Tag Archives: Inclusion

Perfect Picture Book Friday: WAT TAKES HIS SHOT Plus Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I’ve taken a step back from blogging this summer because I have a couple of overseas trips plus eye surgery in the coming months. But I do have a number of posts already scheduled for July and August. And when I heard that Cheryl Kim’s new book, WAT TAKES HIS SHOT: The Life and Legacy of Basketball Hero Watara Misaka, had just launched this week, I knew I’d want to share it with all of you. And we are so lucky…the lovely Cheryl stopped by to share a bit of her path to publication and she is offering a giveaway of a signed copy of the book and book swag to ONE LUCKY WINNER.

WAT TAKES HIS SHOT: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BASKETBALL HERO WATARU MISAKA

Written by Cheryl Kim

Illustrated by Nat Iwata

Published by Lee & Low Books

Age: 6-12

Themes: Sports biography, diversity & inclusion, determination

Synopsis: From Amazon:
The stirring biography of Japanese American basketball star Wataru Misaka–the first person of color to play in the NBA!

As a kid, Wataru Misaka channeled his endless energy into playing sports. Every Sunday, he raced to the park where his Japanese American community came together to play basketball. Wat wasn’t the tallest on the team, but he was fast and loved the game! Encouraged by his father to always do his best, Wat applied this mentality to every aspect and challenge in his life.

Wat was a college student when the US government forced more than 122,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast into incarceration camps during WWII. He overcame racism and segregation to join his college’s basketball team but despite Wat’s impressive skills, he was treated as an outsider because he was Japanese American. Wat kept his eye on the ball, and his team-player mentality made him shine on and off the court. He became an inspiration to his Japanese American community. After helping Utah University’s basketball team win the national championship in 1947, Wat was drafted by the New York Knicks, making him the first person of color to play in the NBA.

Wat’s motivational story of rising to any challenge and bringing your best to everything you do is a reminder of the power we each have to inspire others–if we just take our shot!

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love books that tell stories of real people who overcame great odds to succeed – and that hard work, determination, and never giving up are three elements necessary for success!
2. I love books that open a page of history to truthfully tell what happened – so that we can hopefully learn from history and do better and not make those same mistakes!
3. I love books with strong text, great page turns, and bold art!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Photo courtesy: https://www.redtedart.com/basketball-crafts-for-kids/

Take a look at these cool basketball crafts: https://www.redtedart.com/basketball-crafts-for-kids/

ME: And now let’s welcome Cheryl to Picture Books Help Kids Soar!

CHERYL: Thank you so much, Vivian. It’s a pleasure to be here.
A challenging moment on the path to publication:
My agent and I went out on submission with high hopes and over the course of a year, the rejections starting rolling in. We received one revise and resubmit and several no’s for various reasons. 

I spent the next year and a half going through more rounds of revision before resubmitting again. Putting so much time into a project without knowing the outcome is hard! But ultimately, I’m thankful for all the feedback which helped make the manuscript stronger and for the eventual “yes” that came along! 

Here’s a little bit about Cheryl and how to find out more about her books:
Cheryl is a second grade teacher from California.  She and her family have lived in Thailand for the past 9 years. Her husband works with an anti-trafficking organization and she teaches at Grace International School. She is also a writer for Kane Press’ Sports Illustrated Stars of Sports series and Eureka! The Biography of an Idea series. Two things she loves: Spending time with family & friends and drinking all kinds of tea from boba to chai lattes. 

Website:https://cherylkimbooks.com/
Instagram/X/Threads: @cheryltkim


And please remember, dear friends, we can help new books succeed if we:
Buy them
Review them
Place them on our Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about them (please share this post on your social media)
Ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I’ll be packing for my trip…I’m flying to Vienna with my son on Monday…and will be gone till July 11 – and I am NOT taking my computer…but I’ll have my phone so I’ll be able to check emails and messages.
And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to WIN a signed copy of WAT TAKES HIS SHOT and book swag.

Happy Book Birthday AND Perfect Picture Book Friday: JUST FLOWERS

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Sometimes a book comes along that is so inclusive, I want to HUG the author and illustrator! And guess what? This brand-new, just-launched-today book by author Erin Dealey and illustrator Kate Cosgrove is exactly that! Each page BURSTS with individuals who have long been marginalized…and they appear in the most natural and organic of ways – huge congratulations to the publisher, Sleeping Bear Press, for giving the world such a beautiful and much-needed book!

I hope you’ll join me in a rousing Happy Birthday to You for JUST FLOWERS!

JUST FLOWERS

Written by Erin Dealey

Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

Ages: 4-8

Themes:

Synopsis from Amazon:
Izzy’s new neighbor is a bit of a grump–though they are both botanically inclined. When the neighbor discovers unwanted flowers–again and again–in his precious rose garden, he bids Izzy to take them away. Izzy does–and uses the blooms to brighten someone else’s day. Before long, the town is bursting with Izzy’s flowers. The grumpy neighbor doesn’t see the fuss. “They’re JUST FLOWERS!” he yells. “Just flowers” that brought joy and color to everyone in town. Can Izzy finally get that neighbor to accept the bloom of friendship? Back matter includes a seek-and-find and information on the flowers mentioned in the book.

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love stories that encourage children to have hope and share kindness.
2. I love stories that burst with inclusivity – important characters and characters in leadership roles have all types of disabilities – we see the principal has a prosthetic leg, a child in a wheelchair – and are of all nationalities and colors and genders.
3. I love stories that are filled with fabulous art – the illustrations are so joyful – even the grumpy old neighbor!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Flower Crafts for Kids

Photo courtesy: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/52654/21-flower-crafts-for-kids/

Check out this link for detailed instructions on 25 awesome flower craft activities for kids: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/52654/21-flower-crafts-for-kids/

And please remember that the best way to help beautiful books become a success is to:
Buy them
Review them
Add them to your Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about them (please share this post on your social media
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. Speaking about precious…
we are still working our way through all 672 awesome contest submissions…not sure if another week will do it…but I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I spoke to Cassie at The Bookery bookstore in Manchester. She says she has about 70 books in the #50PreciousWords pile. Thank you to all who have purchased books! And I also have about 30 books that have been mailed to me by authors…plus about 50 books sent to me from publishers which I plan to add to the pile.

Of course, I’m hoping we are not done – please remember there are kids out there whose lives will change because of the books they read in their classroom or school library – and with the Literacy Initiative, we are helping to provide those books. If you participated in #50PreciousWords and haven’t ordered a book yet but are able to now, here is the bookstore online website: https://www.shopbookerymht.com/
And here is their phone number if you prefer to order with a person: (603) 836-6600
Maybe someone will order JUST FLOWERS! Or CHRISTMAS AHOY! Or DEAR EARTH: FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN ROOM 5 or some of Erin Dealey’s other fabulous books!

And here is a link to the latest PW issue that features a Q&A celebrating Women’s History Month – I think you’ll recognize at least one of the authors! I’m honored to join such an A-list group.

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends. And remember the message of JUST FLOWERS! Please share beauty and kindness. The Universe needs to be fed positive energy – and that energy comes from us.

Cover Reveal: PERFECT MATCH

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Hurray for new books in the pipeline!!! And what a joy to be able to give a cover reveal shout-out to a book written by a long-time kid-lit friend, Lori Dubbin. Lori and I met at a conference back in 2015 – and I couldn’t be happier that I get a chance to help her celebrate.

Now, here’s a cover that’s filled with action – illustrator Amanda Quartey did such an amazing job that I’m ducking my head in case the ball comes my way! And her color palette is so vibrant…I love it!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
When Althea Gibson first dreamed of joining the big American tennis leagues, she was denied because she was Black. Angela Buxton dreamed of joining the best tennis clubs in Britain, but she was rejected because she was Jewish. When Angela heard that Althea was coming to Britain to compete, she skipped school to see the match. If Althea didn’t let hatred stop her from playing the game she loved, Angela wouldn’t either. At the French Championships in 1956, Angela told Althea about her dream of winning Wimbledon with a doubles partner. To win as a team, they would have to stick to their strengths together. And they did.

We are fortunate that Lori stopped by to chat – I asked her how the story came to be:

LORI: Writing a picture book may appear to take only 500-900-ish words, but it takes thousands of words of revision along with patience, sweat, and tears to get a picture book to publication. I started writing Perfect Match in 2015 (it had a different title then) after I opened an old nonfiction book, Great Jews in Sports by Robert Slater, which had been a Bar Mitzvah gift to my oldest son. I landed on a page about a British tennis player, Angela Buxton. There was a picture of Angela in her tennis outfit and the text mentioned her doubles partner had been Althea Gibson. Right away, I wanted to know more about this duo. Sadly, I learned Althea and Angela were treated as outsiders by the elite tennis world of the 1950s because of their race and religion.
But these two women just wanted to play the game they loved. They became close friends and doubles partners, and together they defied the prejudices of the time with dedication, teamwork, and perseverance.

I so admired their perseverance and hard work, and learned – on a much different level – how I needed to persevere in communicating their story. The process of writing this manuscript took sixty-something revisions, five title changes, and eight more years to get to publication.

We all know the path is hard. There are rewarding days and days when that positive energy turns in the opposite direction. Staying connected to other writers and illustrators through 12×12 webinars, writers’ blogs, and my critique group helped me keep moving forward. I realize now I was improving as a writer and learning my craft, which allowed me not to worry about how many years were whooshing by me. Keep learning and keep at it – one day an agent or an editor will love the manuscript that is such a part of your heart.

I love the way the illustrator, Amanda Quartey, captured Althea and Angela’s highs and lows, their action on the tennis court, and their friendship on the page.

Althea and Angela’s story is relevant to what’s happening in the world today, and it feels like the right time for it to enter the world.

WOW! Thank you so much, Lori! Those are important insights…thank you so much for sharing them.

And dear readers, I’m going to share how we can help upcoming books like PERFECT MATCH become a perfect success:
We can buy it
We can review it
We can put it on our Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf
We can tell friends about it (share on social media, please)
We can ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection

I’ve already put it on my Goodreads Want To Read Shelf…and I’m sharing this post on my social media and will request my local library buy it.
How can you help?

I hope you all have a fabulous week! This past weekend was my birthday (77) and I’m so excited that the my Facebook Birthday Fundraiser for the Stuart Kirkfield Scholarship at Highlights is 79% funded! Woo-hoo! If you’d like to join in, please check it out – there are 3 more days and any amount of support is appreciated: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1108264050308830/1113485846453317