THE SEASON'S BOOKS ARE COMPLETE!


"Let It Rain" & Let It Shine" will publish this Spring! They will join "Let It Fall" & "Let It Snow" (which are currently available). All books are published by Scholastic. Please look for them in stores and on the Scholastic Bookclub!

Now you can travel through the entire year with this popular trio and their dog!





BOOK PREVIEW- Publishing in 2013

I have had a very busy year on the book publishing front. I will have FOUR books publishing in 2013. I am working on the art of the last of these books, all of which I wrote and illustrated.
Here's a PREVIEW in order of Publishing Dates:

A Vacation for Pooch  (Christy O Books/ Henry Holt ) Feb 2013:
( An adorable book about love, a girl, her dog and a vacation mix-up.)

LET IT RAIN!  (Scholastic ) Early Spring 2013:
Page 2 of the long awaited SPRING title to the "LET IT" Seasons series.
LET IT SHINE! (Scholastic) Late Spring 2013
Page 12 of the long-awaited SUMMER title to the "LET IT" Season's series.
THEO'S MOOD  (Albert Whitman & Co.) Fall 2013
Art from JEALOUS page. (fabric collage- had fun with this art!)

As always, thank you for your support. I will soon add downloadable activities sheets for these books on my website. Please keep your eye out for "Let It Rain!" and Let It Shine!" on your Scholastic book-club. ("Let it Fall!" and "Let it Snow!" are available now...and my bestsellers, with over 1 million sold!)
My upcoming year will be devoted to my play, Princess K.I.M. the Musical (Hope to see you there!), but I'll be writing a few books as well and visiting schools! (still booking School Visits!)

Warmly,
Maryann Cocca-Leffler



Authors In April - Rochester, MI (photo diary)

Thank you all for welcoming me to your schools!


I got the fashion memo!
All your artwork was amazing!
I introduced you to Princess Kim while we listened to music from my play.

Mr. Tanen would LOVE these ties!
Your were such a good audience!


I stayed in a nice Inn 

and met the other authors, Barbara O'Connor, Shelley Pearsall and Mary Casanova.

I made  good friends and ate great food!

I
I  signed a lot of books! Thanks Jenny and Kathy & the AA Board!
Thanks so much for inviting me to Author's in April! I had a great week.
 I hope to return someday soon!
Keep Reading!  XO Maryann

Just Published- My New Book

My new book, TIME TO SAY BYE BYE was just published by Viking Press, NY. I got the idea when I thought back on my own children as toddlers and remembered how difficult it was for them to transition from one activity to another without having a melt down. Well, this book will help make transitions easier. It recently got a great review by Kirkus:


"Many books have mimicked Goodnight Moon, and this rendition applies much the same formula, substituting the title phrase with bye-byes and extending it through a busy day.
A toddler is taken to the park, where he swings, digs and has fun, but when it’s time to go, he says, “I don’t want to leave.” The unseen adult says, “It’s time to say bye-bye,” so the child obligingly says bye-bye to the swing, the sandbox and his friend. A visit to Grandma sees a similar scenario, with bye-byes to the cookies, flowers and Grandma. Back home means eating, building and a toy parade, with subsequent bye-byes to dishes, blocks and toys. Bath time and bedtime follow with night-nights to the light, books and Mommy, with time for sweet dreams. Cocca-Leffler’s sprightly illustrations are sweet but not saccharine, and their positivity is useful for adults trying to deal with “I don’t want to go” whiners. Each objection to leaving by the toddler is expressed in the first-person and printed in red.
So effective is the delivery here that parents may find themselves saying bye-bye to things they’d never imagined talking to." (Picture book. 0-2) KIRKUS REVIEW

LET IT RAIN and LET IT SHINE

Cover sketch- Let It Rain
Good News. Scholastic has decided to continue my "LET IT" Season's series. Last year LET IT FALL and LET IT SNOW were published with an impressive response. A big Thank You to all the kids and parents who purchased my books from bookstores or from the Scholastic bookclub- Because of you these books have become my bestsellers selling over 1 million copies.
Scholastic also listened to those of you who wrote to them and those who joined the WE WANT SPRING (and summer too) fan page. (A special thanks to parent Evie Louise Cronin who started that facebook page.) Scholastic did respond and I am now writing and illustrating LET IT RAIN (spring) and LET IT SHINE (summer). I am only now in the sketch stages and will have a busy year ahead. Both books will be released in the Spring of 2013...I know- it seems forever. (But I do need to create the paintings!) Back to my desk!
During this time of Thanksgiving- I thank all of you who read and share my books.
Enjoy!
Maryann

GRANDMA & ME -A New App!

Grandma and Me is a book that I wrote and illustrated many years ago. At the time, my daughter was two years old, and she spent every Tuesday with my mother, her Nana Rose, while I spent uninterrupted time in my studio. I dedicated this book to my daughter Janine and my mother Rose. It has been over 20 years since this book was first published by Random House, but the premise and love behind the story is timeless. I am happy to announce that Grandma & Me is back- only this time as an interactive App, developed my a new and innovative company,
Please visit their new online store and share an interactive book with your little one.

Let It Fall! Free activity sheet



It's that time again...FALL!
Time to share Let It Fall with you students and children. I just added a free downloadable activity sheet for Let It Fall.
Get It Here: Let It Fall! Activity Sheet

Visit the "activities" link on my website for lots more. I just added:
Learn How to Draw Carlin 
from my book, Bravery Soup. (another great book to share.)




Happy Fall!
Maryann