I’m sharing this remarkable photographic picture book a bit late, since it published more than a year ago. And yet it is exactly the right time. Fathers’ Day is just around the corner. This collaboration between succinct writer John Coy and gifted photographer Wing Young Huie is a homage to the purest, simplest ways in which Dads matter. Coy tags himself on his website: author, speaker, educator. To that i would add, Man of Few Words. They are, however, the right words.
Jacket copy quote from text:
“Dads work, dads share, dads laugh, dads fix.”
The spare text (just a few words per page) tags utterly, gloriously mundane photography by Huie in color and black/white. In each image, a father is featured, with offspring (often boys, but not exclusively), with other fathers or multiple generations.They represent a wide range of ages, identities, ethnicities, economic and social standings, and communities, few of them typically featured in such a universal concept book. In an era of selfies and casual “pix”, these images are both familiar and extraordinary. Each is a story in itself, framed and focused to invite our attention, trigger memories, welcome inquiry, and always recognize something deeply familiar. Both intense and minimalist, these pages have a powerful impact.
Often attributed to one of the most iconic sitcom dads of all time, some say,
This book reveals how showing up, being there, taking part in the lives of others is a foundational contribution beyond measure. I hope you’ll give it a good look, and then give it to a dad you know and love, even if your own dad isn’t around anymore.
If you subscribe to my newsletter and also to blog updates, this could reach you twice. Please forgive me, if that is the case, but I’m trying not to miss anyone who might be interested in joining in on this journey.
Today the countdown begins…
My first picture book will release exactly three weeks from today, July 6, 2021.
There are several ways to participate in the excitement:
A virtual BOOK BIRTHDAY event on July 6, an actual in-person outdoor event for those in the area on July 18, and a 10% discount on preorders through the publisher, Penit! Publications.
By the way, I heard earlier today that the discount code, PENIT10, was glitchy in the early hours. I requested a check on that, but please send a comment if you encounter a problem. The discount ends on release day.
If you did NOT get the newsletter with details, here are a few links that could help:
Both the virtual event and in person event include a chance to win a free copy of the book, so I’ll include that offer here. Anyone who comments here, from today through July 1 will be included in a drawing for a free copy of the book, signed by me AND Becky!
That’s about it for now, but watch for some upcoming reviews of OTHER great picture books involving Dads/Daddy/Fathers, just to set the mood for
IS IT OVER?
I’ve had requests to include the release sheet with full information, and so I am adding a download here for anyone interested.
When you choose a picture book and steps up to a counter, or click on a web page shopping cart, the last thing on your mind is the complex journey that brought that particular book to your hands You may select a picture book based on cover appeal, a catchy title, the back blurb, the subject matter, a recommendation, or even a full review. Seldom is the reason for a purchase based on the author or illustrator whose work made that book possible,.
That’s as it should be, even when considering all-star creators among the world of children’s books. The magic power of picture books is their ability to cast a spell on readers in ways we can’t entirely understand. The back story of the journey from idea to checkout counter is circuitous and challenging, even in the best of circumstances. Today I begin the process of revealing the magic I hope you’ll find in my new picture book, IS IT OVER?
In coming days and weeks I’ll be sharing some examples of those ups and downs and sidesteps, but today is a time to celebrate.
As of today, it is official.
My picture book, IS IT OVER? is not yet ready for sale (at an independent bookseller in your neighborhood, or an online shopping cart) but it will be, on July 6, 2021! For today, though, the cover reveal is featured on the amazing blog of a friend, colleague, and coach extraordinaire, Rochelle Melander.
I am thrilled to have reached this day, and here’s why:
In the publishing world, a cover reveal is as much a “NO TURNING BACK NOW!” shout to the world as it is an “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!” swoon of excitement. I hope that you’ll click over to Rochelle’s postto read some or all of my guest post about this book and how it came to be.
In case you are in a hurry, though, THIS IS IT!
Having my words and story become a book is joyous, but I’m doubly excited to share this cover to celebrate the GORGEOUS, lively, and sensitive illustrations of another friend and colleague,Wisconsin SCBWI artist Rebecca S. Hirsch. Click her name to see her website for some added sneak-peeks at a few interior scenes. If anything draws readers to this book it will be Rebecca’s storytelling illustrations, inviting browsers to check out the story, and helping them to fall in love with Risa and her Dad.
I hope to have Rebecca as a guest here in the coming weeks, sharing more about her approach to converting letters on a page (or screen) into a visual narrative that tugs at the heart and invites chuckles and smiles.
I’ll have more news about this cover reveal and about the back story of bringing this picture book to your hands, including Rebecca’s work in my newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed, you may want to, just to be sure you won’t miss any breaking news. Just scroll to the bottom of this page and click the SUBSCRIBE tab. I tend to send out three-to-four newsletters per year with some updates and seasonal wishes. To tell the truth, though, in the coming months I’m likely to send out a newsletter every there-to-four weeks, keeping you posted on reviews, events, availability, and more. Don’t worry though, after the wave of release activities subsides, I’ll resume a more seasonal approach. And if you try it but find you aren’t interested in receiving it, just unsubscribe.
If you’re a social media person, you can also tune into my ongoing news leading up to and after the release of IS IT OVER? Just use the tabs on my home page and follow. While you’re at it, follow Rebecca on Instagram: @rhirschillus and Twitter: @rhirschillus. Find Rochelle @WriteNowCoach, and the publisher @PenItPub.
As I said in the opening paragraph, books find their own fans. I’m not too shy, though, to invite any and all family, friends, and followers to jump on board this bandwagon and enjoy the ride with us!
All this week I’ve been sharing posts recommending picture books that can inspire and ignite a spirit of conservation and activism regarding our one and only planet, Earth. Today is the actual and official EARTH DAY, 2021, the fifty-first such day, and noteworthy for a variety of reasons. If you care to take a look at my picture book blog posts, I’d suggest starting with today’s, since it acknowledges the power of combined effort in Wisconsin’s Senator Gaylord Nelson’s effort to launch this environmental awareness and activism movement.
The post includes several picture booksthat will blow you away with the power of their text and illustration. It ends with a link to a YOUTUBE video of the song BLUE BOAT HOME, lyrics and music written by Peter Mayer. (If you don’t move over to that post, the title is linked here, too.
Why would I mention all this here? Because some changes are coming soon to this website.
By mid-May this location will expand and update to include information about the release of my first picture book. Watch for the cover reveal and details about celebration plans. This site will also be rolling in an addition page that will cross- post new picture book posts, ones that, until now, I’ve only had on my longstanding blog, UNPACKING THE POWER OF PICTURE BOOKS. Posts will soon appear on both sites in an attempt to reach readers with wide interests. And, if my best intentions are carried out, I will be reworking the archives on my picture book site to make archived posts more readily accessible for those seeking a “just right” book for particular readers, topics, and occasions.
For now, this post is simply to answer a few of the questions I hear, including:
ARE YOU STILL WRITING?
Oh, my, yes. But much of it has been behind the scenes. Stay tuned!
I’ve been eagerly awaiting my opportunity to share a review of this book for months. My timing is entirely in support of leading as many readers to find it, read it, share it, and celebrate it as possible. The release date is July 27, 2021, and I’m excited to host an interview with Rochelle here on July 30. I was honored to host the cover reveal post (HERE) for MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World Through Writing (I think you’ll enjoy learning more about the backstory of this book in that interview.)
If this introduction indicates that I’m a fan of the book, I’ve succeeded. I would have LOVED to have and work with this book while still teaching and planning writing activities in my classrooms. Even though my writing workshop opportunities with young people are fewer since I retired, I’ve already added it to lists of recommended books and will share examples from it during future school visits.
Rochelle and I are members of the same writing group, so I had the joy of hearing about this project in its early stages. That includes reading this the final result before it became available for sale. I expected wonderful writing, remarkable content, and a book I would love. MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD is all that, and more, including colorful illustrations and an appealing book design. In fact, I was privileged to offer a blurb, which I include here:
This remarkable book is packed with inspiration, motivation, and information. Writers who are featured within its pages range across millennia, gender and gender identity, culture, race, age, and professions. A consistent four-page structure for each profile provides facts in highly readable narrative, includes appealing art in bright colors, defines the writer’s purpose, suggests contemporary comparisons, and invites writers to apply those purposes in ways that are relevant to young lives. From famous (Anne Frank) to little-known (Qiu Jin, Chinese Revolutionary for Women’s Rights), the writers’ lives and mighty-mastery of the written word are revealed through brief quotations, with citations and a bibliography in back matter. A brief concluding chapter presents familiar tips (Writers read. Writers listen. Writers explore.) with each described through quotations from writers featured in earlier chapters. Whether reading from front to back, or dipping into the profiles using the helpful Table of Contents, this is a must-have resource for teachers and young writers. Honestly, writers of any age will want this book.
I admire Rochelle’s commitment to this project and her belief in and outreach to inspire and empower young writers. I particularly appreciate the depth of research that is her foundation for the range and reach of individuals she included, across time, geography, circumstances, gender, and fame (or lack of it). Every reader will find connections among the many examples included.
If this sounds as appealing to you as it does to me, it is available for preorder from Amazon, HERE, from Barnes and Noble, HERE, and from the publisher, Beaming Books, HERE.You might also support your local independent bookseller by asking them to pre-order for you. However you choose, even if that means waiting for the publication date and requesting it form your library, I urge you to read and share this book.
Today the countdown begins…
