Subscriber exclusive: Enter to win TWO just-released picture books
September = So. Many. New. Books.
MASALA CHAI, FAST AND SLOW by Rajani LaRocca, illus. Neha Rawat (picture book): "This is a delightful tale of intergenerational love, the importance of patience, and the joy of a simple afternoon family ritual." -- Booklist
RAINBOW DAYS: The Gold Bowl by Valerie Bolling, illus. Kai Robinson (early reader): "A colorful, lovely addition to every early reader collection." --School Library Journal
QUEEN OF LEAVES: The Story of Botanist Ynes Mexia by Stephen Briseño, illus. Isabel Muñoz (picture book): "A handsome tribute to a notable Mexican American botanist." -- Booklist
BUILDING A DREAM: HOW THE BOYS OF KOH PANYEE BECAME CHAMPIONS by Darshana Khiani, illus. Dow Phumiruk (picture book): An unforgettable tale of persistence and problem-solving, based on the amazing true story of a Thai soccer team who made their own place to play.
ALPHABOT by Vicky Fang (picture book): Even the youngest robotocists will love flipping the flaps to create their own robot--while exploring a simple A to Z roundup of robotics terms.
A LETTER FOR BOB by Kim Rogers, illus. Jonathan Nelson (picture book): "An engaging, emotionally resonant picture book." -- Booklist (starred review)
THE INFINITY RAINBOW CLUB: Nick and the Brick Builder Challenge by Jen Malia, illus. Peter Francis (chapter book): A story about the universal struggle of learning to work together on a team, told from the perspective of an autistic child.
Soaring 20's Newsletter Subscriber GIVEAWAY!
Enter this month’s book giveaway, and win two newly released picture books.
THE BOO CREW NEEDS YOU!
By Vicky Fang
Get ready for a spooky interactive story experience with Luna, Bones, and Fang―a ghost, skeleton, and vampire team who need YOUR help fixing all the messes and frights of a Halloween night gone wrong!
Subscribe to Vicky’s newsletter for book news, activities, and giveaways! _______
TOGETHER WE SWIM
By Valerie Bolling
Jumping into the water can be more than a little scary! But with Mom’s steady arms, there’s no fear of sinking. With a kick, a splash, and his family’s cheers of encouragement, one determined boy finds his groove, making waves in this fun-filled day at the pool.
Request Valerie’s books (TOGETHER WE RIDE; RIDE, ROLL, RUN; TOGETHER WE SWIM; BING, BOP, BAM; and RAINBOW DAYS) at your library, and review them.
Click here to enter the giveaway for both books!
Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,
where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.
This month’s question:
Question: What’s the toughest feedback or rejection you ever received, and how did you get over it? (Please don’t name names!)
Isabella Kung
“Right after graduation, I signed up for a portfolio review with a well-known literary agent. This person was probably exhausted after a full day conference; they didn’t seem to have much to say throughout our 15-minute session. So the eager, younger-me asked as many questions as I could think of, one of which was ‘Do you think my style is marketable?’ The agent replied ‘no’ without clear explanation of why. That response crushed me, sending me into a deep spiral of self-doubt. It took me some time to realize that it is just one person’s taste/opinion. The more I’ve immersed myself in the world of children’s books (by reading tons of current books and attending conferences), the more I realize there are countless ways and styles of expression, so it’s useless to dwell on one person’s opinion or what is hot on the market. Just keep growing and creating from your heart!”
– Isabella Kung, author-illustrator of NO SNOWBALL! (Orchard Books, 2022)
Read more from our authors and illustrators here.
Cover Reveals
Mark your calendars...
Note: All events are in person unless otherwise indicated.
California
Oct 1 @ 11 a.m. Pacific: Launch party at Linden Tree Books, Los Altos, with Darshana Khiani and Margaret Chiu Greanias. Learn more here.
Oct 7 @ 11:15 a.m. Pacific: Joy Culture Foundation Bi-lingual Story Time (Mandarin) & Activity with Vicky Fang.
Oct 8 @ 11 a.m. Pacific: Join Vicky Fang for Robot Storytime at Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA.
Oct. 8 @ 10:00 a.m. Pacific: Napa Bookmine Story Time & Activity with Vicky Fang.
Oct 19 @ 10:00 a.m. Pacific: Books, Inc. in Campbell Story Time! with Vicky Fang.
Oct 22 @ 11:00 a.m. Pacific: Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA, Story Time & Activity with Vicky Fang.
Oct 28 @ 12:00 p.m. Pacific: Fairyland in Oakland Halloween Jam! Story Time with Vicky Fang.
Oct 29 @ 10:00 a.m. Pacific: The Reading Bug in San Carlos Costume Party Story Time! with Vicky Fang.
Colorado
Oct 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mountain: Meet Julie Rowan-Zoch at the Denver Children’s Festival of Stories, hosted by Second Star to the Right Bookstore. More details here.
New Jersey
Oct 1 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern: Join Valerie Bolling at the Maplewood South Orange Book Festival.
Oct 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern: Valerie Bolling for the Princeton Children's Book Festival.
New York
Sep 30 to a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern: Join Valerie Bolling at the Chappaqua Children's Book Festival.
Oct 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern: Join Carrie Finison, Abi Cushman, and M. O. Yuksel for the Warwick Children's Book Festival in Warwick, NY.
Nov 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Join Valerie Bolling at the Rochester Children's Book Festival.
Texas
Oct 2-3 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Central.: Join Stephen and Kayla Briseño for STAR Reading, Writing, and Grammar in Houston, Thanks!. Sign up here.
Virtual
Oct 5 to Dec 7 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern: Writing Children's Books with Jen Malia at The Muse Writers Center. $250 for 6 weeks. Learn more and sign up here.
Oct 18 @ 3 p.m. Pacific: Join Patricia Newman, along withauthor of SUPERPOD Nora Nickum and artist Esteban Camacho Steffensen, for this National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar. Discover new ways to visualize concepts like climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, habitat loss, food web disruption, and underwater noise using an interdisciplinary approach that includes science, art, writing, and speaking. Register here.
Oct 18 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern: Join Jen Malia for Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) Writing for Children and Young Adults (WCYA) Virtual Book Birthday Party for Nick and the Brick Builder Challenge. Details here.
Nov 16 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Central: Join Kirsten W. Larson for "Show Don’t Tell: Crafting Snappy Scenes (and Sentences) in Nonfiction" @ The Writing Barn. As writers, we often get the advice to “show don’t tell” in our writing. But what does this really mean on the page? This webinar will show you how to inject tension and emotion into your nonfiction writing by crafting scenes and sensory-rich sentences. $25, recordings available. Register here.