Today is the first day of the last of my 40s!
I have a very specific birthday wish this year (in addition to all the wishes I have for the world at large): I want my book to find the people who need it. And you can help with this one! (Pretty please, with 49 birthday candles on top!)
Whether you purchased the book or just read it, if you could leave a little review on one of the big places people look for them (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, etc. ) it would really help bridge the space between the book blurb/critical reviews and regular people looking for this kind of resource for either themselves or loved ones experiencing the heartbreaking loss of losing a pregnancy.
It doesn't have to be lengthy or fancy-- just a quick sentence or two-- and I would so appreciate it.
Now, back to the business of partying like it's 1977...
Scenes from a book party!
I am so overcome with gratitude that so many people came out on a busy Sunday evening in Maycember to help celebrate my book being in the world. (My sister even put together balloon arrangements, and she HATES touching balloons!)
It was a long road getting here, but we got here! And now my hope is for this little picture book to bring comfort to families who, like mine, have lost pregnancies.
If you can help spread the word with a review (Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your indie Bookshop), I'm told it helps the algorithm. 🙂
It's springtime, which means lamb snuggles and selfies!!
We took a jaunt up to New Hampshire yesterday to see my sister and my 20 new little nieces and nephews on the farm. They were warm from the sunshine and snuggled right in...I think they knew I was their favorite aunt 😉.
We caught up a bit, played with the babies, had some pizza, and did some thrifting. Kind of a perfect day!
Mandy Settembre, author of Ours: A Story of Loss and Healing (Lee & Low Books), illustrated by Fran Matsumoto, shares what is giving her hope today: having a list.
📚❤️🎧
Mandy: “ One of the things that gives me hope is having a list.
For me, making a good list is an exercise in believing in tomorrow. A good list forces me to look into the future, sometimes the distant future, and ask myself to consider the steps I’ll need to get there.
A good list includes the little tasks that make up my day, feed the cat, call my sister, make some art, pay some bills. I can check these off and feel like I’m moving forward in the world, even when I feel a little stuck.
A good list includes big specific goals I can chip away at with smaller lists. Start a company, write a book, plan a reunion, take a trip, run a race, raise good people.
When I start to look at the problems of the world and feel overwhelmed, I return to my list. I add some things to check off, make dinner for a neighbor, volunteer at a school event, take out the compost, play piano, send a letter.
I look back on my older lists and I marvel at the things I was able to do just because I wrote them down and believed they could happen.
Turns out, hope’s not a feeling. It’s a daily practice, a model for how to get up every day and keep going on even when we feel like we can’t. Little by little. Step by step. Check by check. List by list.”
📚❤️🎧
What is giving you hope today?
Listen wherever podcast are found! 🎧 📚 💕 @mandy_warhol@fran.matsumoto@leeandlow #hope #messages #kidlit
It's time to party like it's 1776, baby! My banners are back along Mass Ave. for the 250th parade, and two are decorating my house! Looking forward to some nostalgic fife and drum tunes today 😀.
Cutting out tiny cursive with an x-acto was an adventure on this one, especially after too much coffee.
But my years-old goldfish finally have a place to be! 😀
I totally forgot to take any process pics, but I finally made a home for my chipmunk friend (notably NOT eating a bird 😂).
And it's snowing again, after being lulled into thinking it was spring. I never learn!
💞Out today — Ours: A Story of Loss and Healing by Mandy Settembre and illustrated by Fran Matsumoto.💞
🍃A tender story with exquisite illustrations, Ours will resonate with families who have endured unexpected pregnancy loss and are beginning to heal together. Available now wherever books are sold. When purchasing from the Lee & Low website, use code SPRING26 at checkout to get 25% off your order.🍃
✨Praise for Ours✨
⭐"A tender picture book to help children through the loss of an anticipated sibling, this age-appropriate primer on pregnancy loss tackles a complex topic with grace." —Foreword Reviews, starred review
"Told with age-appropriate language and care, this story will be a balm to families coping with a similar loss. . . . Affirming, moving, and healing." —Kirkus Reviews
💛Learn more at the link in our bio.💛
We're (hopefully) in the last throes of winter, but while there's still snow on the ground (unfortunately, still a LOT of snow on the ground), one last winter animal friend for the season: a smiling red fox! 🦊🧡
💞We're just one week away from the release of Ours: A Story of Loss and Healing by Mandy Settembre, illustrated by Fran Matsumoto.
⭐In a starred review, Foreword Reviews called Ours, "A tender picture book to help children through the loss of an anticipated sibling, this age-appropriate primer on pregnancy loss tackles a complex topic with grace."
📚Available for pre-order wherever books are sold.
⭐️”A tender picture book to help children through the loss of an anticipated sibling, this age-appropriate primer on pregnancy loss tackles a complex topic with grace. . . . As the seasons change, the family pieces themselves back together, grieving their loss without letting go of their love.”
— @forewordreviews , starred review
💞Ours: A Story of Loss and Healing by Mandy Settembre and illustrated by Fran Matsumoto releases 03.10.26. It’s available for pre-order wherever books are sold.💞
