Tag Archives: STEM

Perfect Picture Book Friday: LADYBUG LAUNCH: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space PLUS Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. Our feature today is from author Meilissa Trempe – you may remember that she was one of last year’s #50PreciousWords top winners. And it’s the type of picture book I really enjoy – based on true events. Get ready for a fun post – Melissa shares some great writerly advice – and she is offering a fabulous giveaway – winner’s choice of a Picture Book Manuscript Critique or a copy of the book. Please make sure you leave a comment for a chance – and share the post wherever you can.

LADYBUG LAUNCH: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space

Written by Melissa Trempe and Dr. Natalia Ojeda

Illustrated by Manuela Montoya

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon and Schuster)

Ages: 4-8

Themes: STEM, perseverance, science, space, girl-power, ladybugs

Synopsis from Amazon:
Based on a true story, this out-of-this-world picture book follows the exciting scientific journey of a chica and a chinita with sky-high aspirations—perfect for fans of Mae Among the Stars and What Miss Mitchell Saw.

Natalia is a chica, an ambitious girl with dreams of becoming a scientist. Luna is a chinita, an adventurous ladybug that dreams of visiting the stars. But neither dream is easy to reach. Ladybugs are meant to munch on garden pests. And no one from Natalia’s family has ever been to college. Still, both Natalia and Luna want más.

Then Natalia’s all-girl class designs an experiment. If astronauts want to live in outer space, they’ll need to grow food. Could chinitas go along to keep the pests away? The girls are eager to find out, and Luna is hungry to help. If their theory is correct, it’s a project worthy of NASA itself—and the stuff all dreams are made of.

This inspiring picture book is based on the real story of Chilean high school girls who convinced NASA to send ladybugs to space!

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love books based on true events that can inspire young people to follow their dreams!
2. Fabulous text that captures our interest with a fascinating STEM story!
3. Bold illustrations that pop off the page and rocket us through the book with exciting action!

Here’s a little bit about author Melissa Trempe and how you can connect with her:
Melissa Trempe is a picture book author of fiction and nonfiction in the Philadelphia area. As a former educator, she loves connecting with readers during school visits. Melissa provides a critique service for fellow authors and is represented by Amy Nielsen at The Purcell Agency. When she isn’t working, she loves reading with her kids, camping, skiing, playing with her dog, and eating just about any flavor of ice cream.

Learn more about her and connect by going to her website at www.melissatrempe.com.

Co-author Natalia Ojeda’s Bio:
Natalia Ojeda grew up in a simple home in the southernmost country of the world: Chile. Her family had few resources, yet her faith, determination, and experience in the ladybug project helped her to overcome the odds and achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. She is a doctor in the Palliative Care Unit of San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santiago, Chile. As a mother of four girls, she wants to share her story of strength and hope with children around the world.

Here’s a bit of writing advice from Melissa, based on her experience publishing Ladybug Launch.

Always be open to feedback, and don’t resist trying a different angle. Here’s why:

When I stumbled on the fact that ladybugs had traveled to space with NASA, I knew that was a picture book begging to be told. My first draft was a funny and inspirational story about a little ladybug who didn’t want to be ladylike. She wanted to be an engineer, build a spaceship, and rocket to the moon. I loved it! However, when I shared it with critique partners, I heard one piece of feedback over and over: Your back matter about the Chilean girls who convinced NASA to take ladybugs to space is fascinating! Why don’t you tell THAT story?

At first, I resisted. I’m a fiction writer. In fact, I’m a humorous fiction writer, and I don’t “do” nonfiction or even fiction based on true events. Yet finally, I relented. I tried a genre I had never written, and it became my debut picture book! While Ladybug Launch is not nonfiction, it’s closer to nonfiction than anything I had ever written. And now, I am writing nonfiction and loving it!

It’s been such an amazing experience collaborating with Natalia, my co-author. She is truly an inspiration, and I’m so happy to be working together to tell this story!

So, my advice to you is listen to the universe, stretch yourself to try things outside your comfort zone, and KEEP WRITING!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

No-bake Recipe for Ladybug Cookies

You and your kids will love making these adorable, no-bake ladybug cookies together!https://kidsactivityzone.com/ladybug-oreos

Feeling crafty? Here are 10 ladybug craft ideas!

10 Lovable Ladybug Crafts perfect for little Kids to make!
Photo courtesy: Artsy Craftsy Mom

How can we help books become a success, you ask? We can:

Buy them
Review them
Tell friends about them (Please share this post on your social media.)
Ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection.
Follow the creator:

Website: http://www.melissatrempe.com
X/Twitter: @melissa_trempe
Instagram: @melissatrempe.author
Facebook: @melissaluerytrempe

Melissa is also offering a giveaway of a copy of Ladybug Launch or a picture book critique. Please make sure you leave a comment – what did you dream of becoming when you were little?

Extra bonus! Order Ladybug Launch and attend Melissa’s revision webinar for FREE in May. Email her a snapshot of your receipt at melissatrempebooks@gmail.com.

Thank you so much, Melissa, for your insights, cookie recipe, craft ideas, giveaway…and for writing such a fabulous book!
And thank you, friends, for spending your precious time with us.
The #50PreciousWords prize distribution continues…if you are waiting to be contacted by me, please be patient – this is a long process – as of Thursday evening, we are up to Winner #18.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Cover Reveal: COSMIC COLLISIONS: ASTEROID VS. COMET

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Woo-hoo! Another fabulous book in the pipeline that I know kids are going to LOVE! COSMIC COLLISIONS: ASTEROID VS. COMET – Just the title will have them pulling it off the shelf…and it’s written by an honest-to-goodness astrophysicist! And it launches on April 2, 2024!

What a FABULOUS cover!!! Illustrator Matt Schu packed a lot of excitement right up front!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
What happens when two massive hunks of hurtling space debris slam into each other? Welcome to round one in the Cosmic Collisions series—an exciting children’s debut from an expert astrophysicist.

There’s a comet speeding in from the outer solar system, and it’s about to slam into an asteroid. Who will be left standing after this interplanetary smackdown? The pockmarked asteroid, a veteran fighter who’s already seen some action? Or the dazzling comet, with its incredible velocity and a tail that stretches millions of miles? Kicking off a dynamic series on cosmic collisions, Asteroid vs. Comet starts by comparing the two opponents, then offers hints and context to encourage readers to use real science to form a hypothesis. Action-packed full-color illustrations with a graphic, comic-book feel will attract reluctant readers and kids who love smash-and-crash, along with budding scientists. Curious readers can find back matter addressing the question of fact versus fiction, how to become a citizen scientist, and comets and asteroids in the news.

Luckily for us, Dr. Marc Kuchner, the author, stopped by to share a little bit about the story behind the story…the challenges in writing this book…some humorous moments…and more.

MARC: The challenging moment on the path to publication was, of course, COVID. I started showing ideas to people in 2019—calling these books the “Cosmic Battle” series.  News was already circulating of a dangerous virus in China, and my wife, an epidemiologist, was called to testify at a congressional hearing about it.  In March 2020, of course, all heck broke loose.  Nonetheless, Jermey Matthews at MIT Press managed to find time to read my manuscript, and in May of 2020, he encouraged me to submit a proposal for a book series. I sat on that offer for months! Like everyone else, I was struggling to juggle school closures and toilet-paper shortages. Then, unable to take our customary winter trip to see the grandparents, my family holed up for Christmas break in a rented off-season beach apartment, just for a change of scenery.  And while the winter winds swept down the shoreline and my kids baked cookies to occupy themselves, Lisa Amstutz helped me craft a proposal—which I finally submitted in January 2021.  

But there were humorous moments as well. Constructing a book for children means serious discussions about silly topics. Should “WUBBA WUBBA WUBBA SLURB” be all-caps?  My editor, Kristin Zelazko, patiently guided me through a labyrinth of similar dilemmas. But the moment in our editorial conversation that had me rolling on the floor is summed up in this email I sent her late at night after examining some proofs.

“I have refrained from commenting on the text.
I’m making no comments on the text whatsoever.
I want you to appreciate the restraint I’m showing.
Because, for example, the text does not mention a can of beans.
Nonetheless, there is an excellent line drawing of a CAN OF BEANS on spread 14.”
An earlier draft of Asteroid vs. Comet had in fact mentioned canned beans. They
are about as dense as an asteroid.

Dear friends, I love when we are able to see behind the scenes of the path to publication for a book. I know we are all grateful to Marc for sharing all of this with us.
Here’s a little bit about Marc:

Need a Dad joke? Or a long-winded speech on some esoteric topic in astrophysics? Dr. Marc Kuchner can hook you up. He’s the author of the Cosmic Collisions series (Candlewick/MIT Press, 2024) and several other forthcoming STEM books for children.

Marc was born in Montreal, Canada, and he earned his Ph.D. in astronomy in 2001 from Caltech. He’s scienced at Harvard, Princeton and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and written more than 100 scientific papers on topics such as exoplanets, white dwarfs, brown dwarfs, exotic binaries, debris disks, Kuiper belt objects, young stellar objects, gamma ray bursts, and supernovae. Kuchner won the Early Career Award from the SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, for his work on tools for exoplanet hunting. NASA recently selected Kuchner for an award for excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), for his work promoting Citizen Science.

Back in 2011, Marc began writing to help out his colleagues, authoring Marketing for Scientists: How to Shine in Tough Times. Astronomy Magazine called it “lively, engaging” and Neil deGrasse Tyson called it “the first of its kind”. Marc also writes music and lyrics. Many of his songs have been covered by aspiring pop and country artists and have appeared on VH1, MTV, BET, and PBS.

Dr. Kuchner now lives in Rhode Island with his two children, his wife, and a Venus flytrap named Popcorn.
To find out more about his books and to connect with him:
twitter.com/marckuchner
www.instagram.com/marckuchner/
www.linkedin.com/in/marckuchner/
www.marckuchner.com
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551814587784

And we hold the power to help make this wonderful book a success doing at least one of these things:
Buying the book
Reviewing the book
Place the book on your Goodreads WANT TO READ SHELF
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Cover Reveal: THOMAS JEFFERSON’S BATTLE FOR SCIENCE: Bias, Truth and a Mighty Moose

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Written by Beth Anderson – Illustrated by Jeremy Holmes – Published by Calkins Creek/Astra

Hurray!!!! A new book from one of my favorite authors and CPs, Beth Anderson!!!

Here’s a bit from the Amazon sales page:
Thomas Jefferson is one of the most famous founding fathers, but did you know that his mind was always on science? This STEM/STEAM picture book tells how Jefferson’s scientific thinking and method battled against faulty facts and bias to prove that his new nation was just as good as any in the Old World.

Young Thomas Jefferson loved to measure the natural world: plants and animals, mountains and streams, crops, and weather. With a notepad in his pocket, he constantly examined, experimented, and explored. He dreamed of making great discoveries like the well-known scientific author, Count Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon.

But when Buffon published an encyclopedia of the natural world, Jefferson was furious! According to the French count, America was cold and swampy, and filled with small and boring animals, nothing like the majestic creatures of the OId World. Jefferson knew Buffon had never even been to America. Where had Buffon gotten his information? Had he cherry-picked the facts to suit his arguments? Was he biased in favor of Europe?

How could Jefferson prove Buffon wrong? By using the scientific method, of course! This first picture book to emphasize Jefferson’s use of scientific methods is an accessible and entertaining approach to a lesser-known side of Jefferson.

And here’s a bit about why Beth wrote this story:

BETH: The possibilities of this story grabbed my attention in spring 2018. And with the times we were in – and are still in – I knew I wanted to go after the importance of truth and the dangers of bias, misinformation, and faulty facts. As I wrote and revised, the scientific inquiry process emerged, focusing on questioning and verifying. I was obsessed. And was thrilled when the manuscript went under contract in 2019. Then BOOM, Covid hit along with more misinformation and turmoil in the world of science, and the publishing timeline stretched longer. But it was totally worth the wait. I’m thrilled to share the cover with just one of the fantabulous, creative, and marvelously detailed images from illustrator Jeremy Holmes. This story with history, humor, and science will appear in bookstores – and at your doorstep if you pre-order – May 14, 2024!  

And here’s where you can grab a copy:
Available for PRE-ORDER at booksellers near you and  Bookshop.org • IndieBound • Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books a Million

And here’s a little bit about the talented and amazing Beth:
Beth Anderson, a former educator, has always marveled at the power of books. Driven by curiosity and a love for words, she writes untold tales, hoping to inspire kids to laugh, ponder, and question. She’s the award-winning author of CLOAKED IN COURAGE, FRANZ’S PHANTASMAGORICAL MACHINE, REVOLUTIONARY PRUDENCE WRIGHT, TAD LINCOLN’S RESTLESS WRIGGLE, “SMELLY” KELLY AND HIS SUPER SENSES, LIZZIE DEMANDS A SEAT!, and AN INCONVENIENT ALPHABET. Beth has more historical picture books on the way.

I am so excited for this book – I saw early drafts of it and loved it then – and now it’s going to be brought to life with AMAZING art by Jeremy Holmes! Please put this on your Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf