Book Giveaway – PIZZA DAY by Melissa Iwai

Congratulations to Melissa Iwai on her new picture book – PIZZA DAY launching October 31st. Melissa has agreed to give one book away. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you did to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Check back to discover the winner.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A young boy and his father gather ingredients in the garden to prepare pizza on a hot day in this preschool picture book companion to Soup Day.
On a sunny, summer day, a young boy and his father assemble the ingredients for a homemade pizza. From gathering fresh garden herbs to rolling out the dough for a crust to spreading on sauce and cheese, this picture book leads young chefs step-by-step through the process of making a favorite meal. A pizza recipe completes this appealing preschool offering.

BOOK’S JOURNEY:

When my son Jamie was a toddler, he didn’t like eating vegetables. To encourage him to broaden his palate, I started involving him more in the cooking process. I let him choose vegetables at the green grocer and help me prepare them by washing them at home. I’d help him cut some soft ones, such as mushrooms and zucchini (with my hand guiding his) with a plastic knife.

I developed a special veggie soup that became his favorite (probably because he would help to make it). I wrote a story about it and that became SOUP DAY.

SOUP DAY takes place in the city in the winter. It features a little girl and her mom and the comforting soup they make on a snowy day. I wanted to also write a companion book that took place in a rural setting in summer. That was the genesis of PIZZA DAY.

PIZZA DAY features a little boy and his dad and the Garden Pizza they make on a summer’s day. They use vegetables that they have grown in their garden instead of buying them in a store.

With both stories I wanted to promote the joy of cooking with kids, teaching them kitchen skills, and making healthy, delicious food.

I’m happy to also report that during the intervening years between the publications of SOUP DAY and PIZZA DAY, Jamie love of cooking has only grown. Now a teenager, he often cooks meals all by himself. He loves to find new recipes online, as well as experiment on his own.

I hope kids as well as adults enjoy PIZZA DAY and the board book version of SOUP DAY, which come out together October 31st!

MESLISSA’S BIO:

Melissa Iwai is the children’s book author and illustrator of Soup Day. She has also illustrated numerous picture books, including Let’s Go to the Hardware Store, Truck Stop, a 2014 Bank Street Library Best Book, Hush Little Monster, B is for Bulldozer, as well as many others. All of her books may be viewed at: http://www.melissaiwai.com/
View daily work on Instagram which often features sketches of her life in Brooklyn, NY: https://www.instagram.com/melissaiwai1/

Thank you Melissa to sharing another incredible book and journey with us.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy