A children's picture book by Author Joy Jordan-Lake and Illustrator Susan Eaddy.
Pre-Order Now Coming September 21, 2021
“A gorgeous and imaginative bedtime book about facing your fears and battling bullies with kindness." —Mike Nawrocki, co-creator of Veggie Tales and author of The Dead Sea Squirrels series
Happy ⛱ Summer, friends,
What a difference a year makes, right? I so hope this finds you well, perhaps healing from whatever losses you may have faced during the worst of Covid, perhaps—I hope—celebrating a new season of life. You’ll find in this edition of the newsletter information on my upcoming children’s picture book, Sir Drake the Brave, releasing in September—and we’re so excited! It’s been such a delight getting to work with illustrator Susan Eaddy, who creates the most intricate scenes in clay, then photographs them. She’s being featured on KidLitTV, so we’ll be posting that and other videos of her process on my website—coming soon! My fearless intern Sophie and marvelous webmistress Judy have been working hard on the book’s launch. Sir Drake the Brave is a real heart project, inspired both by my own son Justin as a toddler (can’t believe he’s now a strapping almost-22-year-old!) and by Kenbe, the son of a dear friend, Elizabeth. You can read more about the behind-the-scenes story, but we’re thrilled that the book’s hero Drake, who has a prosthetic leg, is genuinely the hero because of his kindness and his courage in the face of a range of fantastical bullies. The prosthetic leg is not the point of the story, but subtly shown—thanks to Susan’s deft touch. We’re grateful that this particular publisher shared our vision to celebrate this sort of too-rarely-featured child hero. If you’d like to arrange a library, school or group visit of any kind, please contact me through my website—or Susan through hers. And if you or someone in your life—a friend, family member, coworker—has a prosthetic limb or is differently abled in any way, would you be willing to rave about this person in 100 words or less? We would love, with permission, to feature them and their experience in the next newsletter. Kenbe, for example, the boy with the prosthetic leg behind this story, runs track, rides horses, surfs, swims…you name it. Truly, you’ve rarely met anyone more unstoppable. Here’s to beautiful human spirits of courage and determination! I’m especially grateful these days for the ways in which our families grow when our young adult children meet and marry someone who fits so beautifully into the crazy patchwork of personality. My older daughter Julia’s wedding is in late August (younger daughter Jasmine is the maid of honor), and I continue to be thrilled with all the extra love, compassion, connectedness and creativity blossoming in our family with the addition of Shelby. I handed in the manuscript of my next novel, currently entitled Exposure, to my editor a few days ago, so more on that in the coming months. Whatever season of life you’re in, may this summer be one of great peace, goodness and adventure—or at least two of those three! Here’s to books and to friendship. Thank you for reading and for staying in touch with your news! Warmly, Joy
Summary
The magical story of how a boy with a disability who is bullied finds the hero within.
As Drake gets ready for bed, his mother entertains his questions about tyrants, pirates, and dragons―which are really questions about the power of bullies. Their conversation reminds us all that “Not even kings are allowed to be mean.”
Targeted for young children and their caregivers, Sir Drake the Brave is a declaration of ethics, integrity and faith: that kindness and courage ultimately are stronger than any sort of small-minded bullying or hate. Fun and entertaining, the story teaches lessons of accepting others, and welcoming others, including those who are different.
View More about Sir Drake The Brave
View Behind the Scenes
View the Video Link below for the Behind the Scenes process of the illustrations:
Illustrator: Susan Eaddy
Morehouse Publishing Grade level: Preschool - 2
Formats: Hardcover, e-book
Pub Date: 09.21.21 | 32 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1-64065-453-2 (HC) ISBN-13: 978-1-6405-454-9 (ebook)
Read More about Sir Drake the Brave
Go Behind the Scenes
About the Illustrator
Susan Eaddy writes picture books and plays with clay in her attic studio. Her clay-illustrated books include Papa Fish’s Lullaby by Patricia Hubbell and My Love for You Is the Sun by Julie Hedlund; her clay artwork appears regularly in Babybug, Ladybug, Click, and Spider magazines. She is the author of Poppy’s Best Paper and Poppy’s Best Babies, both illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet, and Eenie Meenie Halloweenie, illustrated by Lucy Fleming. www.susaneaddy.com
Book Bonus | Resource Page
At the end of SIR DRAKE THE BRAVE, you will find a resource page to help you with your children's bedtime fears and anxieties. The resource page is provided by Julia Jordan-Lake, LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), who specializes in child and adolescent mental health. Joy, the author, is thrilled and grateful to her daughter, Julia, for her collaboration. Behind the Scenes Behind the Scenes
A portion of the proceeds from both author and illustrator will go to help children in need of prosthetics Watch the videos and learn more about these find organizations.
A Non-Profit organization that helps provide free running prosthetics for amputees.
Helping kids get the prostheses they
need to lead healthy and active lives.
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