READING WEDNESDAY

May is #AAPIHeritageMonth (Asian American Pacific Islander). Thanks to #WeNeedDiverseBooks and other initiatives, there are more and more books portraying kids from all backgrounds. Find more AAPI picture books here.

TWO BICYCLES IN BEIJING by Teresa Robeson and Junyi Wu

A DIFFERENT POND by Bao Phi and Thi Bui

MY FIRST DAY by Phúng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên

READING WEDNESDAYS

My latest book is finally out LITE: THE HIGH TREASON INCIDENT, witten by A. G. Roberts and illustrated by Alicia Schwab. This middle-grade fantasy is available, May 10th, 2022.

I’M GIVING AWAY ONE FREE SIGNED-COPY. To enter, all you have to do is sign up for my monthly newsletter.

PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, & ITASCA BOOKS.

Check out my book trailer!

Merion is a young mouse who has worked hard to overcome her physical disability and earn her place as a messenger for the Royal Message Service of her country, Lyleechee. When she stumbles upon a plan of high treason, however, her life is upended. In this crisis the intelligence agency LITE is reestablished by Xander Shadow and Merion is recruited to the newly formed LITE Academy as an agent in training. Before she finishes, she will be called upon to use her cunning, courage, and daring to help foil the plot to take over Lyleechee.

READING WEDNESDA

April is Autism Awareness Month

THE SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR KIDS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (AND THEIR PARENTS), by Elizabeth Verdick and Elizabeth Reeve, M.D.

More children’s books about AUTISM!

And even more books…

Books about mighty Autistic girls…

Well, what is Autism? Good question. “It is estimated that one in 68 children are now diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum disorder. And yet, this diagnosis remains as misunderstood as ever.” Autism is called a “spectrum disorder” because it “actually covers a wide scope of complex disorders in brain development.” No two people with autism spectrum disorder are alike. Think of it like an “original recipe” containing similar ingredients, each with different measurements and some ommissions. People with Autism may require different amounts of support, Level 1 up through Level 3 for their daily activities.

Kids with complex spectrum disorders are referred to as “neurodivergent” because their brains are different. Many famous folks have this difference. Being different can be a superpower if you figure out how to harness it.

DIFFERENT: A GREAT THING TO BE! by Heather Avis and Sarah Mensinga

There is a lot of resources and information about Autism. Here are a few:

https://iacc.hhs.gov/meetings/autism-awareness-month/2022/
https://www.pacer.org
https://ausm.org
https://islandsofbrilliance.org

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Laugh and Learn books (for all kids)

Most kids learn the social rules by playing and interacting with peers and adults. A lot of this is through “non-verbal” language. But if you can’t read the room, learning what to do and not to do out may not be straightforward.

Some people on the spectrum are unable to talk. While others can talk but may struggle with the certain aspects of holding a conversation.

HOW ARE YOU PEELING?: FOOD WITH MOODS, by Saxton Freeman and Joost Elffers. This book of photos delights in the unusual shapes our food comes in that remind us of people.

Humans are also wired to see faces and understand the emotion from that face by the expression. But for many kids on the spectrum it is harder to process “non-verbal” communication, such as:

  • Facial expressions

  • Body movement and posture. ...

  • Gestures. ...

  • Eye contact. ...

  • Touch. ...

  • Space. ...

  • Voice. ...

  • Pay attention to inconsistencies.

Humans don’t only communicate with speech, a lot of information is conveyed through the non-verbal cues listed above. Imagine two people having a conversation, in addition to the verbal language being shared the non-verbal (NV) cues travel back and forth on conveyor belts between them. However, for one individual the conveyor belt is moving faster than they can process the non-verbal (NV) information. The non-verbal communication falls off the belt into the abyss. This individual loses a large part of the conversation’s meaning.

DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS, by Marvin Terban

And finally, did you know idioms appear in every language? However, some people on the spectrum may be quite literal, making learning idioms a challenge. For someone who is very literal this can open a can of worms because the whole group of words taken together can often have little to do with the words taken one by one.

Another fun look at the minefield of the English language is the fiction series of Amelia Bedelia books.


This concludes this brief overview about Autism and SEL. You can find more information, products, and books here.

Thumbnail template for 40 page self-ended and 32 page picture books

Recently, my cp’s (critique partners) and I were discussing picture book story boards. There are two main types and it is confusing at first but hopefully this will make it more clear. The math for the number of pages is always divisible by four. One sheet of paper has two sides. Folding it in half creates four pages.

Both examples are of a tall picture book, but some picture books are square shaped while others are wide format.

For the 40 page self-ended storyboard, page one starts on the endpaper that is pasted down onto the board of the cover. This is how the inside pages attaches to the cover. In this version the story begins on pages 6-7 and has 16 spreads.

For the 32 page storyboard, page one starts on the title page. In this version the story begins on pages 4-5 and has 14 1/2 spreads.

IT FELL FROM THE SKY by the award-winning Fan Brothers is a whopping 52-page self ended picture book.

READING WEDNESDAYS with Yuko Shimizu

A big thanks to Nebraska-SCBWI for hosting a webinar featuring Yuko Shimizu. I’m a big fan of Yuko’s work, and with her permission and the blessing of the Nebraska chapter I’m going to share some quotes from her presentation. I’m devastated about the new war in Ukraine and the continuing bloodshed in Syria. I’m grateful for people like Alaa (the character in the book below) for making the world a better place.

Yuko Shimizu is a multi-award-winning Japanese illustrator based in New York City. Yuko is also an instructor at the School of Visual Arts. You can read more here. 

Yuko won the Caldecott Honor for her picturebook THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO, co-authored by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha. 

“I’m so very, very, very grateful…[for] getting the [Caldecott Honor] award [for THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO]…because that will only benefit future generations.”—Yuko Shimizu

Yuko Shimizu spoke a lot about representation when creating illustrations.

“The question [that] comes up [a lot is], am I the right person…for the project?... I don’t want myself to be creating only Japanese art, and I don’t want only Japanese people to create art about my country…Representation is becoming more and more important, but where do you draw the line?...I don’t have the right answer for it right now. How I feel is how much effort you put in to learn[ing] about the culture…country…religion…people [of] that religion that you will be illustrating. And that comes from respecting and admiration. And we as artists try to learn as much as we can to pay respect, and then I think it’s okay.”—Yuko Shimizu 

Front an back cover

Yuko told us she has never been to Syria. And because of the war and the pandemic, she was not able to travel to Syria to research the book. She relied on research and sensitivity readers to make her artwork as accurate as possible about the Syrian people and their culture. She also has never had a cat as a pet, but through her thoughtful research and keen observation she made a beautiful book.

“Where does the representation start and end and where does segregation start? I don’t have the answers, but I think about [it]. At the end of the day, what we want is the good stories be told as accurately with respect as possible. I keep that in mind…and I want everyone to think of that moving forward with whatever book you’re creating. And don’t be shy or intimidated [about] creating the world that is not yours, because the world is bigger and…we should be able to do that as artists…”—Yuko Shimizu

ChildrensIllustrators.com

I’m having a good month at ChildrensIllustrators.com! Their February newsletter theme is “bear”, and they highlighted my picture book, THE MUKLUK BALL written by Katharine Johnson, illus. by AliciaSchwab. Published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

Also, my art for an upcoming SCBWI IA/MN conference featured this week (Feb. 6—12, 2022) on the ChildrensIllustrators.com homepage!

Reading Wednesdays

February is Black History Month. The theme this year is “Black Health and Wellness”. What are you reading? This beautifully written and illustrated book is very inspiring. I support #FReadom (pushing back against book banning).

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles and illustrated by Bryan Collier. “In a beautiful ode to generations of Black sacrifice, happiness, and love, a family tells the story that brought a young boy into being and emphasizes his inherent worth.”

American Library Association Notable Children’s Book of 2021 https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb

All Because You Matter, by Tami Charles and Bryan Collier

To the Edge of Our Galaxy

I was inspired by the James Webb telescope launch to make this art. The telescope was designed to unfold like origami and travel to the outer edge of our galaxy. It is hard to imagine how far away that is. But I wonder what is out there.

https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/Gallery/JWST.html

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/16/1036600340/nasa-is-launching-a-new-telescope-that-could-offer-some-cosmic-eye-candy

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/the-long-awaited-james-webb-space-telescope-has-a-big-to-do-list

Reading Wednesdays with Charlotte Sullivan Wild

Valentine’s Day here we come! Here’s a book that been featured on We Need Diverse Books. Love, Violet Charlotte Sullivan Wild, illustrated by Charlene Chua, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and is available for purchase here. This heart-warming tale is full of hope, by two lovely book creators. I support #FReadom (pushing back against book banning).

ONLY ONE PERSON MAKES VIOLET'S HEART SKIP! Of all the kids in Violet’s class, only one leaves Violet speechless: Mira, the girl with the cheery laugh, who races like the wind. If only they could adventure together! But every time Mira comes near, Violet goes shy. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Violet is determined to show Mira just how special she is!

Charlene Chua’s luminous watercolors bring to life this tender #LGBTQ+ picture book about friendship, love, and the courage it takes to share your heart–even when it’s pounding!

Charlotte Sullivan Wild was first struck speechless by a crush in preschool. In grade school she may have crafted a special Valentine and been too shy to sign it. But she’s not shy about love anymore! She has loved teaching, selling books, creating kidlit events, and talking about books on the radio. Her first picture book is The Amazing Idea of You, illustrated by Mary Lundquist. Originally from snowy Minnesota, she now lives wherever her wife is stationed, recently Texas and now Italy, to see what they might find—together! She is represented by Minju Chang at BookStop Literary Agency. Learn more: www.charlotteswild.com

Reading Wednesdays with author, Matt Lilley

Are you hungry? There’s a ton of good eating if you know where to look. My friend, Matt Lilley has a yummy, new book coming out from Tilbury House in January 2022, Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill and is illustrated by Dan Tavis. Perhaps krill are not the kind of food you and I eat but they are on the menu for many ocean creatures from humongous blue whales to not-so-big penguins. I recently received the ARC and the Reader Guide (link below) for this thought-provoking book. It is a belly-full of animal facts about their eventful lives and has been nominated as a “Junior Library Guild Selection”.

“Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill follows the life of an Antarctic krill, starting with an egg sinking in the deep sea. The 2nd-person narrative follows the krill as it metamorphoses from a “six-armed oval” into a 26-legged glutton, and as it rises from the ocean’s deep midnight zone to the surface, encountering all sorts of hungry sea creatures as it grows. 

Antarctic krill can catch and eat one-celled phytoplankton, and krill in turn are eaten by the largest animals ever to live on earth—blue whales—as well as by seals, penguins, and a host of others. Antarctic krill are the keystone species of the Southern Ocean.

This book will lead to discussions about

·      The ocean food web
·      Life stages and metamorphosis
·      Narrative point of view”

Matt Lilley is the author of numerous nonfiction and educational titles. Find more of his books here: https://www.mattlilley.ink/books

Reader Guide

ORDER THIS BOOK

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780884488675

https://www.redballoonbookshop.com/book/9780884488675

Reading Wednesdays

Merry Christmas and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I love learning about different cultures. There are many holidays at this time of year.

I support #FReadom (pushing back against book banning).

Our Favorite Day of the Year, by A. E. Ali and Rahele Jomepour Bell. “In this charming story of friendship and celebrating differences, young readers can discover how entering a new friendship with an open mind and sharing parts of yourself brings people together. And the calendar of holidays at the end of the book will delight children as they identify special events they can celebrate with friends throughout the year.”

Every year, my mom sends me a Jan Brett book for Christmas. We love her books. And Jan loves Christmas!

Here are some of Jan Brett’s author-illustrator books:

Home for Christmas
Gingerbread Friends
The Animal’s Santa
The Nutcracker
Gingerbread Christmas

Happy Hanukkah, Little Dreidel (Finger Puppet Board Book) by Brick Puffinton, Cottage Door Press and Juliana Motzko. “Mazel tov! It’s time to spin the dreidel! Hebrew school is in session for little dreidels everywhere, and they’re hard at work learning all the game rules and practicing their biggest and best spin moves.”

My Family Celebrates Kwanzaa by Lisa Bullard and Constanza Basaluzzo. “Kwanzaa traces its origins to the American Civil Rights era. Critical thinking questions and fast facts prompt young readers to engage with this fun narrative and learn all about Kwanzaa.”

Jaheem’s First Kwanza, by Zephaniah Martin and Bilal Karaca. “Jaheem learns the importance of honoring his cultural roots. He is introduced to Kwanzaa as a family tradition. African American families gather together to celebrate their culture and heritage.” Martin is just ten years old. His book was featured on the local news segment about the Midtown Global Market holiday event in December 2021. https://midtownglobalmarket.org/new-events/2021/12/26/first-day-of-kwanzaa-live-music-by-elliot-crafts-and-black-entrepreneurial-vendors

Under the Bodhi Tree: Story of Buddha, by Deborah Hopkinson and Kailey Whitman. “Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni) is said to have experienced enlightenment.”