What’s New in Book News!

I am attempting to post here every Tuesday and Thursday (big goals!) as part of my new “time-blocking” management system that I’m setting up for myself and I’ve scheduled a book update! This is something I should do every month, providing I’m doing anything new on the book front, which I usually am. I am a book-making queen these days.

The big news is Little Hoo Goes to School is coming out in hardback in August! I’ll have more details on how you can buy those soon. I have a few in my office and they are sooooo nice! They cost a little more but if you are like me and don’t really like those floppy soft covers, then you won’t mind paying a little more. I think they are going to be $20 or so but there will be promotions now and then that you can take advantage of. I will keep you posted when promotions are running so stay tuned.

Like all my Little Hoo books, this book is about dealing with anxiety. Little Hoo is anxious about his first day of school. That’s a subject Bug and I know all too well. I am so glad that Bug seems to have outgrown her anxiety now that she’s a big fat tweenager graduating from sixth grade but I know she still experiences it. Especially now that middle school is looming on the horizon. I’m really excited for her to go into middle school. We attended an orientation there a month or so ago and it seems like so much fun! They have clubs for everything and lots of free time to explore and socialize. I kinda wish I could go back to middle school. I know that clubs and free time are not always “fun” to anxious kids but she’ll get the hang of it.

I thought I’d include my favorite illustration from this book. This is what Little Hoo imagines school (kindergarten or preschool) will be like. Graphs and squiggles and algebra in Kindergarten! Gah! He is of course wrong and the rest of the book shows him having a blast with his friends and learning in a fun way.

The next book I want to share about it “Little Hoo Gets the Flu.” This is super relevant to me right now since I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck with some cold virus that’s going around. I am on day two of working from the couch by the fireplace in my pajamas. This one really took me down. I am coughing up acid-mucus and praying that it will go away as quickly as it came on. Good thing you can’t catch my germs from this page.

Poor Little Hoo. He and I both have an intimate relationship with a box of tissues. This book should come out sometime in Spring! I’ll keep you posted on that.

Next up: EASY READERS! I am working on a bunch of these. They are very very simple eight page books with simple sentences where only one word changes. This one is about Kat, a girl who likes to wear funky clothes (possibly inspired by Bug).  So basically it goes something like “Kat wears glasses. Kat wears pants. Kat wears gloves.” etc etc…

They are really fun and simple to make so I think I will make them in six-packs. Teachers make sure you check back for promotions on this when they come out in Spring.  Of course I will post about them more as they get closer.

I’m also working on a few easy readers called Cody Eats and Cody Eats Everything. Because he does!!

Cody eats dog food. Cody eats cat food.. you get the gist. And yes, I even included an illustration of Cody eating POOP! Because he does and I do go there. (Ugh! Gross! Gross!) I did illustrate books about snot and slime after all so it’s not really surprising. Parents and teachers hate me. Kids love me.

And that’s that! Look for Cody and Kat books coming out in Spring!