Book Giveaway: A LOVE LETTER TO MY LIBRARY by Lisa Katzenberger

Lisa Katzenberger has a new picture book, A LOVE LETTER TO MY LIBRARY, illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr. and published by Sourcebooks Explore on June 4, 2024. Lisa has agreed to send a copy of the book to one lucky winner in the US.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will receive additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or reblogging really helps spread the word about a new book. Thanks for helping Natasha and Marta.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and receive it every day, please let me know when you leave a comment, and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A heartwarming picture book love letter to libraries and all the moments that make them so special!

Everyone loves visiting the library! Children―and adults alike―enjoy searching the shelves for new adventures, curling up in their favorite cozy chair during story time, and even laughing with their friends during arts and crafts. The library has something for everybody!

Thank you, library, for books in every nook and cranny.

Thank you, library, for taking me on adventures from the seas to the stars.

Thank you, library, for helpers who find the perfect book that I hug hard the whole way home.

BOOK JOURNEY:

In March of 2021, while we were still struggling with the pandemic and the outside world felt like it was on hold, I wrote my first draft of what is now A LOVE LETTER TO MY LIBRARY. It was titled Dear Library and was a mere 40 words containing a list of things I loved about libraries.

As I revised, I evolved the story into a thank you letter. I have to admit, I was pretty sure I was inspired by Jimmy Fallon’s Thank You Notes. Stuck inside for so long, I was likely spending too much time online looking for things to keep me happy! But what evolved what a true love letter to the institutions of libraries and library workers.

The story came together quickly, and in an unusual move I sent the manuscript to critique partners later that month. With lots of feedback and more revisions, I sent the manuscript to my agent, Wendi Gu, in April. She loved it.

But, I had another project in the works, too. Wendi and I had been working very hard together on another picture book manuscript – a biography of Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin. I was inspired to write this story after my son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and required a constant supply of insulin to survive.

At this point in spring 2021, the cost of insulin was starting to get even more attention in the political arena. Wendi felt we should go out on submission with the Frederick Banting biography first and not wait any longer. So Thank You, Library sat on the back burner. I received an offer of publication from on the biography, IT BELONGS TO THE WORLD: Frederick Banting and the Discovery of Insulin, later that summer and dove into revisions. Thank You, Library sat some more.

I worked on revisions of IT BELONGS TO THE WORLD with my editor, and also worked on yet another picture book manuscript on my own, THE BRAVE YOU. I had nowhere to go and not much else to do but write! Fast-forward to March of 2022, after 40 different drafts, Wendi and I were ready to send THE BRAVE YOU out on submission.

Wendi created a submission list, which included my editor at SourcebooksKids, Kelly Barrales-Saylor. Because Kelly had shown interest in the concept of Thank You, Library when we had a discussion a year earlier, Wendi sent her both manuscripts.

Kelly quickly responded that she read and loved both stories, then ran them by her acquisitions team. She came back with an offer for both books later that month. I was thrilled!

Kelly’s plan was to publish THANK YOU, LIBRARY first, so we worked on some minor edits right away. I soon learned they hired New York Times Best-selling illustrator Rob Sayegh Jr. for this book and I instantly fell in love with his art. Illustrations were being created and production of the book was moving along.

Then in May of 2023, Kelly approached me about a title change to THANK YOU, LIBRARY. Sourcebooks does market testing of their titles pre-release, and THANK YOU, LIBRARY was not gaining much traction. I gave a list of 30 additional titles, and after more testing and reviews, A LOVE LETTER TO MY LIBRARY was the chosen winner!

But a new title meant new cover art, a tweak to some of the text, and a fun change in the interior illustrations. The original publication date of February 2024 was pushed back to June 2024. I was bummed, but I knew it was the right thing to do to get things perfect. And now the book is out in the world, I am absolutely thrilled with it!

There are also a couple fun ways to celebrate A LOVE LETTER TO MY LIBRARY. There is a letter template where readers can write their own love letter to their local library. And the amazing Emily Arrow created a fun song and video to use during storytimes. Be sure to check them out.

So, that is my rollercoaster journey of how a small idea during the pandemic turned into a picture book out in the world! For those of you writing your own stories, I know it feels like an uphill battle at times, but please keep going – we need all your stories!

LISA’S BIO:

Lisa Katzenberger has been writing stories since she was a kid. Books have been a part of her life since her mom took her to their local library each week and let her roam around the children’s section, picking out whatever she wanted to read. Lisa loved escaping into stories, and still can’t believe she gets to write them for kids now!

Lisa is on the faculty of The Writing Barn where she teaches picture book writing courses including Perfecting the Picture Book, Writing Social Emotional Learning Picture Books, and Write. Submit. Support.

She lives near Chicago in La Grange, Illinois with her husband and two children. You can visit Lisa at: https://lisakatzenberger.com/

ROB’S BIO:

Rob Sayegh Jr. is a former toy designer turned New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator. Combining real-world textures and photography with his illustrations, Rob enjoys creating worlds and characters that make people of all ages smile and giggle.

He is the author/illustrator of Love Tails, and the illustrator of Seth Meyers’s book I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared!, Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortensen, One Summer Night by Tammi Salzano, Happy All-idays! by Cindy Jin, and Slow Down, Tumbleweed, by Haven Iverson to name a few. Rob has illustrated three new picture books this year 2024 – Proper Badger Would Never! by Lauren Glattly in April, Pajamarama! by Julie Gonzalez, and now in June 2024, A Love Letter to My Library by Lisa Katzenberger.

When he is not doodling or writing, he enjoys collecting vintage toys, being an official snack taste-tester, and falling in love with every dog he meets. He currently lives in San Francisco, California, with his partner and two dogs Penny and Rigby.

To see more of Rob’s work, please visit www.robsayart.com.

Lisa, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I enjoyed how this book walks the reader right through the front door of the library and reminds us of all the things the Library does for the community. I appreciate the diversity Rob created with the characters throughout the book. Kids are sure to find themselves and their friends as they turn the pages.

I love the illustrations where we see the children reading their books and the images of what they are reading swirl around them. It was fun to see an author doing story time with her book. I loved seeing this library had an aquarium. The illustration of the little girl with her nose and hands pressed to the glass watching the fish was great. The story ends with the kids walking out of the library with their arms full of books and the next page shows a Dear Library, We Love You note with a kid-like drawing of a heart. That was a nice touch and a great way to end the book.

With Lisa’s words and Rob’s illustrations, they have created a happy welcoming place that will encourage children to want to visit their local library. Adults will remember all the great things the library provides to entertain and educate not only our children but everyone in the community. Parents who read this book with their children will want to make an adventure out of visiting the library since it is such a fun place to visit. And if they don’t, their children will remind them that the library has crafts and other exciting things thing to do. I bet this book will also give Librarians new ideas to add to their library. 

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy