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"What would the sky be like if there were no birds? What would mornings be like? And what if other things we take for granted, like night and color, disappeared, too?"--
About the author
Bruce Handy is an author, journalist, essayist, critic, humorist, and editor. His first book for young readers,
The Happiness of a Dog with a Ball in Its Mouth, was named a Best Children’s Book of 2021 by the
New York Times. Handy is also the author of
Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult (Simon & Schuster). He has also worked as a writer-editor at
Vanity Fair, Time, Esquire, and
Spy and has contributed to the
New York Times Magazine, the
New York Times Book Review, New York, and the
New Yorker, as well as other publications that don’t have New York in their titles, including
The Atlantic and the
Wall Street Journal. He currently lives in New York with his wife, the novelist Helen Schulman.
Ashleigh Corrin is a graphic designer by day, illustrator by night, residing in Northern VA with her husband. Her picture book debut,
Layla's Happiness, won the 2020 Ezra Jack Keats Award for illustration. Her talent comes from her late grandmother who has inspired Ashleigh to serve people's unique stories with creativity. With her illustrations, Ashleigh hopes to contribute to good laughs, nostalgia, vulnerability, transparency, and seeing the light in ourselves and others.
Summary
A New York Times Best Children’s Book of 2023! An Academy of American Poets' Featured Fall Book for Young Readers! A Bookstagang Best of 2023 Winner: Best Illustration! This thought-provoking, playful picture book from NYT Best Children's Book author Bruce Handy and Ezra Jack Keats Award winning illustrator Ashleigh Corrin plays with the idea of how life would be if certain of the things we love most were no longer here.
What if one day, all the birds flew away? Mornings would be quieter. Skies would be plainer. Worms could relax. What if there were no more bugs? What if there ceased to be day and night? By asking how our world would change if it lacked birds, water, or people, and how we would feel about that, this playful text from Bruce Handy (The Happiness of a Dog with a Ball in Its Mouth), accompanied by joyful art from Ashleigh Corrin (Layla's Happiness), invites readers to celebrate the beauty and wonder of existence, and all that makes our world what it is. So often, our gaze is on the future, on that better world to come, but what if the world as it is—with light and water, salt, earth, and animals, plants and insects, air and stars and French fries—is sufficient, and it is only us who have not known how to cherish it, or to love it all well enough? This book reminds us that all we need is here, if only we attend!
Foreword
- Cover reveal on social media. Instagram and newsletter promotion to Enchanted Lion’s significant social media following (40k on Instagram, 10k newsletter list).
- Advance review mailing to PW, Kirkus, SLJ, NYT, WSJ, etc.
- Outreach to bloggers and reviewers with a focus on thoughtful, conversation-starting picture books.
- Promotion focused on network of independent bookstores (special mailing + outreach).
- With its repetitive structure and ample sense of humor, this book is perfect for sharing and for classroom use.