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Ten years ago I spilled some oil paint, and like the butterfly that spawns a tornado, that oil-paint spill triggered a decade-long cascade of events that culminated in my Geisel Honor book OWL & PENGUIN. Hear all about it in this youtube recording of my conversation with my editor about the Making of OWL & PENGUIN:
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 Whoa! OWL & PENGUIN is a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Book. Every year the American Library Association committees sift through thousands of books to identify the 4 or 5 they believe to be "the most distinguished American books for beginning readers". After the Newberry and the Caldecott, the Geisel is one of the biggest book awards for children's literature, kinda like an Oscar for Beginning Readers. [ Receiving a Geisel Honor is like being 'Oscar Nominated' :) ] It's humbling to think that of all the hundreds of beginning reader books published in 2022, Owl & Penguin was selected as one of the top 5 books considered the "most distinguished American books for beginning readers." Whoa! :) About the award: "The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The winner(s), recognized for their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading, receives a bronze medal. Honor Book authors and illustrators receive certificates, which are presented at the ALA Annual Conference. The award was established in 2004 and first presented in 2006. The award is named for the world-renowned children’s author, Theodor Geisel. "A person’s a person no matter how small," Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, would say. "Children want the same things we want: to laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted." Brilliant and playful, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped them to read." Thank you to my editor Sally Morgridge, my publisher Holiday House books, my agent Rosemary Stimola, the American Library Association, the Geisel Award committee, and the my writing group - the Tighty-Writeys!    AVAILABLE NOW: The 4th book in my Bobo & Pup-Pup series of Easy Reader Graphic Chapter books for early readers, illustrated by NYT-Bestselling Illustrator Nicola Slater. Bobo & Pup-Pup find something that they think is an egg, and then they try to hatch it. But is it really an egg? Will it hatch? What will come out if it does? Readers are in on the joke as the two friends go to increasing lengths to hatch their "egg". Look for this book everywhere books are sold! Appropriate for ages 4-8 and can be read to 2-3 year olds too! A HATFUL OF DRAGONS is now available in a modestly priced (Rupees 299/-) paperback indian edition, published by HarperCollins India. It is available everywhere books are sold in India - both online and in bookstores. Please tell your Indian friends and family! Finally I am an internationally published author :)  Thrilled to learn A HATFUL OF DRAGONS is a finalist for the South Dakota Prairie Bloom Book Awards (for Grades 2-3). Awards like these encourage kids to read a lot of books, and anything that makes kids read more poetry is just fine by me, thankyouvermuch! :)   The third book in the BOBO & PUP-PUP Graphic Early Reader Series, THE FUNNY BOOK, is now available everywhere books are sold.
Illustrated by Nicola Slater, and published by Random House Books for Kids. Synopsis: A super funny book has Pup-Pup literally laughing out loud!! Bobo wants to read it so he can laugh too, but he must wait till Pup-Pup is finished. But the more Pup-Pup laughs, the harder it is to wait! All kids know that waiting is not easy!! What happens when Bobo's patience runs out and he takes matters into his own hands? Learn more, see inside pages, and find 'buy' links here. My OWL & PENGUIN book is out and available everywhere books are sold. It's a great book for ages 3-6 and beginning/struggling readers of all ages. Lots of visual story telling and very easy-to-read sight words. A 5-Star Reader Review: "Super cute book celebrating the friendship of two very different friends who help each other through their daily life challenges" Another Reader Review: Owl and Penguin are wonderful friends who take care of each other and accommodate the other's foibles Had a great time reading this with [3-year-old] tonight. Links:   Pre-order OWL & PENGUIN before the official release date 10/11/22 and receive: 1. A Signed Bookplate, personalized to whomsoever you wish 2. One beautiful Owl & Penguin Art Card that you can use as an art piece, bookmark, or regular postcard. 3. Some randomly selected pre-orders will also receive an OWL & PENGUIN sticker.  You can preorder books from my local indie bookshop ISLAND BOOKS using this link: www.islandbooks.com/vikram-madan-signed-editions They can mail the book to you, or local readers can pick up in person. If you have already preordered the book, or prefer to order it from elsewhere, please send me a message or DM me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with a photo of your order receipt and your mailing address, and I will mail the bookplate and the art postcard to you directly. Offer available only till I run out of art cards! Here's another look at the art cards:  Note: These art cards are available as a set from my online store. And here's a closer look at the bookplates:  Some pre-orders will receive this sticker:  The University of North Carolina (Charlotte) College of Arts is creating a musical theater adaptation of my poetry book A HATFUL OF DRAGONS, to be performed to young audiences in the Charlotte area in March and April of 2023. How exciting is that! The production will be designed and created entirely by UNC using the poems in my book as the basis. Can't wait to see it!   A lovely advanced review of OWL & PENGUIN from Kirkus Reviews, who is comparing, be still my beating heart, OWL & PENGUIN with Arnold Lobel's FROG & TOAD (the touchstone of early reader friendship books!!!!)
"Engaging vignettes in the lives of two adorable friends. (Graphic early reader. 3-6) Birds of a feather—and flipper—flock together.... The three stories in this graphic novel are told with minimal text; Owl and Penguin communicate with word balloons, using only illustrations and emojis. Some of the panels contain simple narration in boxes; if children are still learning, however, they can deduce meaning based on the illustrations. Reminiscent of the strong bond between Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad, Owl and Penguin’s friendship is deep and delightful, and this easy reader makes the story comprehensible as it addresses themes of envy, sadness, and problem-solving in an accessible and entertaining way. " - KIRKUS REVIEWS  Coming in January 2023, the fourth book in my BOBO & PUP-PUP series with Nicola Slater, BOBO & PUP-PUP HATCH AN EGG.
Look for it everywhere books are sold! Flipped 4 Sci-Fi/Mystery is a new anthology for kids published by Harper Collins India. This unique format allows the kids to flip the book to access twice as much fun content. I have a longer science-fiction poem in this book, titled 'Dino-Mites'. Check it out if you are in India! Available from Indian bookstores and also here.   My upcoming Owl & Penguin graphic novel for beginning readers has been selected as a GOLD STANDARD selection by the Junior Library Guild.
The Junior Library Guild is an organization that curates books for schools and libraries. Less than 3% of the books the review receive the GOLD STANDARD designation and they take great pride in stating that 95% of their GOLD STANDARD books go on to win starred reviews and book awards. So yes, it's an honor! :) I am delighted to unveil the cover of my very first graphic novel, OWL & PENGUIN, releasing September 2022, published by Holiday House Books for Kids. Learn more here.  |
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