12 Randomly Random Facts About BLUE FLOATS AWAY

Blue Floats Away, written by me and illustrated by Grant Snider, arrives today. I hope you get a chance to read it (it makes a great Earth Day read aloud). It received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Parents magazine said “Who would have thought that learning about the water cycle could give you all the feels?“

You can find it at these locations:

McLean & Eakin | Bookshop | Amazon

Just for fun, here are some random facts about the book:

• The title has changed over time. It began as Bergy, then Calder, then Little Blue Floats Away, and finally Blue Floats Away. Here’s the first draft:

• I hung this little picture up on my wall while I was working on the story:

• The idea to call the main character Blue came from the book Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni.

• A key moment in Blue Floats Away was inspired by this important moment in Little Blue and Little Yellow:

• My dedication in Blue Floats Away is a Little Blue and Little Yellow homage. My son’s name (Colin) is in blue and my daughter’s name (Lina) is in yellow. When the two names overlap, it makes green.

• There were a few things that inspired the story. One was the comic I made for The Creativity Project called Grandpa Marius, which was based on a photo prompt from Bob Shea.

• Ever since I saw this his comic called On the Beach, I was hoping Grant Snider would illustrate Blue Floats Away.

• Grant Snider “borrowed” construction paper and glue sticks from his kids to help make the illustrations:

• I’ve met Grant Snider once in person.

• Blue Floats Away took almost exactly 4 years to go from first draft to pub date.

• This was my first time writing an author’s note. In it I explain the water cycle and climate change:

• The book was given a March release date because of Earth Day.

Thank you Grant Snider, Stephen Barbara, Courtney Code, Pamela Notarantonio, and all the wonderful art, design, marketing, and publicity folks at Abrams.

Now that the book is out in the world, I’d LOVE to see how you’re using it. Let me know on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you!