Hello dear friends! Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday! Today’s featured picture book is launching on October 20th…and so we are all getting a wonderful sneak peek…PLUS, because the author, Cathy Stefanec Ogren, a long-time kid-lit friend of mine, is such a fab person, we are also getting a mini-interview with her as she shares the story behind the story!
WINTER SOLSTICE HILL
Written by Cathy Stefanec Ogren
Illustrated by Rebecca Evans
Published by Charlesbridge (October 20, 2026)
Ages: 4-8
Themes: Winter Solstice, intergenerational activities, SEL
Synopsis: From Amazon:
A warm, wintry tale that helps kids navigate disappointment, reminding readers that even when plans shift, the magic of tradition can still shine through.
Bundled in snow clothes, Ella waits to join Gramps on her first winter solstice adventure. They go up Winter Solstice Hill, where they will pick a holiday tree and Ella will get to partake on the family tradition for the first time: making a wish on the winter solstice star. But when clouds hide the solstice star, Ella worries she will miss out on this important family tradition. Then a snow storm forces Ella and Gramps to cut their trip short.
Will Ella be the only one in her family to not make a wish on the winter solstice star? Or will Gramps
WHY I LOVE THIS BOOK: 1. I love books that are layered…and this one has so many hooks: SEL (coping with disappointment), intergenerational activities/family togetherness, nature, courage. 2. I love books with lyrical text that weaves a magical web around the reader…Cathy’s writing is so beautiful. 3. I love books where the illustrations fill our eyes…and our hearts…the art is joyous and filled with emotion.
ME: And now, as promised, Cathy is here to share a bit about why she wrote WINTER SOLSTICE HILL. Welcome, dear Cathy! Thank you for stopping by.
CATHY: Thank you for having me, Vivian. It’s a joy to be here…and to share the story behind the story. Wisconsin. Rural living. Dairy farms. Lowing cows. Cornfields. Colorful fall landscapes. Snow-covered rolling hills. Teaching in a four-room rural school. Gatherings with family, friends, and neighbors.
Those are memories of my life in Wisconsin. We have a joke in our family that I’ve never lived in a house more than ten years because of job transfers by my father and my husband. I was born in Wisconsin and lived there two other times after getting married. Both times we lived in rural communities. I loved the crisp weather and bright colors that fall brings along with the promise of the winter season soon to follow. A few years ago, as the days grew darker earlier and the winter solstice approached, I had the urge to write a holiday story, using my Wisconsin memories. I wrote down a list of ideas and included themes of family, traditions, and new experiences. After many drafts and excellent suggestions from my critique partners. WINTER SOLSTICE HILL came to life. An editor saw potential in my manuscript and wanted to hold on to it. I was over the moon. When the editor went on maternity leave, I had to wait many moons before I was offered a contract. The wait was excruciating, but it was worth it. Rebecca Evans’ illustrations are gorgeous.
ME: Thank you so much, Cathy. I think it’s so valuable for all of us on the path to publication to hear that the wait is often long…and that our patience is often tested…but if we don’t give up…our hopes can be realized!
And, dear friends, here’s a little bit about the author and the illustrator…and some links that will help you connect with them AND purchase copies of this gorgeous book!
Cathy’s Bio: As a child, Cathy Stefanec Ogren spent her time scripting plays for her neighborhood friends and persuading parents to come and watch with the promise of Oscar-winning performances. As a grown-up, she became a teacher and a school librarian before becoming a full-time writer. Cathy is the author of PEW! The Stinky and Legen-Dairy Gift from Colonel Thomas S. Meacham and The Little Red Chair. She now resides with her husband in New Hampshire.
Rebecca Evans’ Bio: Rebecca Evans started drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon. She has a BA in visual art from Messiah College, with a concentration on drawing and illustration, and works as an artist and designer. She is the author-illustrator of Alone Like Me and If You Ever Meet a Skeleton.
She has also illustrated many picture books, including Baby’s Opposites and All Will Be Well.
Rebecca lives in Maryland with her husband and their four children.
Receive an author-signed copy, a bookmark, and a wishing star craft
Well, as Elmer Fudd used to say, “That’s all folks!” Please remember that we can help beautiful books become a success if we: Buy a copy Review the book Tell friends about the book (Please share this post on your social media…the share buttons below make it easy) Ask your local library to purchase copies for their shelves
Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. Fall is a wonderful time for new books…and we have a full schedule of blog posts coming up…Book Birthdays and Perfect Picture Book Fridays galore. And I’ve even started gathering prizes for #50PreciousWords…an author friend, Heather Stigall, reached out to offer a PB Critique…and she asked if I’d be interested in a prize from her agent…and when I said YES (as if there could be any other answer), she connected me with her agent and voila. we now have another agent prize…a PB Critique from the lovely Amy Nielsen from the Purcell Agency. So, if you are an author or an illustrator and you have an agent or an editor you think might want to hop on board the #50PreciousWords prize train, please reach out and let me know…the more, the merrier!
WOW…just…WOW! Today is launch day for my newest book, PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World, brilliantly illustrated by Alison Jay and published by the fabulous team at Calkins Creek/Astra headed by my amazing editor, Carolyn Yoder.
FOR WRITERS, ILLUSTRATORS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS, AND BOOK LOVERS EVERYWHERE
TODAY’S GUESTS
What a joy this kid-lit community is!!! I just returned from Columbus, Ohio where I attended the National Council of Teachers of English conference – presentations by Jacqueline Woodson, Tom Hanks, and Angie Thomas offered hope and actionable steps for teachers AND writers as we move forward into the new year in this challenging world. Dozens of sessions by book creators, teachers, and librarians provided encouragement and fresh ideas for engaging students and for battling book banning. I loved it all – but the best part was connecting with attendees – old friends and new ones. And in a similar way, I’m thrilled to bring you another group of #KidLitJunction authors – Astrid is a familiar face – we hosted her cover reveal back in March…and Helen and Dominique are new to Picture Books Help Kids Soar.
Please enjoy each of their interviews – you won’t want to miss their insights – and make sure you leave a comment to let us know which prize you would prefer if you are one of the three lucky winners because each of our lovely authors is offering a wonderful giveaway! And don’t forget how important it is to share the post on your social media so that your circle of friends and family find out about their wonderful debut picture books!
ME: Welcome to Picture Books Help Kids Soar! We are so excited to chat with you, Dominique, Astrid, and Helen. You are up first, Dominique. Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?
DOMINIQUE: My favorite storyteller was my dad. He told us stories about a boy named “Sing Sing” and I loved them so much. I have read Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” hundreds of times. But my favorite book of childhood was “ Walt Disney’s Annette Sierra Summer”. My mom read it to me when I was little and it made me fall in love with reading.
ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
DOMINIQUE: You can make your very best even better. I totally panicked when I got my first round of edits from a professional editor. I just kept thinking “but I sent my very best! I don’t have anything left!” After completing those edits I was amazed at how much I’d grown as a writer simply by working on my own work!
ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?
DOMINIQUE: Voice to text in the car lol. Some of my best ideas happen on the freeway or in carline waiting for my kids. I find when I’m really on a roll my brain is moving faster than I can type so voice to text works so well for me! If I have real time to write I go to a specific coffee shop. I get the same drink and meal every time. Since I only write there my brain switches into work mode quickly and I can get a lot done!
ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?
DOMINIQUE: Literally whenever I can squeeze it in…which really isn’t as much as I’d like! This is the major part of my writing practice I’d like to change!
ME: Why do you write for children?
DOMINIQUE:The brevity of children’s books really grounds me. Slowing down enough to think about what I’m really trying to say and how to say it concisely has helped so many parts of my life! As the mother of young children I have found that sometimes the book our family needed hadn’t been written yet. So I write for children because of my own children.
Bio: Dominique Furukawa is a licensed clinical social worker and children’s picture book author. She lives with her wonderful family in the greatest city in the world, Los Angeles, CA. She is passionate about teaching little people big things in a way they can understand. Her debut picture book is Black Girls: A Celebration of You(Harper Collins, 2023).
Treat recipe: Listen friends. If you want to change your life, you’ll need the following four ingredients:
The chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ve been making forever
An extra ½ cup of chocolate chips
½ cup instant oats
Heaping tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice seasoning
You’ll never make those old chocolate chip cookies again. Giveaway: personalized and signed copy of Black Girls
ME: WOW! Thank you so much for sharing your journey, Dominique. And your super-powered chocolate chip cookie additions sound AMAZING!!! Okay dear friends. Are you ready for interview #2?Now it’s Astrid’s turn. Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?
ASTRID: Thinking of my childhood, I first think of my favorite storyteller, my grandma, who both read to us a lot and told stories, including from traditional Armenian folklore. My grandfather had created a huge library, and we were exposed to stories and fairytales from all over the world. As a young child, I was captivated by the world created by Lidia Charskaya, touched by the stories of Nodar Dumbadze and Alki Zei, and fascinated by poetry of Firdousi and Omar Khayyam.
ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
ASTRID: That I shouldn’t toss away the diary I kept in school!
ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?
ASTRID: I write whenever and wherever I get a chance. I wish I could say I have a writerly oak desk with some fountain pens in the drawer and a cat sleeping on top. On the technical side, I write first drafts on a laptop, then print to edit, and sometimes I use sticky notes of different colors to better structure my manuscripts. I also use the Evernote app on my phone, since some first drafts and ideas demand to be written down at random places, like playgrounds or the dentist’s office.
ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?
ASTRID: My muse is very kind in that she keeps nagging me all the time, but I am not that kind to her. I write as soon as my little ones allow me to, no matter the time of the day. Don’t be me, wake up early to get your writing done.
ME: Why do you write for children?
ASTRID: I love the world of childhood whimsy. I feel like with writing for kids I get transported back to that special state of the mind that kids have. It is also a safe, beautiful, and kind place to discuss difficult and important topics, and do so with the courage of a child, which I feel we all need today.
Bio: Astrid Kamalyan comes from a big, happy Armenian family, where she is the oldest of five siblings. Childhood summers spent in Artsakh are what inspired her to paint with words. Astrid’s debut picture book Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and received starred reviews from Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly. Astrid loves globetrotting with her husband and two sons. She currently shares her time between Chicago and Yerevan, Armenia.
Favorite treat: I call it The Happies Salad (and that, my friends, is how you market a fruit salad to kids).
I am an Armenian mama, which means I eyeball the measurements when cooking.
Turn on your favorite music, peek and slice a banana, peel an orange and dice into nice little triangles, peel and separate a mandarin or two, dice an apple, cut some prunes into 4 (really, just eyeball, the more prunes the sweeter the salad). Optionally, you can chop some walnuts or pecans, whichever you have at home. Transfer all that beauty into a bowl, dust with a little bit of powdered sugar (sorry not sorry!) and add plain greek yogurt (enough to generously cover the fruits), stir. Transfer into the most beautiful serving bowls you have and enjoy!
Giveaway: Winner’s choice: A copy of BÁBO or 30-min Zoom AMA.
ME: How fabulous, dear Astrid! I’m a huge fan of salad…in fact, I often have one as my evening snack, mixing fruits and veggies even though my son rolls his eyes because he’s a salad purist. And now it’s time to meet our third debut author, Helen Taylor. Welcome, Helen. Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?
HELEN: I loved humor—A Very Special House by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein’s poems, Roald Dahl’s stories, and Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar.
ME: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
HELEN: I’ve learned that I can talk myself into or out of just about anything—which story to write next, what structure fits a certain topic best, and so on—to the point where it becomes difficult to make a decision! So, I am working on listening more carefully to my instincts.
ME: Where do you like to write – inside, outside, special room, laptop, pen and paper?
HELEN: I write on my laptop, but I like to revise on paper. There’s something about going back and forth that lets me switch between writer and editor modes. I prefer my backyard office, but I also end up working on my phone in parking lots, waiting rooms, etc. quite a bit.
ME: When do you write – early morning, late in the day, middle of the night, on schedule, as the muse strikes?
HELEN: I try to write in the mornings while my kids are at school, but the muse often strikes at other times. If I’m out, sometimes I’ll send myself emails with new ideas. I also go through a lot of Post-it notes! Collecting all those fragments later on is not very efficient, but sometimes that’s just how it goes.
ME: Why do you write for children?
HELEN: My hope is that the stories I write will encourage kids to ask more questions about their world. STEM books are not just for tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. They model critical thinking, problem solving, and scientific literacy—skills that are important for everyone!
Bio: Helen Taylor is a children’s book writer whose favorite questions are how? and why? even though the answers are rarely simple. She started telling quirky stories in the museum world, writing about polar bear hair plugs, catfish physicals, and other curiosities. Now, Helen writes books that make science fun and accessible for kids. She lives in California with her family and How to Eat in Space is her picture book debut.
Recipe: In How to Eat in Space, there’s a spread in which the astronauts enjoy almond tart with caramelized pears, a special dessert created just for them by a Michelin-starred chef. My recipe isn’t that fancy (sorry!), but on the plus side, it’s much easier to make:
Pear Custard “Pie”
3 ripe but firm pears, halved and cored ¼ C unsalted butter, melted ⅓ C granulated sugar ⅓ C all-purpose flour 2 tsp vanilla 3 eggs ¾ C milk ¼ tsp salt ¼ C sliced almonds (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; butter a 9” pie dish. Slice pears lengthwise and arrange in a spiral inside the dish. In a blender, process the other ingredients (everything except the almonds) until smooth. Pour batter over the pears, sprinkle with sliced almonds, and bake for 40-45 mins, until golden and firm to the touch. Optional: Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Giveaway: Winner’s choice: A signed copy of How to Eat in Space OR a non-rhyming PB critique (1,000 words max)
A million thanks to our fabulous debut authors…for their insights and giveaways and very yummy recipes! Please, dear friends, make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win – remember to tell us which giveaway you would prefer if you are one of the THREE lucky winners! And please do at least one of the following things to help these books find perfect homes out in the world: SHARE this post on social media BUY copies of their debut books REVIEW the books on Amazon PLACE the titles on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf ASK your local library to purchase copies for their collection
And as we move into the hurry and scurry of December, I’ll share some photos of favorite moments at the conference and also a couple of quotes from one of the keynotes at NCTE, Jackie Woodson: “We read to learn, and when we learn, we have a responsibility to care for the world and make it better.” “Writing is a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it gets.” “Nobody has to do everything – but everybody has to do something.”
Let’s all embrace at least one of those thoughts – and move forward into the new year with passion and compassion.
