Happy News for "TummyTime™: Happy Baby"

TummyTime™: Happy Baby has been making a bit of a splash lately, with two new honors.

babydocbox Review

Dr. Alison Scott, founder of subscription box babydocbox has written a great endorsement for duopress's TummyTime™ series, which currently includes books illustrated by Jannie Ho, Violet Lemay, and Hsping Pang.

When searching for an interactive mirror activity for babydocbox's 4-6 month box, we found the perfect item with duopress's TummyTime™ series. This attenion grabbing book allows babies to practive tunny time and engage visually with morrors—a favorite passtime for babies this age!  ~ Alison H. Scott, MD, FAAP, Founder/CEO of babydocbox.

Across the Avenue

TummyTime™: Happy Baby is included in Across the Avenue's 2020 Holiday Guide. Hooray!

Big thanks to CJ Keller of Across the Avenue, not only for the kind words, but also for the lovely photos.

Follow the link below to be redirected to Across the Avenue. :-)

Across the Avenue: 2020 Holiday Gift Guide: Give the Gift of Reading!...: Children's books are at the top of our gift list every holiday season. It's a tradition we hope to pass on through generations as a ...

That Time John Oliver Used my Illustration in a Bit

Pringles Update: 

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

(Web Exclusive)

Yes, it's true. My husband Fred and I were lounging on the couch watching clips from our favorite US late-night shows one night, and John Oliver got to wondering about the Pringles guy; specifically, what his body looks like.

Joe Biden had just been announced as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, and John was feeling good. Earlier in the show he dedicated 30 entire seconds to the marvels of the octopus. It was glorious.

So as we sat there enjoying all of this, my mind got to wondering about the Pringles guy, and somehow put it together with the octopus footage we'd just seen. I sat down to draw an octopus but then thought, Oh wait, I drew one of those for duopress's 2015 book "Hello, Ocean Friends!". I found the art, pasted a Pringle head from the internet over the octopus's body, and voila: the Pringlepus was born. It was gloriously easy.

Five minutes after tweeting the thing to Mr. Oliver, I was alseep. 

I woke to frantic e-mails from my agent, Mela. "Where are you? John Oliver wants to use this image! Is that okay?"

Is that okay? Oh, yes. How fun!!

Thanks so much, John Oliver. Not only for using my art in your clip, but also for your wisdom and clarity. Fred and I are huge fans. Love the show.

All best,

Violet

Chicago Public Library's Best Books of 2020!!

 

Happy to report that LIBRARY BABIES has been selected as one of the Chicago Public Library's Best Books of 2020!!

Click here to see the full list.

And click here to order your copy of Library Babies today! 


The Best of the Best lists represents the library’s choices for the year’s most outstanding titles, books of exceptional quality for a diverse, city-wide readership. The list is widely promoted throughout Chicago, including local news coverage. Extra copies of these books are ordered in various formats to be promoted throughout the city, give them special labels, and to be featured in branch displays and in the catalog and web site. Titles are also presented to staff as great reading suggestions to promote to patrons.

Written by Puck and illustrated by Violet Lemay, designed by Jeff Shake, Library Babies was published by duopress in the spring of 2020.

VOTE = HOPE

I know that Covid-19 has made voting more difficult, and I totally get it. I sent in my absentee ballot from New Zealand last time around, and this time will vote from Malaysia. Living overseas complicates voting in US elections, but with some effort and perseverance, it's possible—and is more than worth the effort. 

Wherever you are, my fellow Americans, please do cast your votes... and please be safe in the process.

Doña Rosa

Doña Rosa, a bilingual story series written by Ana Galán that I've had the pleasure of illustrating for the past five years, comes to a close in the latest issue of Highlights High Five. 

As new issues of Doña Rosa have been released over the years, friends have often shared photos of their children are enjoying the stories. I will miss that.

When this illustration project was first assigned to me, I was living in upstate New York. Since then, Doña Rosa has traveled the globe with me. I've drawn her in New Zealand, China, and even Fiji! 

The above photo was taken at a hotel bar in Fiji, where I was sipping coffee (not cocktails) while finishing up art for the 2019 holiday issue.

Thanks for the memories, Doña Rosa! 

Thank you to Ana Galán for writing the stories, thank you to Highlights High Five for including me in this cool project, and thanks to both Kelley Lanuto and Yvonne for all of their great art direction.

To read more about the process of creating all of the Doña Rosa illustrations, click here.

AnyFlip

Click here to check out Doña Rosa and tons of other cool content in old issues of Highlights High Five

I Can Be Like...

I'm pleased to announce the release of I Can Be Like... A Book of Masks of Inspiring Women, by duopress labs, illustrated by Yours Truly, Violet Lemay.

Book, or Mask?

I Can Be Like... is an innovative book that opens up into a mask. Turn the pages to reveal the entire collection of six cool masks, each with a tiny bit of biographical text on the left, and a quote on the right. 

Hold the open book up to your face to pretend to be Greta Thunberg, Megan Rapinoe, Frida Kahlo, Michelle Obama, Emma Watson, or Malala Yousafzai.

I Can Be Like... A Book of Masks of Inspiring Women

by duopress labs
illustrated by Violet Lemay
Available everywhere books are sold. Click here to order your copy today!

Mindset Power: A Kid's Guide to Growing Better Every Day

Announcing the release of another great new middle grade book: Mindset Power: A Kid's Guide to Growing Better Every Day (free spirit Publishing/2020).

Written by Shannon Anderson, with 40 illustrations by Violet Lemay, Mindset Power is full of great advice for kids about how to handle life and become their best, happiest selves.

Many more samples are featured on my website's Middle Grade + page.

Click here to order your copy of Mindset Power: A Kid's Guide to Growing Better Every Day.

Shred Girls: Ali's Rocky Ride

 I am pleased to announce the release of Shred Girls: Ali's Rocky Ride, written by Molly Hurford, illustrated by Violet Lemay.

The inspirational Shred Girls series follows the stories of three young girls who become friends as they learn to bike competitively.

Lindsay's Joy Ride is the first book in the Shred Girls series. Lindsay, Ali, and Jen become friends as they learn to do tricks on BMX bikes.

In Ali's Rocky Ride, the second book in the series, the Shred Girls spend a summer in Canada learning to race mountain bikes.

Besides the bikes, there is a touch of intrigue...

 

...and family drama. :o)

I definitely would have enjoyed the Shred Girls series when I was young. The characters are relatable, and the stories are are well written. Molly Hurford (who is a real-life Shred Girl, as well as a yoga instructor) makes sports accessible, even to an art nerd like me.

Want to see more art from the book? Click here to be redirected to the Middle Grade + section of my website, and scroll.

Thanks to Covid 19, Shred Girls: Ali's Rocky Ride is only available as an e-book. You can get your e-book at amazon, or anywhere e-books are sold.

Library Babies

Welcome to the world, Library Babies!

Written by Puck with art by Yours Truly, Violet Lemay, Library Babies was released by duopress books on March 31, 2020.

Want to see more samples? Click here to be redirected to the Board Books section of my website.

Click here to read more about the making of Library Babies, and to get some free Library Babies activity kits.

Library Babies is available wherever books are sold, including amazon.