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I WANT TO BE A VASE by Julio Torres & Julian Glander Blog Tour and Giveaway

May 31, 2022 By Heather Leave a Comment

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the I WANT TO BE A VASE by Julio Torres & Julian Glander Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: I WANT TO BE A VASE

Author: Julio Torres & Julian Glander (Illustrations)

Pub. Date: June 7, 2022

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 48

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Former SNL writer and comedic rising star Julio Torres takes readers on a journey through the lives and intimate dramas of some of the unsung shapes of our time in this picture book inspired by his HBO special My Favorite Shapes.

Shapes. You’ve heard of them. You might have even interacted with a few. But do you really know them? From plucky Plunger, who wishes to defy his shape and become a beautiful vase, to other household objects with dreams of a life beyond their predestined roles, I Want to Be a Vase takes readers on an essential and visually stunning journey through the lives and intimate dramas of often-overlooked household appliances.

Reviews:

“I love this strange and brilliant book, which made me identify with a toilet plunger.”

—Mindy Kaling, #1 New York Times bestselling author

 

“This book is such a delicious feast for the eyes. It makes me want to be a refrigerator so I can store the leftovers!”

—Bowen Yang, actor, Saturday Night Live

 

“I’m deeply jealous of all the children who get to read this book. This is my villainous origin.”

—Aidy Bryant, actor, Saturday Night Live and Shrill

 

 

 

 

About Julio Torres:

Julio Torres is a comedian, the creator of the HBO special My Favorite Shapes, and has written for Saturday Night Live. He’s also one of the masterminds behind Los Espookys, HBO’s Spanish-language comedy about a group of horror enthusiasts. Visit him on Instagram @SpacePrinceJulio.

 

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 





About Julian Glander:

Julian Glander is a 3D animator, designer, and illustrator. Mostly self-taught, he has created work for Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Adult Swim, and the New York Times. He is also the creator of the video game Art Sqool and the squishy comics collection 3D Sweeties. Visit him at Glander.co.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok |  Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of I WANT TO BE A VASE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/30/2022

Ya Books Central

Excerpt

5/30/2022

pickagoodbook

Excerpt/IG Post

5/31/2022

onemoreexclamation

Review/IG Post

5/31/2022

Little Red Reads

Review/IG Post

6/1/2022

Jazzy Book Reviews

Review/IG Post

6/1/2022

Nonbinary Knight Reads

Review/IG Post

6/2/2022

The Momma Spot

Review/IG Post

6/2/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review/IG Post

6/3/2022

onemused

IG Post

6/3/2022

BookHounds YA

Review/IG Post

Week Two:

6/6/2022

@just_another_mother_with_books

IG Review

6/6/2022

Jenguerdy

Review/IG Post

6/7/2022

@coffeesipsandreads

Review/IG Post

6/7/2022

Nerdophiles

Review/IG Post

6/8/2022

Rajiv’s Reviews

Review/IG Post

6/8/2022

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Review/IG Post

6/9/2022

More Books Please blog

Review/IG Post

6/9/2022

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

6/10/2022

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

6/10/2022

@jaimerockstarbooktours

IG Post

6/10/2022

@froggyreadteach

IG Review/FB Post


Review

I read I Want to be a Vase to my preschooler who thought it was silly and she laughed at the antics of the plunger, as well as the vacuum featured. The illustrations remind us of Ikea. Each member of the household decides they want to break out of their normal use and find something else to be. With lots of colors and funny conversations, the book held a child’s interest and is a lighthearted read aloud.

LALA’S WORDS by Gracey Zhang Tour and Giveaway

October 14, 2021 By Heather Leave a Comment

Little Red Reads is happy to be featured on the LALA’S WORDS by Gracey Zhang Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours

About the Book:

Title: LALA’S WORDS: A Story of Planting Kindness

Author: Gracey Zhang

Pub. Date: July 6, 2021

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Pages: 48

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

From debut author-illustrator Gracey Zhang comes a timeless and timely picture book that celebrates the unassuming power of kind words.

Oh, there goes Lala! She carries a pot of water around the corner, down the block, and over the fence, to a patch of dirt and concrete where tiny weeds sprout. “Hello, hello, friends!” she whispers. Lala waters the plants every day, but it is her kind words that make them sway and nod.

Lala’s wild nature and quiet compassion enchant in this evergreen story about the power of kind words and the magic of being loved for who you are. 

A Junior Library Guild selection

Praise for Lala’s Words:

★ “Zhang’s powerful debut lifts up the power words have to heal and feed.” ― Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Zhang’s style, blending warmhearted mltiethnic urban caricature with a bold-lined rough-and-tumble zeal, is wholly original. And like the compliment Lala pays her soon science-fiction-size plants, this debut picture book (which also depcits a burgeoning mother-daughter relationship) is ‘magnificient.'” ― New York TimesBook Review

“This is the enchanting story about the power of words.” ― Booklist

“Lala’s enthusiasm blossoms on the page.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“A verdant tale of leaves, language, and most importantly, love.” ― Molly Idle (author-illustrator of Pearl; Flora and the Flamingo)

“Much like an encouraging word, Gracey’s vibrant pictures will lift you up.” ― Christian Robinson (author of Another; illustrator of Last Stop on Market Street)

“A touching fantasy rooted in reality. Gracey’s art recalls children’s books masters . . . Ludwig Bemelmans, Roger Duvoisin, David Small. Yet it is fresh and lovely and hasn’t been seen before.” ― LeUyen Pham (illustrator of Bear Came Along; Grace for President)

“Lala’s Words is really about magic; a special kind of magic called kindness. Like the sunlight and falling rain, kindness nourishes the world around us. This book, with its lovely art and whimsical story, will also nourish the reader.” ― The Fan Brothers (author-illustrators of Ocean Meets Sky; The Night Gardener)

 

 

About Gracey Zhang:

Gracey Zhang is an illustrator and animator with a love of storytelling and verse. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, and received her degree in Illustration from RISD. She is now based in Brooklyn, New York, where she can be found window watching from the train when she’s not scribbling away at her desk. Lala’s Words is her first picture book. You can visit her at graceyzhang.com.

 

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

 

 



Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of LALA’S WORDS, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/4/2021

Literati Psyche

Review

10/4/2021

For The Love Of The Page

Excerpt

10/5/2021

The Momma Spot

Excerpt

10/5/2021

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt

10/6/2021

Jazzy Book Reviews

Excerpt

10/6/2021

Rajiv’s Reviews

Review

10/7/2021

Everyone’s Librarian

Review

10/7/2021

@kristens.reading.nook

Review

10/8/2021

@curlygrannylovestoread

Review

10/8/2021

Jill Piscitello

Excerpt

Week Two:

10/11/2021

Lily Luchesi’s Blog

Excerpt

10/11/2021

@enjoyingbooksagain

Review

10/12/2021

More Books Please blog

Review

10/12/2021

BookHounds ya

Review

10/13/2021

Nerdophiles

Review

10/13/2021

Bea’s Book Nook

Review

10/14/2021

The Adventures of a Travelers Wife

Excerpt

10/14/2021

Little Red Reads

Review

10/15/2021

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

10/15/2021

Jaime’s World

Excerpt


Review

Lala is a girl with a big spirit and a desire to explore. She wants to get outside of her apartment into the dirt and leaves. She feels most at home talking to the plants and nurturing them with her words. Lala’s mother does not approve. She perseveres, talking to her beloved friends even when she is stuck at home.

“Grow strong and tall my friends.”

Lala’s Words has a beautiful message about the power of language. Words matter. They help us feel loved and wanted. What a beautiful book with spurts of sunshine and splashes of color. A positive lesson about why we all need one another to grow to our highest height.

Thank you Scholastic for the copy for the official book tour. We will treasure Lala’s Words.

Round by Jennifer Ward

February 8, 2021 By Heather Leave a Comment

Round Hardcover – Picture Book, September 29, 2020

by Jennifer Ward (Author), Lisa Congdon (Illustrator)

Publisher : Beach Lane Books;

Illustrated edition (September 29, 2020)

Hardcover : 48 pages

Amazon

From award-winning author Jennifer Ward and celebrated artist Lisa Congdon in her debut picture book comes a lyrical, rhyming exploration of the many round things that can be found in nature.

Nature all around is round…

Take a spin through the seasons in this thoughtful and meditative picture book that explores roundness in the natural world. There are round birds’ nests and eggs in the spring, round raindrops falling from the sky in the summer, round apples filling the trees in the fall, and round snowflakes covering the ground in winter—and so much more! Little ones will love this stunning read-aloud that is certain to intrigue and inspire them to start looking all around outside for things that are round.

Editorial Reviews

A rhyming glimpse at round shapes in nature.

“Nature all around is round,” begins this exploration of shapes round or partially round in nature, beginning with a tiny bird and ending with the planets in our solar system. The pair of two-word phrases in each illustration, each dyad ending with “round,” rhymes: “Glowing round. / Growing round,” reads the text in a spread that features fireflies encased in rings of lights and a crescent moon. In a spread featuring a frog, the creature hangs on tight to a lily pad caught on a small current (“Cling round”) and then jumps into the water, creating ripples in the water that “Ring round.” Some pairings will prompt discussion more than others, such as an empty nest that is “Nest round,” paired with a nest filled with bird eggs that is “Best round.” — Kirkus Reviews ― July 15, 2020

Prefaced by a Neil deGrasse Tyson quote about the lack of sharp angles in nature, this environmental picture book’s front matter includes a brief introductory author’s note describing the science behind the text. While roundness in nature may not be represented in perfect spheres, Ward explains, it can be found everywhere: “in the lobe of a leaf and the smoothness of a stone, in the curl of a wave and the coil of a shell.” “Nature all around is round…” the spare text begins. “Silent round,” reads one verso page depicting a light blue-gray hare in a round-mouthed cave; “Violent round,” reads its recto, which shows a storm with distended-spherical raindrops. “Nest round./ Best round” attends a nest without and with eggs, respectively, perhaps prompting discussion, while “Twirling round./ Swirling round” accompanies a leaf with rounded edges and a variety of leaves spiraling in the wind. Artist Congdon, in her picture book debut, offers close-ups of flora and fauna in a vibrantly colored and multitextural, hand-stamped style. A simple science primer for the youngest readers. Ages 3–8. (Sept.) — Publishers Weekly ― October 26, 2020

Review

With rhyming text and stunning illustrations, our pre-school reader was mesmerized. Ward and Congdon have created a beautiful book which leads readers to nests, toadstools and baby deer. The vibrant colors drew us in! We adore Round. It’s a whimsical adventure with dotted snakes, ladybugs and bright yellow sunshine. Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster for the lovely addition to our nature collection.

About the Author

Jennifer Ward has written numerous award-winning picture books, including Just You and Me, illustrated by Alexander Vidal; How to Find a Bird, illustrated by Diana Sudyka; Round, illustrated by Lisa Congdon; and Mama Built a Little Nest and Mama Dug a Little Den, both illustrated by Steve Jenkins. A former elementary educator, Jennifer Ward is an experienced public speaker who travels the country, speaking in schools and at international and national writer and literacy conferences. She lives with her family in Edwardsville, Illinois. Visit her at JenniferWardBooks.com.

Lisa Congdon is an author, illustrator, and fine artist. Her other books include Whatever You Are, be a Good One; Art, Inc.; Fortune Favors the Brave; The Joy of Swimming; and Round by Jennifer Ward, which is her debut children’s picture book. She lives in Portland, Oregon. You can see more of her work at LisaCongdon.com.

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We are the children's division of Fire and Ice. We review baby board books to middle-grade titles. We also review products and toys for the family. For inquiries on reviews, blog tours, and author interviews contact FireandIce.Heather@gmail.com
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