32 pages * 8 x 10
Full-color illustrations throughout
Full-color illustrations throughout
Hidden word in every illustration
ISBN: 978-0-578-11303-6
$15.95 dust-jacketed hardcover
Publication date: July 2013
Published by Belle Publishing.
Synopsis:
"Children's rooms are often a colorful
menagerie of toys here, clothes there, and stuff everywhere. When
something is lost, it may take all day to find it. In the new children's
book, Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu
by Ylleya Fields, Princess Cupcake learns why she should keep her room
clean if she wants to be able to easily find her favorite things.
One morning, awakened right after dawn,
the princess exclaimed "My tutu is GONE! Was it stolen by robbers? Where did it go?" She lined her dollies all up in a row.
"Have you seen my tutu? Oh, please, please say yes."
But the dollies were quiet. They just couldn't guess. |
Upon learning that her family has an appointment to have an artist paint their portrait, Cupcake disagrees with her mother's suggestion of what she should wear. Cupcake is frantic because she
doesn't like the dress her mother picked out and cannot find her
favorite tutu--which she wears almost daily.
Cupcake goes through the whole palace, searching high and low for
her tutu. She looks everywhere--from the kitchen, to inside the washer,
and finally goes back to her room. What a mess!
 |
| Even after Cupcake tidies her room, her tutu is still nowhere to be found! As she lies on her bed disappointed, Cupcake looks up and finds herself gazing at a rainbow of orange, yellow, and blue hanging from her ceiling fan! She has found her tutu! Her mother is proud of her for cleaning up her room, and Cupcake promises to hang her tutu on its hook every night before bed so she will never lose it again.
Children
will enjoy the rhyming verses, the colorful illustrations by Michael
LaDuca, and the fun storyline of Cupcake's desperate search to find her
tutu. They may even ponder the importance of putting things away where
they belong so their own favorite things don't get lost or forgotten.
Parents may even learn something from this fun story!"
As an added bonus, children will also have fun finding the hidden word (love) in each inviting illustration.
|
-----
I had the pleasure of interviewing the author of this cute children's book, Ylleya Fields, who is also a mother to three children. Ylleva was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to share with me more about her upcoming release, "Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu", as well as share what inspires her as a children's author, and what she is working on now. Please enjoy with my interview with Ylleva, and then enter my giveaway, for your chance to win a copy of her book, to share with your little princess. :-)
-- Author Interview w/ Ylleya Fields --
Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that
(story, angle, idea)?
"Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu" follows Cupcake as she searches the palace for her lost tutu. I came up with the concept because I was having a hard time finding picture books with an African American lead character to read to my eldest daughter when she was younger. I wanted a sassy character along the lines of Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious (because those were the books she loved) but none existed. The tutu storyline came about because both daughters practically lived in tutus at one point.
How did you get interested in writing this particular
genre?
I've always loved picture books and with 3 children, I've read more than my fair share of them, so I figured it was something I was a bit of an expert on.
Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?
As far as picture books, Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious are definitely at the top of our list. But we also love the Priscilla series, Jazz Baby, Grace for President, Mean Jean the Recess Queen and Summer Jackson just to name a few.
What's a typical working day like for you? When and
where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
A typical work day really just depends on the day of the week. I work for my family in addition to writing, so I split my time doing both. I write wherever, whenever inspiration hits me and I personally never set writing goals. I do not like feeling pressure to write, I get instant writers block!
What is the hardest part of writing for
you?
Well the hardest part of writing rhyming books is not using a word just because it rhymes with the line above!!
What’s the best thing about being an
author?
The best thing about being an author for me is being able to bring Princess Cupcake Jones to others! I love that other children get to read stories which were directly influenced by my daughters!
What are you working on now?
I just wrote four lines of the fourth book and I'm so proud of myself lol. It doesn't seem like much, but it is!!
What advice would you give aspiring
writers?
My advice to aspiring writers is to constantly keep writing. Sometimes I find myself getting stuck on one story or character for so long that I need to switch to something new. The missing tutu was actually the second book I wrote and I ended up releasing it first.
What question have you always wanted to be asked in an
interview? How would you answer that question?
What an interesting question..I guess who would you love to have read your book? The answer to that is of course Oprah. I think she'd love it!
More about the Author:
Ylleya Fields is the mother of three beautiful children, two of whom are girls. While hunting for books to read to her eldest daughter when she was 2, Fields was struck by the small selection of titles featuring a modern African American character. After writing a couple of poems that then sat on her desk for months,
Ylleya decided to turn her ideas into a series of children's books. Blending both of her daughters’ images and personalities, Fields created Princess Cupcake Jones. Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu is the first book in the series. Several more books featuring this adorable young girl are currently in the works, so watch for more adventures starring Cupcake Jones.
Fields graduated from Myers University in Cleveland. She and her family live in Shaker Heights (a suburb of Cleveland), Ohio.
About the Illustrator:
Growing up with a pencil always in hand, Michael LaDuca always knew his calling was in the arts. He started taking drawing and painting classes at age eight at a Lewiston, NY, art studio and continued to hone his artistic education at Lewiston-Porter High School. He then attended Edinboro University with a focus in animation and illustration. Today, as a master of character expression and still-framed storytelling, Michael produces brilliant illustrations for children's books that charm audiences and bring storybooks to life. You can explore his collection of children's book illustrations by visiting www.luminusmedia.com.
"Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu" follows Cupcake as she searches the palace for her lost tutu. I came up with the concept because I was having a hard time finding picture books with an African American lead character to read to my eldest daughter when she was younger. I wanted a sassy character along the lines of Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious (because those were the books she loved) but none existed. The tutu storyline came about because both daughters practically lived in tutus at one point.
I've always loved picture books and with 3 children, I've read more than my fair share of them, so I figured it was something I was a bit of an expert on.
As far as picture books, Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious are definitely at the top of our list. But we also love the Priscilla series, Jazz Baby, Grace for President, Mean Jean the Recess Queen and Summer Jackson just to name a few.
A typical work day really just depends on the day of the week. I work for my family in addition to writing, so I split my time doing both. I write wherever, whenever inspiration hits me and I personally never set writing goals. I do not like feeling pressure to write, I get instant writers block!
Well the hardest part of writing rhyming books is not using a word just because it rhymes with the line above!!
The best thing about being an author for me is being able to bring Princess Cupcake Jones to others! I love that other children get to read stories which were directly influenced by my daughters!
What are you working on now?
I just wrote four lines of the fourth book and I'm so proud of myself lol. It doesn't seem like much, but it is!!
My advice to aspiring writers is to constantly keep writing. Sometimes I find myself getting stuck on one story or character for so long that I need to switch to something new. The missing tutu was actually the second book I wrote and I ended up releasing it first.
What an interesting question..I guess who would you love to have read your book? The answer to that is of course Oprah. I think she'd love it!
--GIVEAWAY--
One lucky reader will win a copy of "Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu by Ylleya Fields, to share with their princess. To enter, please complete the entries on the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
More about the Author:
Ylleya Fields is the mother of three beautiful children, two of whom are girls. While hunting for books to read to her eldest daughter when she was 2, Fields was struck by the small selection of titles featuring a modern African American character. After writing a couple of poems that then sat on her desk for months,
Ylleya decided to turn her ideas into a series of children's books. Blending both of her daughters’ images and personalities, Fields created Princess Cupcake Jones. Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu is the first book in the series. Several more books featuring this adorable young girl are currently in the works, so watch for more adventures starring Cupcake Jones.
Fields graduated from Myers University in Cleveland. She and her family live in Shaker Heights (a suburb of Cleveland), Ohio.
About the Illustrator:
Growing up with a pencil always in hand, Michael LaDuca always knew his calling was in the arts. He started taking drawing and painting classes at age eight at a Lewiston, NY, art studio and continued to hone his artistic education at Lewiston-Porter High School. He then attended Edinboro University with a focus in animation and illustration. Today, as a master of character expression and still-framed storytelling, Michael produces brilliant illustrations for children's books that charm audiences and bring storybooks to life. You can explore his collection of children's book illustrations by visiting www.luminusmedia.com.
http://pinterest.com/amytolley/ pinterest link
ReplyDelete