To celebrate spring, I have a wonderful book to share–one that I think many kids can relate to. Let’s dive in!

Title: SUNDAY RAIN

Genre: Picture Book

Ages: 2-6

Author: Rosie J. Pova

Illustrator: Amariah Rauscher

Publisher: Lantana Publishing

Synopsis:

Elliott has just moved into a new house. He spends his days with his fictional friends, immersed in a book. When an inviting Sunday rain gathers the local kids to play in the puddles, Elliott longs to join in, but he’s too shy to go outside. Soon, Elliott discovers that new friendships are like a new book—you just have to plunge into the adventure.

Now, let’s meet the author behind this adorable story!

Hi Rosie! Thank you for stopping by my blog and sharing with us about your sweet new book, SUNDAY RAIN. 

What was the inspiration behind this story?

Thank you for having me, Katie!

The initial spark came from a childhood memory of playing in summer rain, but the story took its own direction from there. The main character, Elliott, and I have a lot in common: introverts who like to read, have big imaginations and love to spend time daydreaming or being lost in a world of fictional characters. 

In addition, this particular story was influenced by my love for poetry as well, so it’s lyrical and reads almost like a free verse poem. I’m glad that I was able to capture that moment in time from a happy memory of mine and that it became a book that I can now share with kids!

The illustrations in SUNDAY RAIN are lovely. Did you get to work directly with illustrator Amariah Rauscher? What was that process like?

Thank you — the illustrations are quite adorable and I am so happy and grateful that my publisher paired me with Amariah Rauscher whose art is perfect for the story! And no, we did not communicate during the illustration process, so we were not in contact while the book was in production. The publisher worked with Amariah. Later in the process, they did ask for my feedback and input and considered my suggestions. I am so pleased with the finished product and proud of the book!

What is something you would like your readers to take away from this story?

I hope that they will be reminded to keep their imaginations wild, be encouraged to be spontaneous, confident in their ability to adapt to a new situation, and also embrace change. But most of all, to be themselves!

In addition, they will discover a few surprising elements when they read the story, but I’ll let them discover those on their own when they read the book. 😉

If you could share a piece of advice with writers, what would it be?

Read a lot of newly published books in your genre and know the market. If you’re writing picture books, in particular, for the younger audience, read your stories aloud and imagine you have 300 kindergarteners in front of you. Could you hold their attention? Could you imagine their reactions to the story? Would they be engaged and intrigued? Then go back to your draft and revise with that in mind.

What is coming up next for you?

I have another book in the pipeline titled THE SCHOOL OF FAILURE: A STORY ABOUT SUCCESS that will be released in the spring of 2022 from Yeehoo Press and I can’t wait to share it with readers! In the meantime, my agent and I are on submission so hopefully there will be more books to announce soon!

Congratulations!!

If any readers want to learn more about you or follow you on social media, where can they find you?

There are lots of fun activities and videos on my website for parents and educators. Writers can subscribe to my blog, KidLit Oasis where I post weekly interviews of authors, illustrators, editors, and agents, and also have many wonderful giveaways. I also invite you to follow me on Twitter and Instagram and “like” my Author Facebook page to stay in touch and get my updates. Links below… 

Website: http://www.rosiejpova.com

Twitter: @RosiePOV  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiepova/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RosieWrites

You can purchase Sunday Rain here.

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading!