It's the start of a new month and lots of new possibilities! My big news is that my MAIL CLUB IS OPEN! If you join by the June 20th, you'll get the first edition in July. I'm mailing on the 10th. Go to susandrewart.net/collections/... to join.

I've never seen or felt a book quite like this one. The book pages are black with white letters. The illustrations are raised, like engravings. Above the words is braille. The book itself is about different colors, but you can learn through touch and your imagination.

Another little snippet from Lark and the Missing Diary. Lark is in a jam and turns to her trusty bird friends for help. But what can a crow do to help? You're going to have to read the book to find out!

In this month's Substack I'm introducing my new mail club! Stories, stickers, postcards and prompts. I hope you'll check it out. open.substack.com/.../p/im-sta....

I love all things silly, so of course I love this book. Two turtles are playing together, one wearing a bearsuit. The two friends make up what they think a bear will do. Just try not to laugh out loud at this book. You can't do it.

This is a cool book about a big sister entertaining her little siblings. She takes the littles down below the sea. At that point you have to turn the book over. The illustrations are beautiful.

Ohhh...I love this one. A little girl breaks her grandma’s mug and tries to blame it on the cat. Until she can’t take it anymore and admits what happened. And her grandma isn’t even mad! Great story and illustrations. Even the author/illustrator bio is fun.

This is a very sweet book and a good one to give as a gift. I love the illustrations. It feels right today to be dreaming as we enter into the time of graduations and weddings.

From "Lark and the Missing Diary". My book is in formatting now. It's hard to wait, but I know things are going on behind the scenes. @kidsbookswithheart

I love this sweet book, perfect to read during April’s Poetry month. Langston and his dad move to Chicago during the great migration, because his mom has just died. Langston has a hard time adjusting, and his classmates are mean to him. And then he finds the library and Langston Hughes.

This is a sweet book about pet adoption from the perspective of the cat. I especially love the illustrations. The artist (who's also the author!) used a limited color palette. It's something I like to play around with and it's done here perfectly.

I think we've finally broken the back of winter-the first green buds breaking through in my garden! This book is perfect for spring. It's about a boy who makes friends with plants, even though he's misunderstood. This book has super fun illustrations. And one detail I love - great end pages!

This is a stunningly beautiful book. A little boy and his dad go fishing early in the morning to catch food for the family. While they're fishing, the dad tells the boy about when he was young in Vietnam.

Now this is a really cool book. Not quite a picture book, not quite a novel, more like a graphic novel all about Pi. Who would have thought that a math book could be this much fun! You get a lot of information but really silly jokes, too. And the illustrations - fabulous! I love the color palette.

While you're waiting for Lark and the Missing Diary to come out, here are some other fun books I've read recently that feature birds.

This is really sweet story, told in the way of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. In the story, a little boy makes a call and a gorilla picks up. They share their secrets and lives. The pictures are fabulous. I love the little details in each one. You can spend a while just looking at them.

This is an adorable book. A little boy wants a dog, but he lives in a pet-free apartment building. He puts on his thinking cap and figures out a way around it! I don't want to give away the surprise ending, but you'll love it. @rebeccalangstongeorge @kidsbookswithheart

This is an old one, but a sweet one. My favorite part is that bears give hugs if sounding out words is hard. Because it is! I remember when my kids struggled to sound out words. But books can take you to new places, maybe with a bear. 😊

This is a fun mystery -- how did Great Aunt Jane really die, and could the killer be in the family! You don't often get a murder mystery for middle grade. Our detective is 12-year-old Mizzy, who also has Down Syndrome.

My February newsletter is up. You can find a link in my bio. susandrew.substack.com/p/family-sto... What stories do you tell time after time?

This is really a love poem to reading. My favorite lines: "Don’t rush through: your eyes need time to taste. Your soul needs room to bloom." The illustrations are fabulous, too--collage! I would buy the book just for the illustrations even if I wasn't so enamored by the poetry.

What would you do if you found a valuable painting at a flea market? That's the story of Edwin, who found a Picasso under a poster he bought. And became an overnight sensation. The twists and turns in this story are fun, and you learn a lot about the famous artist, too.

I need this one today because I'm feeling tired and draggy. This cold, cold winter is getting to me. This book is the perfect antidote to the blahs! I love the bold, colorful illustrations.

I love Millie Fleur and I hope we see more books about her! In this one, she plants a garden full of wonderfully strange plants that the people in town don't appreciate. I love the puns - Colonel Stick-in-the-Mud is a favorite. The illustrations and the color scheme of the book are so great, too.

It's a cold one again today! Perfect for reading, art projects, and hot chocolate by the fire. Check out the activity pages that go with my picture book. susandrewwrites.com/resources/ @harborlanebooks @everimaginebooks @butterbee_illustrates #coloringpages #colddayfun #picturebooks

This month I talk about success - how it looks to me, and what I'm doing to chase it. You can link to my Substack in my bio. #querying #writerslife #justkeepgoing #success 5m

This book is special. It’s about the Pack Horse Librarians & told by Cal who can’t read and doesn’t understand why anyone would waste their time on books. But his sister teaches him how and of course he loves it. It's a lyrical book, almost like a long poem. I loved it. Wonderful pictures too.

This book is hard to classify. An 8th grader finds out she has a time portal type thing -- a wormhole, in her school locker. She's able to connect with other girls (now grown women) who have had the same locker. They work together to piece together the secrets of the locker.

Attention Adrenaline Junkies - this book doesn't quit from the first page. An 11 yo boy who lives through a small plane crash during a blizzard. Plus play by play of happier times when he's winning ski races and surfing. I was stressed out during this whole book, loving every minute of it.

These are all doable goals. I have to focus. I admit to getting stuck on some minor detail and letting it derail me. I start a new book and then I'm lost for hours. I find a shiny new project to work on that pulls me away. Have you set any goals for January? Let's check in at the end of the month.

This is a fun, interactive book. Two boys and all kinds of things get literally lost in a book until a librarian comes to the rescue. I love that it's a librarian!

Here's another series that I'm late to the party on. I love John Grisham's adult legal books, and this middle grade book is just as good. And it's read by John Boy Walton! The Walton's was my favorite show when I was a little kid. I even had a Walton's lunchbox.

My December newsletter is up. Check it out! susandrew.substack.com/p/make-it-wo...

I found an old pictures from a Live Nativity at our church. One little girl had gotten there too late to be Mary and had to be an angel. This was her face all night. I had forgotten about this and can't stop laughing. So, I wrote a picture book. Watch what you do people, you may end up in a book!

This is a fun book for little readers about mistaken identity when a girl is invited to a pig party. Who even knew pigs had a secret world! Lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending. Check it out.

Well, here I am late to the party. I was looking in my library for a new book and found The Maze of Bones. I had no idea what I was getting into! So much fun! If you haven't heard of this series, check it out.

Vermont peeps! I'll be at the 47th Annual Hyde Park Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday. So far, fingers crossed, no snow is forecast. It'll be a great day to get out and do some shopping. I always pick up a couple of things at this fair. It's a good one. Stop by and say hi!

Whether it's a new hat, or winter cards, or a combination, you'll get free shipping on orders over $30. And you can sign up for email updates. You'll be the first to hear about new products and sales. www.susandrewart.net

My November Substack is up. I love this picture from the Way Back Machine. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. open.substack.com/.../im-feeli....

It's here! My first ever Black Friday Sale. All Greeting Cards and Post Cards are 20% off in my shop susandrewart.net

If you've been thinking about holiday cards, mine will be on sale on Friday! One day only get 20% off all greeting cards and postcards. You can go to susandrewart.net and load up some goodies in your cart to buy on Friday!

This book is action, action, action! I listened in the car and sat in the driveway many days. Hearing it read helped with the parts of the book in Spanish. I'm not a Spanish speaker (you can pick it up by context) and hearing it was great. It made an already magical book more magical.

Check out this card, and many more at my website susandrewart.net. Plus, hats, and my book - Sadie Does Not Like Sorries.

When my kids were little, they had imaginary friends - Copac, Jilly and Kiki (the bad one). But what if the KID was the imaginary friend? Read this adorable book about friendship and find out. The illustrations are fabulous, too.

I have new winter cards and postcards in my art site. Take a look and let me know what you think. You might even want to buy a few! These are just a sample of the cards that I have available. I'll be posting more of them in the coming days. susandrewart.net

Have you ever thought -- I cannot read another alphabet book? I know they help kids ... but I'd rather not. READ THIS ONE! It breaks all the alphabet book rules. First, it starts with Z. And second, Zebra is hilarious! Add in a little snarky, sassiness, and you have a perfect Fun Friday Book.

Do you set intentions for your week?

This is the first book of a series about Mia, & the motel her family runs. I love that I'm late to the party on this book. The next books are already written! I love how Mia sees a problem and dives in headfirst. There's big cast of characters, & immersion into the life of an immigrant family.

This is a cool book about what to do when you’re afraid of the dark - using sign language. I’ve never seen a sign language picture book before. I like the way it’s done with almost a call and repeat, and the illustrations are fabulous.

I talk a little about my current query journey and include a full-length picture book. You might ask why I'd "give away" my book. To start a discussion. Signing with an agent is hard. Going out on submission is hard. How's your journey going? open.substack.com/pub/susandre...