One of the really fun parts of being a picture book author is that you start to get to know other picture book creators in your area. And one of the perks of knowing other picture book creators is that you find out about a lot of book events. Last weekend I got to see author/illustrator Steph Lau in action as she shared her debut picture book, The Abominable Snow Dancer, with a full storytime crowd at California indie Linden Tree Books.
If you compare the cover of the book with the photo of Steph drawing during the event, you'll see she's dressed (adorably) as the book's main character, Otto. Halloween just passed, but I can TOTALLY imagine little kids running around in their Otto costumes next year, can't you?
In the opening scenes of the book, Otto appears to be a typical abominable snowman...
...but we soon find out that he has a secret desire to do something he's never seen other yetis do. Otto might be a little clumsy (or in fact IS a little clumsy, and hilariously so), but it doesn't stop him from following his dream. And his dream? You guessed it! Otto longs to...
This is such an adorable premise for a picture book, and it only gets better. One day, as Otto is climbing to the top of a mountain near his home, he accidentally trips and falls down the other side and discovers a world of sparkly dancing unicorns. At long last, he sees other mythical creatures who share his passion! The story doesn't end there, though. It's just the beginning of Otto's journey to figure out how to fit into this newfound world.
Aside from the kid-friendly premise, other features of this book add enormous kid appeal. The graphic novel style, use of speech bubbles, and exaggerated emotions of the yetis and unicorns are just a few.
Kids will also love exploring the illustrations. Maybe they'll notice the subtle change in color palette, from the dominance of white and grayish blue hues at the beginning of the story to the addition of colors when Otto meets the sparkly unicorns. If they look closely, they might also notice cameos by additional mythical creatures like a mermaid and a young Medusa. So fun!
I'm so happy to have met Steph and celebrated her adorable new book with others in our community (L to R: Susan Cabael, me, Steph, Cathy Cheng of Access Books Bay Area, Christine Evans) at this book event. Congratulations, Steph!
Some fun facts I learned about Steph Lau while writing this post is that she used to be a pastry chef and that she has another picture book in the works called MEDUSA'S PET ROCK, which I can't wait to read when it comes out next fall. Learn more about Steph at www.stephlaubooks.com or follow her on Instagram @stephlaubooks.
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