Happy Book Birthday: AVA LIN: BEST FRIEND Plus Giveaway

Posted on June 4, 2024 by viviankirkfield

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!

Happy Book Birthday: NOURA’S CRESCENT MOON

Posted on April 16, 2024 by viviankirkfield

Cake? Check! Candles? Check!
And a gorgeous new debut book written by Zainab Khan and illustrated by Nabila Adani that checks every box!!!!

WOW! What a beautiful cover! Nabila Adani’s art is so engaging. And a perfect match up with Zainab Khan’s lovely text!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
Venturing out after dusk with her family, a child is eager to watch for the new moon that signals the start of Eid ul-Fitr celebrations in this charming picture-book debut.

Noura can’t wait for the sun to go down! With Ramadan and her first month of fasting almost over, she and Mama and Papa are headed to the hills for a moonsighting picnic. It would be truly special if Noura could catch a glimpse of the faint silvery crescent, something even her mother has never managed to do. If the moon stays hidden, that means one more long day before Noura can wear her sparkly new dress and the joyful Eid celebrations begin—bringing with them visits with friends, eating sweets, and painting henna on her hands. In a lighthearted introduction to Ramadan and Eid, this family-centered tale of anticipation under the stars pairs an inviting text from Zainab Khan with Nabila Adani’s vibrant illustrations, capturing everything from the bustle of a shared meal to the swirling magic of the night sky. Relevant terms, from food items to the Islamic lunar calendar, are explained in a glossary at the end.

Noura’s Crescent Moon – text by Zainab Khan – art by Nabila Adani

I’m always so honored to join in the celebration of the launch of a new book…and we can ALL join that celebration and help. We can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Place the book on our Goodreads Want to Read shelf
Tell friends about the book (Please share on social media)
Ask our local library to purchase copies
How will you help?

And here’s a little bit about the author and illustrator:
Zainab Khan received her BA from Boston University and taught elementary school for several years before starting her own preschool program. Noura’s Crescent Moon is her first picture book. Through it she hopes that children will learn a little something about the Islamic lunar month Eid ul-Fitr and Ramadan and recognize that “regardless of their faith, people celebrate in similar ways: with family, food, and gifts, and with prayers for those who are religious.” Of Pakistani heritage, Zainab Khan lives on Long Island with her husband, two children, and a cat.

Nabila Adani worked briefly as a product designer in Japan and Indonesia before moving to the United States to study children’s book illustration. Among the children’s books she has illustrated are Be a Bridge by Irene Latham and Charles Waters and Sunny and the Birds by Wendy Meddour. Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she enjoys illustrating and telling stories for children around the world.

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

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!