BLOG TOUR: SAVING THE SUN by Emma Pearl and Sara Ugolotti

Hooray! It's our stop on the blog tour for Saving the Sun, written by Emma Pearl, illustrated by Sara Ugolotti and published by Page Street Kids. We were lucky enough to be part of the blog tour for Mending the Moon, Emma's debut picture book also illustrated by Sara Ugolotti, last November and so it's lovely to part of the celebrations again...

When the sun sinks into the sea and loses its fire, it's up to Luna and Poppa to save it, just like they saved the moon. But how can they possibly fish the sun out of the water and get it back into the sky? And how will they set it ablaze again? It looks like Luna and Poppa may need some help along the way...

Just like Mending the Moon, this is a beautiful story with stunning illustrations which encourages problem-solving, teamwork and which highlights the importance of perseverance. With Poppa's gentle reassurance and Luna's love of the natural world, children will be able to enjoy a story with a BIG problem whilst feeling soothed by the lyrical language and safe in the pages of such a joyful setting.  

With whales and dolphins, fireflies and bursts of colourful birds, this text is a feast for the eyes. But what we particularly loved was that, although being a fictional story, it alludes to the humongous questions of science, activating the curiosity of younger readers. Why does the sun burn so hot? How does it stay in the sky? Where does it go at night? And what if it ever burns out? After reading such a playful and fun take on these ideas, hopefully little learners will be interested in finding out more about these big questions whilst also considering their own ideas on the matter.

This is a picture book with a big imagination, wonderful words and colourful characters and we highly recommend it. Great for fans of The Boy Who Switched Off The Sun by Paul Brown and Mark O'Hanlon and The Boy Who Unplugged the Sea by Paul Brown and Chris Capstick, this also doubles up as a calming bedtime story which will hopefully lull them to sleep as though they're bobbing on the waves themselves. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

Saving the Sun is available to pre-order now and is released in the UK on 24th October 2023. 

BLOG TOUR: Mending The Moon by Emma Pearl and Sara Ugolotti

Welcome to our stop of the blog tour for Mending The Moon by Emma Pearl and Sara Ugolotti. Today we are celebrating the launch of this beautiful picture book with a special review and author interview. Mending The Moon is published by Page Street Kids and will be released in the US on November 1st and in the UK on December 5th. 

Mending the Moon by Emma Pearl and Sara Ugolotti publishes in the UK on December 5th. 

When the moon falls out of the sky and smashes to pieces, Luna is desperate to fix the situation. With the help of her Poppa and a whole host of forest animals, she searches high and low for every last piece. But how can a broken moon be put back together, let alone be placed back in the sky? And if she manages to achieve this mammoth task, will the moon still look perfect?

This picture book is visually stunning. Sara Ugolotti has captured the magical luminescence of the moon, making it the star of the show on every page. Mixed with beautiful forest scenery and a host of colourful animals, it truly is a feast for the eyes.

 

But, of course, without the story, there would be no pictures and from the moment you start reading aloud, you'll discover that Emma Pearl's storytelling language is as gorgeous as the illustrations. As she weaves the gentle tale of the moon falling out of the sky, readers will be sure to fall in love with Luna's determination to fix this enormous problem, which has very high stakes. 

There are a whole range of important takeaways from this story: the beauty and importance of nature, our need to nurture and protect it, working as a team, not giving up, exploring different methods to find a solution and the value of imperfection. I also love that there is a scientific element to the book, which touches on the crucial role the moon plays in the balance of our planet and which can be linked to the school curriculum. 

So, if you're looking for a gorgeous bedtime story to share with little ones, then I recommend giving Mending the Moon a try. It has a magical, folklore feel to it and plays on our fascination with the moon, encouraging empathy, curiosity and imagination. Look out for a sequel coming in 2023...

SCROLL DOWN TO READ AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR, EMMA PEARL...

Hi Emma, congratulations on the publication of Mending the Moon, written by you, illustrated by Sara Ugolotti and published by Page Street Kids. It really is a beautiful story. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where the idea for the story came from?

Hi Tracy, thank you for having me! I wrote the first draft of this story about five years ago. It started while I was rooting around in the dark recesses of my brain for some story ideas and came up with a silly question – what would happen if the moon fell out of the sky? From there came the story of Luna, who saw it happen and wanted to fix it.

 

Can you tell us about Mending the Moon’s journey to publication?

I was incredibly lucky to get picked up by Kayla Tostevin at Page Street Kids during a Twitter pitch event (#PBPitch) in October 2020. I had participated in the event a few times prior to that, and I really enjoyed the buzz and connecting with other writers that way. I never imagined anything would actually come from it! I submitted my manuscript to Kayla straight away and she responded quickly and positively. There were a few rounds of revision to get through before an offer was made. And it’s been a long wait from there to publication, but I’m so excited it’s finally here!

The illustrations by Sara Ugolotti are truly stunning. How did you feel when you saw them for the first time and how did it feel to finally hold a finished copy in your hands?

Oh my goodness, aren’t they incredible? I actually had a little input into the selection of an illustrator, so I knew the artwork would be wonderful, but seeing your characters brought to life for the first time is such a magical thing. When I received the first character sketches they took my breath away. Luna is just so perfect! And of course, there were a lot of stages between the first sketches and the final copy, but holding the finished book in my hands was the culmination of a lifelong dream. Such a special feeling.

 

Is the finished story similar to your first draft or has the story evolved over time?

I’ve just gone back to look at the first draft to see how much it evolved. And wow, yes – the answer is a lot! The first draft was over 1600 words long – full of a lot of unnecessary detail! By the time I submitted the manuscript to the publisher it was about 970 words and the final version is about 750. So, as always with picture books, reducing the word count was key to making the text really shine. My editor Kayla also really helped to bring out the ‘folklore’ element, focusing on the lasting effect of the story’s events on the moon.

 

What are you hoping young readers take from the story?

I’m hoping that readers of all ages will find in the story a sense of wonder and an appreciation for the magic and beauty of nature. And maybe the next level of meaning is to follow Luna’s example, to have compassion for all living things and to work in harmony with nature to fix it.

Your next picture book, Saving the Sun, is out in September 2023. Can you give us any sneaky information about what to expect? Will we meet the same characters again or is it a completely different story?

It’s another adventure for Luna and Poppa, but this time they are holidaying on a tropical island when the sun gets so hot, it decides to go for a dip in the ocean. Luna, Poppa, the sea creatures and island animals have to work together to literally save the day!

 

What do you love most about being a writer and what do you find challenging?

I’ve been a writer since I was big enough to hold a pencil and I would be a writer for the rest of my life even if I was never published. Writing is how I organise my thoughts and express my feelings. It’s like breathing. But actually becoming an author is a long and difficult path, and nearly all of it is challenging. I’m quite an impatient person – if I decide to do something, I want to get on and do it immediately. This is not a good trait to have in an industry that moves as fast as a glacier. Every single part of the process takes an inordinate amount of time (seriously - imagine the most far-fetched amount of time you can and multiply it by your birth year!). So I’ve had to learn to deal with that, which I mostly do by working on many different projects and keeping myself busy. I write across age groups from picture book to young adult, and I have more WIPs on the go than is probably sensible.

 

Do you have a top tip for young writers?

I have four top tips!

Read – as much as you can. Read, read, read!

Write – as much as you can. Don’t worry about writing anything perfect or even good, just write. The more you write, the more you’ll learn and the better you’ll become.

Learn – writing is about so much more than just putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). There are many resources available online and if you’re serious about writing you’ll need to learn the basics of plot structure, character development, narrative arcs and other such delights.

And finally, reach out to authors whose work you enjoy. Most writers have a contact form on their website and we love to hear from readers, especially if they’re budding writers too. You’ll be surprised at how friendly and helpful most writers are. You never know what nuggets (or should I say pearls?) of wisdom you might receive!

 

Thanks so much for talking to us, Emma and good luck with the launch.

Thank you so much!

 Mending The Moon is available in the US now and available to pre-order in the UK:

Waterstones

Bookshop.org UK

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Bookshop.org US

Indiebound

Amazon US

BLOG TOUR: Perfectly Weird, Perfectly You by Dr. Camilla Pang, illustrated by Laurène Boglio

Hello and welcome to our stop on the blog tour of Perfectly Weird, Perfectly You - a non-fiction guide to growing up that explores abstract, difficult-to-understand concepts, such as emotions and peer pressure, by comparing them to concrete science. 

                                                                         Link to publisher

Published by: Wren and Rook Books, Hachette, 17th March 2022

👍👍👍👍👍

On a personal level, this new release by Dr. Camilla Pang has come at exactly the right time for our family and one of the reasons why I jumped at the chance to be involved with the blog tour. With an eleven-year-old autistic daughter approaching puberty, I have no idea how to even begin explaining the complexities of growing up to her. And yet, through this insightful and wonderfully illustrated piece of non-fiction, Dr. Camilla Pang has shared her own experience of how she coped with this metamorphis as someone who received an diagnosis of autism, aged 8.

By applying what she couldn't understand to what she could - science - Pang forged a survival guide to growing up, allowing herself to embrace who she was, which in turn, of course, leads to a much higher chance of finding happiness. And, as readers will discover, embracing who we are includes the process of accepting all the 'weird' quirks and foibles that makes us unique, but which are actually perfectly normal.

Chapter of the books include:

Perfectly calm: How to manage your emotions like the weather. 

Perfectly digital: Can computers teach us how to think?

Perfectly new: How animal migration helps us to cope with change.

The font and format of the book is easily accessible and chunked into bitesize paragraphs that will allow readers to dip in and out without feeling daunted. I love Camilla Pang's introduction to herself at the start of the book and the relatable way she talks about her diagnosis, harnessing autism as 'her superpower' and highlighting both the positives and the challenges that arise from being neurodivergent. But the most fascinating aspect of the book, which I was enthralled by and which I can't wait to discuss with all of my children, are the analogies Pang makes between consistent science (the type of science that is all around us and helps us make sense of the world) and abstract human behaviours. For example:

Why does a human always turn the volume up when their favourite song comes on the radio?- Well, why does a plant always turn towards the sunlight?

Why are some people drawn to others in a positive or negative way?- Well, let's think about the forces of gravity and magnetism and also how various metals react with different liquids and gases. Some get on and some don't!

Each chapter of the book, led by Camilla Pang's own narrative voice, explores these analogies in more depth. Each one is explained beautifully and simply and made me realise how much I, as a neurotypical reader, relate to what is being described and how much I use my own analogies in day to day life to interpret, rationalise and understand things that confuse me. It is an absolutely fascinating read for any young reader, especially those struggling with the complexities of growing and maturing and those changeable human relationships. 

Wren and Rook Books produce brilliant non-fiction for children and this is no exception. Not only will I be drawing on it to approach these tricky topics with my daughter, I'll be sharing it with my other children, nephews, cousins, friend's children and the adults too!

Perfectly Weird, Perfectly You was published on 17th March 2022 and is available to buy now. A big thanks to Hachette for asking me to be part of the blog tour. 

BLOG TOUR: The Tale of the Whale

Happy Hump Day and welcome to our stop of the blog of The Tale of the Whale, written by Karen Swann, illustrated by Padmacandra and published by Scallywag Press.

                'Where land becomes sky

                  

                 and the sky becomes sea,

                I first saw the whale and

 

                the whale first saw me...'

This beautifully illustrated, lyrical story began it's journey to publication by winning the Writing Magazine Picture Book Prize in 2018. Below, in today's guest post, author Karen Swann takes us through her typical day as a writer.

    

              

A typical day…

Someone asked me recently about my typical day as an author, and honest to goodness there really isn’t one! I’m not very disciplined as a writer – I have a busy family life and I write as and when I have time and my brain takes me there! Often, it’s the quiet times, such as the middle of the night or when I first wake up in the morning, that the ideas that are swimming around in my head get to come to the front and clamour to be heard. I have notebooks everywhere (especially by my bed) and I’m afraid I jot things down in a very haphazard way. Ideas for books are scattered through both my current work and a gazillion notebooks. I note things down straight away when they come to me – sometimes a rhyming couplet or a title or a random character, but I have to get the idea down there and then. It would be good to be organised enough to keep them all in one place, but I also know that if the ideas dry up, I just need to have a flick through some old notebooks, and I’ll find some really random stuff (which I’ll probably not be able to make head nor tail of!)

I do have a desk, an old Victorian scrub top table, where I like to write, with a big old larder cupboard beside it that holds my ever-growing collection of picture books. It’s really important to read widely, especially in the area you wish to write, and I do have to confess to a slight picture book addiction. I have an assortment of ‘things’ on the windowsill next to me, little bits that I’ve collected that appear in my stories. I love to get inspiration visually. I can get lost down a rabbit hole looking at Pinterest and illustrators work online – a great place to get ideas for characters or worlds. Currently though, I’m sharing the house again with my family, as they work from home, a puppy and a building site next door! Not the quiet I long for!

Ultimately though, when I do get the time or a quiet spot to write, I like to write about things that are important to me or I feel a strong connection to. The Tale of the Whale is about the environment and about caring for our world and the way we live within it, something I feel strongly about. I also have quite a musical brain and stories often come to me with an element of musicality to them. I chose a waltzing rhythm for The Tale of the Whale to reflect the patterns of waves of the ocean. That was how the whale gave it to me at a time when I had some quiet to listen. And you don’t not listen to a humpback whale!

The Tale of the Whale by Karen Swann, 

illustrated by Padmacandra (right)           

 is out now in hardback (£12.99, Scallywag Press)

Find out more at scallywagpress.com

BLOG TOUR: PanDeMoNium by Gail Aldwin and Fiona Zechmeister

 

                                                                  Link to Publisher

                                               Published by: Victorina Press, 1st December 2020

                                                                       👍👍👍👍

Hello and welcome to our stop on the blog tour for this delightful and endearing picture book, PanDeMoNium, written by Gail Aldwin, illustrated by Fiona Zechmeister and published by Victorina Press.

Mischievous Peta lives in a department store and is determined to make the most of it. As she wanders from department to department, creating pandemonium, her antics go largely unnoticed. But when a store assistant spots what she's up to, will it spoil Peta's fun?

PanDeMoNium is a perfect book for the younger end of the picture book market. The simple but delightful text creates a wonderful, structured framework for a story that comes alive through Fiona Zechmeister's exquisite illustrations. 

Peta is a mischievous, fun-loving panda toy who spends her time excitedly exploring her environment. Parents and toddlers alike will be able to relate to and enjoy Peta's youthful exuberance. Will a store assistant be able to contain her antics? Absolutely not!

The setting of the story is a joy. On a personal level, this took me back to my times as I child when I ran amok with my cousins in a department store that seemed so exciting and vast. One moment we were in the 'land of lights' and the next we were in 'toy city'. It was pure magic which always ended up, as Peta does at one point, in the cafe.

There is some delightful repetition in the story, which little ones will love joining in with. The illustrations are full of action and energy and Peta is simply adorable. 

Overall, Peta's story is about the joy of being small, about being yourself and about living life to the full. It's a book full of charm, chaos and love! 

So, after your little ones have created some toddler-fuelled pandemonium, snuggle down with them for this gorgeous bedtime story that they will want to read again and again. 

PanDeMoNium is available to pre-order and is released on December 1st. 

#BLOGTOUR for The Bum That Barked by Elisa Peacock and Rowena Aitken

WELCOME to the next stop of the blog tour for 'The Bum That Barked' - a debut picture book written by Elisa Peacock, illustrated by Rowena Aitken and published by Tiny Tree Books. We are delighted to be hosting them today and hope that you enjoy our review of the book.

Link to Pre-order

Released: June 11th 2020

Toilet humour is marmite! However, when it comes to bogeys, burps, bums, farts-you name it-my four year old son loves it.

So imagine his absolute delight when he opened the cover of this new release and discovered a talking bum with a life and a dream of its own.

Bean the dog is shocked when his derriere starts talking to him one day. Bongo Bum has aspirations of being a singer but is too scared to reveal himself to the world and so ropes in Bean to help him. Their secret double act quickly shoots them to stardom but when Bean turns to comfort eating to soothe his stage fright, Bongo Bum may have no control over what tune he blasts out.

Bursting with glitz and glamour, this razzmatazz tale is a bonkers and humorous antidote to these troubled times, yet delivers an important message about teamwork, friendship and embracing who you truly are. Flamboyant and fabulous, it speaks to the inner diva in all of us and encourages readers to showcase talent and reach for the stars. After all, if a talking bum can do it then surely so can we!

Of course, the road to success is never easy. If Bongo Bum and Bean are going to make it, they're both going to have to face their fears and harness their nerves. And when things don't go to plan? They pick themselves up and carry on! 

If you're happy with yourself then others tend to jump on board. 

I recommend jumping on board with this book as it's message goes deeper than simple toilet humour. Step into the pages and be dazzled.  Just be careful you're not blown away in the process...