Lauri Fortino's Blog, page 4
May 27, 2024
Interview Alert: Jackie Morera
Please welcome debut picture book author Jackie Morera to Frog on a Blog! You may know that today is Memorial Day, the perfect day to talk to Jackie about Abuelo’s Flower Shop because her lovely book, which officially comes out on June 4, 2024, from Beaming Books, highlights grief and sadness and how people remember loved ones they have lost. Abuelo’s Flower Shop is also multigenerational, starring a young girl and her grandfather, and bilingual, featuring a mix of English and Spanish text.
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May 23, 2024
Interview Alert: Jana Locke
Happy World Turtle Day! It’s the perfect day to welcome Jana Locke, a picture book author and self-proclaimed passionate public servant, to Frog on a Blog to share her book Vote for Turtle. It might be a presidential election year, but Jana’s adorable book features something a whole lot more fun, especially for kids: voting for state symbols (and, of course, turtles). Vote for Turtle is a great first introduction to civic participation, democracy, and politics, as well as to how kids can mak...
May 21, 2024
Happy Book Birthday to THE WORLD IN OUR BACKYARD by Jami Gigot!
Title: The World In Our Backyard
Author: Jami Gigot
Illustrator: Jami Gigot
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Format: Hardcover and eBook
Summary: As children play together, a sandbox becomes a desert, sidewalk chalk drawings become an art gallery, and everything that can be dreamed up is within reach. From forests to hike and mountains to climb, oceans to sail and castles to build, creative little ones don’t have to look any farther...
May 12, 2024
Happy Book Birthday to THE TRUTH ABOUT STEPMOMS by Renee Bolla!
Title: The Truth About Stepmoms
Author: Renee Bolla
Illustrator: Jack Button
Publisher: RNB Press
Release Date: May 12, 2024
Format: Hardcover and eBook
Summary: Join the adventure of a stepdaughter and stepmother as they discover the true magic of family in The Truth About Stepmoms.
The story follows a young girl’s humorous yet heartfelt investigation as she
attempts to uncover the truth about her new stepmom, Via. But to her surprise,
she discovers that Via does not chan...
May 7, 2024
Happy Book Birthday to SUMMER: A SOLSTICE STORY by Kelsey E. Gross!
Title: Summer: A Solstice Story
Author: Kelsey E. Gross
Illustrator: Renata Liwska
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Format: Hardcover
Summary: It’s early morning, and the forest seems silent, but life is all around. As the sun shines through the pines, one by one, the animals wake. Owl, Squirrel, Raccoon, Bear, Sparrow, Rabbit, Woodpecker, and Deer gather to celebrate summer and offer loving wishes as they send their young into the world....
April 26, 2024
Research, Not Just for Non-Fiction by Bridgitte Rodguez
Please welcome artist and picture book author Bridgitte Rodguez to Frog on a Blog! Bridgitte’s beautiful book A Walk Through the Redwoods, which published last fall from Reycraft Books, is overflowing with lovely imagery in both text and illustrations (by Natalia Bruno). It features an abundance of plant and animal life, as well as tons of factual information. On her website, Bridgitte says, “I write stories intended to create an experience for the reader. I want my readers, be they young or...
April 21, 2024
Two Tree-Mendous Picture Books For Arbor Day And Earth Day (My View Book Review)
Title: Hello, Trees
Author: Bailey Bezuidenhout
Illustrator: Maria Lebedeva
Publisher/Year: Kane Miller/2023 (first American edition)
Topic/Theme: Trees, seasons, nature, emotions, self-reflection
Of Note: Expressive text and illustrations
Title: Tree Spirits
Author: Louise Wannier
Illustrator: April Tatiana Jackson
Publisher/Year: True Roses Books/2023 (second edition)
Topic/Theme: Trees, emotions, imagination
Of Note: Rhyming text, interactive i...
April 16, 2024
Happy Book Birthday to DADDY, TELL ME A STORY by Kathleen Long Bostrom!
Title: Daddy, Tell Me a Story
Author: Kathleen Long Bostrom
Illustrator: Ela Smietanka
Publisher: WorthyKids
Release Date: April 16, 2024
Format: Hardcover
Summary: Bedtime is looming, and Sophie wants to hear a story. So she asks her dad—the best storyteller she knows—to tell her one. He’s just started telling a story about a queen and a unicorn when—HOLD ON—this is not the story Sophie had envisioned! She interrupts to request a teeny, tiny change. And then she interrupts...
April 11, 2024
Interview Alert: Wendy Goldstein
Calling all dog lovers! Happy Dog Therapy Appreciation Day! Please welcome Wendy Goldstein to Frog on a Blog! It’s a real treat to have Wendy here today to talk about her picture book Oscar’s Blue Bandana, which she both wrote and illustrated. The book stars her very own adorable dog Oscar, a Havanese, who is a real-life therapy dog. Wendy and Oscar visit kids at a cancer treatment center in New York City and a home for children and their families who receive care at New York City hospitals....
March 19, 2024
Happy Book Birthday to THE MOCHI MAKERS by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson!
Title: The Mochi Makers
Author: Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
Illustrator: Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane Books
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Format: Hardcover and eBook
Summary: A girl and her grandmother spend the day making mochi together in this gentle and joyous “storytelling treat” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) celebrating family, tradition, and the memories that matter most.
Do you have a children’s picture book coming out soon? I’d...
