Back-to-School Unicorn Energy
July 2025 Edition of the Super Readers Club
Hiya Super Readers! This summer is hot, hot, hot. How are you staying cool? Consider sheltering in the shade with the littles, sipping iced drinks of your choice (unsweet black tea for me!), reading a fat stack of picture books and generally lazing the day away together. Perfection!
May I suggest a new title to add to that fat stack? It’s the First Day of First Grade, Chloe Zoe! releases this month, and while we may not yet be in back-to-school unicorn energy mode, Chloe Zoe can help prepare the littles for navigating friendship and school before we’re in the thick of it. The Super Readers Club also has some more goodies for you today: a NEW Kitty & Cat comic, a Chloe Zoe First Grade Activity Kit AND a NEW kitlit interview with super star author-illustrator
!The Funnies
Did you have a secret hideout as a kiddo? Maybe a clubhouse or treehouse? I always dreamed of having a treehouse, but never got one. Luckily, I was excellent at climbing trees, though, so I still got the view from the top! ;D
Happy Book #8 Birthday, Chloe Zoe!
First Chloe Zoe went to preschool and met her two BFFs, Mary Margaret and George. Then she went to kindergarten, where each of them had different teachers. And now, she’s off to first grade in the eighth title in the Chloe Zoe picture book series! Yay!
This year, Chloe Zoe is excited to have been assigned the same first grade teacher as Mary Margaret. But when Mary Margaret is enchanted by new student, Lulu the unicorn, Chloe Zoe’s fantasy of doing everything together bursts. Will Chloe Zoe be a third wheel in a huff? Or is there room to make a new friend?
Let’s celebrate with ALL the Chloe Zoe fun:
• READ all the Chloe Zoe school books at home or the library!
• ENJOY the new free printable Chloe Zoe First Grade activity kit HERE!
• WATCH the It’s the First Day of First Grade, Chloe Zoe! book trailer HERE!
• SUGGEST It’s the First Day of First Grade, Chloe Zoe! for purchase at your library!
• SHARE a book review for It’s the First Day of First Grade, Chloe Zoe!
• GIFT a copy It’s the First Day of First Grade, Chloe Zoe! to your kiddo, their school, a free little library or a super duper lucky friend:
Super Story Time LIVE
Super Story Time LIVE is back this month on WED 7/9 at 1pm EST time over on Instagram after a summer break in June. And you don’t want to miss it—rock star author-illustrator
is joining me for a cat lover’s book chat and dual picture book read aloud! I’ll be sharing Miss Meow and Joyce will be reading Pug & Pig and Friends. Meow!
Mini Interview with Joyce Wan
Q: You’ve illustrated more than 30 children’s books! Wowza! What one is closest to your heart?
JOYCE: The one closest to my heart is You Are My Cupcake. It was only the second book I ever published and I submitted it unagented! It ended up launching my career. I’ll never forget sitting in a little café during my lunch break, sketching out thumbnails of those sweet characters for the first time. To see how far I’ve come since then still blows my mind. That book will always be extra special to me.
Q: Many of your sweet books feature adorable food! What is your favorite food? Snack? Dessert?
JOYCE: Dumplings are my favorite. They’re just cute little pockets of joy. Steamed, pan-fried, soup-filled, I don’t discriminate. But when I really need to sit down and focus on something creative? It’s all about the Skittles. Taste the rainbow, draw the cute! My art might be fueled by sugar…
Q: Dish with us about who/what/where is inspiring your creative work these days!
JOYCE: Lately, I’ve been looking back to my childhood for inspiration. I’ve been revisiting my favorite things as a kid in the ‘80s: pixelated video games, Sanrio everything, my beloved sticker collection (the puffy ones were my favorite!). I’ve also been rewatching Miyazaki films. My Neighbor Totoro is basically the cinematic equivalent of a warm dumpling. I also find myself drawing from my Chinese heritage and Asian American experience more and more.
• Visit Joyce & all her children’s book awesomeness HERE!
PS I need your input, Super Readers!
I’ve been considering ways to potentially make Super Story Time LIVE more fun and useful for listeners, and I’d love to get your thoughts!
See You Later, Alligator
Thanks so much for being here, Super Readers! And thank you for all the Chloe Zoe love so far this year! It’s been a blast continuing the series after years of fans requesting more. Y’all are the best! I hope you’ll give the new Chloe Zoe First Grade Activity Kit a try, and if you haven’t yet printed out the SRC Summer Activity Kit from the June edition, I encourage you to go for it, too! Both are perfect for long, lazy summer days. Stay cool, friends! Until next time, wishing you air conditioning, ice cream and all the good books you can handle…
Always wanted the treehouse, never got one, but also a very good climber. I lived on a farm and had different trees that I'd climb and use as my stakeout spots for my spy missions (mostly spying on birds!)