Happy Book Birthday: MAMA’S HOME (AND BABY, TOO!)

Posted on October 13, 2026 by viviankirkfield

Welcome back, dear friends! It’s Tuesday…and Tuesday is often the launch day for brand-new books…and so I hope you are ready for Cake and Candles and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday to You for Dawn Babb Prochovnic’s 20th book and debut board book: MAMA’S HOME (AND BABY, TOO!), illustrated by Adele Dafflon and published by Familius.

I absolutely love the art…so kid-friendly! And the simple rhyming text is guaranteed to put smiles on our youngest story lovers’ faces. Author Dawn and I have been kid lit friends for many years…and so, when I heard she had another new book…and her first BOARD BOOK, I knew I’d want to help her celebate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MAMA’S HOME (AND BABY, TOO!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

And guess what? Dawn was kind enough to stop by to share a bit about the story…and the story behind the story.

ME: WELCOME, DAWN! We’re so glad to have you here at Picture Books Help Kids Soar! Can you share What Inspired You to Write This Story, and What Were Some Notable Moments on the Path to Publication?

DAWN: Thank you so much for celebrating this book birthday along with me, Vivian! Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!) is a 95-word story that took over 20 years to become a book. I never gave up on this story; it’s a bit surreal that it’s finally coming to be.

It began as a poem that I jotted down on a scrap of paper as I watched my preschool-aged son blissfully engage in imaginative play at our local children’s museum. For context, that same son graduated from college a couple of years ago.

I loved the idea of a slice-of-life story about child-centered activities that collectively make for a joyful, play-filled childhood. The first working title I penciled in was, Childhood Bliss.

Over time, it became clear that the story would need a stronger hook in order to become a book.

I loved the essence of the story enough to keep working on it, and I experimented with many different approaches, including structuring it as a novelty book that incorporated American Sign Language. Although these approaches generated interest, they did not generate book offers.

I continued to revise the story with different themes in mind. For a couple of years, it was entitled Grandma’s House is Happiness, and associated revisions incorporated elements of connection with an active and engaged grandparent. Eventually, the focus shifted to the excitement and delight in sharing simple, joyful activities with a parent who returns home after being away for an extended period of time. With that angle, the working title became, Mama’s Home!, and I revised the story to incorporate the preparations for and anticipation of Mama’s return . . . from somewhere.

When I submitted Mama’s Home! to Familius, co-founder and CEO Christopher Robbins and team (rightfully!) wondered if I might be open to a more specific reason for Mama being away— the arrival of a new sibling. This brought additional revisions that incorporated the anticipation and preparations for Mama’s return, featuring activities that could be engaged in with a recuperating Mama and new baby.

To bring authenticity to the sibling component, I mined my memories of my younger sister’s arrival, and I looked for opportunities to emphasize and lean into the enduring and evolving nature of the relationship between Mama and an older child.

Additionally, I mined memories about my own mom being away from home for extended periods when I was a child. In her case it was due to health issues, but no matter the reason, it was always such a delight when she returned home.

One of the things I especially love about the final book is the way in which Adèle Dafflon’s illustrations beautifully capture the element of family. Papa and older siblings are together. Waiting. Pitching in. Contributing. Staying close. And once Mama and baby come home, the familial love and joy simply expands and grows.

Eventually, after input from industry sales reps and the publisher’s marketing team, the current title, Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!), came to be.

Despite all the twists and turns this story took along the path to publication and throughout many (many!) revisions, the essence of the story—childhood bliss—remains true. It’s the story idea that took hold of me from the start and insisted on being written. It’s the part of the story that I connected with so deeply when I watched my own child engage in imaginative play and scribbled down a rough poem. It’s the part of the story that kept me motivated to keep working on it until it was just right. A story about a joyful, play-filled, childhood—and now, a unique take on the arrival of a new sibling, and a loving family making room for one more.

ME: Thank you so much for all of this, dear Dawn! My takeaway is…NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR STORY…and also, be willing to revise and to listen to editor advice. I’m so glad you practiced patience and perseverance, my friend.

And now, here’s some info about the author and illustrator…and ways you can connect with them and BUY and REVIEW this important book!

Dawn Babb Prochovnic is the author of over 20 children’s books including Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, Lucy’s Blooms, and her latest title, Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!). She has devoted her life’s work to initiatives that support literacy and the literary arts, including early literacy enrichment programs, school author visits, writing workshops, and her educational blog. Dawn is the recipient of the Walt Morey Award and the esteemed “Pleasure Reading Award” (her most memorable fifth-grade achievement). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her family and fan-favorites, Pickle the Cat and Sophie the Paddleboarding Pup.

Adèle Dafflon was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, in 1985. She graduated in illustration at École Supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc de Liège in 2012 and began drawing birth announcement cards. Soon, she was contacted for individual and collective projects. Sharing a studio with four artists since 2018, she draws nature, animals, and insects in a colorful style with a dash of genuine humor.

Author and Illustrator’s Websites:

Dawn: www.dawnprochovnic.com
Adèle: https://www.adeledafflon.com/

Author’s Social Media Links:
Substack: @dawnprochovnic.substack.com
Bluesky: @DawnProhovnic.bsky.social
Facebook: @DawnProchovnicAuthor
Instagram: @DawnProchovnic
LinkedIn: @DawnProchovnic
Pinterest: @DawnProchovnic
YouTube: @dprochovnic

Buy Links:
Familius
Bookshop
B&N
Amazon

Just saying, dear friends…if you have any friends or family who are expecting a baby and have a young child already at home, THIS is the perfect gift.
Thank you for spending your precious time with us…I hope you all have a beautiful week!

Cover Reveal: ROCK ‘N’ROLL, BABY!

Posted on July 7, 2025 by viviankirkfield

It’s that wonderful time again…time to reveal the cover of an upcoming board book, written by David McMullin and illustrated by Allison Black and published by Penguin Random House…ROCK’N’ROLL, BABY!

Oh my goodness…just look at that stunning cover art! Joyful! Engaging! Vibrant! And Simple! Everything we want in a board book for our youngest story lovers! And we are so very lucky because author David has stopped by to chat about the story behind the story.

ME: Welcome, David! Thank you so much for stopping by. We all love to discover how books came to be…please share.

DAVID: Thank you for having me, Vivian. I’m a huge fan of your blog…and your #50PreciousWords Contest. I’d love to share how the book came to be:

ROCK ’N’ ROLL BABY is a rhyming board book featuring different types of rock music while following a diverse group of babies through their daily routines.

I wrote the first draft way back in 2016 when fractured fairy tales were having their moment. I looked for a well known children’s story that hadn’t been explored yet and was surprised to discover that no one had given the lullaby, Rock-a-bye Baby, a good rock ’n’ roll makeover. The word play seemed obvious, so I gave it a go.

It’s route to becoming a board book was not straight forward. I wrote a four verse version that I hoped could be a picture book. In 2020 my agent submitted widely, but regardless of some close calls, it didn’t sell. In 2023, my agent suggested we revisit the manuscript, but also advised that it felt like a board book and if I wanted to sell it as a picture book, I should do some rewrites. This is when I expanded the text and gave it a new arc. Who would have guess that within an hour of my agent submitting we would get an email from an editor stating that they may make an offer if I was willing to sell it as a board book? I was willing!

Now available for pre-order at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/771704/rock-n-roll-baby-by-david-mcmullin-illustrated-by-allison-black/

David McMullin is a picture book author, illustrator, and children’s poet. His books include FREE TO BE FABULOUS (HarperCollins), ROCK ’N’ ROLL BABY (Penguin/Random House) and a soon-to-be-announced early reader series. Honors include an SCBWI Ann Whitford Paul Award, an Astra International Picture Book Writing Contest award, a Madness Poetry championship and he was a Picture Book Rising Stars mentor. David and his husband are currently full time world travelers, bird nerds, and YouTubers. In past careers he was a Broadway actor, an educator, and a children’s librarian.
Website: http://www.davidmcmullinbooks.com/welcome/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidmcmullinpb/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tendegreeswarmer

The Illustrator – New York-born illustrator Allison Black started her own stationery company, Hip Hip!, in 2015 and is experienced in creating artwork for fashion, homeware, stationery, and books. https://www.allisonblackillustration.com/ to see all of her amazing books and products.

Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us, David.
And, dear blog friends, please do what you can to help this book become a success.
You can:
Buy the Book
Review the Book
Tell friends about the book (please share this post on your social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies of the book for their shelves

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy Book Birthday: JUNE MOON Plus Giveaway

Posted on May 21, 2024 by viviankirkfield

Today’s a very special day for a very special board book because today is the Kindle Book Birthday for JUNE MOON – May 28 will be the print copy birthday! Two birthdays for one little book baby…that’s totally special, right? And we are blowing out the candles and serving up cake and congratulations to author Lynn Becker and illustrator Nate Carvalho.

WOW! What a beautiful cover! And trust me, the inside pages are just as glorious. Plus the lyrical rhyming text will soon be a favorite of our littlest story-lovers.

Here’s a bit about the book from the Amazon Sales page:
Author Lynn Becker and illustrator Nate Carvalho’s board book June Moon is a whimsical bedtime story that sparks imagination and laughter as the moon mirrors a child’s playful actions, becoming a cherished favorite for young readers year-round and a perfect bonding experience for parents and children before sleep.

Rising moon
Shining moon,
Magic as a June moon.

A story of seasides and summertimes, in June Moon, the rising and setting of the moon mirrors a child’s imaginative play and bedtime routine, all bathed in the natural magic of an evening in June.

With gorgeous illustrations and seamless transitions between reality and the fantasy of a child’s view of the night sky, readers of all ages will reach for this lilting bedtime poem again and again.

And here’s a little bit about the author:
Lynn Becker grew up in New York, spent many years in the Southern California desert, and now lives in Colorado. She’s a children’s book reviewer with Shelf Awareness, and also the author of Monsters in the Briny, a picture book illustrated by Scott Brundage.
To connect with Lynn and find out more about her books: https://www.lynnbeckerbooks.com/

And here’s a little bit about the illustrator from his website:
Nate Carvalho is a Background and Visual Development Artist in the animation industry as well as a published Children’s books Illustrator.
My skills include Design, Colour, Illustration and making awesome coffee!
I’m a storyteller and I can’t shut up about it, but in the rare moments that I do, you can find me playing my violin, my ukelele or playing video games.
https://natecarvalho.myportfolio.com/work

And here are a few things we can all do to help beautiful books like this one succeed:
Put it on your Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Buy it
Review it
Tell friends about it (share this post on your social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

Please don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of JUNE MOON!

I hope you all have a wonderful week. This morning I’ll be delivering the #50PreciousWords Literacy Initiative books to Beech Street School in Manchester – I’ll share some photos on Facebook this week. The Bookery manager Cassie already brought several boxes of books to Weston Elemenary and McLaughlin Middle School last week.
216 Juvenile Picture Book donations
25 Young reader
The Bookery donated 50 books (THANK YOU SO MUCH, CASSIE)
plus we added in the books directly mailed to me that brought to the bookstore a few weeks ago…