Kidlit Spotlight: Big Sister, Little Monster

Sisters are among the world's greatest gifts. Admittedly, I'm partial. As the middle of three sisters, who now has three little girls of her own, sisters are all that I know. And I count myself lucky.

Together, sisters learn everything there is to know about... well... everything. In this sacred relationship, you share millions of giggles and hugs, but are also completely safe to disagree and (when your parents aren't watching) fight and hit and scream.

Because you have all of the same memories, your baby books could be interchanged without notice. Your lives are completely intertwined.

I'm the second Rowe sister, but I don't lament my middle-child status. Not in the slightest. From Haley, my older sister, I was on the receiving end of a lot of doting...

... important life lessons...

... and fashion tutorials...

Then, when my little sister Betsy came along (note that I am ALSO a baby here), it was my turn to share the love...  

... and share I did...

... all the way to the alter...

My three girls have their own dynamic. In some ways, I expected their patterns and behaviors to mimic those of me and my sisters, but their rhythms are unique. The common thread, though, is the bond. The unshakable, proud, fierce only-I-can-mess-with-my-sister bond.

It is, therefore, no surprise that Big Sister, Little Monster by Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum (illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham) hit such a chord with me and my girls.

In this new title, we meet big-sister Lucy and tag-along Mia. Lucy is a certified big girl, and Mia is a certified monster. Where Lucy is measured and proper, Mia is wild and untamed.

Finally, Lucy has enough of Mia's antics. "You little monster... GO AWAY!!!" Lucy screams.

Mia-free peace is blissful at first, but not for long. Things get quiet. TOO quiet.

Lucy goes looking for Mia and uncovers a secret door, which leads to Mia and her Monsters - slimy, grimy creatures who wish to keep Mia forever.

When they refuse to let Mia go, Lucy lets HER monster out.

In Big Sister, Little Monster - and in the stunning, lyrical picture book Trains Don't Sleep - Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum masterfully drives story forward. Every spread reveals something new and important for fully understanding her worlds. On top of this superb pacing, Big Sister, Little Monster bursts with color, energy and heart from beginning to end. 

Thank you, Andria, for bringing us Lucy and Mia. As this adorable new picture book pair proves, whether little monsters or full-grown women, sisters will always be sisters. 

Big Sister, Little Monster can be purchased in bookstores nationwide, as well as online through the bookseller of your choice. You also can enter to WIN an autographed copy from Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum through my Twitter page and blog!

*** WIN Big Sister, Little Monster ***

Simply...

1. "Like" this post (click the heart below)

2. Follow me (@anitraschulte) on Twitter

3. Retweet my pinned contest tweet by 11/17/17 

(Submit a blog comment below and get a BONUS ENTRY!)

GOOD LUCK!

5 Picture Books to Fall For - A Guest Post by Savannah Hendricks

Fall is in full swing. The leaves are doing their beautiful downward dance. Cider is on the stove. Football is in conference play, and baseball is drawing to a spectacular close. Chances are good you've picked apples or pumpkins - or both. What's not to love about this spice-infused kaleidoscopic season?

The Schulte House is clearly in the spirit. Check out our apple pie, decorated with hand-carved emblems of autumn. No surface is safe from our illustrative inclinations.

Picture books are a big part of each weather and holiday shift, too. At home and at school, seasonal titles reinforce science and cultural concepts with artistry and humor, helping my children better understand their world - month by month, year by year.

Literary journeys can even further enhance the way we experience the seasons, particularly when titles tap into the senses and deliver a special aesthetic. Twitter pal and children's book author Savannah Hendricks shares my passion for picture books and is visiting the blog this month to suggest five great picture books for fall. 

Meet Savannah!

So divert your eyes from the Christmas decorations in your local grocery and craft stores, and take a few moments to enjoy Savannah's roundup of titles that honor this blink-and-you'll-miss-it season. Quotes below all attributed to Savannah (SH).

5 Picture Books to Fall For - A Guest Post by Savannah Hendricks

Leaves by David Ezra Stein

I love this story and its illustrations - simple yet beautiful. I've read it in paperback form, but it comes as a board-book and also hardcover. It often becomes a re-read in one sitting with a child. - SH

---

Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

This story tugs at your heart, especially when everyone else is too busy to hear Bear's story. The illustrations provide the "hurry up feeling," drawing readers in. - SH

---

In November by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Jill Kastner

I love the lyrical words of this story. Illustrations come alive as families gather and share in the spirit of November. It's like Owl Moon for the fall. - SH

---

Fall is for Friends by Suzy Spafford

This one is hard to find anywhere; hopefully your local library or bookstore has a copy. This friendship story focuses on encouragement with a twist, as the girls try to encourage the fall leaves to drop from the branches. - SH

---

The Fall Festival (Little Critter Series) by Mercer Mayer

The Little Critter series was my favorite growing up. The illustrations are almost like a seek and find. I love the humor in each story. Technically this is a My First I Can Read book, but works as a picture book also. - SH

---

Savannah Hendricks is the author of the picture book NONNIE AND I, set in Botswana. She has more than 20 magazine publication credits to her name. Savannah writes for all ages and reads stories aloud to her dog for approval. You can find out more at her blog The Seashells of Life. 

Thanks so much Savannah! You can follow Savannah on Instagram at @authorsavannahhendricks and Twitter at @AuthorSavannah.

Kidlit Spotlight: My Superhero Grandpa

Happy Grandparents Day! 

The Schulte family sends big hugs to great-grandpa Rowe in Illinois, and great-grandpa and grandma Wessling in Nebraska, and blows kisses to the Schulte, Traughber and Rowe great-grandparents up in heaven. 

We LOVE you!

Our crew also shares X's and O's with our daughters' amazing grandparents: Krapaw and Zannie Rowe (my parents)...

... and Grampy and Grammy Schulte (Dan's folks). 

The relationship between grandchild and grandparent is a precious thing, isn't it? Every time the handsome couples pictured above walk through our front door, adorableness ensues: 

Squeals, jumps and hugs from our younger two.

Lovey gazes, warm smiles and tender cuddles from our eldest.

As parents, you're blessed to be sandwiched by this special love. You get to watch as your parents shower your kids with adoration, then melt as it flows back with equal intensity. It is truly a gift from above.

But, like all holidays, this one can be hard. Some of our friends (now parents themselves) are celebrating Grandparents Day a bit differently than we are this year. They're opening photo albums and telling stories about their parents, who passed much too soon, and praying that their young children will remember and feel bonded to them.

Moms and dads seeking a way to talk to their kids about a grandparent who has passed could find great comfort in My Superhero Grandpa by Michele McAvoy. 

My Superhero Grandpa came on my radar earlier this year when I became part of the Metamorphosis Literary Agency team. Like me, New Jersey picture book author Michele McAvoy is represented by agent extraordinaire Stephanie Hansen. 

My Superhero Grandpa, recipient of a 2016 Moonbeam Award, is a sweet picture book that likens a grandparent in heaven to a superhero. It's an apt comparison: Who better to watch over and guide a child then a grandparent with the perfect vantage point on day-to-day life?

The warm, vibrantly illustrated book is up-beat, comforting and tender, and the simple prose gives straightforward, positive descriptions of a heavenly grandparent's unique role. It would be a great book to read with a child who has recently lost a beloved grandparent, or with a child whose grandparent passed before his or her birth. 

Here's the book's trailer:

This September 2017: Proceeds from all Amazon sales of My Superhero Grandpa this month go to Tuesday's Children, an NYC-based charity that cares for communities impacted by terrorism or traumatic loss.

The cause is close to Michele's heart. She wrote My Superhero Grandpa from a place of great tragedy, but through her experience she also found great hope. As an attorney working in Manhattan on 9/11, Michele experienced the devastation of the historic terrorist attack first hand, only to lose her dad just three day's later in an incident unrelated to the fall of the Twin Towers. She recently wrote about her journey in a beautiful piece for The Children's Writers Guild titled, Writing for Children from Tragedy. It's a very timely, emotional and moving read.

Remembering can be hard. Remembering can be beautiful. But one thing is ALWAYS beautiful: The special place reserved for grandparents in our hearts. Now and always. 

Thank you, Michele, for sharing your work and story, and best of luck in your fundraiser! If you'd like to purchase My Superhero Grandpa and support Tuesday's Children, visit the Amazon link HERE. And be sure to follow Michele on Twitter at @michele_mcavoy!

You also can *WIN* a copy of the book:

Visit me on Twitter and Instagram,

View contest rules,

And ENTER!

Kidlit Spotlight: Pocket Full of Colors

I vividly remember getting my very first 64-count box of crayons (complete with its own built-in sharpener). Just thinking about it takes me back: All those fresh points. The sweet waxy smell. The pristine wrapping on each stick. And the color. 

Row after row of brilliant   C   O   L   O   R.

Each crayon in the box had its own name and distinct personality. Over time, the colors became either friends (bashful Periwinkle, dramatic Magenta, moody Midnight Blue) or acquaintances (gentle Maize, cool Cornflower, brash Burnt Sienna).

Like Bob Ross and his Titanium White, I took ownership of every hue the second I used it. In solitary moments with my colors, I built imaginary worlds and also quietly reflected on the adult world I was learning more about every day.

Perhaps this why I had such an emotional reaction to the new non-fiction picture book Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville, illustrated by Brigette Barrager (Atheneum Books for Young Readers).

So powerfully written and just breathtakingly beautiful:

Pocket Full of Colors - which publishes Aug. 29, 2017, and is available now via preorder - is the story of Mary Blair, a Disney illustrator who fearlessly presented her bold artistic vision amidst the conventions of 1940s animation studio culture. Blair's daring aesthetic can be experienced in Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. She also was the visionary behind the iconic Disney amusement ride It's a Small World.

I was so excited to share Pocket Full of Colors with my girls! Blair is a fantastic role model - a woman who never compromised her vision, despite opposition. I also thought my daughters would connect with the art theme. We operate in full living color at our house. The dining room table is constantly covered in crayons and markers (and feet and bottoms).

And our driveway is always a haze of chalky creations. 

Elsa, our eldest, who has Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, doesn't like to hold things, but cool adaptive cuffs like this one (below) lengthen the amount of time she can hold crayons and markers. (Click here to see a video Elsa using a dot marker with a cuff.) 

Now that you know a little about our affinity for color, here are 5 reasons why this book was such a great match for our crew:

1. Mary Blair - Protagonist Extraordinaire

When you first meet Mary Blair in Pocket Full of Colors, she is a little girl who's just learned that she must leave her childhood home and head West with her parents. Rather than sulk (which would be understandable), Blair exhibits her trademark bravery and positivity. She sets out on her new adventure with a gleam in her eye and a color in her pocket (lemon). Right away, we learn that our main character doesn't shirk away when the going gets tough. She embraces opportunities to learn and grow.

2. The Collector Concept

As Mary Blair travels through life, she picks up and collects colors. Bravo to Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville - what a splendid storytelling device. It just sings. The spread of Blair's journey West so reminded me of my crayon explorations as a child. I adored the luscious groupings of like-minded colors, set in different regions of the country. 

3. Pure Color Fun

A teal pumpkin coach for Cinderella. An aquamarine caterpillar advisor for Alice. Mary Blair was famous for integrating "eye-popping" shades - collected in her travels - into her concept art. We learn in Pocket Full of Colors that traditional Disney animators shied away from Blair's bold and unexpected color combinations. Lucky for us, illustrator Brigette Barrager channeled Blair's adventurous spirit, in full view in this rainbow-ribboned salmon sky.

4. Full Throttle Creativity

At several points in the book, we get to see Blair in her artistic element - putting pencil and paintbrush to paper. She is always wearing a smart pair of glasses and a satisfied grin. Her posture is forward and her eyes are lit with excitement. The spread below always silences my girls (a rarity!). You can feel the heat and smell the flowers, as colors from Blair's South American trip dance and sway across the page. 

5. No Small Feat

It's always fascinating to hear how Disney makes its magic. Traveling with Blair through her colorful life story, we get to peek behind this curtain. And as it turns out, magic is created by people - talented, persistent and sometimes misunderstood people, like Blair. Throughout the book, Blair faces many roadblocks, but she never let nay-sayers dim her light. As a result of this persistence, her impact is felt throughout Disney and popular culture today. 

A final parting thought: My girls LOVED the picture of Mary Blair in the Authors' Note section at the end of the story. They were very struck that Blair was a real woman. I look forward to revisiting Pocket Full of Colors with them in the days, months and years to come, as they begin identifying their own passions and charting their futures. 

Pocket Full of Colors publishes on Aug. 29, but you can pre-order your book today HERE. If you'd like to learn more about the talented authors and illustrator behind this book, check out their websites:

• Amy Guglielmo, Author: www.amyguglielmo.com
• Jacqueline Tourville, Author: www.jacquelinetourville.com
• Brigette Barrager, Illustrator: www.brigetteb.com 

Kidlit Spotlight: If I Weren't With You

At the Kansas City Writing Workshop last month, I had the pleasure of meeting author Rosie J. Pova - a fellow kidlit writer with a picture book on the cusp of release. It was so energizing to connect that weekend with someone already so far down the publishing path.

Meet Rosie J. Pova!

This Kidlit Spotlight features Pova's If I Weren't With You (illustrated by Philip Martineau), released by Clear Fork Publishing on APRIL 4, 2017. (Hot off the presses, folks!) Here's my take on this new title: 

If your family is anything like mine, you have WORN OUT your copies of... 

And....

Ready for a picture book reboot?

Enter If I Weren't With You - a title reminiscent of these new-ish classics, but with a deeper focus: Quelling our children's biggest worries and most persistent fears.

The story opens with a little bear named Willy playing in the woods, while his mom stands nearby. As the two bears walk among butterflies, and through hills and trees, Willy begins asking his mom some very serious questions:

What if I got lost in the woods?

What if a hunter took me? 

Would you give up and forget me?

Willy's questions all have the same angle. What he seeks - what every child seeks - is certitude of his mother's devotion and protection. To Willy, safety and security can be understood, so long as he knows that his mom would do anything for him... and stop at nothing to save him.

Through vivid nature-driven examples and illustrations, Mama Bear assures Willy: Her love for him is constant and endless. This message hits extra close to home this Easter holiday, as we remember a Father's love that knows no bounds.

As a parent, I gotta tell ya...

Merely thinking of my kids being taken away from me is enough to give me a panic attack. Our children aren't immune to this. They live in the same world that we do. They see the nightly news and hear stories of loss and death.

Kids know - if only abstractly, or through the lens of cartoon characters - that there are bad forces out there, just out of view. Things that have the power to separate them from what they know and love. From us.

To provide stability in the face of Willy's uncertainty, Mama Bear offers unwavering assurances that she will never give up on her son and never forget him.

Once Willy gets his pressing questions answered, he is grounded by simply hearing the words "I love you" from Mama Bear. With that, mom and cub resume the physical and emotional closeness that gives both of them such fulfillment. 

It's a pitch-perfect ending to a book that both confronts and comforts - and all on a child's level.

Congratulations on this fantastic book, Rosie! 

Wishing you lots of luck in Texas (and beyond!) as you raise awareness of If I Weren't With You, now available on Amazon. ($16.99 hardcover)

***GIVEAWAY*** 

For a chance to WIN a copy of If I Weren't With You:

Follow me on Twitter (@anitraschulte).

Retweet my contest tweet between 4/14 and 9AM CST 4/20.

Good luck!

Kidlit Spotlight: Love is My Favorite Thing

Once a week, my girls and I dig into the picture book bins at our local library to refresh our snack time reading options. The girls want silly books featuring animals. I want books with cool art and a strong universal message.

This Kidlit Spotlight satisfies both, making it an all-around winner.

Meet adorable Plum (aka "Plummie"). Scraggly black coat. Vibrant red collar. Up-to-no-good wide eyes. Regardless of your age, there's no way you can avoid loving - and relating to - the furry protagonist of Emma Chichester Clark's heart-warming book, Love is My Favorite Thing.

Kidlit Spotlight snack? Orange slices

The joys of puppy-dom are not lost on Plummie. Wind, snow, treats, sticks - all brighten her day and give her joy. And of all the wonderful things to enjoy in life, LOVE is her favorite thing. (Particularly, the love of her owners and the little kids who live next door.)

But there's a problem... Something that never fails to drive a wedge between Plum and her beloved companions: Plummie's insatiable, overriding appetite for fun and adventure. Try as she may, there are some things that Plum just has to do, even though she knows she shouldn't.

Jump in that pond. Steal that girl's ice-cream. Rip apart that pillow.

Wowza, what a beautiful spread!

When Plum gives into her desires, BOOM. Down comes the hammer. She becomes "bad" Plummie, "naughty" Plummie. And she ends up in some serious time outs. It's no wonder my girls relate to this pup. (At bedtime recently, my middle said, "I don't like it when you leave me in my room in the dark. Just like Plummie.")

Love is My Favorite Thing clearly delivers the message that behaving can be really hard, but when we get punished, it's because those who love us are trying to teach us right from wrong. Plum shows us that we all make mistakes, and that getting back into good relationship with others requires sincerity - in our apology and in our commitment to self-improvement. 

Can we all be better friends to one another? Can we say we are sorry (and mean it), then work with all our might to make amends and turn toward light?

In the words of Plummie: "I can do that. I really can try!"

Kidlit Spotlight: Just Because

Close friends and dear family members have begun asking me how to best talk to their toddlers and young children about my daughter Elsa. These lovely people want to make sure that they're telling their sons and daughters things that align with how my husband and I wish Elsa to be known and understood.

I'm so blessed to have these wonderful people in my life.

The trouble is, I'm not exactly sure yet. My next-oldest daughter, Cecilia, is 3-and-a-half, and we haven't crossed that bridge. I'm not exactly sure when that will happen because Elsa's abilities and challenges have been a part of Cecilia's life since the day she was born. And so far it seems she doesn't have any pressing questions that need answering. 

But in the meantime, how can I help these thoughtful parents deal with questions that their kids have now? 

There are some fantastic picture books out there that help children understand the sometimes substantial differences between themselves and others. No children's picture book aligns precisely with Elsa's special needs. That would be a tall order.

But I recently came across a book that comes pretty darn close: Just Because. 

Why doesn't Elsa talk? Why doesn't she walk? Because that's just how God made her. And honestly, "just because" is the only answer that makes sense to me, too, and I'm old enough to understand spontaneous chromosome deletions. 

So with great pleasure, I present myfirst Kidlit Spotlight: Just Because by Rebecca Elliott.

Just Because is a story about a boy named Toby and his sister Clemmie.

Clemmie is Toby's big sister. She can't walk or talk. But in Toby's eyes, she is amazing. In fact, she's a lot like a princess. (She doesn't "have to do much," and get's to "sit and look pretty.") Clemmie is never mean. She makes sweet sounds and funny faces. She has an awesome wheelchair and big curly hair. Most of all, Clemmie lets Toby be himself, without question or critique. She is his best friend, and he loves her. Just because.

It's so, so very sweet and (for a momma) a real tear jerker! I related to it in every way. Elsa is a best friend to everyone who lives under our roof. We wouldn't have the first idea how to exist without her. We don't define or understand her based on how she compares to us. We let her be her, and appreciate her subtleties and uniqueness.

In the end, isn't that how we all wish to be viewed and understood?