Lauri Fortino's Blog, page 7

Exciting News!

I’m excited to share that I’ve been selected by the fabulous Elayne Crain for a two-month picture book mentorship through Inked Voices! I’m so glad Elayne liked my manuscript, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity!

Astrid Kamalyan Embraces The Sun

I’m honored to be a stop on author Astrid Kamalyan’s book tour for her debut picture book Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day. Her lovely book, just published September 19th by Charlesbridge, earned starred reviews from both Kirkus and The Horn Book and is a Junior Library Guild Selection. Bábo: A Tale of Armenian Rug-Washing Day is the first children’s book about Armenia traditionally published in the US in over 30 years and is the only one to feature Artsakh dialogue.

Beautifully ...

Interview Alert: Gayle C. Krause (+ a Giveaway!)

Please welcome multi-published children’s book author Gayle C. Krause to Frog on a Blog. Gayle’s new picture book, Zadie and the Witch’s Tea, was just released this past July from Trowbridge Books. The book stars an adorable little witch, and absolutely no prince, in this clever reimagining of the Cinderella story. Perfect for Halloween or anytime, Zadie and the Witch’s Tea will enchant kids with Gayle’s delightful rhyming text and Kate Talbot’s bold, colorful illustrations.

Gayle is def...

Interview Alert: Alex Willan

Please join me in wishing a very Merry Christmas, er, I mean a very Happy Book Birthday to the hilarious, multi-published author/illustrator Alex Willan for his brand-new picture book Elves Are the Worst! This book is sure to be a holiday (or anytime) favorite with kids. It’s the latest in his The Worst! series and should prove to be just as popular as the other three: Unicorns Are the Worst!, Dragons Are the Worst!, and Yetis Are the Worst! All of these books are filled with humor, color, a...

My View Book Review: I LOVE YOU MUCHO MUCHO by Rachel Más Davidson

Title: I Love You Mucho Mucho

Author: Rachel Más Davidson

Illustrator: Rachel Más Davidson

Publisher/Year: Beaming Books/2023

Favorite Line from the Book: Fortunately, stomachs growl in the same language, and Abuela knew just what to do.

Happy National Grandparents Day to all the grandmothers and grandfathers out there who share their hearts, stories, wisdom, and homes with their families! Did you know, according to AARP in 2017, the United States is in the midst of a “gra...

Interview Alert: Sue Heavenrich

I’m thrilled that Frog on a Blog is a stop on multi-published author Sue Heavenrich’s book blog tour today! Sue is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. And she just happens to be a member of the West/Central Upstate NY Chapter of the SCBWI, just like me, and our paths have crossed a few times at local conferences. She may have even given me a writing tip or two.

Sue is also a former science teacher, a nature lover, an avid gardener, and an insect enthusiast, so it’s no wonder that s...

Interview Alert: Heather Pierce Stigall

Hooray! Please join me in wishing Heather Pierce Stigall’s debut picture book, Paisley’s Big Birthday, a very Happy Book Birthday today! This book, released by Clavis Publishing and illustrated by Natallia Nushuyeva, is Adorable, with a capital A, in both text and art and will ultimately be published in four additional languages besides English.

Heather is an active member of the kidlit community, especially in the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the SCBWI where she is the Critique Group/...

Interview Alert: Dr. Artika Tyner

It’s my pleasure to welcome author, educator, attorney, and motivational speaker Dr. Artika Tyner to Frog on a Blog. Artika designs programs to drive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives for companies and organizations of all sizes from Fortune 500s to startups and grassroots groups.

Artika is passionate about inspiring social change, which includes closing the literacy gap, and one of the many ways that she does that is through writing children’s books. Artika has publishe...

Happy Book Birthday to A BOOK FOR BEAR by Ellen L. Ramsey!

Title: A Book for Bear

Author: Ellen L. Ramsey

Illustrator: MacKenzie Haley

Publisher: Flamingo Books/Penguin Books for Young Readers

Release Date: July 18, 2023

Format: Hardcover

Summary: A book-loving bear and a book-loving girl hatch a plan to find the perfect book for them to read together. But sneaking a bear into a school, a library, and a bookstore proves harder than they thought. Will Bear ever find a book of his very own, a book the color of ripe, red raspberrie...

Interview Alert: Leejone Wong

Please welcome author and illustrator Leejone Wong to Frog on a Blog! The third book in her Momma Comma and Friends picture book series, Queenie Question Finds a Key, came out last month. This series features adorable punctuation mark characters, cute animal characters, and bright colors. And the charming stories introduce kids to the concept of punctuation in a way that is entertaining and fun. Kids won’t even realize they’re learning!

These books would make great additions to an elemen...