Interview Alert: Sherry Roberts

Please welcome multi-published children’s book author Sherry Roberts to Frog on a Blog. Today is All American Pet Photo Day, so it seems like a great day to feature Sherry and her brand new picture book Amica Helps Zoe, which is about a loveable rescue dog and the little girl who loves her.

I love dogs, and I love picture books about dogs. My little rescue dog recently passed away, so this story really tugged at my heartstrings. Let’s hear more from Sherry about this special picture book and some of her other books, which include nonfiction picture books, a middle grade series, and a new chapter book series.

Congratulations on the publication of your new picture book Amica Helps Zoe! Please share a little about the story and what inspired it.

SR: Attention, all dog lovers! Prepare to embark on a heartwarming journey with Amica and her rescue dog, Zoe. Set in a cozy neighborhood filled with leafy trees and friendly neighbors, Amica’s biggest challenge is convincing Zoe to enjoy walks. Despite Amica’s love for Zoe, she can’t help but feel frustrated and worried that Zoe will never overcome her fear of being abandoned. But with determination and love, Amica shows Zoe that a walk is just a fun adventure and not a scary separation.

This story was inspired by one of my nieces. When she was 5 years old, her family got their first dog. My niece wanted to walk her dog in the neighborhood, but her dog would not walk. Halfway through the walk, the dog would sit down and not move. My niece would have to carry the dog home. As the dog got bigger, it got harder for her to do. For Christmas, she asked Santa for a red wagon so she could ride the dog around the neighborhood. This solved her problem, and she was so happy.

As I was developing the story, I decided to make the dog a rescue dog. The dog I had at the time, Gizzie, would not take a walk, or a ride in the car. This was because he had been driven away from his home and thrown out in a field, abandoned. I thought about how rescue dogs often have problems with abandonment. This led to the story focusing on working with a rescue dog who had a fear of a walk leading to abandonment. I had tried to help Gizzie with walks and learned that so long as he could see the house, he was ok.

What path did you take to publish your book—traditional, self-publishing, or hybrid—and why?

SR: I have traditionally published a couple of books with very small publishers but found that to not be the path I wanted to take. I am now indie published through Solander Press. I find this to be an easier and more enjoyable path to publishing for me. I like the freedom to choose projects, illustrators, editors I work with, and basically a say in all the steps to publishing this allows me.

What do you hope young readers will take away from reading your book?

SR: With Amica Helps Zoe, I hope young readers learn that it is best to understand others before making a judgement and then to look for ways to help. For Amica, she became frustrated with Zoe because she wouldn’t walk. As Amica learned Zoe’s story, she better understands the reason Zoe doesn’t like to walk. Then Amica looked for a way to help Zoe learn to trust again.

It’s also important that young readers take away an understanding that old does not always mean it cannot become something useful again. As Amica says, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Amica figures out a way to reuse something her neighbor, Mr. Brown, is throwing out. She works to fix it up to use with Zoe to help with walking in the neighborhood. Young readers will learn about the importance of patience, understanding, and a theme that occurs in many books, friendship.

You also write chapter books and middle grade novels. Tell us about your The Galaxy According to CeCe series.

SR: Like many of my books, this is based on a time in my life. I’m the one who moved from North Carolina to Missouri right before the school year. I’m the one who moved into a house connected to an observatory. The feelings are very similar to ones I had but, from there, the story changes from my life to the story of Cece. This middle grade series is about change (book 1), friendships (book 2), and closure (book 3).

Book blurb for Book 1, The Galaxy According to Cece:

CeCe is having a ‘badventure’. What if her new school doesn’t have band tryouts? Or a soccer team? What if CeCe can’t make new friends? Moving across the country was hard enough, but the new house is an unusual house, and there definitely is something haunted about it.

Excited about her first year of middle school, CeCe and her friends anticipated all the fun they would have transitioning from elementary school to middle school. That was until the BIG announcement. Her family was moving across the country for her father’s job as an astronomer.

Starting the new school doesn’t go well, the class popular girl sets her sights on CeCe as she attends tryouts for the school soccer team and band. Making friends is difficult when the rumors swirl that the observatory is haunted. There are only so many “what ifs” for one eleven-year-old girl to think about. As CeCe balances her anxiety and comes to terms with her new situation, she starts to make forward strides in her new life embracing what the galaxy has given her.

Book 2, The Galaxy According to Cece: The Mysterious Dr. Pruitt:

Cece thought she had finally begun to settle into her new home, school, and town. Until the unexpected happened. The ghost of Dr. Pruitt, the scientist who built the observatory, appears and turns her life upside down. Is he a friendly ghost or a vengeful one? And why can only she see him?

Book 3, The Galaxy According to Cece: The Stars Align:

Cece never expected her friendship with Dr. Pruitt to take a sudden turn, but when she and her friends discover a secret room in his domain, tensions rise. With their curiosity piqued and Dr. Pruitt’s disapproval looming, the friends must decide whether to push forward or back away. Will he allow them to use what they know, or will he continue to hide from them and create even more problems?

You’ve also written nonfiction picture books, which you photo-illustrated yourself. How do you decide which topics to write about?

SR: My two non-fiction were fun to do. The first, Sonnet, Sonnet, What’s in Your Bonnet?, features a variety of flowers that I photographed from my own garden and public gardens around town. The story tells fun facts about each flower that readers, young and old, may not have known. For example, do you know what flower is the international flower of love? If you say the rose, that would not be correct. It is actually a red tulip. Why is the blanket flower called the blanket flower? Ever seen a leopard lily? Answers to all the questions and so many more may be found in this book.

The second book, A Visit Through the Wetlands, takes the reader through a local wetlands to see the foliage, water fowl, amphibians, animals, and so much more that may be found when wandering through wetlands. This book was written to encourage families to not only visit this local wetlands but to find designated wetland areas when on vacation and take a tour to see all that may be found of nature in these beautiful reserves.

Where can people learn more about you and your books or connect with you online?

SR: My website features all my books, and talks more about me, and a blog that features many of my author friends, and educational resources for many of my books (more to be added). The address is www.sjrobertscreative.net.

People may also connect with me on the following social media channels:

Instagram: Instagram

Threads: @sjrobertscreative

Facebook: Facebook or Facebook

My email address is sjroberts@sjrobertscreative.net.

I look forward to hearing from you and others to talk about my books or just visiting. Look for a new chapter book series coming August 1, 2025, for readers ages 6-8.

Sherry Roberts is an award-winning children’s book author. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Louisville. She has written multiple award-winning picture books such as Hello, Can I Bug You?, Gabriel and the Special Memorial Day, What’s Wrong with Barnaby, and The Best Reading Buddy. Her newest, Amica Helps Zoe, was featured in Kirkus’ e-newsletter, June 2025, and received a Get It: Recommend review.

As a former middle school teacher, Dr. Roberts decided to write her first middle-grade novel. Her debut novel, The Galaxy According to CeCe, is the first book in a three-book series. It was officially released on February 24, 2024. Book two, The Galaxy According to Cece: The Mysterious Dr. Pruitt, was released August 2024. Book three, The Galaxy According to Cece: The Stars Align, released February 2025.

Interview Alert: Lauren Briére

Please welcome talented author and illustrator Lauren Briére, along with her whimsical robot pals, to Frog on a Blog! Lauren’s new picture book, Alphabot Adventures, which is part of her Robots In Rowboats series, is bursting with adorable, friendly, inquisitive, amusing, kind, and even pensive robots that kids will LOVE!

This fun and colorful concept book, published by Blue Star Press, features the alphabet, and it “will have your little one laughing and learning from A to Z!” Each of the 26 robots shares something very special about itself, its hobby or something it simply enjoys, with many of the things being animal or nature related, for example, D Bot delights in the company of dogs, and E Bot enjoys exploring everywhere among the evergreens. (I had a very difficult time choosing favorites to include in this interview. I had so many!)

This book is sure to be a hit with robot-loving children (and adults) everywhere! Let’s learn more from Lauren about Alphabot Adventures!

Congratulations on the publication of your new picture book Alphabot Adventures! What inspired you to create a concept book about robots? And where does your love for robots come from?

LB: Thanks so much! Well, I’ve been riding this wave of oil paintings of robots for about 11 years now, and I figured I’d keep it going in book format! After all, I got my art degree in children’s book illustration. Since there’s such a massive amount of choices of ABC books out there, I thought- Why not throw my own into the mix?! The idea of the robots initially started by randomly painting a robot in a rowboat because I simply liked the alliteration of it all. The wording ‘rolled off the tongue’ and onto a canvas, and a rabbit hole of quirky & sweet ideas opened up.

**copyright © 2025 by Lauren Briére/accompanying text: J Bot just enjoys living among jellyfish.**

Why did you decide to pair robots with nature and outdoor activities (which I love, btw!)?

LB: It just came so naturally! Admittedly, I wish I could claim there was more forethought, but, I guess, instinctually, I like unifying objects in juxtaposition and bonding them through empathy.

Your illustrations are so whimsical and detailed! Please tell us a little about your art process when you were working on your book and what media you used.

LB: I started with phrasing, sweet and silly to begin with, and the imagery just followed. My process is much like filling in a coloring book page. Once I’ve got a sketch I like, the oil painting just appears before me on gessoed wood-panel.

**copyright © 2025 by Lauren Briére/accompanying text: N Bot navigates nature under the northern lights.**

How are you able to give each robot its own personality?

LB: ? It’s all in the eyes and child-like poses & gestures, which we all can relate to: to some capacity, in heart, there’s a child within us all. I generally just paint stuff that I like… and I just love relatable, gentle, and sweet things that emanate humor and curiosity.

Why do you feel picture books are important for kids?

LB: I believe that imagery imprints itself in young minds. For example, I can’t recite the exact wording of my favorite book from when I was little, but I’ve got pictures and the mood that I perceived from it forever in the back of my mind, stirring a flavorful nostalgia soup. I’d like to think I’m able to do what I can now as an adult because I can frequently sample from it!

**copyright © 2025 by Lauren Briére/accompanying text:** **Z Bot is a zany zoologist.**

What do you hope children will take away from reading your book?

LB: I hope they absorb the overall curiosity of the Bots’ amusement in their letters. The alliteration I used when writing the book was utilized as a tool to pique their interest in language and the written word, while the imagery sets the tone and hopefully sparks memory.

Will there be more picture books starring your loveable robots in the future?

LB: ABSOLUTELY! I’m currently working on a concept where robots learn about a variety of sports. Through illustrations, viewers will see how these sweet robots experience competition, strategy, strength, and FUN. Eventually, there’ll be a similarly themed book about music & instruments.

Lauren Briére, a true product of the 80’s: watches too many movies and eats popcorn as a meal more often than not. She grew up in Wrentham, MA, and got her BFA in illustration from MassArt in Boston. She works in Austin, TX, now and works on the painting series, Robots In Rowboats. Her professional artist’s resume consists of work ranging from children’۪s book illustration, designer rain umbrellas “Over Our Heads”, animated music videos (two of which for the awesomely sweet band, The Weepies), and quirky paintings to amuse her young daughter.

To learn more about Lauren, her books, and her art, visit her website Robots In Rowboats or follow her on Instagram. Prints of some of her gorgeous robot art is available for purchase via her website. And her book Alphabot Adventures is available on Amazon as well as through several other vendors.

My View Book Review: COUNTING WINTER by Nancy White Carlstrom

Title: Counting Winter

Author: Nancy White Carlstrom

Illustrator: Claudia McGehee

Publisher/Year: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers/2024

Format: Hardcover

Counting Winter, written by Nancy White Carlstrom and illustrated by Claudia McGehee, was published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers in 2024. In this fun seasonal tale, readers count woodland animals (and some exuberant children) from 1 to 12, beginning with 1 red fox silently walking through the forest.

I don’t usually review concept books, but I love, love, love picture books set in winter! Just the dreamy way the snow is often illustrated with whites and blues and other hues warms my heart. And this book is no exception. The illustrator used scratchboard and watercolor to create the dynamic art featuring all of the creatures that the author introduces and the reader follows deeper and deeper into the snow-covered, tree-dotted woods. Along with the stealthy fox, we meet talkative ravens, silent snowshoe hares, soaring golden eagles, strong musk oxen, bright-eyed owls, and more.

I like the simplicity of the text, conveying what each type of animal might do in nature, and the author includes a bit of internal rhyme (tracking, cracking) with each page turn and ends each line with winter.

“One red fox walks across the white snow quietly stalking winter.”

“Two ravens croak and gurgle cutting the sounds out of forty below raucously talking winter.”

Perfect for this time of year, Counting Winter is a lovely picture book showcasing a winter wonderland, dozens of busy animals, and lots of swirling, twirling snowflakes. Back matter features an author’s and an illustrator’s note imparting their inspiration and creative process, respectively, as well as more information about each species of animal.

Common Ravens are considered highly intelligent birds and have been known to mimic the calls of other birds and even human words. They’re also skilled flyers and can also, surprisingly, fly upside down!

My View Book Review: HELLO, RAIN! by Katherine Pryor and Rose Soini

Title: Hello, Rain!

Author: Katherine Pryor

Illustrator: Rose Soini

Publisher/Year: Schiffer Kids/2024

Format: Board Book

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a board book here on Frog on a Blog. But board books are essentially picture books, just in a different format. They’re for the littlest book aficionados, infants to about three years old. Thanks to their extra-sturdy covers, board books hold up well in the hands and mouths of these future readers.

Today, I’m pleased to share, on a rainy Wednesday here at home, Hello, Rain! by Katherine Pryor, with illustrations by Rose Soini. Hello, Rain! was published by Schiffer Kids in 2024. It’s the second in the “Hello,” series, following Hello, Garden!, by the same author and illustrator, which received the IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) Benjamin Franklin Gold Award in 2022 for its age category.

Both books feature the same diverse family. And, as you can see from the covers, the kids are the stars. In Hello, Rain!, readers follow the family as they set off to play in the rain. The children enjoy splashing in puddles and drawing in mud until a thunderstorm drives them all back to the safety and comfort of home where a family story time, followed by a bubble-filled bath, proves to be the perfect way to end the day.

copyright © 2024 by Katherine Pryor and Rose Soini

The rhyming, rhythmic text adeptly uses short sentences and simple noun/verb pairs to create mood and movement throughout the story. The colorful illustrations, which I believe are watercolor, depict sweet kids and lots of outdoor scenes, including birds, squirrels, trees, and plants. Parents will have fun pointing out a sleeping mouse, baby robins, and curious worms. What I like most about this book is just the pure joy the kids express while playing outside in nature.

Hello, Rain! is a great choice for the little book and nature lovers in your life!

On average, American Robins lay 3-4 eggs in a clutch but only 1 egg per day. They also typically lay more than 1 clutch of eggs throughout the nesting season.

Nature as a Nurturer by Kerry Aradhya

I’m excited to welcome author Kerry Aradhya to Frog on a Blog! Her debut picture book, Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube, which is a biography of Hungarian architect and inventor Erno Rubik, the creator of the iconic Rubik’s Cube, just published this month by Peachtree. As you may know, the focus of my blog changed this year to feature animal and nature-themed picture books almost exclusively, so when Kerry reached out to say that nature played a pivotal role in Rubik’s creative process, I was intrigued. I asked Kerry to write a guest post about the role nature played in Rubik’s creative process and how nature might also help the creative process of picture book authors. Lucky us, she gladly agreed! Please read Kerry’s fantastic guest article below. If you’re a picture book writer or any type of creative, you just might be inspired!

Nature as a Nurturer by Kerry Aradhya

What do you do when you’re stuck on a revision or can’t quite figure out the ending (or maybe the middle, if you’re like me) of your latest picture book manuscript? Has nature ever factored into your solution?

In Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube (my debut picture book with illustrator Kara Kramer), Ernő Rubik encounters his own unique problems as he sets out to design a cube made up of smaller cubes that twist and turn around each other. One of those problems is that he needs a way to hold all the smaller cubes together so his three-dimensional model doesn’t fall apart. Although his passion for puzzles and his background in art and architecture came in handy, it was nature that arguably played the biggest role in helping him find a solution.

During my research for this book, I learned that young Ernő Rubik spent many summer vacations by the lake with his family, and those memories stayed with him throughout his life. In his memoir Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All, Rubik poetically describes several of his experiences by the lake, including how the water and surrounding hills transformed during a storm. “There is darkening in the water, then a white line races towards you, followed closely by a pitch-black mass, which only a second ago was an innocent, gentle green,” he writes. He clearly understood the power, surprise, and inspiration that nature can bestow.

Interior from *Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube*. Text © 2024 by Kerry Aradhya. Illustrations © 2024 by Kara Kramer. Used with permission from Peachtree Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.

Years later, it was during a walk by another body of water—the Danube River—that Ernő Rubik came up with the idea to use a round internal mechanism to hold all the pieces of his cube together. Watching the river water swirling and twirling around some round pebbles along the shore was the impetus. When he set out for his walk that day, Rubik probably had no idea how it would affect his creative process. But, given his lifelong connection to nature, he likely had an inkling that it could affect it in some way.

As I reflect back on all the manuscripts I’ve written over the years, I see that nature has played a role in my creative process as well. In fact, I recently (meaning just a few minutes ago, as I was writing this post) reviewed all the poems I have published in children’s magazines and discovered that two-thirds of them have nature themes! Now that I’m thinking about it, I do remember walking in our neighborhood many times, paying attention to the sights and sounds around me, letting my mind roam freely, catching any interesting ideas that fluttered by, so I could play with them when I got home.

Although it’s difficult to find the time and resources for overnight writing retreats, I’ve been fortunate to have gone on a few over the past decade. The longest was a week spent at the Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, near the Santa Cruz Mountains in Northern California. Nestled among the redwoods, with a garden outside my door and trails through the forest only steps away, I had one of the most productive weeks I’ve ever had in terms of my creative writing.

In each of these scenarios, being away from my normal environment, responsibilities, and stressors allowed me to relax and open my mind, because that’s what nature does—whether you’re in it for days, hours, or merely minutes. So next time you’re stuck on a revision or can’t quite figure out the ending (or maybe the middle, if you’re like me) of your latest picture book manuscript, consider spending some time in nature. It could affect your creative process in ways you might not expect, or even realize. Nature is powerful, surprising, inspiring. Nature is a nurturer.

Kerry Aradhya has loved puzzling over words and immersing herself in the creative process ever since she was a little girl growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania. She is the author of the picture book biography Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube (Peachtree, 2024) and more than a dozen poems in award-winning children’s magazines such as Babybug, Ladybug, and Highlights High Five. She also supports young writers in her role as a mentor and collaborating artist with the nonprofit Society of Young Inklings.

When not writing for children, Kerry works as a freelance science writer and editor, performs with a quirky modern dance ensemble, and occasionally muses about children’s literature and dance at her blog, Picture Books & Pirouettes. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, their two daughters, and one cute but naughty pooch named Sofie.

To keep up with Kerry, visit her website https://www.kerryaradhya.com/. Or follow her on social media: Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/kerryaradhya, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerry.aradhya/, Blog: http://kerryaradhya.blogspot.com

Two Tree-Mendous Picture Books For Arbor Day And Earth Day (My View Book Review)

Title: Hello, Trees

Author: Bailey Bezuidenhout

Illustrator: Maria Lebedeva

Publisher/Year: Kane Miller/2023 (first American edition)

Topic/Theme: Trees, seasons, nature, emotions, self-reflection

Of Note: Expressive text and illustrations

Title: Tree Spirits

Author: Louise Wannier

Illustrator: April Tatiana Jackson

Publisher/Year: True Roses Books/2023 (second edition)

Topic/Theme: Trees, emotions, imagination

Of Note: Rhyming text, interactive illustrated overlays, and color photographs

I love trees of all shapes and sizes, so it’s my pleasure to share today, just in time for Earth Day and Arbor Day, which are both this week, two children’s picture books that take our relationship with trees to the next level. Before I tell you more about these books, let me back up just a bit. I mentioned that I love trees, but so do kids! There’s an interesting fascination that kids have with trees. Maybe it’s because trees are so big and kids are small. Or maybe it’s because trees come in many shapes and sizes and even colors. Trees are fun to climb and play in or play under. And trees often hold surprises, like birds and nests, squirrels and nuts, and pinecones and flowers. Let’s not forget the trees that change color in fall, like maples and oaks, and provide piles of crunchy leaves to jump in.

Yes, kids love trees, and that’s a good thing because trees are so very important in many ways. They remove carbon dioxide from the air we breathe, filter water, slow flooding, provide shade, support wildlife, and supply food and even medicines. My hope is that kids will take their love for and fascination with trees into adulthood and always appreciate them and find ways to protect them and our environment. In the meantime, picture books, like the ones I’m sharing today, will help kids love trees even more.

Hello, Trees is a lyrical story that follows a little girl through the seasons from spring to winter and back around to spring again. The kind, unnamed girl clearly cares about trees and has many questions that show her concern for their wellbeing. She wonders if they have souls. She compares their trunks and roots and branches to bodies, legs, and arms. And she asks if they feel pain or cold. The text is simple yet thought provoking, and it also evokes emotions, such as happiness and sadness. The illustrations are charming and full of life. As the seasons change, we see leaves just beginning to sprout in spring, branches overflowing with green leaves in summer, fall-colored leaves in autumn (as in the picture below), and bare trees surrounded by snow in winter. Along the way, we meet an abundance of insects, birds, and squirrels. On a couple of spreads, the girl shares names of trees she knows, like pine and willow, and some with strange sounding names, like wisteria and rainbow eucalyptus. Overall, this is a lovely book to share with the tree lovers in your family.

Image from Hello, Trees/copyright © 2023 by Bailey Bezuidenhout and Maria Lebedeva

Back cover blurb: This is a book about trees. Do trees have souls? Why do they have such wrinkly skin? Do they smile? And how do they feel about birds’ nests in their branches? Let’s find out.

Tree Spirits is a fun, interactive picture book that also asks questions and introduces emotions and features cute animals, but in a very different way from the first book. Simple, rhyming text and color photos of various trees on each spread encourage kids to use their imaginations as they ask themselves what they see when they look at each tree. Here’s how it works: A tree is pictured on one page, then you turn the page and see the same tree with an illustrated overlay depicting an animal. About 10 different animals are included, such as an alligator, a rabbit (see the cover image above), an octopus, and a horse. Here’s the text that goes with the first tree image below: “Oh my, what have we here? I see five columns standing quite near.” Then, after the child turns the page, they see the next image (second image below), which has an illustrated overlay, and we read: “Could it be a young elephant deep in a funk, crying big tears as they run down his trunk? Little elephant is feeling quite sad.” This book is for tree enthusiasts of all ages, especially those who love to stretch their imaginations, and it’s also a good first introduction for kids to different feelings, including more complicated ones, like eagerness, shyness, and alertness.

It’s worth noting that the reader may not always see the same image in the shape of the tree that the author or illustrator saw (I know I didn’t), and that’s part of the fun! For example, where they saw an alligator, I saw a dinosaur!

Out of the 25 known species of chipmunks (small, striped members of the squirrel family), 24 species are found only in North America.

Welcome 2024 and a (slightly) New Blog Focus!

Hello, everyone, and Happy New Year! I want to say how much I appreciate all of my blog followers, old and new, especially those of you who have liked, shared, or commented on any of my posts throughout the past year, and those who have stuck with me for many years. Frog on a Blog turns 15 in the fall, and I wouldn’t have kept going if not for all of you. Thank you ❤️

In the spirit of starting fresh for the new year, and because of my love for all things animals and nature, I’ve decided to tweak Frog on a Blog just a tiny bit. I will still be sharing and celebrating picture books with reviews, guest posts, and interviews, but my focus will be on picture books that feature animals and/or nature in some way.

So be on the lookout for new picture book reviews in the coming weeks and months. And if you’re an author or illustrator with a picture book that includes animals or nature, I want to hear from you. Whether it’s a book about discovering the joys of a hike in the woods or just one little dog in the background of a story set in a big city, if it has anything to do with animals or nature, I’m interested. Reach out via my Contact Form, and, who knows, maybe you’ll be featured on Frog on a Blog very soon. I will continue to be open to spotlighting picture books of all sorts, with or without animals and/or nature, with Happy Book Birthday posts.

To accompany some of my upcoming book reviews, Finley (the frog on a blog) will share interesting animal or nature facts, like the one below.

A male African elephant can weigh as much as 14,000 pounds.

Thanks again for following Frog on a Blog. I can’t wait to share many more beautiful picture books with you this year! Stay tuned!

Two Books Full Of Love (My View Book Review)

Title: Like So

Author: Ruth Forman

Illustrator: Raissa Figueroa

Publisher/Year: Little Simon/2024

Topic/Theme: family, grandparent/grandchild relationships, nature appreciation, love

Of Note: Gorgeous, dreamy illustrations

Title: Same Love, Different Hug

Author: Sarah Hovorka

Illustrator: Abbey Bryant

Publisher/Year: Clarion Books/2023

Topic/Theme: family, friendship, personal space/boundaries, love

Of Note: Fun, bouncy rhymes

Both of these lovely picture books are gentle and poetic but in different ways. And both would make excellent gifts, perfect to share with little readers.

Like So follows a grandmother and grandchild as they spend time together indoors and out throughout the seasons. They pick berries, cook, walk through the forest, build a snowman, and gaze at the stars together. The text is lyrical and simple: I kiss you like so. You kiss me like so. I hug you like so. You hug me like so. We got love…like so. The vivid illustrations are absolutely spectacular and the real star of the book.

**Image from *Like So*/copyright © 2024 by Ruth Forman** **and Raissa Figueroa**

Summary from the jacket flap: A tribute to the powerful bond of love shared by families, especially between grands and grandchildren, Like So shines with a love as natural and connected as the world around us.

Same Love, Different Hug follows a child who loves to hug but wonders what other people like and sets off to discover the answer from their family and friends. The digitally created illustrations are cheery and energetic and feature a cast of diverse kids and adults. Readers will delight in the text, which features internal and end rhymes, and flows at a nice pace: On these days, Daddy likes a sag, droop, need-a-group hug.

**Image from *Same Love, Different Hug*/copyright © 2023 by Sarah Hovorka** **and** **Abbey Bryant**

Summary from the jacket flap: Same Love, Different Hug is a gentle picture book that looks at how different people connect and navigate boundaries, modeling social-emotional skills for the youngest among us.

Interview Alert: Jennifer Raudenbush (+ a Giveaway!)

Please welcome children’s author and poet Jennifer Raudenbush to Frog on a Blog. Jennifer and I first crossed paths during a critique session on the online writing platform Inked Voices. I’m thrilled to have her with us today to talk about her beautiful debut picture book In the Palm of My Hand, which just released in March by Running Press Kids. Jennifer and I are both nature lovers, and clearly the natural world was a huge inspiration for her when she wrote the text of this expressive book. Let’s hear more from Jennifer about the book and what inspires her creativity. Be sure to read to the end to find out how you can win a signed copy of In the Palm of My Hand!

Congratulations on your lovely and poetic debut picture book In the Palm of My Hand! Please tell us a little bit about it and why this story was important for you to tell.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Lauri!

In the Palm of My Hand, released by Running Press Kids, is about a child who takes a nature walk and discovers tiny things—like an acorn or a wildflower—hold big possibilities, big potential, just like he does. Ultimately, it delves into the big picture ideas of connection and self-esteem.

I hope it encourages little (and big) people to go outside and explore their corners of the world. To stop and notice. To savor. The book is a bit meditative and invites taking a rest from all the doing to just “be” for a while. When my son was younger, he was rambunctious, to say the least. Time in nature always calmed and focused him.

My goal with In the Palm of My Hand, a lyrical love letter to the natural world, is for readers to fall in love with both the beauty of words and the beauty of nature.

How did you feel when you held your new picture book for the very first time? Did Isabella Conti’s beautiful artwork blow you away?

It was a thrill to hold my debut for the first time! I call it “the heart of my heart,” and it reminded me of what it feels like for a new mom to have her child, her heart, walking around outside her body.

I’d gotten to see Isabella’s sketches along the way, but it did not prepare me for seeing the entire, amazing colorized version. Especially in her landscapes, she captures nature’s wonder and awe. I love the way the text and pictures pair together to tell a stronger story and create depth of feeling.

Isabella also had a professionally produced video made showing how she painted the illustrations. Your readers can watch her 2 ½ minute video HERE (scroll down the page).

As a picture book and middle grade novel writer as well as a poet, what most inspires your creativity?

This is an easy one to answer! Nature. My husband, teenage son, and I are surrounded by eastern Pennsylvania woods, and I walk my Westie pup Mazy every day. But whenever we travel, all of nature inspires me.

Another big source of creativity for me is reading. I try to begin every morning by reading poetry. Later in the day, I’ll read both fiction (mostly middle grade) and writing craft books. I tend to binge picture books after a trip to the library or while browsing in a bookstore.

How does your experience as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist influence your picture book writing?

You’ve really done your homework, Lauri! While a Speech-Language Pathologist, I specialized in pediatrics because I loved children. I definitely bring that love of children into my picture book writing. Also, I’ve always been smitten by words and language, which I both studied and used every day in that profession.

Why do you feel picture books are important?

For so many reasons! First, reading picture books forges a bond between parent, relative, teacher, or librarian and the child or children. This bond is special, meaningful, and deep. Reading together helps children learn vocabulary, story, and the sounds of words. It helps teach them to read, as they follow the words on the page. It develops in them a love of literacy. Finally, picture books, like all books, encourage compassion and understanding of other human beings through inhabiting other perspectives and understanding other viewpoints.

Please share some of your favorite picture book authors.

In the picture book space, my favorites include Beth Ferry, Carter Higgins, Joyce Sidman, Dianne White, and Pat Zietlow Miller. I tend to gravitate toward lyrical, poetic texts, because that’s my strength, but I also really enjoy humorous picture books.

What’s next for Jen Raudenbush? What projects are you working on right now?

I’m continuing to work on picture books, but I spend the bulk of my time writing middle grade novels. I’m currently revising my fourth (my third is on submission with editors). What I’m really excited about is taking my first verse novel class with Laura Shovan in May. I’ll be able to meld poetry with middle grade novels, and I can’t wait to tackle this new challenge!

Where can fans connect with you online?

Thanks for asking! I love connecting with people. The easiest way to reach me is through my Linktree HERE, where I have a fun newsletter your readers can sign up for. I’ll also list my links separately:

Website: jenraudenbush.com , Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY!

Jennifer is generously giving away a signed copy of In the Palm of My Hand to one lucky person who comments on this post! Just leave a comment by May 31st for your chance to win. I’ll choose a winner at random and connect them with Jennifer. This Giveaway is open to US residents only. Good luck!

Jennifer Raudenbush feels most alive when she’s creating stories, especially picture books, poetry, and middle grade novels. Jen lives with her husband and teenage son in eastern Pennsylvania, where its natural beauty provides endless inspiration. She has been published in Cricket children’s magazine, the 10.10 Poetry Anthology and Two Truths and a Fib Poetry Anthology. She is represented by Natascha Morris at The Tobias Literary Agency. IN THE PALM OF MY HAND, illustrated by Isabella Conti, Running Press Kids (Hachette), is Jen’s first published picture book.

My View Book Review: The Adventures of a Girl & Her Dog in the Mountains

Title: The Adventures of a Girl & Her Dog in the Mountains

Author: Dagny McKinley

Illustrator: Ostap Stetsiv

Publisher/Year: Undiscovered Earth Publications/2012

Favorite Line: The girl’s soul lived in the mountains where trees grow into the clouds.

A barefooted young girl and her dog explore the wonders of nature that surround their home in the mountains. They spend all day outside playing, inspecting, observing, relaxing, and enjoying their natural world. They pick flowers, drink from streams, listen to the quiet sounds, get dirty, and breathe in the fresh air. They feel content. They feel happy. They feel at home.

The Adventures of a Girl & Her Dog in the Mountains is a super sweet ode to nature. The text is lyrical, almost like a song. It’s quiet, like the country life it portrays. Yet, author Dagny McKinley’s affinity for the outdoors, her love of nature, comes through strong and clear. Ostap Stetsiv’s illustrations are vibrant and lovely, conveying a world in which, if you were to step into the book, you could hear the crickets chirping and the birds singing. Maybe you would even feel the breeze on your skin.

I was immediately drawn to this book because I can’t resist picture books about dogs. (I’ve mentioned before that my own dog inspires much of my writing.) But after reading the story, I find myself drawn more to the girl, who, even though we get to know her through her interactions with her dog and with nature, still feels like a bit of a mystery to me. Who is this girl? Why does she live in the mountains? Who are her parents? I want to know more about her and I think kids will be curious too. Perhaps we’ll discover more in McKinley and Stetsiv’s next book The Adventures of a Girl & Her Dog in the Snow.

28269060