📚 February book fledglings, new book deals, WRAD round up and more!
Soaring into Shelves in this Month
Graphic by Abi Cushman
Happiest of book birthdays to our first flock of high-flying debuts! In case you missed it, Rob Justus offered this moving and heartfelt book birthday post in celebration of KID COACH's debut. We dare you not to cry reading it.
And Christina Soontornvat marked THE BLUNDERS birthday with a Blunders-inspired countdown of the Top 10 Things to Love about picture books.
We encourage you to subscribe to our blog, so you don't miss a single book birthday (or any other) post.
20 Questions: 'Dear Younger Me' by the Soaring '20s (compiled by Elisa Boxer and Kjersten Hayes)
This is the place where we here at the Soaring ’20s answer questions about our debut picture book process.
We’re one month into 2020 (gasp!), looking ahead to all that awaits us during our debut year.
But we’re also looking back, taking stock of what we wish we’d known before this whole journey began.
Read more here.
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Cover Reveal: LOUIS by Julie Rowan-Zoch
LOUIS is out of the box!
The cover of my picture book illustration debut is already online—and I’m ready to CELEBRATE!
Read more here.
Celebrating Read Aloud Day 2020
Several Soaring '20s participated in LitWorld's World Read Aloud Day, including Shelley Johannes, Saira Mir, Rajani LaRocca, Christina Soontornvat, Kirsten Larson, Vicky Fang, and Lindsay Metcalfe. Many of us offer school visits and Skypes throughout the year. Please visit our personal websites for more.
A bevy of new book covers...click on the covers to learn more
Don't forget, you can see all our covers and preorder on our website.
📣 New book deals 📚
Soaring '20s in the news and on the road
At Winter Insitute, author and bookseller Susan Kusel (THE PASSOVER GUEST) gave her colleagues tips on selling children's books and creating welcoming spaces for kids and teens. Read more in PW. She's also helped launch The Sydney Taylor Shmooze to encourage discussion of Jewish kidlit all year long.
Did you know Darshana Khiani is the go-to source for South Asian Kidlit? Read her latest roundup of great books here.
Several contributors from NO VOICE TOO SMALL: FOURTEEN YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING HISTORY, edited by Soaring '20s Lindsay Metcalfe, Jeanette Bradley, and Keila V. Dawson (illustrated by Bradley) won American Library Association awards. Congrats!
Jasmyn Wright is on book tour with I'M GONNA PUSH THROUGH! Schedule here.
More Soaring '20s literally took Tara Lazar's StoryStorm by storm. Read advice from Carrie Finison (DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS), Joana Pastro (LILYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS), Hope Lim (I AM A BIRD), and Sam Wedelich (CHICKEN LITTLE: THE REAL AND TOTALLY TRUE* TALE).
Vicky Fang had a banner month with a good Kirkus Review for her chapter book, LAYLA AND THE BOTS!, and the arrival of F&Gs for her picture book, INVENT-A-PET.
Jen Malia was a guest on the Spectrumly Speaking podcast for an episode on “Autism and Sensory Issues."
Jen also signed review copies of TOO STICKY! SENSORY ISSUES WITH AUTISMÂ in the Albert Whitman booth at the American Librarian Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference in January.
Rajani Larocca's middle grade, MIDSUMMER'S MAYHEM, was featured in Parents Magazine as a "fresh foodie read!" It also appeared as a January 2020 Book Club selection for . Keep an eye out for her picture book, SEVEN GOLDEN RINGS.
Abi Cushman (SOAKED!) and Carrie Finison (DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS) were featured in Penguin Young Readers' Summer 2020 Debuts to Watch.
If you squint really hard, you can see NoNieqa Ramos's YA THE TRUTH IS on the bookshelf in this Saturday Night Live sketch featuring RuPaul. Look out for her picture book BEAUTY WOKE in 2021.
Kjersten Hayes unboxed THE ELEPHANTS' GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK. Watch the video here. And don't miss this amazing review of ELEPHANTS' GUIDE from Youth Services Book Review.
Saira Mir's MUSLIM GIRLS RISE was honored on the Rise 2020 Book List, as part of ALA's Feminist Task Force, and the 27-minute DVD received a Gold Award from the Parent's Choice Foundation.Â
Kirsten Larson's WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane received a soaring review in School Library Journal. Read excerpts here.