Book Giveaway: SOMEDAYS ARE YELLOW by Suzanne Slade

Suzanne Slade has a new picture book, SOMEDAYS ARE YELLOW, illustrated by Michelle Lee and published by Sleeping Bear Press on April 15th. Sleeping Bear Press has agreed to send a copy to one lucky winner in the US.

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 about a new book. So, thanks for helping Erin and Kate.

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

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Some days are easy! The sky is sunny, everything goes according to plan, and we know what to expect. Other days are tough! There might be raindrops or skinned knees. Things don’t go our way and we feel overwhelmed. But “No matter your day, tomorrow’s brand new!” Lyrical text and colorful artwork remind readers of all ages that life is a vibrant adventure with an array of experiences and emotions, and tomorrow always offers a fresh start. What a difference a day can make!

BOOK JOURNEY:

I usually remember exactly when and where the idea for a new book arrived. Oddly, I have no memory of the origins of the idea spark for SOME DAYS ARE YELLOW. So I did some sleuthing in my computer files. The first draft is dated December 11, 2019. The second draft doesn’t appear until January 2022. It seems I got distracted by COVID, and a timely idea I hoped to turn into a book quickly, which became JUNE ALMEIDA, VIRUS DETECTIVE! THE WOMAN WHO DISCOVERED THE FIRST HUMAN CORONAVIRUS.

The one thing I do recall about the early days of creating YELLOW, was that I wanted to convey the unpredictable challenges, fun surprises, warm moments, frustrations, and more we all must face in life, and to help young readers understand that happy (yellow) days, along with sad (blue) days are inevitable. But tomorrow is always brand new, as it offers new adventures and possibilities.

I shared that first draft with my trusty critique group, which led to edits and tweaks for a month. Most of my books are nonfiction, which usually require months of intense research and years of follow-up research. Writing SOME DAYS ARE YELLOW was refreshing because I was free to share scenes and events I thought best suited the story without the constraint of “facts”.

Sleeping Bear Press had an incredible vision for the book and selected the perfect illustrator — Michelle Lee. I adore the spunky characters she introduces and the short, relatable stories she creates for each one. The last spread is especially heart-warming and satisfying because Michelle brings all the characters together and shares “conclusions” to their mini-stories through her illustration. I hope families and readers enjoy her bright, cheery illustrations, and the book’s subtle message of persistence and hope!

SUZANNE’S BIO:

Suzanne Slade is the Sibert Honor author of more than 150 books for children. A mechanical engineer by degree, Suzanne often writes about STEM topics, as well as fascinating figures in history. Visit her at http://www.suzanneslade.com.

Newest books:

BEHOLD THE HUMMINGBIRD *Released April 2024
SOMEDAYS ARE YELLOW Released January 2024. Kirkus Reviews
BLAST OFF *2023 NSTA Best STEM Books list, *New York Public Library 2022 Best Books   for Kids list, *CBC‘S Children’s Favorites 2023 list,*Delaware Diamond Award list, *California Department of Education K-12 Recommended books list
SHINING STAR VERA RUBIN DISCOVERS DARK MATTER *2023 CBC NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books
THE UNIVERSE AND YOU *Kirkus STARRED review
MARS IS: STARK SLOPE, SILVERY SNOW, AND STARTLING SURPRISES *Booklist STARRED review
JUNE ALMEIDA, VIRUS DETECTIVE! THE WOMAN WHO DISCOVERED THE FIRST HUMAN CORONAVIRUS
SWISH! THE SLAM-DUNKING, ALLEY-OOPING, HIGH-FLYING HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS *Junior Library Guild Selection
EXQUISITE: THE POETRY AND LIFE OF GWENDOLYN BROOKS *Robert F. Sibert Honor Book – *Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
A COMPUTER CALLED KATHERINE: HOW KATHERINE JOHNSON HELPED PUT AMERICA ON THE NOON *Kirkus STARRED review
DARING DOZEN: THE TWELVE WHO WALKED ON THE MOON *Booklist STARRED review
COUNTDOWN: 2979 DAYS TO THE MOON *School Library Journal STARRED review – *Publishers Weekly STARRED review – *Booklist STARRED review – *2019 Outstanding Science Trade Books – *2019 NSTA Best STEM Books list – *Junior Library Guild Selection
ASTRONAUT ANNIE *Story Time From Space selection (read by astronaut on the Space Station) – *PBS Books “Best Children’s Picture Books of 2018” – *Brightly’s Best Children’s Books
DANGEROUS JANE *2018 Bank Street College of Educ. Best Books of the Year (STARRED Ages 5-9) = *2018 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People – *The Washington Post “Books to Help Build Strong Girls”
OUT OF SCHOOL AND INTO NATURE: THE ANNA COMSTOCK STORY – *Kirkus Starred Review – *2018 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book – *2018 Amelia Bloomer Recommended List – *2018 Green Earth Book Award Honor Winner – *2017 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award (SONWA) – *2017 California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Silver Award
THE MUSIC IN GEORGE’S HEAD: GEORGE GERSHWIN CREATES RHAPSODY IN BLUE – *Four Starred Reviews (Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers’ Weekly, School Library Journal) – *Parents’ Choice Gold Award – *Booklist’s Top 10 Arts Books for Youth List – *Junior Library Guild Selection – *California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Gold Award – *2017 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People – *2017 Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (PreK-3rd) – *2017 Bank Street College of Educ. Best Books of the Year (Ages 5-9) – *2017 Golden Kite Winner for Picture Book Illustration
THE INVENTOR’S SECRET *2017 NSTA Best STEM Book List -*2016 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book -*CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
FRIENDS FOR FREEDOM *Amelia Bloomer Recommended Titles List – *CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books For Young People – *Starred Review – Publishers Weekly
THE SODA BOTTLE SCHOOL *California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Silver Award – *2015 Reading is Fundamental Multicultural Booklist – *2015 Green Prize – THE HOUSE THAT GEORGE BUILT – *Junior Library Guild Selection – *Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year – *2016 ILLINOIS READS selection
CLIMBING LINCOLN’S STEPS *Paterson Prize for Books for Young People – *Notable Social Studies Trade Books For Young People – *Available in most Scholastic School Book Fairs
MULTIPLY ON THE FLY *California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Silver Honor Book – *Illinois READS selection –
WHAT’S NEW AT THE ZOO? *Teachers’ Choice Children’s Book Award.

MICHELLE’S BIO:

Michelle Lee is an illustrator based in Los Angeles and I’ve been drawing and making things my whole life. She received my undergraduate degrees at UC Berkeley in art (printmaking) and molecular biology, then a master’s in Urban Education at UPenn. She taught K-8 science in Philadelphia thinking I’d be a career educator. Though picture books didn’t feature much in the rigid, standardized science curriculum, when she was able to include them, they had an outsize role in engaging my students, conveying concepts, and causing me to wonder if I could make picture books.

The first book Michelle remembers making was for a class project in the 3rd or 4th grade. She wrote and illustrated a pop-up book about a parrot named Max and a dog named Sandy who can’t stand each other but (spoiler alert!) become best friends after Max’s boastful attitude gets him into trouble with a predator. I loved the book as a medium for visual storytelling, She loved the craft that went into making the book: figuring out the pop-up mechanisms, sewing the signatures, using a bone folder, binding the book, and creating a book jacket. She loved getting starred reviews from my classmates and in turn writing reviews for them. It was a little peek into the processes of a world that she’d return to one day.

Her debut picture book Play With Me! published in 2017, and since then she’s illustrated a number of titles- most recently My Lost Freedom by George Takei and Some Days Are Yellow by Suzanne Slade. I’m most inspired by the natural world, families, traditions, and folktales. In Michelle’s practice, she finds inspiration in the act of observing things very closely, thinking about the things she can’t observe or doesn’t know, and when she must problem-solve or learn something new.

She works from her home in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles where she enjoys cooking, gardening, and spying on the urban wildlife that passes through. When not on deadlines for client/commissioned work or books, she enjoys backpacking and camping with her husband, sewing, tackling my (many) manuscripts in progress, and dreaming up future projects.

Selected Clients and Publications:
Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Sleeping Bear Press, Literati, The Village School

I’m represented by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.

 

Suzanne, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. This is such a very sweet lyrical book with an important message for children. Michelle did a wonderful job creating the illustrations to help tell the story. Some of my favorites are the little girl wearing a bathing suit and a cape standing at the top of the high dive with the caption: “Some days feel brave.” Reminds me of the day at the pool when a smaller me climbed the high dive ladder and walked to the end of the board all brave until I looked down at the water below making me lose all my bravado and hightailed it back down the ladder.

The caption on the opposite page says: “Others bring fears.” The picture shows the little boy and his sister outside at night in the backyard inside a tent with a flashlight cowering in their sleeping bags. A book titled, Spooky Stories, is on the ground. That image is so perfect.

One Double Page Spread says:
Some days are “Hola,”
Others are “Adiós,”
and “Hi!”

The Next Page says:
“Bonjour,”
“Au revoir,”
and “Goodbye.”

I thought this was a very clever way to introduce other languages.
Best of all I love how the end repeats the beginning.

Some days are yellow.
Others feel blue.
(and then the reason for the book:)
No matter your day, tomorrow’s brand new!

The uplifting message, like the universal message I often tell myself: “The sun will come out tomorrow.”