Today I have a treat for you! Author Laura Sassi has stopped by to share Five Fun Facts about her new release from Worthy Kids entitled Faithful Feet! Thanks for being here, Laura. What are your facts?
Thanks for having me on your blog, Mindy! Here are the facts I thought of to share with your readers.
Fact One: This is my first book with Worthy Kids and my eleventh book overall. It’s the 10th that rhymes, the 5th to include references to specific Bible verses, and the first to be illustrated by an Italian ( and beautifully)! You can learn more about illustrator Emanuel Di Donna here. (https://thebrightagency.com/uk/childrens-illustration/artists/emanuela-di-donna)
Fact Two: Faithful Feet is inspired by a favorite Bible verse of mine from the Old Testament. From Isaiah 52:7, it reads, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news…” That image of feet running to tell of God’s amazing grace captured my imagination and I ran with it!
Fact Three: The opening of the book which begins “Feet are funny don’t you think?” was originally just a silly poem I wrote as a warm-up exercise to get my ideas flowing one morning several years ago. It remained unexplored in my writer’s notebook until one day, as I was looking through that old notebook, I spotted it. With the verse above (see Fact Two) already on my heart, I knew when I saw the poem that I had the opening for my book.
Fact Four: I had fun brainstorming which Bible characters’ feet to include in this rhyming narrative. I was striving to get a mix of male, female, young, old etc. I also wanted the feet to be hairy, smooth, dusty and so on, in keeping with that opening verse. Whose feet did I finally pick? Noah’s, Daniel’s, David’s, Mary’s and, of course, Jesus’s feet! I also included the feet of those who followed Jesus to listen and be healed, as well as the feet of the women who ran to tell the good news of Jesus’ resurrection that first Easter morning.
Fact Five: This book isn’t really about feet! As I explain in the “Author’s Note” at the beginning of the book, I think feet are a wonderful visual reminder and metaphor for what God desires most from us—that we actively trust, love, and walk with Him spiritually. So even though I use feet to tell this story, the book is really about actively loving and trusting God and letting His love flow through us to others.
I loved hearing these facts! In case you didn’t know I am hosting a SASSI BOOK BUNDLE GIVEAWAY over the next few days (January 9-11). You can enter to win Faithful Feet, and two of my favorite of Laura’s other titles. I will announce the winners on my blog and Instagram account on January 12th.
Today I’m highlighting Bunny Finds Easter, the latest board book from author Laura Sassi. I invited Laura here today because I wanted to discuss how much the role of the illustrations play in bringing a picture book story to life. I’m so thrilled that she accepted my request!
MINDY: First of all, Laura, thank you so much for stopping by! What a treat for you to be here!
LAURA: I’m happy to join you, Mindy. I love to discuss picture books!
MINDY: I have to tell you, Laura, how much I have enjoyed my advance copy! I really love that Jesus is highlighted so prominently as the reason we celebrate Easter. That is so dear to my heart and my faith! I also adore the illustrations in this book and wanted to discuss that topic with you a little bit. I know that once you turn your manuscript in, the artist job begins. It is always amazing to me how much charm illustrators are able to add to the text. My first question for you is, what is your favorite page spread in this book?
LAURA: Truly, I love them all but I’m going to pick the spread that reads “She hops to town. Cheep. Chirp. Who’s there? Babies, babies, everywhere!” because I think it captures beautifully the amplified way that the illustrations add heart and depth to the story in board books.
MINDY:What do you love about it?
LAURA: At first glance, this spread seems simple enough. But if you look carefully, there are oodles of picture clues and story elements for littlest ones and their parents to notice and enjoy.
First, the text says simply “Babies, babies, everywhere.” The illustrations fill that out with adorable chicks sliding down a hay stack while a mother hen (with matching Easter bonnet and purse) looks one. But there are other babies, too. Can you spot the tadpoles?
MINDY: I do spot them! So adorable!
LAURA: Second, observant little ones might notice that Mama is now carrying a bouquet of lilies. These are the lilies that Bunny clipped on the previous spread. Now we know why she clipped them. For Mama!
MINDY: I love how the story connects from page to page. Brilliant!
LAURA: Third, look what’s peeking through in the background. It’s the church! If you are observant, you will notice that from this spread on, Bunny keeps hopping closer and closer to church. I like to think of this as the board book version of foreshadowing because guess where Bunny will discover what Easter is all about? If you guessed that the will find the final clue in that little chapel, you are right!
MINDY: I am so intrigued by this!What else?
LAURA: Other details to notice on the spread. The houses. Where is everybody? On their way to church, maybe? And is Bunny holding a basket? Why might that be? (Hint: It’s a clue to the activity on the next page.)
MINDY: Wow, Laura! The illustrator truly did a fabulous job bringing your words to life! I have loved taking this deeper look at some of the treasures on each page.
LAURA: Yes, the illustrations are so important in picture books!
MINDY: One other thing I wanted to ask, I have heard you mentioning on social media about some fantastic freebies that accompany this book. Can you tell us how we can take advantage of these opportunities?
MINDY: Both of these resources look fantastic and fun. I truly can’t recommend it your new book enough, especially as the perfect gift to be tucked into an Easter basket! Thank you so much for joining me today, Laura! I wish you all the best in your future writing endeavors. I know you have a book coming out this fall for the Christmas season. I will be following your blog to hear more details about that one, too!
LAURA: Thanks for having me! It has been a delight to chat together.
MINDY: Thank you, Laura! It has been a treat!
And, for all of you readers, if you are interested in buying the book, here is a link.
Also, to find out more about Laura and her other books, check out her website or follower her on social media. I also recommend following her blog. She posts regularly with fantastic content!
Did you know??Laura and I work together with several other authors including Rebecca Gomez, Tina Cho, and Trine Grillo on a new website called www.readdiscussdo.com. I will be doing another interview with Laura there later this month.
Watch for more details and thanks for joining us today!
Hey everyone! I’m so excited to be hosting a give-away for Glenys Nellist’s latest release in the Twas series entitled, Twas the Season of Advent. It is a fabulous family devotional with accompanying artwork by Elena Selivanova.
Description: This is a product perfect for family devotions along with many other settings. There are 25 devotions, one for each day leading up to Christmas, with a blend of stories from the Old and New Testament. I love that Nellist has included the story of Isaiah, as I believe it is so important to remember the fact that God promised to send Jesus seven hundred years before he was born! What a miracle!
At the beginning of each page is a poem in the cadence of Clement C. Moore’s classic, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. There is also a highlighted scripture, and several paragraphs to read aloud together with your child. Each devotion concludes with a heart-felt prayer that also serves to summarize the main point of the day and personalize it for the reader.
For example: I love the story of the angel appearing to Mary. This is the content of the devotion for December 6th. The title is “My Answer is Yes.” The prayer reads:
“Dear God, thank you for Mary who was so brave and trusted you. When I need to be brave, help me remember that you are with me.“
Another page that is especially meaningful is the way Nellist concludes the book:
“I wonder how you are celebrating this holy night. I hope that wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you might come to the manger, where God is waiting to meet you. No matter if your home is quiet or noisy this Christmas Eve–in the hustle or the hush; in the chaos or the calm; in the sound or in the silence, God is waiting to meet you there.
Dear God, as we gather around the manger, help us to listen as you whisper into our heart. Help each one of us truly know that this child–Jesus, Prince of Peace, Immanuel, the Word, was born for us. Thank you for this holy Christmas Eve.“
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There is so much rich and meaningful content packed into this book! I pray that God will powerfully use it in the hearts of all who read it. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and he is also the Savior–the Messiah–the one who was born to save each of us from our sin. I am so thankful that Glenys Nellist has written this book, and that Zonderkidz has chosen to publish it. It speaks of the most important message.The message of Jesus Christ.
You will be glad you purchased this book and decided to use it with your family!!!
AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY DETAILS!
I am so happy to be giving away one copy of ‘Twas the Season of Advent!
This giveaway is sponsored by the publisher, Zonderkidz, and is open to entrants living in the USA with a physical street address (no PO boxes.)
HOW TO ENTER:
1. Follow @mindybakerbooks and @glenysnellist on Instagram and leave a comment on any Instagram post this weekend about the give-away.
2. You can also tag a friend on any Instagram post this weekendfor even more entries. One entry per tag.
3. Leave a comment on this blog post for an additional entry.
4. For 10 additional entries, follow this blog and/or subscribe to my mini-magazine. You will receive free bi-monthly content and also be notified of any new posts.
5. You must enter by 6pm EST on Sunday, November 14, 2021. I will draw the winner and post the result here and on Instagram Monday morning, November 15, 2021.
You can find out more about Glenys at her website. She has loads of other wonderful titles!
I absolutely love how Zonderkidz produces free resources to accompany their books. There is a free Parent/Teacher Guide for Twas the Season of Advent that has daily questions and follow-up activities. You can download them at the Zonderkidz website. Check it out!
This blog post is part of a BLOG HOP. The next scheduled post will be December 15th on the Instagram of @DeeperKidmin (Brittany Nelson)
Directions: Let your imagination take over and create a crown, necklace, ring, or bracelet. String beads, glue feathers, find some sticky foamies and have fun! We used a glue gun for the feathers. This is a great craft to practice patterns!
Here is a fun photo of my daughter and a few friends who helped me create my samples. Notice that mermaids come in all sizes!
Check out this Mermaid Pinterest Board for more mermaid craft ideas and mermaid snack ideas.
And now for some mermaid books! Drumroll please….
Part-time Mermaid by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cambria Evans celebrates the imagination and imaginative play! Pretending to be mermaids was always a very popular playtime event for my daughters when they were young. The book is told in first person and the reader experiences the adventure of a little girl who becomes a mermaid at night. She pets the otters, explores a sunken pirate ship, and even encounters a sea witch while attending the Midsummer Sea Festival.
How to Meet a Mermaid by Sue Fliess and illustrated by Simona Sanfilippo is a charming book that invites playtime fun. The author takes you through a progression of ideas of how you might meet a mermaid. One of the suggestions is to have a crown she can wear. In the back of the book there are directions for making a mermaid crown (I based my crown and jewelry craft off of this idea). There are also directions for going on a field trip to the beach, and even the suggestion of cleaning up the beach by throwing away any litter you may encounter.
The Ocean Calls– This is a beautiful book by Tinal Cho and illustrated by Jess X Snow. It is the beautiful story of a girl who has a grandmother that shows her how to be a “haenyeo” which is like a treasure-hunting mermaid. The back matter explains and gives quotes from authentic present-day Korean haenyeo divers. The beauty of the artwork drew me in and the story captured my heart. Love this book!
The Little Mermaid-by Jerry Pinkney. Melody wants to explore and find out what is above the surface of the water, and she really wants to be friends with a little girl she spies on the shore. She trades her voice for legs. Don’t you love variations of familiar stories? The stunning artwork will keep you mesmerized for a long time.
