Finalist in Early Childhood Book Challenge!

Swing, sing! The City's Backyard. Illustration by Marc Akins
Swing, sing! The City’s Backyard. Illustration by Marc Akins

The contest started with a question:

How might we inspire children and their caregivers to read together?

The William Penn Foundation, a Philadelphia family foundation devoted to education for low-income children, a sustainable environment, creative communities and civic life, partnered with innovation gurus OpenIDEO to enlist early childhood, literacy, and writing creators to write and illustrate stories set in an urban environment like Philadelphia for parents and caregivers to share with children and babies ages 0-3 to develop early language skills.

Philly, books, reading, babies, kids, education? Philanthropy and innovation? I was in! I was so inspired a wrote a story just for the challenge. I was so inspired I even made it rhyme!

Now I can finally announce that my manuscript, The City’s Backyard, was chosen as one of 10 finalists in the contest. I worked with illustrator Marc Akins (a fellow Philadelphian!) to revise and submit the story to the William Penn and OpenIDEO team. We didn’t win, but it was an honor to work with Marc and the Early Childhood Book Challenge team.

I’m proud of this story about a long, happy day in a city park like the Fairmount Park system, one of Philadelphia’s greatest treasures.

New Review Roundup, Featuring Mira, Em, and Ada Twist, Scientist

Mira Forecasts the Future has had a flurry of new reviews, especially from the UK, including a great review from BookTrust, which promotes literacy and reading among children and awards the Bailey Women’s Prize for fiction, and a three-book review featuring the wonderful Ada Twist, Scientist and The Way to Outer Space.

Here’s a roundup.

“This deceptively simple picture book not only gives youngsters a basic introduction to understanding how weather works, but also celebrates individual difference and talents – and shows how failure can be something positive if it is used as a learning experience.” – BookTrust (UK)

“…a heartwarming story. A lovely book to sit and read to your children and a great stepping stone into the world of science. ” – Chantelle Hazelden, Mama Mummy Mum

“One of our absolutely favourite reads from over the summer was Mira Forecasts the Future … Little Miss loved it so much I didn’t complain when she asked for it two or three times … a great structured story” – Amy Marie, Cocktails in Teacups

“Meet Ada Twist, Scientist, Mira, and Em”: Three new picture books featuring diverse science girls – Jill R. Bennett, Red Reading Hub, on Ada Twist, Scientist, and The Way to Outer Space

Science Girls, The Way to Outer Space, Ada Twist, Scientist, and Mira Forecasts the Future

Hooray for science girls, including The Way to Outer Space, Ada Twist, Scientist, and Mira Forecasts the Future

 

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Summer Is What You Make: Resources and a Review

Summer is what you make. Mira Forecasts the FutureSummertime can be a time for academic slide or for exploration of all kinds of new and favorite interests. Summer is what you make it — and it’s also what you make.

Download Mira’s activity kit for your kids with games and activities — include make-your
-own-pinwheel.

Watch a video review from the Awesome Annie Show to see how she (and her mom) are inspired by Mira Forecasts the Future.

MIRA Will Be B&N National Story Time

I wish I could visit Barnes & Nobles across the country, but Mira actually can! I’m excited to reveal that MIRA FORECASTS THE FUTURE will be a Barnes & Noble National Story Time on August 20. Mira Forecasts the Future National Story Time

Every Saturday at 11 am, Barnes & Noble hosts a story time for kids with the picture book or book of the week. MIRA FORECASTS THE FUTURE (illustrated by Lissy Marlin) and THE BOT THAT SCOTT BUILT (by Kim Norman, illustrated by Agnese Beruzzi) will be read to kids at B&N stores nationwide on August 20.

Find an event near you at Barnes & Noble, or select your store and the date to find a story time with Mira and Scott.

 

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Mira Gets a Cover

For a picture book writer, seeing the illustrations for the first time is like attending a surprise party for the words you wrote. You are surprised by your own story.

When I saw Lissy Marlin‘s illustrations for MIRA FORECASTS THE FUTURE, I was surprised, amazed, awed, delighted. She had transformed and expanded my story in ways I hadn’t imagined. My simple beach setting had been transported to Boardwalk Empire (the G-rated version).

One aspect that did not surprise me was Mira, the clever, sunny girl who learns to predict the future — or at least one aspect of it — by using science instead of clairvoyance. Lissy drew her exactly as I pictured her. Seeing her on the page as I had seen her in my head was an even better kind of surprise.

Now I can finally share the cover of MIRA FORECASTS THE FUTURE (Sterling Children’s Books, June 14, 2016) and the first glimpse of the Mira and her world.

First the front:Mira Cover

 

 

 

Then the back:

Cover_Mira Forecasts the Future-back back

Now the whole beautiful thing:

Cover_Mira Forecasts the Future-front and back

I can’t wait to surprise you with the middle when it is released on June 14, 2016!

 

Surprise! MIRA is on Goodreads, where I learn many things

I adore Goodreads — I visit every day, both to update my own reading (just exceeded my 2015 Reading Goal yesterday!) and to stalk my author profile. So today I noticed that my book doesn’t have any ratings. My first reaction was to wonder where the reviews went — until I noticed that it’s Mira Tells the Future, my upcoming debut picture book! Surprise!

Then I see that my incredibly talented illustrator Lissy Marlin is listed, so I don’t have to wonder how to announce her involvement. Surprise! (I can’t wait to be able to share the cover and Lissy’s art for Mira, but not yet!)

Then I see a release date — May 3, 2016. Surprise!

And I look the title up on Amazon and you can already pre-order it. Whoa.

Maybe Goodreads can tell the future. Or perhaps a catalog update got loaded. Either way, I predict that May 3 will be a very good day.

So now you can add Mira Tells the Future to your Goodreads to-read list and pre-order it at Amazon. And why not add me as a friend, leave a book review, and judge my bookshelves while you’re there?