Do you have a favorite children’s book that meant the world to you growing up? Did it by chance come as a gift from another adult, not your parents? I had so many favorite books as a kid but one that sticks with me is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, first published in 1921.
I bought a used copy of The Velveteen Rabbit at Granny’s Attic thrift shop on Vashon Island some years ago. Remember those books that say “This book belongs to” and you put your name there? I love this old book because inside is this—in unfaded, cursive handwriting, blue ink:
I don’t know who Miff is, or Lin, but I do know this message warms my heart and soul, and hope it touched young Lin back then, too (circa 1975, I’d guess, from the copyright page of this Camelot edition of The Velveteen Rabbit).
I’m so excited to be sharing something now in print to be held in little hands!
Eleven Brave Pinecones Debuts on 11/11
Someday I hope my new (first) children’s book earns such an inscription. Eleven Brave Pinecones: A True Tale of Possibilities is the debut book in the Emotikin series. I’ve been playing with my Emotikin since 2003 — my inner artist personified — with countless photoshoots that I’ve come to call “metaphortography” and under-the-radar blogging for soul sustenance and self-care.
The paperback and Kindle edition of Eleven Brave Pinecones is available Saturday, November 11. I would be so honored if you’d consider buying a copy for yourself or a kid in your life! Here’s the link to the Kindle edition on Amazon, available for pre-orders now, and the paperback page will go live on 11/11.
What’s it about?
A Surprising Live Encounter Turns Despair into Delight
What would you do with eleven forlorn pinecones that fell (too soon) off their branches in a winter windstorm? What if you could find the right words to encourage them to go out in the world, just not in the way they expected?
“I know you’re not where you thought you should be. That means you’ll need brand new plans. And new plans take Courage!”
Eleven Brave Pinecones is not quite a counting book, unless you notice counting on each other and counting on your courage. This is not quite a science book, unless you count getting down to ground-level with these unique coniferous cones, catkins, needles, winged seeds, and even the weather and seasons.
This is not only a book for children, but for anyone who wonders how you move forward when the unexpected happens, by asking where we come from and how we might grow. Just as parents might explore nature with their kids, this book can start conversations about exploring their inner nature of emotions and feelings—from grief to joy, dismay to anticipation, and the difference between courage and encouragement.
This true tale of the imagination will delight and inspire readers of all ages to find their own courage to face stormy changes in life. This particular story begins on Vashon island, south of Seattle, and ends on Colorado’s Western Slope with a new group of pinecones, singing songs no less.
If you happen to live near conifer trees of any kind,
you will fall even more in love with them and their pinecones!
Read this book to a child while sitting by a pine tree,
then take a pinecone home to see how it unfolds!
If you loved The Hidden Life of Trees and The Overstory, Eleven Brave Pinecones will further spark your imagination and perhaps deeper kinship with the natural world of your own neighborhood.
By the way, if you ever find your own art manikin to play with, here’s how to transform this wood figure into a full-fledged Emotikin. First, simply acknowledge it has a soul. It becomes real like the Velveteen Rabbit with love. Have fun kindling your creativity with your own creative courage companion!
Available 11/11/23 in Honor of My Mom, Early Childhood Educator Extraordinaire
I choose 11/11 in honor of those 11 pinecones of course, but also to honor the second anniversary of my mom’s return to stardust. Mom was a kindergarten teacher who bought—and read—wonderful books to her classroom (and her grandson, my Wil), often with Caldecott Award-winning illustrations, many from her year in Australia where she swapped classrooms, cats, cars and homes to live there.
One of the best things mom said to me the summer before she died, when I was sharing an idea for another children’s book, was “Oh, Shel, don’t let anyone talk you out of writing that book.” In some long-lost box somewhere, Mom kept a copy of my first children’s book series, written and illustrated as an 8-year old, hand-sewn together with pink cotton thread about Timmy Turtle and Sammy Worm.
What Are Your Favorite Kids’ Books?
Please share your list of favorite children’s books in the comments. I’ve made a list of “creative courage for kids” books at Bookshop.org (I get a tiny affiliate fee from purchases here). I hope that Eleven Brave Pinecones will make it onto your list.
How You Can Help Make a Splash
- Tell your friends about Eleven Brave Pinecones, especially if they have kids or grandkids.
- Purchase the book at Amazon: https://bit.ly/BrvPnczK (the paperback page will be live on Saturday 11/11 and the Kindle is up for pre-orders now).
- Share any of my Pinecones posts on Instagram @ShellyLFrancis #11bravepinecones or from Facebook.
- If you’re on GoodReads, you can add this to your “Want to Read” list and post a review later.
- Post a review later at Amazon to help others decide.
- In a few months (I’ll let you know), ask your local librarian or indie bookstore to order a copy. (The book needs time to get into “expanded distribution.”)
I’ve been saying this year that when new books make a splash, they create good ripples. I’m most grateful for any splashing around you’d be willing to do:
Greetings, viewers (said in a whisper). Thanks for tuning in to our show.
Follow me and my camera crew as we enter this old log.
Do you see that mist? Legend has it that the older driftwood caves
It’s getting colder as we go deeper. Do you hear the crab’s melodic whistle?
We have to squeeze sideways through this cave to get into the next room.
Quiet now. We’re almost there.
We found one!
There you have it, folks! We have to cut to commercial now,
It was a rainy Sunday in Seattle, and Emotikin needed to get out of the house!
“Whoa!” said the dog (fresh from his grooming appointment next door).
“Can I smell that maple creature?”
So the duck and Emotikin continued their walk in West Seattle,
Stopped to talk with a worm who didn’t say much.
Emotikin couldn’t help but start humming that song made
“…you make Seattle so much fun,
Emotikin World 
