Happy Book Birthday: ILLUSIONS IN ART Plus Giveaway

Posted on October 10, 2023 by viviankirkfield

Do you know why I love Tuesdays? I love Tuesdays because that’s the day that many publishers launch books! And today we have a DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH for talented author/illustrator Chiêu Anh Urban! Now, we know that birthdays usually involve cake (here is your virtual slice) and candles (one, two, three, blow!) and presents…and the lovely creator of these beautiful books is giving one lucky winner a copy of one of her books!

Here is a little bit about this creative board book series:
The Food Book: These illusions will play tricks on your eyes! Find two foods on each page in a clever, stylish exploration of negative and positive space for the very young.

A twisty pretzel loops around and back.
What fruit is hidden inside this snack?

Look closely. What do you see? Could that be two orange slices tucked inside the curves of the pretzel? And what fruit is nestling inside a pitcher’s handle? Or in the twist of a cupcake’s frosting? Colorful spreads invite children in with a rhyme that contains a clue, while the bold, graphic design steers the eye to a negative space revealing a hidden familiar food. Black-and-white spreads at the end depict the same foods again, further clarifying the concept of positive and negative space. Fun and enticing for even the youngest children and a delight for art-oriented parents, this interactive seek-and-find book begs for many repeat sharings.

The Animal Book: These illusions will play tricks on your eyes! ! Find two animals on each page in a clever, stylish exploration of negative and positive space for the very young.

Singing, tweeting, small and round.
Lion likes this whistler’s sound.

Look closely. What do you see? Could that be a bird nestled in the curl of Lion’s tail? And who is swimming by Whale? Or basking in the sun near Swan? Colorful spreads invite children in with a rhyme that contains a clue, while the bold, graphic design steers the eye to a negative space revealing a hidden familiar animal. Black-and-white spreads at the end depict the same animals again, further clarifying the concept of positive and negative space. Fun and enticing for even the youngest children and a delight for art-oriented parents, this interactive seek-and-find book begs for many repeat sharings.

And Chiêu Anh kindly stopped by to chat with us about how these books came about.
Chiêu Anh: The graphic designer in me was thrilled to have the opportunity to create Illusions in Art, a two-book series with Candlewick Press. Since art school way back when, I’ve always been obsessed with negative and positive space design, and love the challenge of creating art where a deceptively simple image can be formed in the negative space.

My fascination for this concept inspired me to create Illusions in Art: Animals and Illusions in Art: Food. With stylistic illustrations and rhyming clues, little ones are encouraged to switch their perspective and discover two images in one. My thought process was to create fun seek-and-find books that introduce children to the negative and positive space concept, all while discovering clever illusions.

Dedicated to developing interactive children’s books for the youngest readers, I strive to create empowering, playful and unique story time experiences through exploration. I am a children’s book author/illustrator, award-winning graphic designer, and format designer. My recent titles include novelty books 123 ZOOM and ABC ROAR (Little Simon, S&S 2022) and the Color Wonder series: Color Wonder Hooray for Spring! and Color Wonder Winter is Here!
To connect with her:
Website
Facebook
Blog
Instagram
X/Twitter

These are so cleverly done…and so perfect for our littlest lovers of books! And even though they are strong and sturdy books, they still need our help to become successful. Please choose at least one of these to do:
Buy the books:
Illusions in Art: Animals
Illusions in Art: Food
Review the books
Put the books on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf
Tell friends about the books (share on Social Media)
Ask your library to purchase copies for their collection

And of course, please don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered n the giveaway!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Cover Reveal: OUR WORLD: CHINA

Posted on April 12, 2023 by viviankirkfield

I’ve always loved board books. As a kindergarten teacher and then later as a parent, I learned to appreciate those sturdy laminated cardboard pages that could hold up to the rough handling of our youngest lovers of stories. And recently, publishers are waking up to the realization that introducing wee ones to people of various cultures and abilities early on is one way to help children embrace differences and practice kindness, That’s why when Songju Ma Daemicke, one of the members my Picture Book Gold group, told me she had a board book launching from Barefoot Books later this year, I was excited to host her COVER REVEAL for OUR WORLD CHINA.
GET READY! GET SET! GO!

Written by Songju Ma Daemicke – Illustrated by Jam Dong – Launching from Barefoot Books 10/3/23

Illustrator Jam Dong has done an amazing job with the cover! The colors are bold and vibrant and the art is so kid-friendly! With a few simple objects and designs, we are invited into a home in China! How fabulous!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Nǐ hǎo! Let’s spend a day in China! Fly kites in the square, buy sweet lychee at the market and go paddle boating at the lake. Author Songju Ma Daemicke and illustrator Jam Dong draw on their personal experiences growing up in China to create this appealing board book as part of the Our World Series for very young readers.

And here’s a little bit about the author:
SONGJU MA DAEMICKE, a former software engineer with Motorola, grew up in Jilin, China. Her latest book, Tu Youyou’s Discovery – Finding a Cure for Malaria, is a 2023 SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books finalist. Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant was a Best STEM book, the winner of 2018 CALA Best Juvenile Literature, an Outstanding Science Trade book, a Notable-Social-Studies book, and a Mathical Honor Book. Songju loves taking her family to visit her siblings in China, practicing Tai Chi, flying kites, and eating all kinds of delicious dumplings.
Website: www.songjumadaemicke.com
Twitter: @SongjuDaemicke
Instagram: @SongjuDaemicke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/songju.daemicke

And here’s a little bit about the illustrator:
Jam Dong is an illustrator and picture book author, who has been recognized by many influential awards around the world. Her works have been selected by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2020, 2021 and 2022. She was born and raised in Shanghai, China, and is currently based in Boston, USA.

The book won’t be in bookstores till October 3rd…but it’s definitely available for PRE-ORDER on:
Amazon
Bookshop.org
Or by calling your local independent bookstore and ordering it.
You can also ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection.
Please add Our World: China to your Goodreads Want-To-Read list: https://bit.ly/3zGH2Wn
Signed copies available at Barnes & Noble through mail order: http://bit.ly/3ZUz06S

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Please stop by on Perfect Picture Book Friday to get a peek at our featured book, ENOUGH IS by Jessica Whipple. And on Saturday when Lori Degman and Jocelyn Watkinson Will Write for Cookies.

Board Book Saturday: BUTTERFLIES SOAR Plus Giveaway From Me & Promotional Discount From the Publisher

Posted on March 25, 2023 by viviankirkfield

It’s another Board Book Saturday! Last week I mentioned how important board books are in developing literacy skills of little ones including helping young children learn how to use a book. They are constructed so that babies and toddlers with limited fine motor skills can hold them easily and turn the pages, something most cannot do with the pages of a traditional picture book. And the sweetly rounded corners of board book pages are very kid-friendly.

Something else that is very kid-friendly are the two new board books in the Amicus Little Nature Explorers series written by one of my dearest kid-lit friends, Amber Hendricks and illustrated by Gavin Scott. And as we are just coming off of another sensationally successful #50PreciousWords with 756 fabulous entries, I thought it would be perfect to feature Amber’s board books because they started out as contest entries several years ago.