, but asked for some revisions and I got to work. But when I tried to send it to Nivair, I found out she had just left Barefoot Books! I sent the revisions to the new editor but she didn’t share Nivair’s excitement and passed.

Challenge #7: In 2020, I signed with my dream agent Miranda Paul. I showed her the revised ms. She loved it, but worried I had already subbed earlier versions too widely and it would be a hard sell. She told me to be patient.

Then, yay, we got an offer from Albert Whitman! After a 10-year journey and 42 revisions, the book is done and released!

I’m grateful.

ME: And we are grateful, too. For this book, dear Lydia…and for you never giving up. Persistence…where have I heard that before? Oh yes…it’s one of my 5 Ps. Thank you so much for sharing your path to publication…an ELEVEN YEAR journey for this beautiful book!!!

Here’s a little bit about Lydia:
Lydia Lukidis is the author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was shortlisted for a Silver Birch Express (Forest of Reading) award, THE BROKEN BEES’ NEST(Kane Press, 2019) which was nominated for a Cybils Award, and NO BEARS ALLOWED (Clear Fork Media, 2019). A science enthusiast from a young age, she now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books.

Lydia is very involved in the kidlit community. She volunteers as a judge on Rate your Story, co-hosts the annual Fall Writing Frenzy competition, and is an active member of SCBWI, CANSCAIP, 12 x 12, and The Authors Guild. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program.
Lydia is represented by Miranda Paul from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

To find out more about Lydia and her books and to connect with her:
Web: http://www.lydialukidis.com/
Presale links: https://www.albertwhitman.com/book/dancing-through-space/
Blog: https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaLukidis
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaLukidis/

We all know how important it is to help new books become successful…and we can all help: We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Put it on your Goodreads WANT TO READ SHELF
Tell friends about it (Share on social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection
Please do at least ONE of these things…if you do more, you get extra tickets in the giveaway hat. And make sure you leave a comment because Lydia is happy to give away a free copy of DANCING THROUGH SPACE (US only).

Thank you for spending your precious time with us.
I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.