Book Giveaway: PRUETT AND SOO by Nancy Viau

Nancy Viau has a new picture book, PRUETT AND SOO, illustrated by Jorge Lacera and published by Two Lions. It hits book stores on March 2nd, but is available for preorder now. Nancy has agreed to send a copy to the one lucky winner in the USA.

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 Mindy and Mariam.

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:

Pruett is from Planet Monochrome, where everything is black, white, or gray; everyone follows the rules and walks in straight lines; and they never, ever ask or answer questions. But then Soo arrives from Planet Prismatic. She’s bursting with brilliant colors! She zigs and zags all over the place! When she asks Pruett questions, he finds he wants to reply…and his whole world starts to change.

With a palette that shifts from grayscale to full color, this engaging story reminds us that what you feel defines who you are—and, sometimes, a friend can help you see that best.

A few early reviews:

“The unlikely friendship at the heart of this allegorical picture book is touching. Viau’s writing is engaging… Lacera’s digital illustrations are retro-futuristic with nods to video game and comic book aesthetics.” ~ Kirkus

“Each of us is different, but we have ways we can connect. We can add color – brighten up – someone’s life. Asking questions and learning from one another brings rewards. These are some of the themes evident in this wonderful book. The illustrations by Jorge Lacera are absolutely beautiful!” ~ Valerie Bolling, Goodreads

“This is such an entertaining fun book! I loved the illustrations which children will surely find captivating. The story is one that children will enjoy and it will touch children, teachers, caregivers, and parents everywhere. This is a must for your library or classroom. An exceptionally written and illustrated picture book!” ~ Elizabeth Brown, Goodreads

Questions for

Author, NANCY VIAU and Illustrator, JORGE LACERA:

 

Why do you love writing or illustrating books for kids?

NANCY: Writing for kids allows me to keep the kid in me alive. I fully intend to never grow up.

JORGE: I love creating the kinds of books I wished I had when I was a kid.

Tell us a bit about the book journey for PRUETT AND SOO. From idea to finished product, what was the most intriguing part of the process?

 

JORGE: My agent (John Cusick) presented this project to me on behalf of Nancy and Two Lions and asked if I was interested. I was very intrigued by Nancy’s manuscript and the visual challenge of moving from black and white/grayscale art towards full color—so I agreed! After the manuscript was finalized, illustrating began in earnest. It was a loooong process due to multiple factors, the biggest being the global pandemic and all of the challenges associated with it. But I can tell you that this story brought me a lot of joy during this time and I’m excited for readers to get their hands on it! A lot of heart went into the finished book!

NANCY: The first drafts of this story were written in 2015. I had some connections from conferences and sent it out to those editors in 2016. Twenty rejections, twenty (thousand?) revisions, and one year later it sold to Two Lions. (2017-2022: Five years from acquisition to publication! Grrr, pandemic.) The most interesting part was that the original story was much, much shorter. I think it got rejected initially because it lacked character development. I needed more words to tell Pruett’s story!

What was your source of inspiration?

 

NANCY: The first spark of an idea for PRUETT AND SOO came when I realized how many picture books had two dissimilar characters. They forged friendships, overcame a problem, and/or worked together toward a common goal. I wondered what it would be like if a kid came to Earth who had the ability to change things—everything from climate change to family structure to playground politics. Would that alien become friends with someone from Earth? What would they do together? WHAT. WAS. THE. PROBLEM? (*Scratches head because to me, an alien would NOT BE a problem on Earth…) However, I didn’t want the setting to be Earth. From there it grew into a story of two unique characters–one teeny tiny being from Monochrome, and one colorful alien from Prismatic. So, really, the setting dictated the story. At the time I wrote the book, I knew of no other picture book where the art changed gradually but dramatically from grayscale to full color, and that idea stayed with me. And yep, I had copious illustration notes. Kudos to Jorge who was able to interpret these scatter-brained notes, read my mind, and create pages of eye-popping illustrations.

JORGE: Well, of course I was inspired by Nancy’s BRILLIANT manuscript! For me—hear me out—it felt dystopian. A dystopia that moves from a controlled, black and white society to a joyful, freer, more diverse and colorful one. That was exciting to me.

Artistically, I tapped into the world of German expressionist cinema while illustrating the black and white scenes—all of those shades of gray! As I thought about color, I was inspired by the name of Soo’s planet—PRISMATIC. A prism refracts every possible color on the spectrum of light. How cool is that? With digital art, I have the ability to use pure color so that played to my advantage. Finally, I’m an art director in the video game industry by day and that experience played into my illustrations for Pruett and Soo.

What was the revision process like?

 

JORGE: There was a lot of back-and-forth collaboration between myself, the editor, the art director and Nancy. It was quite difficult to get the balance of black and white and color right—particularly around the evolution of Pruett as more and more color emerged from him. I had to tackle it multiple times. I illustrated the bulk of this book after an international move, and during the pandemic, which added layers of difficulty I couldn’t exactly anticipate—but also allowed me to observe and be inspired by the rules of a new culture and a rapidly changing world. I have to think that impacted the revision process.

NANCY: There was a ton of back and forth between my editor, the editor and Jorge, and then back to me. There would be months where I wouldn’t hear a peep, then a couple of days where deadlines loomed within forty-eight hours. I had very weird dreams of being stuck in one place with Pruett or trying to catch up to Soo.

PRUETT AND SOO has a lot of depth for a picture book for kids 3-8 years old. From activism to empathy and friendship, what do you think is the biggest take-away for readers?

 

NANCY: Every culture has its “rules,” and when we share them, wonderful discussions, along with changes in our outlook, emerge. Pruett’s world—socially and emotionally—changes because of Soo’s influence. I hope kids realize that diverse friendships open up their hearts and minds to how very much alike we are, and how much we can learn from each other.

JORGE: There’s a key point in the story where Pruett must decide whether to break the rules in order to be a true friend to Soo. And because he cares about her and sees that she is sad and lonely, he makes the choice to be brave. He knows he could be ostracized by his planet for asking questions, but he goes ahead and does it—for her. And to his surprise, that bravery ends up changing his whole world! Every kid (and every adult) faces these moments when we have to make a difficult choice. It’s not easy to do the right thing but worth it!

What’s your favorite line, and why?

 

JORGE: “But,” Pruett answered, “if we change the rules, then we can see what makes us special.”

I love this line because as a kid I was always questioning the rules and I know it sometimes frustrated the adults around me. But I think too often rules are in place and stay in place without anyone questioning why they’re still there. Sometimes rules force everyone to be the “same” when really, we’re all unique and special. I hope PRUETT AND SOO inspires kids to ask questions, explore their unique differences, and embrace the quirks and specialness of those around them.

NANCY: I have two “faves”:

Wowzl, look at me! I’m brilliant!

This is my number one favorite because I can’t wait to hear kids shout this out, like an affirmation.

And:

Ms. Z didn’t quite know what to do with Soo.

Like Ms. Z, I bet every teacher has a student who baffles them. This line also allows the reader to wonder what might happen next.

What’s your favorite illustration, and why?

 

NANCY: I love the one where Soo is zigging and zagging all over the classroom. I am a huge defender of the zigzaggers in the world, and this illustration shows off Soo’s energy to the max.

JORGE: My favorite illustration is early in the book where Pruett is secretly breaking the rules at home—dancing to some sweet tunes! I love it because it was opportunity to show Pruett being his true self AND I got to draw a boom box.

If you could change one thing about the finished product, what would you change?

 

NANCY: I wouldn’t change a thing about the finished product (!), but have you seen those oversized books that are larger than most toddlers? I want PRUETT AND SOO to be made into one of those. It’s a BIG story!

JORGE: I wouldn’t change anything either! But I would love for a Spanish edition to become available, as well as many other languages. As Nancy said, it’s a big story, and I hope that kids can experience it in their primary language.

Lightning round:

 

Quiet workspace or noisy one? JORGE, quiet (with audiobooks); NANCY, quiet.

Panel presentations or school visits? NANCY, school visits; JORGE, panel presentations.

Write every day or not? JORGE, not write every day, but draw every day; NANCY, not every day.

 

And finally, what’s on the horizon for each of you?

JORGE: THE WILD ONES, my second picture book collaboration with my partner, Megan, comes out in 2023.

NANCY: Look for SPLISH, SPLASH! FIRST TO LAST coming in 2023.

 

NANCY’S BIO:

Nancy Viau is the author of the picture books Pruett and Soo, Today Is a Beach Day!, First Snow, City Street Beat, Storm Song, and Look What I Can Do! Her middle-grade novels include: Something Is Bugging Samantha Hansen, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, Just One Thing! and Beauty and Bernice.

Please visit http://www.NancyViau.com to find out about her school assembly programs and writing workshops.

JORGE’S BIO:

Jorge Lacera was born in Colombia, and grew up in Miami, Florida drawing in sketchbooks, on napkins, on walls, and anywhere his parents would let him.

After graduating with honors from Ringling College of Art and Design, Jorge worked as a visual development and concept artist for major gaming studios and entertainment companies.

As a big fan of pop culture, comics, and zombie movies, Jorge rarely saw Latinx kids as the heroes or leads. He is committed to changing that, especially now that he has a son. He is the co-creator (along with his wife, Megan) of Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies and the illustrator of Xo, Exoplanet, written by Deborah Underwood. He is a co-founder of #LatinxPitch (www.latinxpitch.com).

Jorge is currently helping to create the next chapter in the BioShock franchise as the Art Director at Cloud Chamber Studios in Montreal, Quebec.

Nancy and Jorge, thank you for sharing your book and sending along your interesting answers to the questions for all of us to read. It was nice to hear from both of you and get an author and illustrator perspective. What a fun to write a picture book with a dystopian feel to help children see how a friend can help you see things you are missing in life. I love Jorge’s illustrations and really love him sharing how he got his inspiration from German expressionist cinema. Good luck with the book!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy