Cover Reveal: MUSIC PLANTS HOPE

Posted on October 6, 2025 by viviankirkfield

Hello dear blog friends! It’s Monday…and I wanted to provide you with a positive start to your week. And what could be better than a COVER REVEAL!

The kid-lit community is filled with incredible people…and when long-time friend Tonnye Fletcher reached out to let me know she had a new book, MUSIC PLANTS HOPE, illustrated by Natalia Bruno, launching next May, I knew I’d want to help her celebrate! It’s an honor to welcome her to Picture Books Help Kids Soar.

ME: Thank you so much for stopping by, Tonnye. Our readers love to find out the story behind the story – and we appreciate your time.
Can you tell us a little bit about the book?

TONNYE: It’s a joy to be here, Vivian. I’m so happy to be sharing the cover of my debut picture book on your blog!

MUSIC PLANTS HOPE, illustrated by Natalia Bruno and published by Reycraft, flies into bookstores on May 26, 2026

It is the story of the concert for plants in Barcelona during the Covid 19 Pandemic. The brief prologue and epilogue tell the facts of the story, but the rest tells the story of the impact of the music – a lyrical retelling of the concert from the moment the string quartet steps onto the stage until they exit the stage.

ME: What inspired you to write this story?

TONNYE:
On June 25, 2020, Alice Fugate tweeted this:”I don’t know how exactly just yet but could there be a picture book story in this quirky delightful scene? 🙂 #mswl” (https://x.com/AliceSFugate/status/1276122872352845824) I took her up on her challenge and wrote 3 different versions of the story: an expository nonfiction account of the concert, a story that followed one of the plants from the nursery, through the concert and home with the healthcare worker, and this lyrical account of the concert.

ME: Can you share a humorous incident and/or challenging moment on the path to publication?

TONNYE:
Well, I wrote three versions, inspired by Alice’s tweet, went on to polish all three stories through several critique groups, sent her all three with the hopes that she would like one of them, but no, it was a rejection for all three of them. Not even a R&R – nothing. She said, “I enjoyed learning a little more about this musical event (and listening to Puccini’s piece). I’m afraid however that these various versions seem to lack focus and structure, and I’m not as in love with them as I would want to be in order to move forward and will therefore stand aside.” I queried the story and pitched it many more times before Winsome Bingham of Reycraft picked it up from a pitch party in Feb. 2023.

ME: Oh…a pitch party! Many writers ask me if those are worth doing…and I guess, based on your experience, the answer is YES! Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us!

ME: Dear blog followers…here’s a little info about Tonnye:
Tonnye Fletcher is an M.Ed, National Board-certified veteran teacher with experience in second and third grade classrooms, as well as k-2 music. Tonnye is a strong literacy advocate, leading a local council of the NC Reading Association and volunteering within NCRA in various capacities. She is passionate about reading, music, and the intersection of those two. To that end, she hosts PBJamz, a multimedia blog series highlighting picture books with musical hooks. Tonnye participates in SCBWI and in Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge. She is represented by Joyce Sweeney of the Seymour Agency. At home, Tonnye and her husband, Shane, and a few feline fur-babies, live on a family farm they share with extended family. There are many family dinners around the table in the 1882-built Victorian farmhouse that they will be renovating for years to come.

And here’s a little info about the illustrator:
Natalia Bruno is an illustrator who lives in a small town called Veronica, in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, with her husband and two cats. She has always loved telling stories and has been drawing since she could hold a pencil. Her journey down the path of visual arts began when she studied photography a couple of years ago. At the same time, she became interested in the world of illustration and picture books, which led her to take several art workshops. Her work tools are traditional: gouache, acrylics, oil pastels, and colored pencils on paper.

We all know that there are ways WE can help new books become a success. We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Tell friends about the book (please SHARE on your SOCIAL MEDIA)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

Here are some pre-order links
Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/music-plants-hope/2e574b409cd3665e?ean=9781478890805&next=t

Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1478890800?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_XCND19CABBW2W5FJ6PC3&bestFormat=true
B&N” https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/music-plants-hope-tonnye-fletcher/1148124460?ean=9781478890805
Reycraft

social media links:
BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/tonnyef.bsky.social
Twitter/X https://x.com/tonnyef
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonnyefletcher67/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/tonnyef/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TWFauthor
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tonnyefletcher1523 Website https://www.tonnyefletcher.com/

And now dear friends…you’ve been so patient…
Here is the GORGEOUS cover for MUSIC PLANTS HOPE:

Thank you for spending your precious time with us. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Cover Reveal: ELSA’S CHESSBOARD

Posted on February 17, 2025 by viviankirkfield

I feel so lucky that I meet so many amazing kidlit authors and illustrators. Sometimes I meet them at conferences. Sometimes our paths cross during an online class. And other times, mutual friends bring us together.

That’s how I connected with Jenny Andrus. She’s in the #Kidlit Foxes author promo group with a couple of other folks I know – and when she reached out and I heard the story behind her debut picture book, ELSA’S CHESSBOARD that releases from Neal Porter/Holiday House on April 29, I just knew I had to help spread the word…and the COVER!

Illustrator Julie Downing has created a cover that truly engages and informs! Look at the background. We can tell right away that this is a book about a time in the past. And look at where the focus is…right on this young girl…and look how the artist has made her active. She’s not just sitting at a chessboard…we can see she is involved in an on-going game! I can’t wait to open the book and turn the pages and read the story…and I’m sure that’s how young children will feel, too.

Here’s a little bit about the book:
Elsa’s Chessboard
Jenny Andrus (author)
Julie Downing (illustrator)
Neal Porter Books/Holiday House
Launch date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780823454082

ME: I asked Jenny what inspired her to write the story.

JENNY: My grandmother (we called her Oma) lived with us when I was growing up, and we were very close. I could talk to her about almost anything–except chess. Even though Oma was passionate about the game, I resisted her every effort to teach me how to play. There was always something else that I would rather do. Eventually, she gave up trying. How I wish I could go back in time and take her up on that offer. Since that’s not a possibility, I went with the next best option: I wrote a book celebrating her life and the game she loved.

Here’s a short summary of the story

Growing up in 1900s Vienna, Elsa loves watching her brothers play chess. “No girls!” they tell her when she first asks to learn; but she wears them down, and soon she’s such a pro that they give her a special chess set of her own. Elsa carries her chessboard with her everywhere, always ready for a game. She even gets to know her future husband over games in the park. But when World War II grips Europe, the young Jewish family flees to America, where they find themselves surrounded by unfamiliar languages. Luckily, Elsa knows one language that can always bring people together: chess!

And here’s a little bit about Jenny:

Jenny Andrus is an author, children’s book reviewer, and librarian. She has written stories for newspapers and magazines, and co-authored a book for new parents, Bay Area Baby. For 14 years, she was a K-8 school librarian, where her favorite part of the job was sharing picture books with kids.

And here’s a little bit about the illustrator:

Julie Downing is the author and illustrator of Hello, Moon; Hello, Sun; and Night in the City. She has illustrated over forty-five picture books, including Cubs in the Tub: The True Story of the Bronx Zoo’s First Woman Zookeeper by Candace Fleming. She has won many awards and citations, including a Parents’ Choice Award, the New York Public Library’s Best Books, APAAL Best Illustrated Book, and the Irma Black Silver Medal.

To find out more about the creators of this beautiful book:
Social media links / website
Instagram:
Jenny: @jennyandruswrites
Julie Downing:@juliedowning

Bluesky
@jandrus.bsky.social

Facebook
@jenny.andrus.94

Websites
Jenny: https://jennyandruswrites.com/
Julie: https://www.juliedowning.com/

Preferred Pre-Order Sales Links
Bookshop.org
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Reviews welcome on the store sites, as well as on:
Goodreads
Edelweiss

Thank you, everyone, for spending your precious time with us. I’ll be away for the next 2 weeks – and will return JUST IN TIME for #50PreciousWords which takes place right here on the blog on March 2 and March 3. Our wonderful judges are all ready to read your fabulous stories…have you written yours yet? As always, the prizes are amazing! Check out the Heads Up post for guidelines and prize list: https://viviankirkfield.com/2025/02/01/heads-up-the-50preciouswords-2024-international-writing-contest-is-coming-soon-2/

Cover Reveal: I AM A THUNDERCLOUD Plus Giveaway

Posted on August 14, 2023 by viviankirkfield

I’m so excited! One of the #50PreciousWords judges, Leah Moser, has her debut SEL picture book, I AM A THUNDERCLOUD, illustrated by Marie Hermansson, launching next year from Running Press Kids, on April 2, 2024 – and guess what??? We are doing a COVER REVEAL for her – right here – right now! And all of you are getting the very first peek!