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Kailei Pew
Sep 1, 20222 min read

Little Red and the Big Bad Editor

Hello, friends!


It's been a little while since I've shared a book review, but I'm excited to tell you that I have 4 scheduled for the next two months and more to follow. If you're an author with a book on the horizon, hit me up. I love sharing about new books and elevating your voices!


Today, I am so excited to tell you about the forthcoming LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR by Rebecca Kraft Rector and Shanda McCloskey.

Thank you to Rebecca for sending me an e-book to make this review possible.


I love a good fractured fairy tale, and this one did not disappoint. It's a fun twist on the classic tale plus a lesson for little ones on good beginning letter-writing skills (without being heavy handed).


Little Red loves her new cape from Granny. She writes a thank you note (even though she hasn't really learned about how to write a letter yet), and skips off to deliver it. The letter isn't perfect, but Red doesn't care. Luckily for her, the mistakes turn into her saving grace. As the Big Bad Wolf pounces time and again, he keeps getting distracted by the letter. It's too sloppy to give to Granny! He keeps helping with things like finger spaces, capital letters, and salutations, instead of gobbling up Little Red. But Red isn't a defenseless bystander who keeps lucking out. Her quick whits might just help her outsmart the Big Bad Editor once and for all.


The wordplay in this book is delightful and the illustrations are so fun. There are a few spread that even feel like a comic panels, which I know from experience kids absolutely LOVE. The basic mechanics of letter writing are there without it feeling forced. Kids will cheer for Little Red and even find themselves liking the wolf.


Overall, this book is a wonderful read and one that kids will come back to again and again. Expect a lovely hand-written letter or two after making this a part of your home library!


Links from Rebecca's website to preorder can be found below. LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR releases September 6th!



3 comments
Kailei Pew
Aug 18, 20223 min read

PB23Bunch Features: Allen Wells

Hello wonderful (and extremely patient) readers! It's been a minute. Thank you for sticking around and coming back! I had a lovely summer making memories with my children, but there were also some hard things. Between my health and some needs from extended family members, things were a lot. But everything is on the up and up now, and I'm jumping back i with both feet. I want to thank my PB23Bunch for their understanding and support while I was away for a bit. We'll be jumping back in to the features now, and you are absolutely going to love learning about this amazing bunch of creators!!


So today, join me in welcoming Allen Wells! You might remember Allen from my Tuesday From The Trenches series. His 13 year journey to finding an agent was absolutely inspiring and now, he's back with a debut right around the corner! I love these success stories so much! So give a big hello to Allen!



Kailei: Hi Allen! And welcome back! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey?


Allen: Sure. By profession, I’m a mechanical engineer in the building design industry.

Well i’ve been writing since the second grade. First day of school, my teacher gave everyone a black marble composition notebook. She told us we would spend thirty minutes every morning writing in our journal. Realizing I was an introvert at a young age, journal writing gave me an opportunity to express myself. This was when I learned the definition of imagination and the art storytelling. I would open with “what I did my summer vacation…” and toward the middle flying dragons would’ve overthrown a king!




Kailei: Oh my goodness, I love that so much! Such fun imagination. So tell me, what inspired your debut book?


Allen: Well it all started when the one and only Grace Kendall at FSG, who had an idea to do a picture book celebrating queer parents, perhaps centered on baby’s first Pride Parade. Grace and I had had previous interactions when my agent, Erin Murphy, submitted my picture book manuscript, DANTE PLAYS HIS BLUES (HarperCollins Summer 2024) to FSG. Erin said that I would be “absolutely perfect to take on this project”, so Erin, being the Rockstar that she is put us together and now we have “IT’S PRIDE, BABY!”




Kailei: How exciting! I love hearing stories about unconventional paths and how cool that an editor reached out to you, and not the other way around. Those agents are amazing. Also, side note, congrats on DANTE as well!


"IT'S PRIDE, BABY!" sounds like such a joyful and needed book. What message would you like for your readers to walk away with?


Allen: That you are loved no matter who you love.



Kailei: Simple, powerful, wonderful. When does your debut hit shelves?


Allen: It’s Pride Baby is now slated to be released in 2024. It’s currently available for pre-order.





Kailei: Wonderful! I'll need to get mine ordered soon! Readers, make sure to do the same! So Allen, where can we follow you online?


Allen: You can find me:

Twitter: AllenWritesWell

FB: Allen Wells




Kailei: Thank you so much, Allen! I can't wait to see more about your journey!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!

Allen is generously offering one lucky reader a query critique!

To enter:

Optional bonus entries:


  1. Subscribe to this blog in the bottom corner and tell us in the comments that you did (or comment that you already follow)

  2. Tag 3 friends in the tweet above


About Allen Wells




Allen Wells grew up in Jackson, MS where he spent a lot of his time with his head stuck in a book or creating worlds through his words or solving problems and puzzles.

When he isn’t writing, he’s trekking across the world, designing building engineering systems, in Alexandria, VA where he currently resides.




About PB 23 Bunch


The PB23Bunch is a diverse group of 12 authors and illustrators with Picture Books debuting in 2023. We cannot wait to get our books in your hands!!


1 comment
Kailei Pew
Jul 5, 20223 min read

PB23Bunch Features: Ha Dinh

Hello, friends! And happy June! (checks notes... it's July already??) Can we please just pretend it's June still and like I got this up when I was supposed to? But seriously... is anyone else feel like they just barely have their heads above water this summer? I actually really love having my kiddos home. But it is b-u-s-y. Add to that some health challenges in some family members needing my care, and I dropped the ball. Thank you to Ha for being so understanding. But I promise you all, this is 100% worth the wait. Because this book is going to be FIRE and I cannot wait til I can read it and share it with you all. So please, join me in welcoming fellow PB23Bunch Member Ha Dinh to the blog today!





Hi Ha! Welcome. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey?


From the moment that I held onto the very first book that I was able to check out in our school library in kindergarten, I knew I wanted to be a Children’s book author. I had just arrived in America and didn’t know much English, so having access to beautifully illustrated picture books accompanied with simple and descriptive words not only helped me to learn the language, it also opened my eyes up to so many amazing things in the world. I was in love!


I followed that love of reading and writing into college, but decided that I would make my other dream of being an elementary teacher a reality first after graduation.


While I taught, built an online community of teachers to share my teaching ideas, and began to grow my family, the desire to write never left me. Once my children were of school-age, I decided that it was time for me to dive back into my first love of writing to share stories based on my lived experiences and culture.



Oh Ha, that sounds absolutely wonderful. I love how all of your life experiences brought you to this moment. Can you tell us what specifically inspired your debut book?


My debut book is a love letter to my young self as a Vietnamese child refugee in the Philippines, who felt lost and unsure of moving across the Pacific Ocean to her new home. I wanted to document that very important historical time of our family at the refugee camp and the beautiful friendships made there before our emigration to America through the eyes of a young child.



That sounds absolutely incredible, and so very needed. I can't even begin to imagine what all of that must have felt like. How important to get that story out to both young and old alike. What message would you like for your readers to walk away with?


My hope is that it serves as a mirror for any child who is a child refugee, has ever felt anxious and worried about moving, or making big life changes in their lives that they know there is hope and they will continue to grow. I also hope that it is a window for other children to learn about this important time and place in history that is often overlooked and not written about in Children’s books.



This book truly sounds wonderful. I know that I personally can't wait to get my hands on it! So... When does your debut hit shelves?


We are hoping for it to hit the shelves June 2023 just in time for World Refugee Day which is June 20th.


That would be perfect timing! Fingers crossed for you in this wild publishing world. And truly, best of luck. I feel so grateful to be on this journey with you. Now, before I let you go, where can we follow you online?


You can follow me at @hellomrsdinh on Instagram and Twitter.

Thank you, Ha! Now readers, Ha is generously offering one lucky reader a PB critique! To enter:

Optional bonus entries:

  1. Subscribe to this blog in the bottom corner and tell us in the comments that you did (or comment that you already follow)

  2. Tag 3 friends in the tweet above.


About Ha Dinh

Ha Dinh is a primary school teacher, blogger, author, wife to her high school sweetheart, and mama of two. Her debut picture book, WHERE WILDFLOWERS GROW was inspired by her experiences of living in a refugee camp in the Philippines as a child. It is set to be published in the Summer of 2023, and she can't wait!




About PB23Bunch




The PB23Bunch is a diverse group of 12 authors and illustrators with Picture Books debuting in 2023. We cannot wait to get our books in your hands!!

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