Book Giveaway: TREEMENDOUS by Bridget Heos

Bridget Heos has written a new picture book, TREEMENDOUS illustrated by Mikr Ciccotello and published by Crown Books for Young Readers. It is available in bookstores now. Brdiget has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner living in the United States.

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 get 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 for a new book. So, thanks for helping Bridget and Mike.

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

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

This adorable picture book illustrates the life of a tiny acorn growing up to be a tall oak tree. A wonderful introduction to nonfiction for curious, nature-loving kids!

Hello, world! This little acorn is so excited to grow!

Told in the diary entries of an acorn, this picture book follows a young acorn and its long life as an oak tree, from being buried by a squirrel to towering over other trees. The text communicates the basic science simply and with humor, and the illustrations up the fun factor! Parents will love the sweet story and charming illustrations, and teachers and librarians will love the extra resources at the back.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Here is the story of TREEMENDOUS:

I got the idea for the book while gathering acorns with my daughter Samantha. There was a bumper crop that year, and she and I would collect them across the street in the church garden (and then leave them there because what were we going to do with a bunch of acorns?) Around then, we started having strange encounters with ducks–odd because it was a city neighborhood with no pond nearby. And wonderful because my daughter was obsessed with ducks! She once brought home the Nicola Davies book, JUST DUCKS, and her brothers laughed at how it was the perfect fit for her obsession.

Next thing we knew, there was a mother duck making a nest in the church grotto. We watched their little family grow as the eggs hatched right around Easter. It later all made sense when we learned that ducks eat acorns! I wanted to write a book as a way of thanking the oak trees for that special time.

I decided to have the oak tree tell it’s own story because I like to think that we are all–whether people or animals or plants–part of a big story and that over time we come to understand that story and our place in it. Besides being about trees and nature, TREEMENDOUS is about growth, and the patience and ingredients it requires. In that way, I think readers will relate to the narrator and her journey!

The first of Mike’s illustrations that I saw were of TREEMENDOUS as an acorn. She was so adorable and full of life! When the art went from sketches to full color, I had the feeling of being in a world that had just woken up from dreary gray sleep! Mike is wonderful to work with because he also has a mind for promotion–something that is a bit out of my comfort zone even though I have been writing children’s books for a long time. We made a trailer, inspirational posters, activity guide (which you can find on our Web sites), and are both doing virtual school visits. Mike does a drawing lesson with the kids in which they learn to draw TREEMENDOUS as an acorn! The students’ drawings are adorable!

Thank you for giving me the chance to talk about TREEMENDOUS: DIARY OF A NOT YET MIGHTY OAK, Kathy. I hope your readers will check out TREEMENDOUS!

BRIDGET’S BIO:

Bridget Heos is the author of THE MUSTACHE BABY series (illustrator: Joy Ang), STEGOTHESAURUS (T.L. McBeth), FAIRY’S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (Sara Not), TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE LAMB (Sarah Jennings), and QUEEN DOG (Alejandro O’Keefe). She has also written more than 100 nonfiction children’s titles, including I, FLY (Jennifer Plecas), the ANIMALS: JUST LIKE US series (David Clark), and BLOOD, BULLETS, AND BONES: THE STORY OF FORENSIC SCIENCE FROM SHERLOCK HOLMES TO DNA.

In 2021, watch for TREEMENDOUS (Mike Ciccotello), TRICERATOPPOSITE, and GOOD KNIGHT MUSTACHE BABY.
Bridget lives in Kansas City with her family. She loves cooking, watching the Chiefs, exercising, and exploring America via school author visits.
authorbridgetheos.com
Facebook: @AuthorBridgetHeos
Instagram: @BridgetHeos
Twitter: @BridgetHeos.

MIKE’S BIO:

MIKE CICCOTELLO received a BFA with a concentration in painting from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He is the author-illustrator of the picture book TWINS and the forthcoming BEACH TOYS VS. SCHOOL SUPPLIES (both from FSG/Macmillan).

Mike has also illustrated Bridget Heos’s TREEMENDOUS and CHEESE AND QUACKERS, a two-book early graphic chapter-book series written by Prospect client Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (forthcoming from Aladdin/S&S). He is an active member of SCBWI, CBIG, and was a contributing member of AllTheWonders.com. You can find him online at ciccotello.com and @ciccotello. Mike is represented by Rachel Orr. Please contact Rachel at rko(a)prospectagency.com.

Bridget, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. It looks like a book that will make it fun to learn how a little acorn can grow into a mighty oak tree. Mike’s illustrations bring the whole book to life. Good luck with the book!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy