Together!

The Unicorn and Yeti team has been working hard to put the finishing touches on book six, Together--virtually of course, and it has been so much fun. I love revising and editing! I love poring over Hazel's illustrations!! And I love this cover!!!

How can you not love those lips?!  And those fabulous hats!

The book's title was chosen quite a long time ago, but now it feels even more meaningful with how much we have had to stay apart in the past year or so. In the stories, Unicorn and Yeti enjoy each other's company (mostly.) They spend time watching things zip, zigzag, and zoom in the sky. Unicorn wants to do all the things Yeti does--and becomes a copycorn! And, as you can tell from Hazel Quintanilla's fabulous cover art, Unicorn and Yeti have a tea party. Of course there are rainbows and sparkles and magic! I hope that readers will love it as much as I do, and I hope that it will inspire some tea parties as well! I do love a good tea party.

Unicorn and Yeti, Together releases on March 1st, 2022 and is available from your favorite bookseller!

Book Joy Live!

Book Joy Live happens every week and I love watching when I can. John Schu has so much enthusiasm for books and I always learn about some great new children's books when I watch. (And my heart wants them all!) 

So, it is amazing to say that today, Hazel and I were on Book Joy Live with John Schu! It was a lot of fun talking all things Unicorn and Yeti with Hazel and John, plus we did a reader's theater-- we read aloud the first story from Fair and Square (around 18:00). And our Editor, Katie Carella even popped in! It was my first live author appearance and I couldn't have asked for it be more fun.

Thank you to everyone who watched and was so supportive! I loved reading through the comments on the Facebook feed. I've embedded the recording incase you missed it and want to watch. We can all use more book joy in our lives! You can also find the recording on the Scholastic Book Fairs Facebook page and on John Schu's website. 

 

Fair and Square!

 

Hey, hey, it's an exciting day! 

Unicorn and Yeti book 5, Fair and Square, is out into the world!

As you can see from the book cover, in Fair and Square Unicorn and Yeti take on painting! They also build a forest out of shapes, and Yeti makes a pie! Hazel Quintanilla's illustrations are so amazing, as usual, and bring such joy and wonder to the stories. I am so excited for kids to get to read it!

Looking at the completed book I can see a lot of my family in these stories. When my kids were small we had so many fun painting days. We'd build with blocks and sticks and whatever we could find to make towers and caves and robots--whatever struck our fancy. Our house was also under construction so we always had lots of building going on. My husband
built our house in his time off from working construction, so mornings before work, evenings after, and weekends.

I did a lot of holding up of big pieces of stuff, handing of tools, and nailing of nails--construction support. But let me tell you that a lot of things that you hold up during construction are not easy! And when we built our barn I had to get really high up and I did not have a trusty unicorn to fly me! (I definitely did my best to stay close to a holding place like I am in the picture.) It seems to me that sort of dedication deserves some sort of a medal. But we settled for pie. I made us lots of pies, and that seems to be a better prize anyway. Is the appearance pie in this book a coincidence? I certainly didn't think about it when I was writing the book but now I wonder!

 

Here's the family building a barn. The kids were older and loved helping!

Building, painting, pie making-- it's all fun and magical to me! I'm thrilled that Unicorn and Yeti is a 5 book series now and am so happy to be able to share more Unicorn and Yeti stories with readers! Just look at all of those amazing covers with those two amazing friends!

I can't wait to get to show you all book 6, Together. It comes out in 2022!

 

Scholastic OOM!

The Scholastic On Our Minds blog featured my Yeti craft. I feel so fancy! I hope that I get to see some of the Yetis that the kids make!

https://oomscholasticblog.com/post/learn-how-make-your-own-craft-yeti-author-heather-ayris-burnell

Unicorn Day Quarantine Activities

Illustration by the amazing Hazel Quintanilla!

Did you know that there is an International Unicorn Day? Isn't that fabulous?! Hearing about Unicorn Day gave me that fun, sparkly feeling and I was inspired to come up with some activities for kids to do during the quarantine. Yes, Unicorn Day has passed (It's on April 9th) but it seems to me that every day is Unicorn Day! And why not? Having fun and being kind is something we can do anytime!

My amazing webmaster (and daughter) put together a fun Unicorn Day page for my website. Kids can find inspiration to get creative with Unicorn and Yeti: make a fancy hat, be a unicorn, write a letter to Unicorn and Yeti, and more! I hope that if you have children or students and are looking for some book-related or Unicorn and Yeti related activities to do, that you will find something they'll like. Just go to https://www.heatherayrisburnell.com/unicorn-day and check it out!

And if you have access to the Unicorn and Yeti books don't forget about the fun writing and drawing prompts at the ends of the books. Hazel shows step by step how to draw Unicorn in book 1, Yeti in book 2, and their bowl of ice cream and peaches in book 3. It's amazing what you can draw when you follow the steps! And educators, Scholastic has given permission to read their books online. That includes Unicorn and Yeti. See the Scholastic Digital Read Aloud Guidelines for details.

Of course, if anyone wants to share what they've done I'd love to see it! You can post in the comments here or I give other options on the Unicorn Day page. Most of all, I hope you have fun!

Hang in there and find your sparkle where you can.

xoxo
-Heather

Unicorn and Yeti Book 4!

Hello friends,

I hope that you are all being very careful and staying safe! I have some news I've been holding off on sharing. It feels strange to share happy news right now. But the more I think about it, the more I've come to realize that good things, no matter how small, are something we need, especially when times are hard. So I want to share... Unicorn and Yeti book 4 has a cover!

Hazel Quintanilla and the team at Scholastic have been working hard and they have done it again. They've made another cover full of happiness that shows the heart of our next book in the Unicorn and Yeti series. I am in love! Look at that scarf! Those leg warmers! That hat! Of course, I love the Unicorn and Yeti logo that has been on every book. The letter styling of the title makes it look so fun! The cover color is happy and bright!

Cheer Up is the 4th book in the Unicorn and Yeti series and in it, the two friends do some of those little things we do to try to help each other feel happy. It certainly seems we can all be a friend and try to help cheer each other up these days.

Just like Unicorn and Yeti books 1-3, Cheer Up will have three stories that can be read separately or all in a row. The stories include Unicorn having a gift for Yeti, but Yeti *gasp* not having one for Unicorn, Yeti sharing the love of crunching icicles, and Unicorn giving it a try, and Yeti thinking the dark forest is pretty but Unicorn perhaps needing to see things from a different perspective. And as you can see, Yeti knits! I can't wait for everyone to see the knitting that goes on in this book. Hazel created such fun illustrations and as she said, Yeti has skills!

Unicorn and Yeti Cheer Up will release in October 2020 and is available for pre-order now from IndieBound, Amazon, or your favorite book retailer.

A Unicorn and Yeti Giveaway!

I'm so excited! I now have an updated, professional-looking website! The one I build for myself was... fine. But my daughter (EllamaeRoseCreative) made one for me that is next level. It looks amazing and really reflects me and my writing so well. She used some Unicorn and Yeti illustrations by Hazel Quintanilla, put links to all my books, convinced me to write a longer bio, added a couple of videos and did a bunch of other cool stuff that I could not have possibly done, and I just LOVE it. If you want to see what I'm so excited about go to www.heatherayrisburnell.com

You may have noticed that I've also updated my blog (finally!) Plus, if you haven't heard, Scholastic Acorn Editor Katie Carella has acquired 3 more books in the Unicorn and Yeti series with the next one to release in 2020. We are working on those books right now. Woohoo! It is so much fun. I adore writing Unicorn and Yeti's stories. 

Then today, Sparkly New Friends was unanimously selected to the Texas Library Association Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List! The list is selected by public and school librarians and serves to encourage children to explore the variety of graphic novels and to read for pleasure as well as aid children's librarians, caregivers, and teachers in the purchasing and recommending of graphic novels for children. Pretty special!

With all this happening, and right in the midst of the holiday season, all in all it feels like a celebration is in order! Want to celebrate with me? Enter to win a set of three signed Unicorn and Yeti books! I am giving away a hardcover set of books 1-3: Sparkly New Friends, A Good Team, and Friends Rock. These are graphic novel style early readers illustrated by Hazel Quintanilla and published by Scholastic Acorn. If you want to learn more about the books you can go to the books page on my website.


The giveaway is limited to U.S. addresses only. Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter. I’ll send the books out to the winner as soon as I receive their mailing address.

*I have randomly chosen a winner via Rafflecopter. Congratulations Heather B! (And no, that is not me. We just happen to have the same first name and last initial. What are the chances!?!) Thank you to everyone who entered and for all of the kind notes and enthusiasm. It really was a lot of fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Unicorn and Yeti Books!

It has been so much fun writing the first three Unicorn and Yeti books! Katie Carella at Scholastic is the best editor I could ever hope for. Hazel Quintanilla brings Unicorn and Yeti to life so fantastically with her fun illustrations. Sarah Dvojack designs the books! And so many other people at Scholastic do so many things that I don't even know about. It is amazing! I have gotten fan letters and photos and nice reviews. After many years of writing, it really has been a dream come true. Of course, this is many thanks to my awesome agent, Sean McCarthy.

So, I am thrilled to share that Katie Carella has acquired three more Unicorn and Yeti books! We're working on them now and I'm looking forward to sharing more details when I can. I absolutely love the look and feel of the entire Scholastic Acorn line and am thrilled to get to be a part of bringing three more Unicorn and Yeti books into the world! Yippee!!!

Friends Rock

Unicorn and Yeti book 3 releases today! Friends Rock makes the Unicorn and Yeti series a sparkly trio of books for kids who are learning to read (or just like fun stories!) Like the first two books, there are 3 stories in this third book. In Friends Rock, Unicorn and Yeti are learning to share… a swing, peaches and ice cream, and a sparkly rock, and of course they figure things out in their Unicorn and Yeti way.

My agent, Sean McCarthy, is doing a giveaway of all three books in the series to celebrate. If you’re on Twitter then hop on over to enter. Here’s his tweet:

Sean McCarthy@mccarthylit

Happy #bookbirthday to UNICORN & YETI: FRIENDS ROCK by @heatherayris & @HazelQuintanil9! To celebrate, I’m doing a #giveaway for all THREE Unicorn & Yeti books! To enter, simply: 1) Follow @heatherayris and @HazelQuintanil9 2) Retweet this! A winner will be chosen on 10/4/19

"Friends Rock"

A Good Review for A Good Team

Unicorn and Yeti Book 2 – A Good Team, is set to release in July and I am thrilled that Kirkus gave it a good review!

“Quintanilla’s colorful, expressive art and Burnell’s infectiously whimsical tone make their own good team.”

Kirkus Reviews

I could not ask for a better team than the one I have at Scholastic Acorn! I do so love this second book in the Unicorn and Yeti Series. Unicorn and Yeti play ball, have a race, figure out how to ice skate, and of course, they have some silly and magical fun. You can read the full Kirkus review here.

Unicorn and Yeti: A Good Team is available for preorder from your favorite book retailer!

A Sparkly Review for Sparkly New Friends

Woohoo! Unicorn and Yeti received a Kirkus review! It’s my first ever so I’m extra excited, and it’s a good one too. My favorite quote: “Sparkly, innocent, feel-good fun for readers needing just a bit of extra support before moving on to chapter books.” Indeed! You can read the full review here.

I am so looking forward to this book making it out into the world. I love the characters. I love the way Hazel Quintanilla brought Unicorn and Yeti to life with her adorable illustrations.

Unicorn and Yeti: Sparkly New Friends will hit the shelves in May 2019. You can preorder it now, of course, from your favorite book retailer!

Unicorn and Yeti are Coming to a Scholastic Book Fair Near You!

What Has Happened?

What has happened? I've unwittingly abandoned my little blog that I started so many years ago at the encouragement of my wonderful critique partners. It sure has been a fun journey. How things have changed from way back when I would shudder to post a word anywhere online. Now I blab all over the internet and moderate Sub It Club where I am just happy to be able to keep up in the chat room when I can.

'My' Library
photo courtesy of Zeke & Torsten

The thing is, now I'm a full-time Branch Librarian and that work (along with being a parent of three busy kids and helping run a garlic farm, ever so slightly as my husband tries to make it for me) can be all-consuming. Patron use of 'my' library has grown tremendously over the past year and a half. I am proud to have helped it become an even bigger part of the community and am so pleased that so many people are using the library to their advantage. Of course, I may say 'my' library but it belongs to everyone, that is one of the fabulous things about libraries! I am just the caretaker. Be that as it may, with all of this newly used energy going to the library, something had to give. And though it was not in my plan it seems that blogging has been it.

But I have managed to keep writing books. I mean, I suspect my agent would be disappointed with me if I stopped and frankly, I would be unhappy with me as well. I am sad to say that I have posted none of my news here until now, but my agent Sean McCarthy and I have sold a series of books to the new Scholastic Acorn imprint for beginning readers and it is so very exciting! UNICORN AND YETI: SPARKLY NEW FRIENDS releases on April 30th! I feel so lucky to be working with amazing editor Katie Carella and the fabulous team at Scholastic. Hazel Quintanilla is Unicorn and Yeti's illustrator and I could not be more thrilled with how she has brought them to life. I just love them so. The release of two more Unicorn and Yeti books: A GOOD TEAM and FRIENDS ROCK follow in July and October. Pretty cool huh? If you want to see the info and happenings with my new series I invite you to come check out my new website HeatherAyrisBurnell.com.

Thank you to all of you who still frolic here for writing advice, agent and publisher listings, and even sign up for my newsletter. I have not decided what exactly I will do with this blog. But this is not really the end. I, of course, have ideas for migrating the well-used info to my other sites where it can still be useful, but for now and really the foreseeable future, I am leaving it up for you to use if you need it.

Write on my friends!