From Inspiration to Book Launch
Our very own illustrator coordinator, Sarah Luanne Perkins, is launching her debut picture book this week!
Sarah LuAnn Perkins is an illustrator-author of whimsical stories for the children's publishing market. Her first book, ON A RAINY DAY, releases this month (March 2022). For years she imitated the look of linocut prints in her digital artwork and recently started making actual linocut prints of her own. Steampunk, folk, and fairy tales are common sources of inspiration, though any good story will do. She enjoys creating work full of wit, wonder, and whimsy.
She wrote and illustrated ON A RAINY DAY and it is in stores and libraries now—just in time for April showers.
You can purchase this book wherever books are sold, but go ahead and support your local bookstore!
Sarah will be presenting a shoptalk “After the Launch.” Sarah will share her art and her reflections on the publishing process.
She is going to walk us through the journey from the spark of the idea to holding her published book in her hand–finding an agent, submitting her story, working with an editor and art director, revisions, revisions, and more revisions!
Sarah says,
“It took a while to arrive at the final cover for ON A RAINY DAY. My first set of sketches were more static and focused on the earlier parts of the book, where the rain starts and they have to go home--a bit of a downer! When none of those worked, my editor suggested adapting an image from the interior of the book.
I really liked this one--I feel it represents the mood and focus of the book really well.
But Marketing felt it didn't have enough energy. So, I did another sketch based on the ending of the book. I had mixed feelings about this one--I liked the mood and energy, but I felt like it "spoils" the ending of the book in a way.
Of course, picture books are short and it doesn't matter as much if the ending is spoiled, but I liked the idea of not knowing exactly how the book ends the first time you read it.
But then again, who was I kidding--jumping in puddles after a rainstorm is a bit of an inevitability in a kids’ book, right? So this is the cover we went with--but my favorite one didn't get discarded entirely! That image ended up on the back cover.
Kirkus review:
Stuck indoors due to inclement weather, a girl and her father pass the time together.
When the rain forces them to head home from the park, the girl’s disappointment is clear. As the rain turns into a storm, her dad comes up with ideas to turn the stormy day into a fun one. The pair play video games, and when the power goes out, they build a blanket fort, play a board game by flashlight, and stomp around in a puddle after the storm ends. There’s a lovely subtle message in the narrative—when distractions (in one scene the father puts away his laptop) are removed, we can experience the simple joys of being with loved ones. Perkins tells the story without any dialogue. The spare narration dominated by onomatopoeia makes for a compelling read-aloud: The first drop of rain hits the park bench with a “plip”; there’s the “vvvvvvooooooshhh” of car wheels on wet roads, the impressive “BOOM” of thunder, and the “fwoosh” of puddle spray. One particularly powerful illustration shows the child alone in a dark room after the power goes, her dad having gone to fetch flashlights. Font sizes vary in accordance with the degree of loudness of the sounds described. The affecting digital illustrations have stark lines and shading effects that give the feeling of linocut art. They depict the characters with light brown skin and dark hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sonically rich story that captures the simple joys of rainy days at home. (Picture book. 3-6)
As part of her book launch, READ LOCAL author/illustrator, Sarah Luanne Perkins made a printable checkers set activity (with a rainy day theme!) to go with the book. You just need the printed PDF, scissors, and a tiny bit of glue or tape to do this activity. You can get the printable PDF and watch the instruction video at sarahluann.com/checkers. If you do the activity, be sure to post pictures! Use the hashtag #checkersOnARainyDay and/or tag @sarahluannart to share your photos.
Other hashtags you can use are: #checkers #boardgame #printable #printableactivity #kidscraft #kidsgame #papercraft #picturebook #picturebookstagram #bookrecommendation #authorillustrator #onarainyday #onarainydaybook #sarahluannart #newbook