Monday, December 19, 2016

5 with Monika Schröder author of Be Light Like a Bird



For today's post I turn the LibLaura5 blog over to Monika Schröder, author of Be Light Like a Bird, the moving story of Wren who is trying to find herself in the wake of the sudden loss of her father.



Monika, thank you so much for stopping by my blog to share about Be Light Like a Bird by finishing my 5 purple prompts.

Hi Laura, Thank you for inviting me on your blog. I appreciate the opportunity to talk a bit about BE LIGHT LIKE A BIRD.

Grief and hope…play an important role in BE LIGHT LIKE A BIRD. Wren is devastated after the loss of her father and doesn't understand why her mother acts so distant toward her. She slowly works through her grief, also with the help of Theo, who himself suffered the loss of a parent. She is lonely and her mother takes her away from the only home she knew. But she never looses hope. She makes a plan to convince her mother to stay in Pyramid, MI and to make it their new home.

Wren... has grown very close to my heart while I was writing the book. Even though she is grieving the death of her father she shows a lot of strength. When confronted with the choice of fitting in with the popular girls or standing up for what she believes in, she chooses the later. She decides to fight for the sanctuary where she watches birds and she comes up with creative ways to generate support for this project. At the end of the story she has formed a new bond with her mother and has found a new home. I think she is an awesome girl and I hope many readers like her as much as I do.

Monika's garden--"since we moved to the US I have become an avid gardener.
Gardening, to me, is the perfect supplementary activity to writing."

Birdwatching… is important to Wren. I love birds, but I am not a serious bird watcher. Wren used to watch birds with her father. Right after his death, she is not sure if she can continue watching birds, since the activity is so closely connected to her memory of him, and it was her father who gave her the journal she notes her bird sightings in. But then, after she and her mother arrive in northern Michigam, she decides to continue, and when Theo joins her birdwatching helps the two of them to forge their friendship. Her love for birdwatching also becomes the catalyst for her getting engaged in a civil action project to save the bird sanctuary from destruction from the expansion of a landfill.

Writing books for young readers…is rewarding. I love writing for kids. I hope that some young readers recognize themselves in my books. In the case of BE LIGHT LIKE A BIRD the book may help a grieving child or may help a girl to stand up against bullies. I also truly enjoy being part of the supportive community of children's book writers and teachers and librarians who are getting these books into the hands of kids. It is a great tribe to belong to.

Monika with her dog Frank whom she adopted from the streets of India

Sharing the books we love is another way to share about ourselves and connect with each other, so my last prompt for you is...



I've read many great books this year. One book I read and loved recently... was WISH, by Barbara O'Connor, a beautiful story about a girl who finds acceptance and love in an unexpected place. Charlie, a girl with a temper and an urgent wish, grows out of her angry shell with the help of her loving aunt, a true friend, and a stray dog. Young readers will connect to the well-drawn characters on many levels. WISH provides ample material for classroom discussion, while leaving kids with the assurance that, even if they feel alone, there is always hope. O'Connor's hallmark cadence and poignant descriptions of the southern setting enhance the charm of this book. Lovely all around!

Thank you, Monika!


Visit Monika Schrӧder's Website: www.MonikaSchroeder.com




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Sunday, December 4, 2016

5 with Sarah Aspinall of Penguins Love Colors




For today's post I turn the LibLaura5 blog over to Sarah Aspinall, creator of Penguins Love Colors.




Sarah, thank you so much for stopping by my blog to share about your new book Penguins Love Colors by finishing my 5 purple prompts.


[Sarah:] Thank you for having me, it’s lovely to be here!


Penguins… are so much fun to illustrate!  I adore animals of all kinds and any excuse to draw and paint them I will take!  Did you know there are approximately 17 different types of penguins? Not all of them live in the cold like mine do, in fact, the smallest breed of penguin, called a Fairy Penguin, (the biggest ones grow to just 13” tall, with a maximum weight of 3.3 lbs!) lives in Southern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand!
It was also very important to me that I make the world of the book as void of color as possible so that when the creativity begins (much like starting a drawing on a blank piece of paper, or painting a fresh canvas) the colors truly burst across the page/snow!  There are no limits!  What better choice than a sibling group of playful black and white penguins!



Broccoli… is delicious!  My best friend and I used to eat it nearly every day with cheese and spicy sauce (those were the frugal days of living in London in my early 20’s- ha!).  
The penguins all have very specific names linking them to their favorite colors.  I wanted to have one, named Broccoli, that was a little out of the ordinary.  I think we almost all have that quirky friend or family member who is a little different than the rest.  In fact, I think I might even be that person for some- hehe.
I also think it helps to give young readers something to remember and react to right away!  Most people do not know that Broccoli is a flowering vegetable, it’s a good way to make sure they’re listening ;)


Growing up on top of a hill in the middle of the english countryside.
Surrounded by seven brothers and sisters, dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and mice


Picture books…  help us to connect, communicate, understand, learn, laugh, remember, feel, express love for one another and form a creative point of view--they are truly limitless.  They must never, ever, ever go away.
I first understood just how powerful a picture book could be when I took a class at RISD called Picture and Word.  I will never forget day one when Judy-Sue, an amazing lady who has inspired me more than anyone I have met, introduced us to a spectrum of wonderful picture books, but finished by reading aloud ‘Annie Bananie’ by Leah Komaiko (Illustrated by Laura Cornell).  By the end of the book she was moved to tears and I was surprised to find that I was too. Taking that class was a truly pivotal moment in my life, and I have not stopped writing, illustrating and collecting picture books ever since.


Making books for young readers… is an honor and a heck of a lot of fun.  Children are the experts when it comes to play and bringing life to one’s imaginings, as a creator you need to keep your wits about you!  
There is also something incredibly special about being a part of someone’s childhood, if you get it right, parts of whatever it is you created stays with them forever.


Sharing the books we love is one way we share about ourselves and connect with each other, so my last prompt for you is...

One book I read and loved recently… Oh!  There are so many!!  Only one?  Hmm, well, if I must- I think I will choose ‘Rude Cakes’ by Rowboat Watson.  It is absolutely bonkers, and really, really funny, I loved it.  When these kinds of books get published I feel relieved to know that there are still enough grown up folks out there with a great sense of humor and the gumption to publish something truly original.



Thank you, Sarah!






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