Pages

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Blog Tour- OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG: The Story of Us by @studiocastillo With An Excerpt & #Giveaway! @RandomHouseKids, @RockstarBkTours 



I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG by Lauren Castillo Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:
Title: OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG: The Story of Us
Author: Lauren Castillo
Pub. Date: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 122

From a Caldecott Honor-winning artist comes a cozy classic-in-the-making about finding your friends and sticking together through thick and thin.

"Our Friend Hedgehog feels like a modern-day Winnie the Pooh . It's so warm and full of joy and love. It's got classic written all over it." --Victoria Jamieson, Newbery Honor-winning author of Roller Girl

Sometimes you make a friend,
and it feels like you have known that friend your entire life. . . .

Hedgehog lives on a teeny-tiny island with only her stuffed dog, Mutty, for company. When a great storm carries Mutty away, she embarks on a quest to find her friend. Following the trail of clues Mutty left behind, brave Hedgehog meets a wiggly Mole, a wordy Owl, a curmudgeonly Beaver, a scatterbrained Hen and Chicks, and a girl who's new to the neighborhood, Annika May. With bravery and teamwork, there's nothing that can stop these seven from finding Mutty, but along the way they discover something even more important: each other.

The first book in a new series from Caldecott Honor winner Lauren Castillo, Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us has the feel of a timeless classic, introducing an unforgettable cast of characters who will star in many more adventures to come.



Interview:
Hey Lauren!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad you could stop by for a chat! OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG sounds AWESOME and I can’t wait for everyone to read it!

Thank you so much!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about the OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG and the characters? The story begins with Hedgehog who lives on a tiny island with only her BFF Mutty for companionship. A storm whisks Mutty away and sad Hedgehog is forced out of her comfort zone and on a journey to find her lost best friend. Along the way she encounters many new adventures and many new characters who end up finding a very special place in her heart. Our Friend Hedgehog is about friendship, bravery, making our way in the world, and finding our people.

What are you working on now? I am working on the next book in the OFH series. I love being back in Hedge Hollow with Hedgehog and friends :)

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life? Not people, but animals and stuffies! My dogs inspired the characters of Mole and Beaver. And Mutty is a version of my childhood stuffed animal.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite? Well, Mutty was the easiest because he doesn't talk :) I don't really have a favorite or least favorite. I will say though that Beaver was fun to write because he’s grumpy.

What is your favorite passages/scenes in OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG? I love when Hedgehog first meets Mole, and how kind Mole is to her. I also had a blast designing Mole’s home!

What kind of research did you have to do for the story? I had to research the animals I would be drawing and writing about. Their different animal traits, habitats, etc.. Our Friend Hedgehog is fantasy, but I wanted the characters to feel true to their species.

Who is your favorite children’s book author? That is a very hard question! I love so many. Katherine Applegate and Kate DiCamillo are two favorites.

What inspired you to write Kidlit? I have always loved picture books, creative writing and illustration, so it just seemed like a natural fit. I took a book illustration class at Maryland Institute College of Art, where I was studying illustration, and fell in love with the format. I knew then that I not only did I want to illustrate books for children, I wanted to write them, too.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
I am currently reading A WISH IN THE DARK by Christina Soontornvat. It is SO good!

And the next book on my TBR stack is THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE by Rebecca Stead.

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in? Ravenclaw

Instagram, Twitter or Facebook? Instagram

Favorite Superhero? Wonder Woman

Favorite TV show? Schitt’s Creek at the moment!

Sweet or Salty? BOTH :)

Any Phobias? driving

Song you can’t get enough of right now? Ohana by the Indian Summer Jars

2020 Movie you’re most looking forward to? The One and Only Ivan!



Thanks so much Lauren for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG!
About Lauren:

Lauren studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the 2015 Caldecott Honor winning book, Nana in the City, as well as The Troublemaker and Melvin and the Boy. Lauren has also illustrated several critically acclaimed picture books, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She currently draws and dreams in Harrisburg, PA.



Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a finished copy of OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG, US Only.

Rafflecopter Embed Code:




Tour Schedule:
Week One:
5/1/2020
Excerpt

Week Two:
5/4/2020
Spotlight
5/5/2020
Review
5/6/2020
Review
5/7/2020
Review
5/8/2020
Excerpt

Week Three:
5/11/2020
Review
5/12/2020
Review
5/13/2020
Review
5/14/2020
Excerpt
5/15/2020
Review

Week Four:
5/18/2020
Review
5/19/2020
Review
5/20/2020
Interview
5/21/2020
Review
5/22/2020
Review

Week Five:
5/25/2020
Excerpt
5/26/2020
Review
5/27/2020
Review
5/28/2020
Review
5/29/2020
Excerpt

1 comment:

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.