Rajani LaRocca's Blog, page 7

The Cover of MASALA CHAI, FAST AND SLOW!

I’m delighted to share the cover of MASALA CHAI, FAST AND SLOW, beautifully illustrated by Neha Rawat, coming from Candlewick Press on September 5, 2023 and available for preorder now!This is a story about Aarav, a boy who likes to go fast, and his Thatha (grandfather), who likes to takes things slow. But every day, they come together to make masala chai, which, as Thatha reminds Aarav, “cannot be rushed.”When Thatha sprains his ankle, Aarav tries to make masala chai to cheer him up, but he messes up every time. Can Aarav slow down enough to get this recipe right?This book is like a warm hug! And yes, there is a masala chai recipe at the end!

A STAR for SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS!

The first trade review is in for my forthcoming picture book, SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS, beautifully illustrated by Abhi Alwar, and it is a STARRED REVIEW from Kirkus Reviews! The reviewer says: “It’s clear that though relationships evolve over time, they can still stay strong. Framed by the cousins’ endearingly boisterous antics, Ravi’s evolution is heartwarming, realistic, and beautifully paced. The cartoonlike illustrations and soft, smudged palette perfectly accompany the warm, quietly lyrical text.” They also call the book “a gorgeous ode to change, growth, togetherness, and family.” I’m so delighted that this first review perfectly captured what Abhi and I wanted to accomplish with this story! SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS will release from Abrams Books on May 16, 2023 and is available for preorder today!

You can read the full review here!

Toka Box Best Picture Book of 2022 Award!

I’m honored and thrilled that Toka Box named I’LL GO AND COME BACK a Best Picture Book of 2022 (Ages 3-5) in the Toka Box Top South Asian Children’s Books of 2022 Awards! Congrats to all the winners!

Finished copies of SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS Have Arrived!

I’m so excited to receive finished copies of SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS! Gorgeously illustrated by Abhi Alwar, this sweet summer story is about long days filled with fun, ice cream, and extended family.

This book exists because my agent asked me to write a summer story. And so I thought back to my many childhood summers with my cousins, and all the fun we used to have…but also the awkwardness and slight worry that after not seeing them for a while, they would have changed so much that they wouldn’t remember me or all the things we loved to do together. Luckily, that was never true. But it started the seed of this story!

Abhi brought so much love and talent. She gave each of the cousins a distinct personality and imagined the photograph theme that carries through the book. And the art is stunning!

I hope you enjoyed this sweet taste of this story. SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS releases May 16 from Abrams Kids and is available for preorder today!

 

 

SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS Final Copies Arrive!

Finished copies of SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS arrived today, and they are absolutely beautiful!This book exists because my agent asked me to write a summer story. And so I thought back to my many childhood summers with my cousins, and all the fun we used to have…but also the awkwardness and slight worry that after not seeing them for a while, they would have changed so much that they wouldn’t remember me or all the things we loved to do together. Luckily, that was never true. But it started the seed of this story!Abhi Alwar brought so much love and talent. She gave each of the cousins a distinct personality and imagined the photograph theme that carries through the book. And the art is stunning!SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS releases May 16 from Abrams Kids and is available for preorder today!

 

The Massachusetts Book Awards!

What an incredible day at the Massachusetts State House for the Massachusetts Book Awards! For the first time since 2019, there was an in-person celebration of amazing authors and books from here in Massachusetts!My husband Lou and my dad got to accompany me, and it was SO lovely to share this day with them. The awards were given in the Great Hall of Flags, which was absolutely beautiful!It was joyous to see so many friends including: Hayley Barrett, Lisa Rogers, Mary Wagley Copp, Kip Wilson, Kelly Carey, Carrie Finison, Raul III, Jenn De Leon, Susan Tan, Marcella Pixley, and Lynda Mullaly Hunt, and get to meet Malinda Lo and Ekua Holmes!!!!!I got to meet my wonderful State Representative Simon Cataldo, who introduced me, talked about the Honor Awards for MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM (2020), and SEVEN GOLDEN RINGS (2021), and presented me with 2022 Award for RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE in the MG/YA category!I gave a speech about what living in Massachusetts means to me, why I write, and the heart of RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE. This was an absolutely incredible day of celebration, and it makes my heart so full to be living here among these incredible literary luminaries!

 

Cover Reveal for YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART!

I’m so thrilled to show you the cover of my nonfiction picture book, YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART!

I first drafted this book way back in 2013, and called it “The Hardest Working Muscle.” I always intended it to be a lyrical nonfiction book, but I couldn’t figure out how to bring it all together. I worked on it then put it aside over and over again for years.

Then one day in early 2018, I got a lightning bolt idea: I’d take pairs of contrasting characteristics of the heart—for example, the fact that it’s singular (your “one and only”) and cooperative (part of the cardiovascular system), simple and complex, electric and muscular—and pair them up in poems I had never really thought about it until then, but to me, science, and especially the science of the human body, is poetic.

In 2020, we sold the manuscript to my wonderful editor, Ellen Cormier at Dial Books for Young Readers. She suggested Lauren Paige Conrad as the illustrator, and when I looked at Lauren’s cut paper illustrations, they blew my mind! Even before she signed onto the project, Lauren suggested putting each set of paired poems in different shades of 7 different colors — the colors of the rainbow! The finished art is beyond anything I could have ever imagined: vivid and sweet, fun and scientifically accurate. And the back matter illustrations are absolute genius! I hope this book draws many young readers into the fascinating world of human biology.

So without further ado, here is the cover of YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART, coming August 15, 2023, and available for preorder today!

Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the sweet kids and the hearts, both graphic and anatomical, and the wonderful colors! YOUR ONE AND ONLY HEART will release on August 15, 2023 and is available for preorder today!

Reading With Your Kids Podcast Interview!

​I had such a wonderful time talking with Jed Doherty, the host of the Reading With Your Kids Podcast!

You can listen to the whole interview, here.

Cover Reveal for A VACCINE IS LIKE A MEMORY!

I am SO delighted to share the cover of my next nonfiction medical-themed picture book, A VACCINE IS LIKE A MEMORY!

Beautifully illustrated by Kathleen Marcotte, this book will be released by Little Bee Books on June 20, 2023!

I was delighted to talk to Betsy Bird on her School Library Journal blog about the inspiration for this book and what I hope readers will get from it!

Winter Book Bazaar at the Writers’ Loft!

It was such fun participating in the 12/11 Winter Book Bazaar at the Writers’ Loft in Hudson, Massachusetts! I loved hanging out with readers, illustrators, and writers, including my good friend, Carrie Finison.