The third book in the Geisel Honor winning OWL & PENGUIN series, titled HERE AND THERE is now available - hooray! Look for it here, there, and everywhere!
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To receive my Geisel Honor Award from the American Library Association (ALA), I went to Chicago to the ALA 2023 Conference, a large event attended by over 16,000 people including librarians, publishers, authors, library tech companies, and others. At this conference I went to dinner with the honorable Geisel Selection Committee, met numerous authors (and got signed books from them), met tons of publishing people including agents, editors, publicists, marketing specialists and more, attended the grand Newbery + Caldecott Dinner gala, did a panel presentation, did multiple book signings, and of course, received my Geisel Honor Award in person. (For those who came in late, my book OWL & PENGUIN received a 2023 Geisel Honor Award from the ALA, given to less than 5 books every year, and awarded only to "the most distinguished American books for beginning readers". Awards like the Newbery, Caldecott, and Geisel are the equivalent of the Oscars for kids books!) Here are some photos from this event:  
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:
 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!   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:   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  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.   I am delighted to share that my Owl & Penguin characters will soon be appearing in a graphic novel for beginning readers to be published by Holiday House in 2022. These characters started as a small 8"x8" painting - funny how they've managed to find a life all their own :)  |
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