All the boxes are checked. The book is published. Now, marketing and advertising and publicity, OH MY! After much odd weighing and nail biting, reading a post stating that “a bad Kirkus book review is like a rite of passage,” I took the plunge. After all, Kirkus book review has been a ‘go-to’ respected reviewer for the past 90 years! Just the experience of the submission was worth the potential squashed heart.
My illustrated children’s book, Archie Finds His Voice, was submitted. Up to 3 months for feedback. My take from that was heavy on the “up to,” meaning that it could also mean “tomorrow.” So each day, I’d hold my breath checking my email for the anticipated letter. It came, (3 months later), and I still have pinch marks! And filled with excitement, encouragement, and humility.
Kirkus Book Review,
A young guinea fowl heads off to find his way in the world in this debut rhyming picture book.
Archie is now old enough to leave the safety of his mother’s care. As the bird wanders on his own for the first time, he has fears and worries, but he knows he can always go home by following the moon and looking for a “bright tree” landmark. As Archie struggles “to be strong,” he questions the appeal of his “screech” and wonders if he’ll find any friends. Luckily, he encounters new, helpful pals at every turn—including a squirrel, a groundhog, a pheasant, and an owl—and each has a trait, like Archie’s screech, which makes them distinctive. In this work, Dworetz-Sofarelli encourages children in rhythmic, rhyming verses to accept themselves for who they are. The story’s messages of self-appreciation are consistently clear, whether they …