Daddy Loves You!
Daddy’s joining my
“Loves You” family of books
in March!
Great Christmas News!
Grandma's Christmas Wish
and
Santa's Christmas Train
are board books!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Christmas Books
Grandma’s Christmas Wish
Now available in board book, Grandma's Christmas Wish celebrates the unique bond between a grandmother bunny and her grandbunny. It's a gentle reminder that multi-generational relationships mean so much and can bring such joy.
I love how this grandma bunny expresses herself so beautifully in her rhyming couplets. As the pair frolic in the burrow and the snow covered woods, Grandma shares her wishes which are so much more than material ones. Instead they're about spending time together and her feeling of unconditional love for her grandbunny. "But, you with your grin and all of your charms, you're my best present, just wrapped in my arms." Be prepared to smile with every lovely page turn in this heartwarming story just perfect for any little one's first Christmas. —Good Reads with Ronna, Christmas Board Book Roundup
"A gray grandma bunny expresses her love for her little bunny grandbaby in this sweetly sentimental sequel to Grandma Loves You! (2013). The short, gracefully rhyming text is written in first person from the grandma's point of view, stating her love for her grandchild in different ways. Her Christmas wish is for nothing more than hugs and kisses from the little bunny, and of course the best Christmas present for a grandparent is the great gift of the grandchild's mere existence. In the pictures, the kindhearted grandma helps the bunny put a star on the top of their tree, plays outside with the little one in the snow, and gives her grandchild a Christmas gift of a doll made from a pine cone and twigs. The text is playful and succinct, conveying emotion with just a few well-chosen words that will stand up to inevitable multiple rereadings. Soft-focus, detailed illustrations are filled with light in the rabbit's cozy burrow and in snowy outdoor scenes with falling snowflakes or bright moonlight. The rabbits are utterly charming, with emotionally appealing faces expressing their joy in being together and their loving relationship. Concluding pages include space for a letter from grandmother to grandchild as well as a photo, which makes this more suitable for a gift purchase than for libraries. Perhaps a little too sweet in tone for some, but most grandmas would love to read this to a grandchild. (Picture book. 2-4)"
—Kirkus Review
Powerful Picture Book Pick
As a seasonal read-aloud for the very young, this invites grandparents to participate in and explore their relationships with their grandchildren through an animal world and reader replete with large-sized, warm drawings."
—Powerful Picture Books in the November issue of
Recommended Reading, Donovan’s Literary Services
Santa’s Christmas Train (Ideals Children’s Publishing, 2015)
“All aboard! Santa’s Christmas train is coming to town, and children are welcomed aboard for a grand adventure to the North Pole. The lucky travelers get to see the sights along the way, the North Pole workshops, and, finally, Mrs. and Santa Claus themselves. The lively, humor-filled illustrations and lighthearted text will charm readers young and young at heart.”
Selected as the Scholastic Book Club Picture Book of the Month
in the US and Canada, 2015
Grandparent and Family Books
Grandma Loves You! (Sleeping Bear Press, 2013)
I wrote this book when I went to a store to buy a book for a friend of mine for her Grandma Shower after her little grandson was born. I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted so I knew I had to write this book!
• San Diego Book Award Nominee
• San Diego Book Award Nominee
And . . . see above for info about Grandma's Christmas Wish
Publishers Weekly Review: "In this inspiration-minded companion to Grandma Loves You! and Grandma's Christmas Wish, the straw-colored bunny from those books spends time with his grandfather. Writing in rhyme, James narrates from the perspective of the elder rabbit, while Brown shows the two rabbits playing in an autumnal woodland, flying a kite, burrowing into the ground, and swinging from a tree. Throughout, the grandfather offers encouragement to the younger bunny: "Be brave and take chances,/ have fun and enjoy,/ each moment, my love,/ my pride, and my joy." Using a lemony palette, Brown's soft images convey the joy of first experiences under the guidance of a doting loved one. A letter template with the salutation "a special letter for my grandchild" appears at the end, allowing gift-giving grandparents to personalize the story." Ages 2-5. (Feb.)
Kirkus Review: "A grandfather rabbit celebrates the birth of a new baby bunny and recounts the many adventures they will have. Grandpa--complete with bushy, white brows and gray, furry coat--is delighted when his grandbunny is born. Sweet prose follows the cotton-tailed duo. "Life is much better / with you, little one, / cutie pah-tootie, / my bundle of fun." They fly kites together, tell jokes, and burrow together in the ground. A large cast of woodland creatures scampers through the pages to watch the two bunnies frolic and play. Soft autumnal hues and piles of crunchy leaves warm this sentimental ode. Not tipping to saccharine too much, Grandpa gives wise words of advice: "Be brave and take chances, / have fun and enjoy, / each moment, my love, / my pride, and my joy." As with the previous works by this author-and-illustrator team (Grandma Loves You, 2013 and Grandma's Christmas Wish, 2014), a special section to write a letter from grandpa to grandchild and include a photo is appended in the back. A beloved grandparent gift purchase to be sure but also a toddler-friendly inclusion to an intergenerational storytime. (Picture book. 2-4)"
From the author–illustrator team behind the popular Loves You series (Grandma Loves You! and Grandpa Loves You!) comes a tribute to the most enduring bond of all, that between a mother and her child. In tender rhyming text, Mommy Bunny tells Baby of the love she feels in her role as a mother.
My heart’s full of love that blossoms and grows
from your little nose to those teensy toes.
You are my moonbeam, my stars in the sky.
My hopes and my heart, my cute, honey pie.
Accompanied by enchanting artwork, touching endearments express the devotion found within a mother’s heart. A heartwarming gift for every mother (and all mothers-to-be). Along with a presentation page, the book also provides space for a keepsake photo and a letter.
Grandma will be featured in another book where she writes letters to her grandchild.
And, I have lots of other ideas I’m working on!
Nonfiction Books
E is for Enchantment: A New Mexico Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press)
From the Ancient ones to the Zia sun on New Mexico’s flag, I present a short, four-line rhyme and a sidebar of expository text. It is beautifully illustrated by Neecy Twinem.
• The Willa Literary Award Nominee
• Land of Enchantment Award Finalist
• New Mexico State Legislative Gift Book
• New Mexico State Legislative Gift Book
• New Mexico State Adopted Textbook
S is for S’mores: A Camping Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press)
I started camping with I was four years old and met my husband on a camping trip. I HAD to write a book about camping! Letters from A to Z are presented with a little rhyme and a sidebar of expository text. It's beautifully illustrated by Lita Judge.
• Elementary California Collection
• San Diego Book Award Nominee
Historical Fiction
California Young Reader Medal Nominee
for the 2016-2017 school year,
Picture Books for Older Readers category.
http://www.californiayoungreadermedal.org
Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America with Virginia Shin-Mui Loh (Sleeping Bear Press, 2013)
*Starred Review* Twelve-year-old Lee does not want to leave China. Yet the responsibility for supporting his grandparents weighs heavily on his heart. He is to be a “paper son,” and he studies a coaching book that details the life he supposedly lives with his American father so he can dupe immigration officials in California. After tense good-byes, Lee is off across the Pacific in 1926, only to be detained on Angel Island (“the Ellis Island of the West”) with other Asian immigrants. They are treated like prisoners and fear deportation, but Lee knows that he must prove that he belongs with the family listed on his documents and is more than just their son on paper. In this poignant tale of home and heartbreak, which recalls Allen Say’s Grandfather’s Journey (1993), readers learn about the emotional toll that is part of so many immigration experiences. Ong’s light-infused paintings match the narrative’s subdued tone, and Lee’s dignity is evident in his upright posture as he bravely faces a new life in a foreign place. It’s not a story often told for this age, and readers will be drawn to Lee’s quiet determination as he grapples with the complexity of knowing that “I didn’t want to come, but now I need to stay.” Grades 3-6. —Amina Chaudhri
• Booklist Star Review
• Creative Child Award Preferred Choice Award, 2013
• Story Telling World Resource Award, 2014
• San Diego Book Award Winner, 2014
• Children's Book Committee Best Books, Center for Children's Literature, Bank Street College
• Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2014
• Picture Book Extravaganza, 2014
Board Books
Each of my board books presents a rhyming riddle
of a California or America topic.
of a California or America topic.
Turn the page and learn the answer.
Little America (Sleeping Bear Press)
Creative Child Board Book of the Year
Little California (Sleeping Bear Press)
Creative Child Board Book of the Year
Upcoming Board Books
Grandma Loves You! and Grandpa Loves You!
will be published as board books in 2017!
Nonfiction for Young Readers
21st Century Basic Skills Library—Splash
(Cherry Lake Publishing, 2015)
Splash! Discover Octopuses
Splash! Discover Penguins
Splash! Discover Sea Stars
Splash! Discover Sea Stars
Splash! Discover Seahorses
Five Book Series
Nature Walks Around the Country
from Cherry Lake Publishing, Fall 2017
