Today I am thrilled to announce the imminent release of Squeak!, my fantasy picture book for preschoolers.
On April 25, this gorgeously illustrated, 32-page adventure will at last be set loose upon the world, and I can’t tell you how satisfying this will be for me. Because it’s the fruition of a journey that started 22 years ago.
I first wrote the tale of lonely young Princess Brinnameade when my first daughter was only six weeks old. (She’s in University now.) I read it to her regularly in those early years, and then to each of her three younger sisters in turn, and they each demanded it over and over again. So this tale has been an important touchstone in my family’s life for all that time. But it only ever existed as a faded, threadbare sheet of heavily creased computer tractor paper.
Well that’s all changed now, because thanks to Cody Cheung, a brilliant young Chinese illustrator that I met online, Princess Brinnameade is now ready to emerge in full sumptuous color, both in print, and as an ebook. Set in the world of Whimsy, where every parent is a King or Queen, household chores are done by retired rock stars, and the mail is delivered by knights in armor, this story is as much fun for parents as it is for the kids.
But Princess Brinnameade has a problem. You see, she’s an only princess. And since all the other princes and princesses in her subdivision are too busy being special in their own castles to come play in hers, Princess Brinnameade is lonely. How she solves that dilemma is a surprise that has delighted my children for over twenty years now, earning their shouts of laughter and excitement at every step of the way. So I am thrilled to at last be able to share that experience with other families.
If you know anyone with children aged 3-6, please consider sharing this announcement with them. There is nothing more rewarding than a toddler shouting and bouncing with excitement because of something they’re reading in a book. And with your help, I’d like to make that magic happen over and over again, and introduce a generation of children to the delights of the written word.
