Happy Book Birthday: I Love All of Me

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• Today! She's born! Celebrations!

Happy book birthday to I Love All of Me! Thank you for sharing the joy in this virtual launch party. Feel free to spread the word. May she be held by many tiny hands who know they are worthy, wonderful, and welcome in our world. Huzzah!

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

a Best Board Book of the Season

From “wiggle toes” and “smelly nose” to “blinky eyes” and “bendy knees,” this is a delightful, affirming ode to toddler parts. The smile-inducing rhymes beg to be repeated again and again, while the bold palette and cheery images heighten the book’s enthusiastic tone. 

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Grover’s rhyming text soars, and reading the words aloud almost feels like singing a song...a vibrant and lyrical ode to bodies ideal for those learning to explore their own. 

KIRKUS REVIEWS

Grover’s book gets right to the point in an unfussy and streamlined way; it’s a breath of fresh air and just right for sharing with the toddlers in your life....With a book like Grover’s at the ready, that grownup can say to a child: I love you just the way you are, and I want you to do the same. What a powerful and compassionate sentiment.
KIRKUS REVIEWS, Julie Danielson

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I Love All of Me

by Lorie Ann Grover

Cartwheel Books, Scholastic, September 17, 2019

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A Letter to My Readers

The Language of Fire: Stephanie Hemphill

Celebrations for Stephanie Hemphill and her recent work The Language of Fire! The Printz Honor Winner has reimagined the life of Joan of Arc for today's reader. In lyrical verse, we follow the young, illiterate peasant as she leads an army to victory at the cost of her life. With an infectious bravery, single-mindedness, and passion, here is an example for all.

"The only sound

piercing the smoky air

is the scream of a girl

named Jehanne.

But

I became so much more."

Hemphill's words resonate as they bring Joan's truth forward:

"One life is all we have

and we live it

as we believe in living it

that to sacrifice what you are

and to live without belief

that is a fate more terrible

than dying." 

In the concluding Author's Note, we are called.

"This generation has embraced and championed awareness. Joan found a way to action. Combine awareness and action without repercussion and there is not only forward movement, but a tectonic shift." 

May it be so.

Finishing this treasure, I was completely surprised and honored to find my name in the acknowledgements. 

Find this beauty. Share it. Let us hear our own higher purpose and march forward together. 

The Language of Fire, Joan of Arc Reimagined

by Stephanie Hemphill

Balzer + Bray, 2019