Tag Archives: Book Giveaway

Happy Book Birthday: AVA LIN: BEST FRIEND Plus Giveaway

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Hurray! So glad you stopped by! Today’s a very special day because it’s the book birthday of AVA LIN: BEST FRIEND, a brand-new chapter book in a brand new chapter book series. And it’s written and illustrated by someone who holds a very special place in my heart. Vicky Fang approached me back in 2016, right after the first #50PreciousWords, and offered to design a logo for the contest. And then, when I added the challenge for kids in 2018, she created the logo for that as well. And now, when it’s HER book birthday, SHE’S giving the gift…a copy of AVA LIN to one lucky blog follower. Our kid lit community is the BEST!

Take a good look at this engaging cover! I love so much about it – especially the notations that tell us what things are most important to Ava Lin. So many kids will relate to loving tiny treasures…and having a special notebook.

And lucky us…Vicky stopped by to share some thoughts about the path to publication for this book.
ME: Welcome, dear Vicky! Thank you for popping in. It was so good to see you at NCTE in Ohio last year. I love how our paths intersect every now and then.

VICKY: Thank you for having me on to talk about my new chapter book series, Ava Lin! Ava Lin is about a 6-year-old girl navigating school, family, and friends—with a knack for getting herself into (and out of) sticky situations. I wanted to write something intensely funny that featured a Chinese American girl, and I hope that young readers find these books both relatable and hilarious!

Okay, a funny story on the path to publication for this book… 

In Book 1, there is a scene where Ava goes to a Chinese restaurant with family friends and another kid puts something gross in her bubble tea. Final art for the book was done, ARCs were in progress, when I did a presentation at my kids’ school and they all said, “ Do you mean boba?” I panicked! I’m familiar with both terms, but I typically call it “bubble tea” and wondered if that was a dated term that wouldn’t resonate with kids! I went down a long and frantic rabbit hole to find out if kids call it “bubble tea” or “boba” or gosh maybe also, “boba tea”, these days. I roped in my editor who kindly did a quick mockup of the book with “bubble tea” replaced with “boba” throughout and helping me weigh the options.

AVA LIN: BEST FRIENDS written & illustrated by Vicky Fang

It turns out, “bubble tea” vs “boba” is a regional thing, and I must have picked up “bubble tea” from my time in New York way back when and passed it along to my kids, while most kids in California say “boba.” Lately, “boba” seems to be gaining traction, though “bubble tea” is still pretty common. Trader Joe’s has a “boba” product, Google maps lists “bubble tea” shops, etc… can you feel the depths of my rabbit hole?? In the end, we decided to stick with “bubble tea” because that’s what my kids and I call it and my editor felt the term was appropriately descriptive for all kids to understand, especially with illustrations.

Phew! All that to say, when a book is getting ready to launch, I have these little panic moments often! It’s hard to let your book baby out into the world. I’m so grateful for my critique partners and my agent and my editors who are so understanding and help me survive the path to launch.

If you do read AVA LIN (and I hope you do!), rest assured that I had a similar panic about the term “pupu platter” and please laugh with me as you read it.

​​You can order AVA LIN anywhere books are sold, but if you order from my favorite indie bookstore: Linden Tree Books,

Thank you so much for having me, Vivian! For anyone in the SF bay area, come join me for my launch on Sunday, June 9 at 11am at Linden Tree books!

Thank you so much, Vicky…and thank you everyone, for spending your precious time with us! Please remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of AVA LIN. And remember that our support helps books get noticed. You can buy the book, review the book, put the book on your Goodreads Want to Read shelf, tell friends about the book (by sharing the post on social media), and you can ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection.
I hope you all have a wonderful week!

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

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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.

Cover Reveal: GRACE LEE BOGGS: GARDENS OF HOPE Plus Giveaway

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When we look around the world, we see lots of sadness and pain. But when we look around the world of picture books, we see…
HOPE!!!

Yesterday we celebrated the book birthday for A FLICKER OF HOPE, written by Cynthia Harmony. And today, we are revealing the beautiful cover of GRACE LEE BOGGS: GARDENS OF HOPE, written by Songju Ma Daemicke and illustrated by Lin.

What do I see in this vibrant cover? Child agency! Diversity! Intergenerational interaction! Healthy plants growing! The hope and promise of the future!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Grace Lee Boggs brought gardens to inner cities and planted seeds of hope and activism in the minds of young people.

When Grace Lee Boggs was eight years old, her teacher gave her a copy of The Secret Garden. As a Chinese-American who had experienced prejudice, Grace wanted to grow a garden of her own that would help people heal from the injustice in society. Grace dedicated her life to fighting for civil, environmental, labor, and women’s rights. In 1992, she and her husband founded Detroit Summer, a multicultural and intergenerational youth program that inspired kids to become leaders in their community. Together with these “solutionaries,” Grace finally created the garden she dreamed about, one that continues to inspire people to make the world a better place for everyone.

I’m so happy that Songju stopped by to chat with us and share why she wrote this story::

SONGJU: In the summer of 2020, I first read the name Grace Lee Boggs from the author’s notes of a children’s book, Leave It to Abigail!: The Revolutionary Life of Abigail Adams,  by Barb Rosenstock. Grace Lee Boggs was the only Chinese American mentioned. I looked her up on the internet and was immediately drawn to her. Grace, a thinker, philosopher, and a tireless social activist, went beyond class and racial boundaries, devoting her life to fight for equality. She planted many seeds for change throughout her life. These seeds continue to sprout today, growing the world into a more just place. It’s my honor to tell her story and hopefully inspire young people to continue Grace’s legacy and her fight for a better world.

Here’s a little bit about Songju:
SONGJU MA DAEMICKE, a former software engineer with Motorola, is an award-winning Chinese-American children’s book author. Her book, Tu Youyou’s Discovery – Finding a Cure for Malaria, is a finalist for the 2023 SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books; Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant was a Best STEM book, among many other honors. Her first board book, Our World: China received a starred review from the School Library Journal. When she is not writing, she loves attending to her garden, hiking, and shooting her next special photograph. 
You can find out more about Songju here: www.songjumadaemicke.com
Twitter: @SongjuDaemicke
Instagram: @SongjuDaemicke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/songju.daemicke

And here’s a little bit about the Illustrator:
Lin graduated from Hengyang Normal University with a degree in Environmental Art Design. She is an illustrator and painter working on children’s books, magazines, and other publications. She lives and works in Pingxiang City, China.

Dear friends, we can help important books like this one become a success. How will you help GRACE LEE BOGGS: GARDENS OF HOPE become a success?

You can add Grace Lee Boggs: Gardens of Hope to your Goodreads Want-To-Read list:  https://bit.ly/49wEnz4
You can Pre-order:
Bookshop:   https://bit.ly/3SNq5mm
Amazon:      https://bit.ly/3TcR7EZ
Barnes & Noble:  https://bit.ly/49s4S8M

Please make sure you leave a comment and share the post widely to be entered in the Giveaway:  One winner will receive a copy of Grace Lee Boggs: Gardens of Hope. U.S. address required for book mailing.

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week…we are counting down the days till #50PreciousWords!!! Are you ready???