A Fiction Picture Book Giveaway! Winners listed now...

Congratulations to Dawn and Christa VZ, your book are in the mail!

Sloane, you haven't reached out with contact info, and I haven't been able to find you!

As of midnight (CT) 1/12/21 I'll donate your book to my local library or school. 

Same for Christa... hope to hear from you both via the contact tab, or DM through @PBWorkshop on Twitter or message on FB for Sandy Brehl Author.

My previous post celebrates the seven amazing finalists for the 2020 Cybils Awards in the fiction picture book category. We who served as Round One Panelists conducted very close readings and evaluations of nearly two hundred nominees to arrive at these stellar finalists. Among those many choices were more than a few that missed the final seven by a hair's breadth.

Here are four lovely fiction picture books I read in recent months. These were provided by MineDitions with no promise of a review. As usual, though, their books are very high quality and worthy of our attention. That's not to mention that they are equally entertaining for both kids and parents.

EUGENE AND THE SOUNDS OF THE CITY is written and illustrated by Sylvie Auzary-Luton. In this lighthearted and lively story, Eugene is a colorful dancing bear who recognizes and moves to the musical beats of a busy city. Its animal residents are depicted in light pen sketches as human-styled (and generally irritable) urban dwellers who can't be bothered. The minimalist text, onomotopoeitic noise-words, and humorous situations leave this berated bear to twirl alone.  Until... his happy feet are contagious. Lots to see, imagine, and "hear" in this lovely book.

LITTLE BIRD VISITS THE BIG CITY is written and Illustrated by Domenico Granata. The art style and characters of this picture book are quite different from EUGENE's story, and yet they bear(ha!) strong similarities. Both characters are living their full lives, following their distinct personalities. Kids (the ones who will identify with animal characters and look for themselves in picture book stories) are born in their own "packages", hard-wired with widely-varied levels of sensory responses, anxiety, adventuresome drives, and other personality patterns. This Little Bird has a drive to discover, revealed on the opening page and continuing on to the end, even after some rethinking of his plans is called for.

SCHOOL IS COMING is written by Dany Aubert and illustrated by Catherine Leblane, one of several titles featuring young BEAR. In this case, the small bear is a type who worries, sometimes a bit, sometimes more. With school looming in the weeks and months ahead, those worries swell. The cub's parents in this case are perfectly suited to the timid small guy, never pushing, but encouraging and allowing him to grow into his own awareness that could school actually be fun.

 This might be good choice for young ones who had a brief experience with physical school (or even none). They might anticipate returning, soon or next year, with an unexpected level of concern. A bonus for those who fall in love with this story is that you can seek out more picture books featuring this fun family of bears. 

REYNARD THE FOX has author Renate Raecke and illustrator Jonas Laustroer reworking a twelfth century  tale with traditional characters. The rich text and lush illustrations pair perfectly in this extended, almost chapter-like picture book. Established readers will relish the very clever personality of Reynard the Fox and  the absolutely gorgeous scenes portrayed on double page spreads that alternate with full pages of complex text. As a read-aloud with younger ones it will tickle funny bones and provide experience with advanced language and vocabulary.

This is a humorous set of stories that offer an analogy for being both amused by and learning from human nature through the animal characters. It could also encourage a trip to the library to compare to other versions of these classic tales.

Now, about that giveaway...

Drumroll, please!

If you are interested in owning or gifting one of these lovely books, the process is very simple. Each of the following comment categories will produce a ticket with your name on it, which will land in a basket designated for each title. You may enter as many times as you wish by commenting below, separately, for any/all of the following directions:

• Comment to provide your preferred title.
• Comment that you have shared this post on any of the following: Twitter, Instagram, and FaceBook. (Each site shared is another raffle ticket.)
• Comment about some another book you recommend from 2020, one that you feel has been overlooked among the annual awards lists arriving in the world.

The deadline for these many comments is Sunday evening, 7:00 PM CT. (January 10, 2021)

The winners will be contacted directly no later than Monday noon. If winners do not respond by the end of Monday, I'll draw and notify another winner for that title. 

Once all are notified and the books are ready to mail, I'll add names here (first names only).

Good luck!

(Offer only available for mailing within the USA.)

I am intentionally ignoring all current news as a gift to myself for today. Posting these words of praise and a giveaway is my effort to release some positivity into a day following one that was, perhaps, the most heartbreaking in my lifetime. For ideas about discussing those events with students, check HERE.