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. 

 

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

Make a Yeti of Your Own

As a parent, librarian, and children's book author I absolutely love book-related crafts. They're a great way to extend a story (and the learning) plus they're just plain fun! I put together a Yeti craft that I totally adore. It doesn't take many supplies, is cheap, and can come out looking like Yeti who was designed by Hazel Quintanilla for our Unicorn and Yeti series. And, of course, it can be a unique creation with any face design and as much (or as little) fur as the maker wants!

If you're a librarian you're probably already thinking about Summer... because Summer Reading is coming! This year's theme of the Collaborative Summer Library Program is Imagine Your Story. I love this theme because it encompasses so, so much. Just as with imagination, the possibilities are endless! I personally am hoping to fill my library with rainbows and unicorns, yetis and dragons, and as much fantasy fun as I can find the time to put together!

Below I have photos, a list of materials, and instructions for a Yeti craft. I hope I've made it easy to follow. It's a great craft to do with just one child or a whole group. I plan on doing this craft at my library this summer and I cannot wait!

If you do the craft I hope you have fun with it! And if you have time to share a photo with me, I'd love to see it!

Yeti Craft Instructions are below or if you'd like to download the instructions along with the body, face, and feet templates just click here: Yeti Craft PDF.

Yeti Craft Instructions

To make one Yeti you will need:

• ½ Sheet of White Cardstock
• Colored Paper
• Approximately 12 Cotton Balls
• Glue
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Tape
• Fine tip markers
• Glue Stick (optional)
• Construction paper, sequins, glitter glue, feathers, chenille stems, etc. (Optional for accessories)

Directions:

1. Use the Yeti craft template, a toilet paper tube, or cut a strip of cardstock about 4" wide. 
   
2. If you used cardstock, roll it into a tube and tape it together.
   
   

1. Use the Yeti craft template or cut two strips of white cardstock or stiff paper approximately 3” long and ¾” wide for arms. Tape one on each side of the tube at arm height, about ¼ of the way down the tube.
   
2. Use the Yeti craft template or cut an oval out of colored paper. Draw your Yeti face onto the oval, then glue your face onto the tube. (A glue stick works well for this but liquid glue will do as well!)
   
3. Stretch and tear cotton balls to use as fur. Glue them onto your Yeti body and arms. Keep gluing on cotton balls until your Yeti has as much fur as you want.
   
4. Fill in the top of your Yeti's head by gluing in cotton. (*Tip - If you fold and glue some of the cotton balls over the top (head) hole it will help hold the other cotton balls on when you fill in the top of the head.)
5. Use the template or lightly trace around the bottom of the Yeti onto card stock and add feet to the traced circle. Cut out. Put glue on the bottom of the Yeti and press feet on.
   

Now you have your very own Yeti! In SPARKLY NEW FRIENDS, Unicorn makes Yeti a fancy hat to wear. You can make your Yeti a fancy hat too! Make a top hat out of construction paper and decorate it. Make a crown out of chenille stems! What other accessories can you make?

Do you want the downloadable pdf now that you saw how easy and fun it is to make your own Yeti? Just click here: Yeti Craft PDF (Note that the Yeti arms are supposed to meet the top edge of the paper when you print out the template so cut them straight across.)

If you make a Yeti I'd love to see it! You can post a photo as a comment on this post or tag me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

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

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 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!

Announcing Acorn and... Unicorn and Yeti!

I’m so excited to share the news! Scholastic is launching a brand new line and a book I wrote, UNICORN AND YETI: SPARKLY NEW FRIENDS is part of the launch! I can’t help but be thrilled to have a book publishing not only with Scholastic at a new imprint, but alongside amazing author/illustrators Jonathan Fenske, Norm Feuti, and Dav Pilkey. Illustrator Hazel Quintanilla has brought Unicorn and Yeti to life and it’s the perfect match. I just can’t imagine Unicorn and Yeti any other way.

Read the Publisher’s Weekly announcement to learn about this fun and unique new line for early readers!

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!