Book Giveaway: HUMPHREY THE EGG-SPLORER by Nadia Ali

Nadia Ali has written a new picture book, HUMPHREY THE EGG-SPLORER, illustrated by Valenti Gubianas being published by Yeehoo Press on April 4th. 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 Nadia.

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:

A rollicking story that expands the famous tale of a fragile egg to a new story about bravery, creativity, and forging your own path.

Eggs are fragile and bought specifically to be cracked. . . but what if they don’t want to be cracked and have their own ambitions and goals for life like becoming a great egg-splorer? Humphrey has long known the cautionary tale of his grandfather, Humpty Dumpty. Being an egg means he can easily slip and crack at any time . . . but what does that mean for his dreams of becoming an egg-splorer and going on grand adventures? But Humphrey is determined, and he’ll do whatever it takes to become a brave adventurer―even if that means putting himself through the fieriest trials to get there. Inspired by the beloved nursery rhyme, author Nadia Ali and artist Valentí Gubianas deliver a rollicking story that expands the famous tale of a fragile egg to a new story about bravery, creativity, and forging your own path.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Thank you Kathy for the opportunity to share my book journey of ‘Humphrey the Egg-splorer.’

Ever since I was a child, I have loved the realm of nursery rhymes. After all, who doesn’t like reading aloud those familiar short songs or verses like, ‘Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.’

When I started writing I did not realize that a majority of these are in the public domain and thus can be re-written and adapted. I remember seeing the fractured-fairy tale series by Josh Funk and LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD by Tara Lazar. But it was ‘AFTER THE FALL: HOW HUMPTY DUMPTY GOT BACK UP by Dan Santat that ignited my thoughts. It sparked my imagination and got me thinking about the character of Humpty Dumpty. He sat on a wall, fell and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty back together again. I Humpty Dumpty was still alive – how would today’s kids relate to him, surely, he would be a grandpa at the very least. So, there would need to be a new relatable character for kids, someone they could identify with, such as grandpa Humpty’s grandson – Humphrey Dumpty.

From that point the story started evolving. Humphrey wants to be an egg-splorer like his grandpa but with one big difference – he doesn’t want to end up as a cracked egg on the ground. So, he devises ways to become stronger, going against his dozen of eggs and forging his own path to become an egg-splorer.

By June 2021, I began submitting Humphrey to publishers. Yeehoo Press expressed an interest. At the end of September, I signed with my agent Joyce Sweeney and by January 2022 we signed a contract with Yeehoo Press sealing the book deal for Humphrey the Egg-splorer.

Working on ‘Humphrey’ with my editor Siqin was such a wonderful experience and together the story evolved even more. I was soon invited to give my opinion on the pencil sketches created  by Valenti Gubianas an illustrator of children’s books and murals. Honestly, seeing those first pencil sketches of the character of Humphrey was overwhelming and when the color illustrations arrived, my eyes brimmed with happy tears wanting to print the whole PDF to hold it in my hands. I love the warmth of the colors he used – the orange, red and yellow that welcome readers to each page. My favorite spread is the one with a fire-breathing dragon, a fiery volcano and an enormous smiling sun. Valenti also cleverly added a wordless story element played out through the sun’s expression at the window. He also added a wordless family to the household who go about making tea, being busy in the kitchen and simply share the space with Humphrey and his dozen – just the sheer creative genius of Valenti.

The text and illustrations were finalized and with nothing more for me to do, I sat and waited while writing. Then, one day, I received an email from Yeehoo Press with a few attachments. On opening them there were photographs from the printing process and actual video clips of Humphrey being printed! I watched mesmerized at the spinning of the rolling press, the swishing of paper filtering through and there printed on the paper were my words and Valenti’s illustrations forming the pages of Humphrey the Egg-splorer. I was egg-cited! Egg-static and egg-stremely grateful.

Fast forward to December 2022, a courier van pulled up outside my place, beep-beep! The courier man stood there with a box-in-hand from Yeehoo Press.  I suddenly felt like I was not formerly attired to accept the box of author copies. I should have prepared! Hair, make-up, evening gown, and glided down the driveway waving slowly to adoring neighbors who peeped through curtains. Standing side-by-side with the courier man, I gave him my first author’s signature on the received bill to which he screeched away at speed unaware of the auspicious occasion.

Now in 2023, marketing begins, the pre-order campaign is in full swing with editorial and early reviews starting to roll in. There’s a lot of egg-citement and eggs-pectation in the air. Come Tuesday 4^th April, Humphrey the Egg-splorer will be released. May it inspire those who read it, to be strong, be positive and let their adventure begin.

NADIA’S BIO:

Nadia Ali is a children’s author who writes fiction and nonfiction picture books. Her stories range from funny to fanciful to factual. She was born in London, UK and currently resides in the Caribbean where she happily swapped out London’s gray skies for clear blue skies.

She is active on social media making valued connections and networking with fellow writers. She is a member of Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Community and Sue Atkins Book Club. She was honored to be a Grand Prize Winner in the #SunFunWrite2022 Contest, a #DVPit Critique Winner and a 2021 Picture Book Party Finalist. You can follow her on:

Twitter: @NadiaAwriter

InstaGram: https://www.instagram.com/nadiaawriter/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/NadiaAwriter

VALENTI’S BIO:

Valenti Gubianas was born in front of the station of a train that was not in a rush. It had so few things that it was taken away after a while. Everything was done in a hurry, and nobody wanted the poor train anymore. He grew up making play-huts in Alzineta there when there were still a lot of tall, beautiful pines, the bonfires of San Juan on the Pla del Gubianas, playing in the bell tower, as the door was always open, discovering the world with the Boy Scouts, making the best gift packages in the world at the shop in his town, playing football with friends every day of the week and watching how the flocks of farm animals went past the house. He drew, painted, like everyone in my house. One day a teacher told him they would not be drawing in class anymore, because he was now 9 years old. Later he discovered there were people who were professional illustrators and who were adults. When he grew-up, he didn’t know what he wanted to be, except for being happy. Like those at home, like his friends in the boy scouts, like the people people who make the giants dance in the town fairs, like so many other great and happy people.

There is no train, or station, there are many pines less in the Alzineta, the bell tower is always locked. But Valenti has discovered that there are adults who write stories and tales about trains, trees, and bell towers. And of lambs like those in the flocks that used to pass by in front of his house. He likes to imagine worlds, and tries to change them and paint them with new colours. He has discovered that the happiest people he knows, are adults, who change the colour of the world whenever they can.

Valenti studied for a time at the Massana School and discovered the art of illustrating stories. Discovering the work of Carme Solé Vendrell, Montse Ginesta, Mariscal, Peret, Arnal Ballester or Montse Tobella was what drove him to begin his adventures in this world. Training with Carme Solé Vendrell was motivated his professionalism. He published his first book in 1995, it was written by Elena O’Callaghan. Since then he has illustrated books for various publishers, both children’s and youth literature and textbooks.

His interest in discovering new paths has led him to create large-scale murals for schools, libraries, on building facades and in live performances. Transforming a wall allows him to create a story, to create a small universe, and to feel free, as if he were flying.

Valenti’s real school has been the scout movement. Illustrating books and murals is his craft, which he does, above all, with his heart and head.

Nadia, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. What a fun to read. Humphey Dumpty is the grandson of Humpty Dumpty, the famous adventurer and egg-splorer. Humphrey wants to follow in his grandpa’s footsteps – minus his fall and demise.

No one else in his dozen shares his enthusiasm and tries to talk him out of his dream, but he says, “I am going to go where no egg has gone before.” He must get strong, so he egg-xcerzises. His friends tell him he needs to get warm for 10 minutes to get stronger, then he remembers it’s cake baking day. He doesn’t want to end up in a cake, so he runs to the stove, jumps in a pot of warm water until he feels weird and jumps out. He feels heavier and his friends tell him he’s hard-boiled and indeed heavier and stronger. Humphey is egg-cited and goes off to start his new adventure.

This book is so creative and so much fun. I love the egg play on words. Sure to get a bunch of giggles and belly laughs from kids. They’ll love this book. Valenti’s illustrations are great and really add to the action and fun of the book. Good luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy