Book Giveaway: A HISTORY OF TOILET PAPER by Sophia Gholz

Sophia Gholz has a new picture book, A HISTORY OF TOILET PAPER, illustrated by Xiana Teimoy and published by Running Kids Press on August 2nd. They have agreed to send a copy to the one lucky winner in the US.

Just leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Let me know other things you did 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 Sophia and Xiana.

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. If you want to make sure you don’t miss seeing that you won, please click “Notify Me of Follow-Up Comments by Email” box. I will leave a comment in reply if you win the book. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION: 

In the beginning, potty time meant the great outdoors . . . 

People have been going potty since, well, since the beginning of people! Ever wonder what humans used before potties or paper? You might be surprised at the clever tools that humans came up with over the centuries. From the great outdoors to ceramic pots, bum brushes and bidets, prepare for an adventure as we explore the interesting and sometimes shocking history of human potty practices! Award-winning children’s author Sophia Gholz and illustrator Xiana Teimoy team up to put a humorous spin on the fun and fascinating facts surrounding the history of toilet paper (and other potty tools) in this delightful book.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Thank you for having me today, Kathy! I’m so excited to share my new book, A History of Toilet Paper (And Other Potty Tools), with you and all your readers today.

For most of my books, I have a small kernel of an idea that smolders in my mind for a long time before it pops into a full-blown story. I usually like to slow-cook my ideas and make sure they’ll really be edible before I dig in. However, A History of Toilet Paper (And Other Potty Tools) was completely different. I feel like this book began with a big bang—a giant POP!—right out of the gate.

To be honest, before watching the news and reading about all the toilet paper shortages and hoarding at the beginning of the pandemic, I hadn’t really given toilet paper much thought. I mean, I’d appreciated toilet paper in my life, of course. But that was about it. Then, one day, I was standing in a grocery store aisle and there was nothing but empty shelves where toilet paper had once been stocked full. When I turned around, the baby wipes and tissues were still there. I recall thinking to myself, what’s the big deal with toilet paper? That night I began looking into toilet paper a little more and quickly discovered one amazing fact after another. Who knew toilet paper was so fascinating?! My mind was buzzing. I immediately fell into a research rabbit hole and had a working first draft of this book shortly thereafter.

I was so excited about this manuscript that it was one of the few times I’ve been hesitant to share a manuscript with my critique partners. Usually, I’m ready for feedback. Feedback and critique are how we grow as writers and how we mold a story into something more. But this book was unlike any style or voice I’d written before, and I was so in love that I was afraid to hear if it was no good. I was elated and relieved when my critique partners responded with just as much (if not more) enthusiasm as I had for the text.

After a couple of tweaks, I sent the manuscript to my agent and anxiously awaited feedback. This was the beginning of the pandemic. I feared, as many authors did, that no books would be bought at the time. Thankfully, my agent believed in the manuscript, and we ultimately found the perfect home for A History of Toilet Paper with Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids.

My editor, Julie, immediately understood the book. She just “got it” and loved the humor and information. We also had wonderful initial conversations about the direction for art. I was grateful to be included and thrilled to learn the creative director, Frances Soo Ping Chow, shared similar visions for the book. When Julie and Frances announced that Xiana Teimoy would be illustrating, I was over-the-moon excited. I knew the second that I saw Xiana’s work that she was the artist for this book. Xiana has the brilliant ability to bring humor to life through expression and body language. She added so much to the story! I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work with this entire team.

I feel even luckier to now be able to share this book with all of you. I truly hope readers enjoy this wild (and occasionally wacky) trip through time.

SOPHIA’S BIO:

Sophia Gholz is an award-winning children’s book author, magic seeker and avid reader. Sophia enjoys writing fiction with humor and heart. When writing nonfiction, she pulls on her love of science and her strong family background in ecology. When she’s not writing, you can find Sophia reading a book, visiting schools or exploring the great outdoors with her family.

Sophia’s debut book, The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng, was a NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book, a Florida State Book Award Gold Medalist, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor Book and a 2020 Green Earth Honor Book. For more about Sophia and her books, visit her online at: http://www.SophiaGholz.com

XIANA’S BIO:

Xiana Teimoy grew up in Vigo, a lovely city in the Northwest of Spain. After skipping around different cities, she finally settled in Valencia (Spain) where, after studying Fine Arts, she completed a Master’s in Design and Illustration. Upon finishing her degree she was lucky to land a job at the Polytechnic University of Valencia where, for several years, she worked alongside a fantastic team while carrying out her own illustration projects on the side. These days, Xiana works as a full-time illustrator.

She firmly believes in Illustration as a means of communication and is fascinated by the way a simple image can generate a strong emotional impact. In her view, illustration is a powerful visual tool. Indeed, it is this characteristic that inspires her to work with passion and enthusiasm every day.

Xiana work is mainly focused on children illustration. She has worked on everything from classroom content to everyday texts that can be found on toy chests or on children´s bookshelves. She believes that products and media created for children should facilitate their development and supplement their education. However, they should also spark their imagination and inspire their creativity.

She finds being a part of children’s education and development to be extremely rewarding. Above all, this is one of the main reasons why she loves to work in this field.

Sophia, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. This is another wonderful book to add to your great list of books. The title itself is enough to get people to pick your book off bookstore shelves. From the whole book from the cave men and throughout history are so much fun. Xiana’s humorous illustrations are perfect for this story. Kids will laugh and learn while reading this book. Good luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy