Soaring '20s Holiday Gift Guide 🎁

When I was about twelve, I dove under the Christmas tree and hauled out three gift boxes heavy enough to contain coal. After peeling off the five or six layers of wrapping paper my Papi had delighted in double-sealing with Scotch-tape, I saw the Macy’s boxes and crossed my fingers. To my delight, Polaroid camera film filled one box and in the other two, about three month’s worth of nightmares. Stacks of Stephen King and John Saul novels, not coal, were the gifts that would feed my imagination for months.

The next holiday season, my parents thought it was time for me to choose my gifts, gave me cash, and released me into the mall expecting I’d come home with clothes and jewelry. To their horror, I came home with bags and bags of books from Barnes & Noble and was never trusted again to shop without supervision.

Don’t expect anything less of me now. I will never stop believing that books aren’t always the perfect gift for any occasion. So today, I am your Book Titi sharing with you all of the magical delights the creators of the Soaring ’20s have in store for you. And bonus! They have paired their books with all sorts of theme-related goodies for your children to enjoy, with shopping links for your convenience.

We Soarers are so grateful for your support of our work and for the absolute gift of being able to create for children. We wish you and your family safety, peace, love, and joy—now and always.

— NoNieqa Ramos, author of YOUR MAMA, forthcoming April 6, 2021

Click here for perfect pairings of picture books and related gifts for all the readers in your life.

Six Soaring '20s Discuss Benefits of Joining a Debut Group on Rate Your Story

The Soaring ‘20s is a group of authors and illustrators debuting picture books in 2020 (and in some cases, 2021). We’re on Twitter (@Soaring20sPB) and Instagram (Soaring20sPB), and our website (https://www.soaring20spb.com/) features our books, bios, and blog. Many thanks to RATE YOUR STORY for having us on your blog, a wonderful resource for children’s writers and illustrators!

In this post, six of our authors and illustrators respond to the following question:
 

How has being part of a debut group been useful in your writing journey? Read more here!

Connect with Soaring '20s Creators Via Virtual Events 

Soaring '20s creators will present the following panels at the National Council of Teachers of English annual convention (virtual) Nov. 19-22. Content will be available for registrants for 60 days. Find registration information here.:

• Puzzling Together the Truth: Author-Tested Tricks for Sifting through Sources in the Digital Age (on demand session, Colleen Paeff, Kirsten Larson, Jen Malia, Saira Mir, Lindsay Metcalf, Angela Kunkel)

• Narrative Nonfiction: Writing Un-Put-Down-able True Stories That Sing (on demand session, Lindsay Metcalf and others)

• Building a Revision Toolbox: Award-Winning Authors Share Strategies for Lifting Up Student Voices by Empowering Young Writers to Revise (live Nov. 19, 2:30-3:45 p.m. w/ Christina Soontornvat and others)

• Alexa, What’s the Future of Nonfiction? (live Nov. 20, 4:30-5:45 p.m. ET w/ Christina Soontornvat and others)

• Autistic Author and Author-Educator Tips for Promoting Autism Acceptance in Classrooms (live Nov. 22, 10:30-11:45 a.m. ET, Jen Malia and others)

Also, the Soaring '20s will present the following panels at the New Jersey Association of School Librarians Annual Conference (virtual), Dec. 4-5. Find registration information here. Stay tuned for scheduling details.:

• Empowering Students of All Ages and Backgrounds with Diverse Picture Books (Kelly Baptist, Rajani LaRocca, Joana Pastro, NoNieqa Ramos)

• STEAMing Up KidLit: Using STEM/STEAM Books to Facilitate Hands-On Learning (Vicky Fang, Rajani LaRocca, Jen Malia, Kirsten Larson, Carrie Finison, Lindsay Metcalf)

• Practicing Perseverance with Picture Book Biographies (Kirsten Larson, Angela Kunkle, Elisa Boxer, Anna Crowley Redding, Lindsay Metcalf, Jasmyn Wright)

• Big Laughs/Little Life Lessons (Abi Cushman, Carrie Finison, Kjersten Hayes, Isabella Kung, Joana Pastro, Sam Wedelich,

• #OwnVoices: Autistic Authors on Social Justice (Jen Malia plus other panelists)

If you are a teacher, librarian, or a fellow author, we hope you'll join us!

Happy Book Birthday, LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS!

By Joana Pastro

Please pinch me!

My debut picture book, LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS is out in the world today! Hooray! It’s been a five-year journey, filled with ups and downs, a lot of learning, and willingness to try new paths. And then 2020 came along and, well, we all had to adjust to a new normal. Still, I couldn’t be more excited!

LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS is the story of a little girl who attends a school for damsels and loves everything about it, except for one rule. That rule states that damsels are supposed to wait for rescue if captured by a villain and never attempt to escape. LillyBelle doesn’t like that rule at all. Soon enough, she has the opportunity to prove it wrong and show the world that girls can very well save themselves.

Read more here.

SEVEN GOLDEN RINGS Book Birthday: Reflecting on Medicine and Writing

by Rajani LaRocca

I’m so excited that my debut picture book, SEVEN GOLDEN RINGS: A TALE OF MUSIC AND MATH, is releasing today! It is gorgeously illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan and is published by Lee & Low Books.

The story is set in ancient India and follows a boy named Bhagat who wants to bring his family out of poverty by winning a place in the rajah’s court as a singer.

As he prepares to leave on his long journey to the rajah’s city, Bhagat brings with him all that his family has left in the world: a single rupee coin and a chain of seven tiny golden rings. Bhagat’s mother blesses him and reminds him, “Bhagat, you are a fine singer. But you are an even finer thinker.”

Read more here.

New Book Covers

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

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• Vicky Fang kicked off the first episode of the Women In STEM Podcast. She also held a virtual event for the Cover to Cover Bookstore and was on Book Joy with Mr. Schu. She'll participate in the STEM Teacher Summit Jan. 2. Registration is now open.

• Carrie Finison's DON'T HUG DOUG received a starred review from Kirkus. She also recently appeared on the Picture Book Look podcast. Have a listen.

• Lindsay Metcalf appeared on the Women of HERstory Podcast and #FlipGrid for All. NO VOICE TOO SMALL was featured on episode 13 of Legit Kid Lit, Good Reads with Ronna, Nerdy Book Club, Picture Book Builders, The Providence Journal, GROG blog, and Bear Pond Books. Lindsay also appeared on Beth Anderson's blog and KNCK radio.

• Julie Rowan-Zoch (LOUIS) was interviewed on CritterLit, Beth Anderson's blog, MentorTalk on Reading for Research. LOUIS was a Wellesley Books - A Child’s Library pick for October, and Julie and LOUIS author Tom Lichtenheld will hold a bedtime storytime via Wellesley Books on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. EST. The book garnered great reviews at Librarian's Quest and The Horn Book.

• SEVEN GOLDEN RINGS by Rajani LaRocca received its second star, from Publishers Weekly. Check out Rajani's book launch and her interviews for TeachingBooks and Writers Rumpus. She's done a number of guest blog spots, many with giveaways. Read about the book in the Boston Globe. 

• DIGGING FOR WORDS by Angela Kunkel was reviewed in the New York Times and Margie Culver Myers's blog. Angela hosted a "Writing Picture Books" workshop with her local library and appeared on Vermont Public Radio and the TeachingBooks blog.

• SOAKED! by Abi Cushman will be released in Russian.

• Joana Pastro (LILLYBELLE) has been on blog tour with her newly launched book, including appearances on Kathy Temean's blog, the Reading with Your Kids podcast, Jena Benton's blog, Tara Lazar's blog, and Mindy Alyse Weiss's blog. The book also was reviewed on Book Trib.

• Elisa Boxer (THE VOICE THAT WON THE VOTE) appeared on Cynthia Leitich-Smith's blog.

• TOO STICKY! by Jen Malia was featured on Reading Rockets, Maggie Rose and Me, and the Pragmatic Mom blog. She did a Virtual Author Visit for Ericson Public Library on Facebook Live and will teach “Writing in a Genre: Children’s Books" in Spring 2021 for Norfolk State University.

• I AM A BIRD by Hope Lim was featured on Pragmatic Mom, and Hope talked about revision on the Grog Blog.

• Kirsten Larson (WOOD, WIRE, WINGS) appeared on the Women Who Write panel as part of Kern County Library's One Book, One Bakersfield project.

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