We are really excited to share with you this sneak peek into Iver and Ellsworth by Casey Robinson and illustrated by Melissa Larson coming in 2018.
Mr. Tanner Review: "Impressively original"
Many thanks to the Midwest Book Review for their review of Mr. Tanner:
Mr. Tanner runs a dry cleaning shop in Dayton, Ohio, where he spends his days greeting his customers with his beautiful baritone voice. His friends and neighbors encourage him to sing professionally instead of cleaning clothes. He eventually takes a chance and travels to New York City to be heard by a concert agent and critics, only to find they weren't hearing what he was feeling. The song "Mr. Tanner" was released in 1973 off Harry Chapin's Short Stories album. The song was inspired by a mediocre review about a baritone singer in The New York Times. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to help support WhyHunger, a charity championed by Harry Chapin himself.
Impressively original, wonderfully entertaining, thoroughly 'kid friendly' for children ages 5 to 7, Mr. Tanner is an especially recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections.
Mr. Tanner Endorsement
We recently received this lovely little endorsement of Mr. Tanner from Bill Ayres. He is the co-founder of WhyHunger, the organization he started with Harry Chapin in 1975.
Mr. Tanner is one of the late singer/social activist Harry Chapin’s most memorable songs. Bryan Langdo has illustrated the words of the song in a delightful book for children of all ages that focuses on its main message.
I heard Harry’s words and music as I read it and, no, I did not have the music playing, except in my soul.
Independent Bookstore Day!
Happy Independent Bookstore Day!
As an independent publisher we appreciate everything indie bookstores are doing. Stop by your local indie bookstore to celebrate and help support small businesses, reading, community...and love of books!
#SunflowerChallenge
Dear Schools,
With the release of our next book, Graduation Day by Piotr Parda, Ripple Grove Press has created the Sunflower Challenge.
Here are the rules:
1. Read Graduation Day and discuss how you can create something positive from the negative actions of others.
2. This spring, plant as many sunflower seeds around your school yard as possible. Look for space in any school garden, cracks in the sidewalk, chipped concrete, around the playground, and anywhere a seed can grow your school yard into a forest of sunflowers.
3. Send us photos by August 31, 2017. We will post and share your photos!
4. We will randomly choose a winning school to receive a signed copy of Graduation Day for your school library.
Let us know you're participating and please share this contest with others and start spreading beauty!
#SunflowerChallenge #KindnessMatters #SpreadtheLove
Seb and the Sun Sneak Peek
Today we're working on Seb and the Sun, by the talented Jami Gigot (Mae and the Moon, 2015).
Here's a little teaser of Seb and his friend Walrus sharing a honey sandwich with the crust cut off!
Coming early 2018!
Graduation Day Review!
Many thanks to Mrs. Ferraris from Reading 32 Pages for this beautiful synopsis and review of Graduation Day!
Brief summary: First scene. There is a student dressed in a graduation gown and mortar looking out of a school window smiling. The wordless story continues with the setting through a bird’s view of a city block all in gray with a school yard in the center. Closer look. There are cracks all over the school building and concrete grounds. Next is a large graduation day banner. Then we see where the plot begins. The student is a victim of a group of children jeering at her, and one shoots a sunflower seed through a straw hitting her in the neck. She picks up the seed. They all go to the graduation ceremony, hear the speech, and throw their hats in the air. Kids are happy and go home with family members.
She walks alone down the school’s gray halls to her locker one last time where there is a jar full of sunflower seeds revealing to the reader just what type of life this young lady endured. She takes the jar and goes about the empty school grounds planting sunflower seeds in the cracks creating a beautiful bright yellow space.
Comments: Wow. So many words and emotions for a story without words. Not the usual happiness on someone’s graduation day. This is a story of a person who has been bullied many times made evident of all the sunflower seeds collected in her locker’s jar. She was able to take that hate and meanness and loneliness to create the only bright color in the book…a sunflower garden. This is a resonating story without words that is not a preachy bullying message of “do not bully; it’s wrong.” This is about a victim who, despite it all, is able to create hope and beauty where there must have been a lot of heartache. The symbolism of the sunflowers can be understood by even younger readers.