It's a Picture Book Birthday Celebration!
May 2024 Edition of the Super Readers Club
Hiya, Super Readers! May is full of big moments—finals, graduations, proms and a particularly special book birthday—that are all the cumulation of years of invested time, energy and effort! I hope you and yours are whooping it up! I know I will be, and in this edition of the Super Readers Club, there’s LOTS of fun to be had from a new Kitty & Cat comic to book birthday hoopla to a new kidlit mini interview with author-illustrator, Colleen Kong-Savage! Enjoy!
The Funnies
What would your Ferris Bueller-style spring day include? Kitty & Cat are thinking a little baseball, kite flying and swimming at the beach…
Happy Book Birthday, Teddy’s Bear!
There’s nothing better than a book birthday and May 14th is Teddy’s Bear Takes a Tumble’s book birthday! Hip-hip-hooray! (PS Did you know that it’s dedicated to you, Super Reader? It’s true—just check the dedication page!) And there’s SO many ways to celebrate and support this straight-from-my-heart-to-you picture book:
Make a purchase request at your local library!
Write a starred review on Goodreads or your fav bookseller’s platform!
Give a copy to a local Free Little Library!
Share in your newsletters, blogs and social media!
Gift a copy to a friend or relative!
Enjoy the free, printable activity kit!
Attend Super Story Time LIVE on May 8th for a Teddy’s Bear read aloud!
Order any of the 3 formats (hardcover, paperback or e-book) from your fav bookseller!
Amazon • Apple • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million • Indie Bookstores • Target
Thank you, Super Readers! You’re the BEST!
Super Story Time LIVE
Teddy’s Bear Takes a Tumble isn’t the only awesome spring book release! My friend, Colleen Kong-Savage, has a beautiful new picture book, Piano Wants to Play, that just released in March. Together we’re reading our new books and chatting it up on Super Story Time LIVE this WED 5/8 at 10am PST / 1pm EST—come join us! It’ll be so fun!
Interview Mini with Colleen Kong-Savage
Q: Do you play the piano? Do you play any other musical instruments?
COLLEEN: I’ve played piano as a beginner for decades and that’s it for my music ability. I do live vicariously through my daughter who performs on piano, drums, bass, and explored the guitar, flute, sax.
Q: What kinds of music do you enjoy the most?
COLLEEN: What kind of music depends on what kind of mood. For example, today’s a rainy chilly day—I think I’ll put on some Hawaiian music and pretend there’s a rain forest outside. Songwriters I love: Michael Franti and Imani Coppola. When I do community murals I like to learn what other people listen to—I ask fellow painters to call out a song and YouTube auto-decides the playlist until someone has another request. I’ve been hearing a lot of anime soundtracks and StrayKids lately because I’m working with middle schoolers. My favorite song I’ve learned while mural painting is Bulgarian Chicks by Balkan Beatbox.
Q: I adore your collages—all the bold shapes, patterns and compositions! Tell us about your collection of materials (aka palette!).
COLLEEN: Thanks Jane! It’s mostly just paper and learning the right balance of solids and patterns in a composition. You can add texture by crumpling, tearing, or coloring the paper with paints or pencils. To get accuracy in my collages I make several copies of the final sketch. Those copies are templates for cutting out shapes and placing them together.
• Visit Colleen here and check out all of her books & murals!
See You Later, Alligator
As always, thanks so much for bring here, Super Readers! It’s a pleasure to be hanging out, enjoying children’s books, art and good fun with you. I hope you enjoy Teddy’s Bear Takes a Tumble! Perhaps I’ll see ya at Super Story Time LIVE this WED?
Looking ahead, summer is right around the corner. Please note that Super Story Time LIVE will be taking a summer vacay break in June. BUT it will back in July on WED 7/10—same time, same place—with the fabulous author-illustrator Constance Lombardo. Plus, the June newsletter will be all sparkly with a brand new printable summer-themed activity kit! Definitely lots of good stuff to look forward to…