I WANT MY BOOK BACK! A Picture Book Review and Giveaway

 Do you remember back in August when I posted a cover reveal for Viviane Elbee's second picture book, I WANT MY BOOK BACK? It releases on March 1 and here's your opportunity to win a copy of this fun, book-friendly and make-any-librarian-happy picture book. 

REVIEW

Darryl's passion is introduced immediately in the opening of this book.

 His problem is also introduced: his book was NOT for sharing.

Over and over again his mother renews his favorite book until one day, Darryl realizes that he can't put it on hold any more. When his mother tells him it's time to share it with others, Darryl responds with:

No amount of cajoling from his mother helps. Darryl is angry and inconsolable. 

And no amount of dinosaur tricks help him get his book back.

The next day when he returns to the library, he is shocked to discover that the librarian is holding HIS BOOK! Darryl is ready to let out another enormous roar when the fast-thinking librarian asks him to share the book with his friends. Darryl not only does that, but he--

--demonstrates what dinosaurs do!

So, what happens next? 

Everyone joins in!

The smart librarian offers him a different book and Darryl finds out that there is more than one book in the library he can love. The librarian earns her stripes and young readers learn that every book is meant to be enjoyed, shared, and celebrated.

GIVEAWAY

For a chance to win, leave a comment with your email address, or send me an email if you prefer. If you share this on social media, you will get one extra chance; if you follow my blog you will get another chance. Tell me what you have done and I will enter your name accordingly. U.S. addresses only. Giveaway ends March 3 at 9AM.

If you live in or around Charlotte, Vivianne will be reading and signing books at Park Road Books on March 12. 

 

You Heard It Here First: Viviane Elbee's SECOND Picture Book, a Cover Reveal, and a Giveaway!

 I always consider it an honor when a friend asks me to host their cover reveal. In Viviane Elbee's case, this is a double pleasure because "back in the day" we were members of the same SCBWI-Carolinas critique group in Charlotte AND I got to post the cover of her first picture book, Teach Your Giraffe to Ski (which by the way had over 500 views!).

Her second book is I Want My Book Back! and is illustrated by Nicole Miles. It'll be coming out in March, 2022 by Little Bee Publishers. Today you'll get a sneak peek into this clever book, Viviane's path to publication, and some of Nicole's thoughts.  

BOOK BLURB

Daryl loves to play with his favorite library book about dinosaurs. His imagination takes him to prehistoric places, and he pretends to be a triceratops, microraptor, and even a T. rex! But Daryl does not want to share his book, so when he has to return it to the library, Daryl goes wild. Using all of his roaring and stomping dinosaur skills, Daryl tries his best to get his book back. But when a clever librarian notices Daryl's passion, she encourages him to share his favorite book and make some new friends along the way. This playful, silly, funny, tale about reading, books, and sharing is sure to be a hit with any child.

BOOK JOURNEY

One day, back in 2016, I was reading reviews about another library picture book, and one of the reviewers mentioned that she would like to see a picture book about the magic of libraries that did not have any magical or fantasy elements in it - because, as she pointed out, libraries are already wondrous places. Her comment got me brainstorming about library-themed book ideas that would show just how incredibly special libraries are, while remaining mostly realistic. On my brainstorming list about why libraries are special, I wrote "sharing books you love with others." 

Gradually, a story idea grew. I sent the pitch to my agent Natascha Morris, who said this was a winning idea and I should work on it. I revised the manuscript over and over. 

My critique group was very helpful with revisions. An earlier draft of the story was “quieter" and they helped me make it more active. I’m so grateful for my critique partners!

I took it to an SCBWI conference (pre-pandemic) and Tammi Sauer gave encouraging & useful feedback on how to improve it. Finally, Natascha felt it was ready to submit to publishing houses. Little Bee Books came back with a revise & resubmit, so I revised the manuscript some more and we sent it back to them. I was delighted when Little Bee Books made an offer!

I was really excited to see the illustrations and the cover. When I first saw black and white sketches of the book, I was impressed, and with color, it’s even better! I was also elated to discover that the book will have an undie--the illustrations under the jacket are different from the cover. I love it! Nicole is very talented and she did a great job. 

Although I didn’t talk to Nicole directly about the illustrations, LittleBee sent me black and white sketches and I was able to provide feedback. I could also see all the comments Little Bee had - their comments were very thorough and thoughtful. A book is truly a team effort! 

*******   

Thanks, Viviane. I enjoy hearing every author's path to publication. 

And now, a word from Nicole:

THE ILLUSTRATOR NOTES

I loved that this story was a great opportunity for dino-themed fun and lively action. The illustrations flowed pretty easily after reading the manuscript. I quickly fell in love with Daryl and his mum while working on it! I tried to bring the energy and liveliness to the illustrations that attracted me to the story; I hope readers feel that energy when they read I Want My Book Back. 

Covers are such a tricky thing because they are the visual calling card for the book and when so much happens in a story, it can be hard to decide which emotional note or action-packed moment to put forward. I like to provide as many options as possible to the art director so I submitted seven possibilities at the sketch phase and ended up working up two color roughs. Options ranged from the loud to quiet; and from literal to abstract. In the end, the team liked the energy and expression in the sketch that ended up being the final cover. Since they preferred the colors of the second rough color sketch, I inserted the color palette of the second rough into the first option. I think it works really well to capture the sweet character's quest for dinosaurs! 

*******

I hope you will connect with both Viviane and Nicole here: 

Twitter- @VivianeElbee and @NicoleMillu  

Instagram- @VivianeElbee and @NicoleMillo

COVER REVEAL!

GIVEAWAY 

Please leave me a comment with your email address (if you are new to my blog) if you would like to win a copy of I Want My Book Back when it is available February, 2022. If you want an extra chance, share this post on social media. Let me know what you do and your name will be entered twice. The deadline to enter the giveaway is August 13 at 6 PM. I'll also be reviewing the book closer to the book's publication so you'll have another chance to win the book then. 

Teach Your Giraffe To Ski- A Review and Giveaway

Seriously, if you had a giraffe, wouldn't you want to teach her to ski?

That's the story that author, Viviane Elbee, brought to life in her lively, imaginative debut picture book, TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI (Albert Whitman and Co, 2018). 

Why didn't I think of a clever idea like that? Maybe because unlike Viviane, I never was brave enough to bring my young children to a ski slope and my days of skiing ended in a close encounter with a tree many years ago...

But, back to Viviane's fun story of a young boy who learns to overcome his fears while, of course, teaching his giraffe to ski. Here is a glimpse of her text and the kid-friendly illustrations by Danni Gowdy. 

First things first:

Next, you remind your giraffe that she's got to start small.

Then you teach her important moves like doing a pizza, making french fries and S's, and the importance of good manners on the slopes.

Even if she gets tangled up, you stick with her.

But what do you do when your giraffe races away and you have to keep her safe? What if she heads towards the SCARY ski lift on the VERY BIG slope? 

You'll just have to buy the book and find out for yourself!

GIVEAWAY

Last spring I had the privilege of hosting Vivian on my blog with her cover reveal. I started a (long!) list of people who wanted to receive the ARC. Albert Whitman is also offering a hard copy of the book when it releases in November. So go ahead, leave me your name (and email address if you are new to my blog) and I'll pick two winners on Thursday, September 27!

You Heard it Here First: Viviane Elbee's Cover Reveal!

Today I'm delighted to introduce you to Viviane Elbee and her debut picture book, TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI (Albert Whitman, November 2018). I met Viviane in 2010 when she attended the Charlotte, NC critique group which I led. She came to our group brimming with ideas but without the writing or publishing experience to bring her manuscripts to life. I remember suggesting that she join SCBWI and attend the Carolinas conference. She recently told me she was glad I convinced her to take those steps! 

Although I don't have a picture of Viviane and I (my cell phone didn't take pictures then!), here's where we first met:

And here is Viviane with her sparkling smile now:

Path To Publication

Without further ado, let's hear from Viviane.

CAROL: How did you get to this point in your writing career?

VIVIANE: I've wanted to be a writer since I was 8, but I couldn't seem to finish any of the novels I started. After the birth of my first child I fell in love with picture books and board books. About 8 years ago, I wrote a few stories and joined an in-person SCBWI critique group. My supportive and encouraging critique partners urged me to turn one of those stories into a picture book. A year later, I joined SCBWI and went to my first SCBWI conference, which was inspiring and informative. 

Three years after I joined the Charlotte critique group, one of my very prolific critique partners (Dorothy H. Price) got a publishing offer. I was very excited for her, and her success taught me an important lesson. Prolific authors are more likely to get publishing offers. I had spent three years perfecting one manuscript but I had nothing else in the pipeline. To push myself to be more prolific, I joined Julie Hedlund's 12x12 community. With the help of 12x12, I was able to write 12 new drafts that year. 

After many years of writing, reading and learning, I got my first acceptance from Highlights High Five magazine and was awarded a diversity scholarship from 12x12.

CAROL: What was your inspiration behind TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI?

VIVIANE: I share that journey in this blog post.

CAROL: How did you meet your editor, Annie Nybo?

VIVIANE: I signed up for a critique at the SCBWI-Carolinas 2016 conference, and was very lucky to get Ms. Annie Nybo as a critiquer. I was convinced she would have tons of fabulous advice on how to improve my manuscript. To my surprise, when I walked in, she exclaimed that she had been looking forward to meeting me. She was very enthusiastic about TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI and asked me if I could change the ending and submit the story to her. Then she asked me if I had any questions, but I was in such a state of shock I'm not sure any questions came to mind. 

After the conference was over, I changed the ending and submitted my manuscript to her. I didn't hear anything for months. When I finally decided to nudge, I discovered Annie had left her publishing house. 

A few months later, one of my critique partners texted me. Annie Nybo had joined Albert Whitman and Company. I decided to send her a nudge email, though it had been nine months since the initial submission and I wasn't even sure she would still remember my story. I included the full manuscript with my nudge email, just in case. 

Twenty-four hours later, Annie sent me a publishing offer. My manuscript was the first one she showed the editorial staff at Albert Whitman!

CAROL: What a great story, Viviane. How did you get your agent?

VIVIANE: I signed with Natascha Morris at Bookends Literary Agency after getting the offer of publication from Albert Whitman. I sent "Offer of Publication" queries to five agents including Natascha. She was already familiar with the story because she had seen it while working at Simon and Schuster. 

Cover Reveal

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for, here is Viviane's cover marvelously executed by Danni Gowdy!

GIVEAWAY

Leave me a comment and your email address (if you are new to my blog) and I'll put your name in the hat to receive the ARC of this humorous picture book. I'll be reviewing it later this year and I'll give it away then. 

Remember! One way we support our favorite authors is by pre-ordering their books. If you pre-order now, you don't have to pay for shipping! Here's the link to Barnes and Noble.