I’m super excited for my book launch next week for UNICYCLE DAD, by Sarah Hovorka and Alicia Schwab, published by Amicus Ink March 12, 2024.
I made new business cards, stickers and bookmarks.
UPCOMING BOOK SIGNING & SALES
March 16, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Rosemount Writers Festival in Rosemount, MN. Book signing and sale.
March 23, 10:30-Noon, UNICYCLE DAD, Alicia Schwab: Book signing and storytime at Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Avenue, St Paul, MN 55105
I’ve been reading lots of picture books, both picture books and picture book-graphic novels. Here’s some of my #libraryloot.
Stop That Yawn! by Caron Levis and LeUyen Pham. Levis’ text is spunky and fun. Pham’s character design is superb.
Gabby Wild has had enough of bedtime. Yawn, curl, snuggle, snore—what a bore!
So instead of tucking in, she jets out—with poor Granny in tow—to a place where beds are for bouncing, hushes are shushed, and it’s never too late for ice cream. But sometimes, even when you grit your teeth and seal your lips, it’s impossible to stop that…YAWN!
There’s a yawn on the loose! Can Gabby stop that yawn from spreading the snooze, or will it be lights out for Never Sleeping City?
48 pages, 4-8 years, Trim: 9 x 12 inches, October 2018, ISBN 978-1481441797
Lost & Found, by Shaun Tan
A collection of three jaw-dropping stories: The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits, by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Shaun Tan
128 pages, 12 years and up, Trim: 9 x 11.75, March 2011, ISBN 978-0545229241
The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man, by Michael Chabon and Jake Parker
Awesome Man can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly as straight as an arrow, and hug mutant Jell-O! Even villains like Professor Von Evil and the Flaming Eyeball are no match for this caped crusader. But Awesome Man also has a secret. . . . Can you guess what it is?
40 pages, 3-6 years, Trim: 8.5 x 11 inches, Sept. 2011, ISBN 978-0061914621
Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World, Mac Barnett and Dan Santat
Some kids are too smart for their own good...and maybe for everybody else's good. When an overly ambitious little girl builds a humongous robot for her science fair, she fully expects to win first place. What she doesn't expect is the chaos that follows! "I probably shouldn't have given it a superclaw, or a laser eye, or the power to control dogs' minds," she laments. Kids, don't try this at home!
40 pages, 3-7 years, Trim: 10.4 x 11.85, June 2010, ISBN 978-1423123125
I haven’t posted book reviews in a while. Check out what I’m reading from my local library!
I’ve been taking Rivkah La Fille’s Graphic Novel Writing Workshop via NE SCBWI. She has loads of good information. I highly recommend her courses.
We learned that for the graphic novel genre, authors focus on page count instead of word count. Graphic novel-picture books can have +32 pages. Most picture book authors aim to limit their manuscripts to 32 pages and 500 words.
Another great graphic novel course is from Ken Lamug via Storyteller Academy. This is a pace-yourself-style class that is great for busy people.
Welcome to Anorev, a land where time has no meaning. Robots work and children play, but the play is no fun and the work is no use. A curious boy named Ayden and his robot friend Zoe know that something's missing, but they can't imagine what it might be… until 314 identical men in green bowler hats fall from the sky. At last, our heroes have a chance to discover what happened to their world, what might start the clocks back up again, and what tomorrow really means. Blending clockwork whimsy with majestic art-nouveau visuals, Jim McCann and Janet Lee present a hand-crafted fairy tale that feels both familiar and entirely new in this prestige reprinting!
146 pages, 9-12 years, Trim 9.81 x 11.38 inches, August 2017, ISBN 978-1603094139
Without a word, The Wanderer presents one little paper boat's journey across the ocean, past reefs and between icebergs, through schools of fish, swaying water plants, and terrifying sea monsters. The little boat is all alone, and while its aloneness gives it the chance to wonder at the fairy-tale world above and below the waves, that also means it must save itself when it storms. And so it does.
96 pages, 8-14 years, Trim 9.4 x 12.35 inches, Oct. 2020, ISBN 978-1646140176
The brave captain of a tiny spaceship is surrounded by flying saucers. Though the situation appears dire, he knows just what to do … um, wait! The brave captain - ahem, boy - tells the author to stop the action: He’s got it all wrong. This is not the boy’s story. He belongs in a different story.
40 pages, 6-9 years, Trim: 8.85 x 11.3, June 2023, ISBN 978-1525303432
Welcome to Mad Scientist Academy! The first day of school is always exciting, and Dr. Cosmic’s new students can’t wait to get started. After their teacher reveals that their school pet, Oscar, is a dinosaur, they quickly realize Dr. Cosmic has an unusual teaching style. To find Oscar, the class has to follow the clues through the realistic dinosaur exhibit Dr. Cosmic designed and built over the summer. But when a malfunction causes the robotic dinosaurs to come alive, this prehistoric exhibit feels a little too real!
40 pages, 5-8 years, 8.6 x 11 inches, July 2017, ISBN 978-0553523782
A touching tale based on the author’s childhood experience. The narrative, revolving around a father-daughter relationship, adeptly relates the challenges of learning to ride a unicycle to the broader struggles in the father and daughter’s life. As the story unfolds, readers discover the family’s low-income status and the father’s journey to obtain his high school degree while navigating the responsibilities of single parenthood. Hovorka introduces many poignant moments, including her father’s graduation and subsequent disappointment at work resulting in him needing a second job, that showcase the harsh realities of financial struggles. The children adapt to his increased workload, with the daughter taking on more responsibilities at home. Schwab’s illustrations add a simple and realistic charm to the narrative. This book skillfully captures the emotions and challenges faced by the characters, making the story accessible and engaging for young readers.
A heartwarming story of family resilience and an empowering narrative about overcoming obstacles—a valuable addition to any collection. —School Library Journal
THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM
written by Tonya Duncan Ellis and illustrated by Jenin Mohammed.
Balzer and Bray, May 14, 2024
A moving picture book about the history of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas—and the origins of Juneteenth.
When people visit me, they are free—to run, play, gather, and rejoice.
They built me to remember.
On June 19, 1865, the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas learned they were free, ending slavery in the United States. This day was soon to be memorialized with the dedication of a park in Houston. The park was called Emancipation Park, and the day it honored would come to be known as Juneteenth.
In the voice and memory of the park itself—its fields and pools, its protests and cookouts, and, most of all, its people—the 150-year story of Emancipation Park is brought to life. Through lyrical text and vibrant artwork, Tonya Duncan Ellis and Jenin Mohammed have crafted an ode to the struggle, triumph, courage, and joy of Black America—and the promise of a people to remember.
Look at all these positive reviews for UNICYCLE DAD, written by Sarah Hovorka and illustrated by Alicia Schwab.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sarah knows her unicycle-riding dad is special--even as Sarah cooks, takes care of her brother, and does homework on her own. When her dad finally graduates from high school, gets a second job, and eventually lands a promotion, Sarah realizes there's so much more that's special about him. Unicycle Dad shares the inherent struggles and quiet joys of a single-parent, impoverished household. Raised by a single teenage father in poverty, author Sarah Hovorka grew up in a family structure lived by many but seldom represented in children's books. Illustrator Alicia Schwab captures the story with warm, expressive art.
Thank you, Vivian Kirkfield for hosting our UNICYCLE DAD cover reveal on her blog! https://viviankirkfield.com/ Enter to win a portfolio critique #giveaway from ALICIA! And a manuscript review from SARAH HOVORKA. Go to Vivian's blog to enter. Vivian will draw a winner by the end of October.
written by Sarah Hovorka and illustrated by Alicia Schwab
Amicus Ink, March 12th, 2024!
You can pre-order the book here.
@amicus_publishing @authorsarahhovorka @viviankirkfield
Here is the cover I designed. Preorder a copy of SPIRITS DANCING The Night Sky, Indigenous Knowledge, and Living Connections to the Cosmos
Photography by Travis Novitsky, Text by Annette S. Lee
Minnesota Historical Society Press (November 7, 2023)
An exploration of human connection to the aurora, the Milky Way, and the wonder of the universe above us, with gorgeous photographs by a master photographer.
I enjoyed designing this cover. Travis Novitsky’s photography is stunning.
Cover design: Alicia Schwab
MEATBALLS FOR GRANDPA
written by Jeanette Fazzari Jones and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett
Two Lions, Kids Books, Children’s Stories, March 12, 2024
I will update our list of fantastic picture books as they come in. 2024 here we come!
LINDEN: THE STORY OF A TREE
written & illustrated by Colleen Muske
Marble Press, March 2024
Meet our fabulous team of explorers! We all have new picture books in 2024. Check back for more news and giveaways.
ADAM MING linktr.ee/adamming
ALICIA SCHWAB linktr.ee/AliciaSchwab
COLLEEN MUSKE colleenmuske.com
JEANETTE FAZZARI JONES https://jeanettejones1981.wixsite.com/jeanettefazzarijo
JENIN MOHAMMED https://www.jeninmohammed.com/books/
MIRKA HOKKANEN smart.bio/mirkahokkanen
SARAH KURPIEL https://sarahkurpiel.com/
ZAINAB KHAN https://www.facebook.com/zainab.khan.967
Another lovely article in my local paper, the Downtown St. Paul Voice. Our book, THE HOUSE WE SHELTERED IN / THE MASKS WE WORE, was written by Freeman Ng and illustrated by 16 illustrators (including me).
The book is about the pandemic and how the world learned to live during this challenging time in our history. A dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book. The flippable dual structure of the book seemed a natural expression of its yin-yang nature. The first poem, The House We Sheltered In, is inward-looking. It’s about comfort and security. The second poem, The Masks We Wore, is outward-looking, about the actions we took in the world to combat the virus.
Order your copy today at www.pandemicpb.com
Minnesota Public Radio’s host, Emily Bright, of the show Minnesota Now, interviewed our team about our dual-volume picture book about life during the pandemic. The House We Sheltered In / The Masks We Wore. Listen to the broadcast.
St. Paul, Author Freeman Ng, and fourteen international artists collaborated nationwide to create a picture book that helps kids process their experiences during this difficult period. This picture book celebrates the joys of homebound life and the collective heroism of our fight against COVID-19.
The House We Sheltered In / The Masks We Wore is a dual volume: two stories that start from each end of a flippable book.
Three Daughters Press, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-9906197-9-6
Written by poet and author Freeman Ng and illustrated by a team of 14 artists:
Alicia Schwab, Annie Kuhn, Brigitte West, Cheryl Ann Warren, Eshanthie Tyner, Gabriela Vega, Haley Grunloh, Jessica Chrysler, Juliana Castro, Rebecca Hoenig, Ruby Michelle, Sara Nintzel, Olivia Pinney, and Wendy Roble.
“WHO says Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.” Thank goodness.
BOOK LAUNCH: Yes, I made a book with TWO covers! I collaborated with a team of creators from around the globe. We made a #pb flipbook celebrating the joys of homebound life and the collective heroism of our fight against COVID-19. By author Freeman Ng & 14 international illustrators: Alicia Schwab, Anaya Pinney, Annie Kuhn, Brigitte West, Cheryl Anne Warren, Eshanthie Tyner, Gabriela Vega, Haley Grunloh, Jessica Chrysler, Julianna Castro, Rebecca Hoenig, Ruby Michelle, Sara Nintzel, Olivia Pinney, and Wendy Roble. https://pandemicpb.com/
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Hooray! My art is featured this week in the ChildrensIllustrators.com newsletter. I am working in two styles: painterly and graphic. This image is graphic with bold shapes and colors.
FAMILY
“Love makes a family.”—Seamus Kirst
Stories about families are as varied as are the families themselves. Here are some examples. But the one thing these stories share is love.
TAKÓŽA: WALKS WITH THE BLUE MOON GIRL, Tara Perron / Alicia Schwab (that’s me!). Takóža (granddaughter) is an endearing, lyrical, illustrated children’s story about a young Dakota girl, Walks With the Blue Moon Girl, and her Kúŋši (grandmother). The grandmother teaches her Takóža through story while making star quilts, and planting and caring for a garden.
PAPA, DADDY & RILEY, Seamus Kirst / Devon Holzwarth. Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some families have same-sex parents because love is love.
PETER’S CHAIR, Ezra Jack Keats. “When Peter discovers his blue furniture is bing painted pink for a new baby sister, he rescues his unpaired chair and runs away.
GOGGLES!, Ezra Jack Keats. “Archie, look what I found,” Peter shouted. “Motorcycle goggles!”
BRACELETS FOR BINA’S BROTHERS, Rajani LaRocca / Chaya Prabhat. This year, Bina wants to make her three older brothers gifts for the Rakish Bandhan holiday all by herself. Learn about colors and patterns.
DAD AND THE DINOSAUR, Jennifer Choldenko / Dan Santat. When Nicholas loses his favorite toy dinosaur he has trouble facing his fears, but his dad helps him find his toy and his courage.
TAKE YOUR MAMA TO WORK TODAY, Amy Reichert / Alexandra Boiger. Sharpen your pencils, because today you need to help your mom at the office. There’s lots of things to do and to NOT do. oops!
What are you reading? This week, I’ve hauled a big stack of #libraryloot to the studio!
Bizzie Mizz Lizzie, by David Shannon
Beware the Monster, by Michaël Escoffier and Amandine Piu
Bug in a Vacuum, by Melanie Watt
That’s What Dinosaurs Do, by Jory John and Pete Oswald
Dragons Rules, Princesses Drool, by Courtney Pippin Mathur
Pandamonia, by Chris Owen and Chris Nixon
Gator Dad, Brian Lies
What Kind of Car Does a T-Rex Drive?, by Mark Lee and Brian Biggs
Billy Bloo Is Stuck in Goo, by Jennifer Hamburg and Ross Burach
The Snurtch, by Sean Ferrell and Charles Santoso
Bonkers, by Cath Jones and Chris Jevons
All the Wild Wonders, by Wendy Cooling and Piet Grobler
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein, by Linda Bailey and Júlia Sardà
Where is my Balloon?, by Ariel Bernstein and Scott Magoon
Gloria’s Big Problem, by Sarah Stiles Bright and Mike Deas
CINDERELLIOT
A Scrumptious Fairytale
by Mark Ceilley and Rachel Smoka-Richardson, and illustrated by Stephanie Laberis
AS: What’s your book about?
Mark/ Rachel: Cinderelliot is stuck at home taking care of his ungrateful stepsister and stepbrother. When Prince Samuel announces a kingdom-wide competition to join the royal staff as his baker, the stepsiblings insist that Cinderelliot bake their entries, leaving no time for he, himself, to compete.
Fairy Godfather Ludwig appears and magically helps Cinderelliot bake his best chocolate cake, clean up, and get to the competition via limo. At the bake-off, Prince Samuel falls in love with Cinderelliot’s cake, but our hero has to run off as the clock strikes midnight, leaving behind his chef hat.
The next day, Prince Samuel searches the kingdom for the owner of the hat and finds that it fits perfectly on Cinderelliot’s head. The prince is delighted to find not only his new baker but also the man of his dreams, and Cinderelliot creates a magnificent wedding cake–and the two live scrumptiously ever after.
AS: Tell me about yourselves. What inspired you to write this book?
MARK: I came up with the idea after reading the book Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack. This is a picture book about a prince and knight who fall in love and get married. Soon after I read it, I thought about Cinderella and wondered what it would be like to write a gay version. I wrote the first draft in July 2018.
The first draft had a sporting competition and two stepbrothers. That version had some trouble spots. I sent it to Rachel for feedback as we were friends and had met through Minnesota SCBWI conferences. We had also given each other feedback on other stories before CINDERELLIOT. www.markceilley.com
RACHEL: I graduated from the Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in writing for children and young adults. During my time there I fell in love with writing picture books. When Mark sent me the original draft of CINDERELLIOT for editing, I was charmed by Ludwig and excited about the story potential—but my editing started to change the story, so I asked Mark if he would be interested in co-writing the manuscript. He agreed, and we spent the next 12 months passing the manuscript back and forth before we shared it with my agent, Dawn Frederick. Here’s a quick plug for my other three books—middle grade mysteries CHEER FEARS and TRACK AND FIELD TRICK, and biography MILLICENT SIMMONDS: ACTOR AND ACTIVIST—published by Capstone Press and available to order from your favorite bookstore. www.rachelsmokarichardson.com
AS: Can you tell me about the illustrator?
Mark/Rachel: Our editor invited us to send her a list of illustrators we thought might be a good fit for CINDERELLIOT, which included Stephanie Laberis. Our editor and art director selected two illustrators (one being Stephanie) and sent us their websites for our thoughts. Ultimately, they chose Stephanie—known for illustrating the infamous Grumpy Cat in several Little Golden Books—who was the perfect fit. You can see more of her work at https://stephlaberis.squarespace.com/.
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Another big stack of #libraryloot I’ve been hauled to the studio! I’m reading for research. I support #FReadom (pushing back against book banning).
Fallingwater: The Building of Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterpiece, by Marc Harshman, Anna Egan Smucker, and LeUyen Pham
Sunday Funday in Koreatown, by Aram Kim
Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party, by James Dean and Kimberly Dean
Aliens Love DinoPants, by Claire Freedman and Ben Cortisones
The Fox on the Swing, by Evelina Daciutè and Aušra Kiudulaite
Eraser, by Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant
Brave Girl, by Michelle Markel and Melissa Sweet
XO, OX, by Adam Rex and Scott Campbell
The Knight Who Said “NO!”, by Lucy Rowland and Kate Hindley
Have You Seen my Trumpet? by Michaël Escoffier and Kris Di Giacomo
Keat’s Neighborhood: An Ezra Jack Keats Treasury, by Ezra Jack Keats
The Whatifs, by Emily Kilgore and Zoe Perisco
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin, by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet
Sleep Tight, Charlie, by Michaël Escoffier and Kris Di Giacomo