Oh my goodness, it’s been WAY too long since I’ve added a news post. This spring I’m celebrating the launch of The Littlest Easter Bunny in board book format! This is such a sweet and perfect way for the very littlest bunnies to have a book of their own. I just love how it turned out!

 

 

 

 

And I’m so happy with the release of The Littlest Graduate – the ELEVENTH book in the Littlest series. It’s the adorable story of Noah – the littlest one in his class – and how he overcomes his worries to step up and get ready for big kid school. This one is super special to me because I wrote it when my own child was getting ready for her littlest graduation.

 

I hope you enjoy these latest Littlest offerings and I promise to come back soon with more exciting updates (including information about the next Littlest title!). Thanks for stopping by!

We first met Wilma, The Littlest Witch, in The Littlest Mummy when Mae needed some help. Now it’s Wilma’s turn and the two friends couldn’t be sweeter.

And our new friend Penny, the littlest Easter bunny is the cutest bunny ever.

I hope you enjoy the latest little adventures and I’ll keep you posted on new ones (hint: there’s already another in the works for next Valentine’s Day!)

This month marks the TEN-year anniversary of the publication of The Littlest Pilgrim. Since this tiny Thanksgiving story first appeared, I’ve published six other Littlest tales. And now I’m happy to announce that three more Littlest books will be coming in 2019 and 2020!  The Littlest Witch (Wilma from The Littlest Mummy gets her own story), The Littlest Cupid, and The Littlest Easter Bunny are the next stories in this big, little series.

I want to say a huge thank you to all of the teachers, parents, and kids who have made this Littlest series such a success. Here’s to another ten years of Littlest fun!

The cover for Wild Fairies Book 3: Poppy’s Silly Seasons is here and it just could not be any more adorable! Renee Kurilla’s art is so sweet and wonderful. I want to live in the worlds she creates.
I’ll share more on the release date for Book 3 when I have it, but it looks like Winter 2018 or Spring 2019. Yay fairies!

The wild fairy friends are officially out in the world. The books look amazing. The color illustrations practically leap off the pages and there’s glitter and gloss on the fancy covers. I couldn’t be more proud of these books. Run to your local independent book store and grab a copy.

I love to hear from readers, so once you’ve read one of the books, send me a message and tell me what you thought of it! If you do, I’ll send you a signed Wild Fairies bookmark!

The first two books in the Wild Fairies series launch in less than three weeks! And we’ve gotten some great reviews from Kirkus and Booklist.

Here are the reviews for Daisy’s Decorating Dilemma:

Kirkus:
Event coordinator Daisy must find a theme for the Blossom Bash that will please everyone. While the current abundance of rain will benefit the flowers, it also poses a challenge: The accelerated, early bloom gives them less time than usual to prepare. Each fairy suggests their own flower or color to decorate Sugar Oak, putting Daisy in the unenviable role of being the deciding vote. (Gardeners will note the flowers listed are not all early spring blooms.) In the meantime, Daisy checks on other fairies’ preparations, troubleshooting their problems (from food and music decisions to recommending honey for seasonal allergies). Indigo’s garlands of materials from all over the forest inspire Daisy to go for an eclectic theme, allowing each fairy to decorate part of Sugar Oak however they wish. The full effect of the assortment, as well as the acceptance of an earlier than optimal bloom, is summed up by Daisy and stands as the story’s theme: “We all know we can’t control nature. We can only appreciate all that it gives us. And that’s what this celebration is really about!” In Kurilla’s frequent, full-color illustrations, Daisy is depicted with brown skin and blonde curls, and other fairies have skin and hair of all the colors of the rainbow; one fairy in the primary cast is male. Information about honey follows the story, as does a recipe, a dramatis personae, and some games. Flower-calendar quibble aside, an optimistic, upbeat story. (Fantasy. 6-8)

Booklist:
Spring is in the air in Sugar Oak, and this year, Daisy is in charge of the Blossom Bash. She and her fellow wild fairies want it to be the best ever, so Daisy takes decorating suggestions from each fairy. The dilemma comes when she doesn’t want to choose only one idea and hurt the other fairies’ feelings. She procrastinates in making her decision, and instead, goes from fairy to fairy, offering her help with each of their specific tasks. Finally, she arrives at a solution that will please everyone, and all the woodland critters who attend the festival agree it is a huge success. Here Daisy is the featured fairy, but the other books in the Wild Fairies series star a different flower fairy. Dougherty’s easy-to-read chapter book, filled with Kurilla’s brightly colored, whimsical illustrations, will find a ready audience, especially for those who have exhausted Daisy Meadows’ well-worn Flower Fairies series. The finished book will include a recipe and even an ad for a fairy house. Daisy’s adventure copublishes with Lily’s Water Woes. — J. B. Petty

And here’s the review for Lily’s Water Woes:

Kirkus: 
Mermaid fairy Lily copes with the difficulties of being a water-based creature with land-based friends. Blue-haired and -skinned mermaid Lily must rely on her friends to visit her, as her inability to remain out of water for long results in her cutting short her visits to them (especially when, as in the case of Indigo’s treetop workshop, travel time eats into her outside-of-water time). Lily’s bummed out when distractions and changes of plans result in her friends’ skipping visits with her, and she feels left out when they explore areas she finds inaccessible. Lily doesn’t expect her friends to understand her accessibility difficulties and so doesn’t complain—but without her realizing it, they’ve noticed that she’s down and reasoned why. As a surprise for her, they examine how they can make their forest more inclusive of her physical needs, devising an elevator and slide system to give Lily fast, easy transportation and to accommodate her physical limitations. Lily’s friends decide to do this, without prompting or her asking, both to make Lily happy and because they enjoy her company, effectively modeling empathy and inclusiveness without didacticism. Contextual nuance to the disability parallel is provided in the joy Lily experiences in the water as well as in the apologies her friends provide in response to her feelings of neglect. Information about water lilies and a craft join the dramatis personae and assorted games in the backmatter—a series feature. A delightful story about thoughtful, compassionate friendship. (Fantasy. 6-8)

I can’t wait to start getting reader reviews – the most important ones!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been so busy working on this fun new series, that I haven’t even written an announcement about it. I’m so excited to share that I’m putting the finishing touches on a new early chapter book series called Wild Fairies! The first two books will be released in May 2018 and the third book will follow in the fall. Artist extraordinaire, Renee Kurilla, has brought the wild fairies characters and their cozy oak tree home to life. Each book will have full color illustrations throughout!

In the series you’ll meet Daisy, Poppy, Thistle, Indigo, Dahlia, Lily, Heather, and Celosia as well as their very sweet critter companions. As you can see from the first two covers, this fairy world is going to be a lot of fun!

Stay tuned for more fairy news as the release date nears.

The Littlest Reindeer is here! It’s hard to believe that the holidays are just around the corner. At least now you’ve got the perfect stocking-stuffer! 🙂 You may remember Dot the reindeer from her adorable sidekick Oliver’s story, The Littlest Elf. Now Dot has her very own book!

Head on over to my picture book page for more info and to find out where you can pick up a copy of Dot’s story.

I am beyond excited to announce that TWO new Littlest books will be coming your way! In addition to being available through the Scholastic Reading Clubs, they will also be available in bookstores and online. Yay! Here is the official announcement on Publishers Marketplace:

NYT bestselling author of THE LITTLEST PILGRIM, Brandi Dougherty’s THE LITTLEST REINDEER, about a little reindeer who wants to help fly Santa’s sleigh, and THE LITTLEST VALENTINE, about the littlest member of the Valentine family making her own mark in the family business, to Celia Lee at Scholastic, for publication in 2017 and 2018, by Jennifer Rofe at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).

I’m hoping to be able to share the cover for Littlest Reindeer soon, so stay tuned.

The final book in the Recipe for Adventure series is out TODAY! Alfie and Emilia head to Philadelphia to experience some amazing American history and help their new friend and her family save their historic hotel. And don’t forget the Philly cheesesteaks! Go grab a copy and let me know what you think!