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Enter this month’s book giveaway, and win two new picture books!
Mabel’s Topsy-Turvy Homes by Candy Wellins, illustrated by Jess Rose
New routines, rules, and bedrooms: after her parents' divorce, Mabel's new living situation has her feeling topsy-turvy. As she learns to adjust to having two different houses, she struggles to understand her anxiety and frustration. But a weekend caring for the class pet helps Mabel realize that having more than one home isn't such a bad thing after all. Mabel and Izzy the Iguana make a colorful duo in this lighthearted picture book, helping kids adapt to their own new, topsy-turvy adventures.
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The Fire of Stars by Kirsten W. Larson, illustrated by Katherine Roy
With lyrical, evocative text by Kirsten W. Larson and extraordinary illustrations by award-winning illustrator Katherine Roy, this moving biography powerfully parallels the kindling of astronomer Cecilia Payne's own curiosity and her scientific career with the process of a star's birth, from mere possibility in an expanse of space to an eventual, breathtaking explosion of light.
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Click here to enter the giveaway for both books!
Welcome to the world, THE FIRE OF STARS! This luminous, lyrical picture book by Kirsten W. Larson and illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle Books) about the life of astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin has earned four starred reviews! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kirkus called it a "luminous thematic pairing," while School Library Journal said, "A stellar subject, breathtaking artwork, and unique layout set this biography for young readers apart from the rest.”
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Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,
where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life. This month’s question:
Do you have a successful author or illustrator whose career you admire and if so, whom—and why?
Isabella Kung
“I have too many to list so I’ll just pick three: LeUyen Pham, Suzy Lee, and Matt Forsythe. LeUyen Pham is a master author/illustrator with the speed, technique, and versatility one could only dream of! She doesn’t let style, medium, genre, or format limit her way of expression. It’s no wonder she continues to dominate this industry. Suzy Lee’s brilliantly simple, yet profound books took my breath away. The way she plays with her concepts and experiments with her illustrations is out of this world. Lastly, I’ve always been a fan of Matt Forsythe’s beautiful illustrations, and when he debuted his author-illustrated book, I was immediately charmed by his humor and characters.”
—Isabella Kung, author-illustrator of NO SNOWBALL! (Orchard Books, 2022)
Read more about authors and illustrators we admire here.
Cover Reveals
Mark your calendars...
Feb 28 - Deadline to join the 12x12 Challenge and get the webinar replay of NoNieqa Ramos's "Bold & Brave: Writing Picture Books on the Edge." Sign up here.
Mar 2 Mindy Yuksel will present SCBWI Rochester Area Children's Writers and Illustrator session, Hacks, Tips, & Tricks to Get Unstuck in Your Writing. Stay up to date at Mindy's site.
Mar. 9 @ 6 p.m. Eastern - Qing Zhuang RAINBOW SHOPPING book launch at You & Me. Learn more here.
Mar. 11 @ noon Pacific- FIRE OF STARS launch party at Barnes & Noble Palmdale (in person). Join Kirsten for a celebration of her latest book, THE FIRE OF STARS, including story times and book signing. Get details here.
Mar. 15 @ 10:30 a.m. Eastern: NO WORLD TOO BIG event featuring Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley at Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., Washington, DC. Find details here.
Mar. 15 @ 2:30 p.m. Pacific - Creating Constellations Program at the Quartz Hill Library (in person). Try your hand at creating your own light-up constellations using paper circuits. As a bonus, build your own constellation projector to recreate the night sky at home using your own flashlight or cell phone. Register here.
Mar 19 @ 1 p.m. Eastern - Join Qing Zhuang for storytime at Powerhouse Books, Industry City, Brooklyn. Learn more.
Mar. 21 @ 7 p.m. Eastern -MIRROR TO MIRROR Book Launch with Rajani LaRocca at Silver Unicorn Books. Learn more.
Mar. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern - Once Upon a Book Fest at the Ashland Public Library with Rajani LaRocca and a host of other authors. Get details here.
Apr 1 @11:30 a.m. Eastern - Storytime with Qing Zhuang at Word Bookstore, Jersey City. Learn more.
Apr. 15 @ 10 a.m. Eastern - Angela Kunkel has an in-person Author Visit with the New Haven (VT) Community Library.
Apr 25 @ 10 a.m. (in-person)- "Storytime with the Author" featuring Angela Kunkel at Wellesley Books.
April 26 @ 4 p.m. (in-person) Story Time with Angela Kunkel at Beacon Hill Books & Café.