Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers: TCBR AWARENESS TOUR: My Love for You is Like a Garden by Laura Smetana

Friday, March 17, 2023

TCBR AWARENESS TOUR: My Love for You is Like a Garden by Laura Smetana - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Hello friends!

Happiest of wishes to you this St. Patrick's Day. Whether you're Irish or simply wearing green, you're definitely in luck because we've got two special books on tour today. The first visited earlier, feel free to click around to it in a bit, and the second is LIVE and in BEAUTIFULLY LIVING COLOR right now!

This time around, we welcome The Children's Book Review as we shine the book spotlight on a Picture Book that takes a beautiful topic and spins it into storybook gold. Ladies and gents, kiddos of all ages, prepare to feel the love as we take a peek between the pages of today's blog tour guest and ebook of choice...

My Love for You Is Like a Garden

Written and Illustrated by

Laura Smetana

All Ages | 38 Pages

9781737140962

Flying Cardinal Press

About the book...

With bright, watercolor collages, My Love for You Is Like a Garden celebrates unconditional love with vibrant garden scenes that will delight fans of Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle. Perfect for baby showers, bedtime read-alouds, or anyone you love!

Say “I love you” with this charming picture book families will love reading together over and over again. Bold, colorful illustrations of flowers, butterflies, and animals will inspire readers of all ages to explore the natural world⁠—and maybe even plant their own garden. Children will delight in finding ladybugs hidden throughout, and a glossary provides the names of each plant and animal featured. A beautiful book to share with a child, parent, or anyone who means the world to you!

My Love for You is Like a Garden Activity Kit – Free Download

Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes and Noble | Author’s Website

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This book was equal parts beauty and love.

It's about expressing those emotions that can be hard to describe. It's about sharing them in a way that seems more tangible than simply a feeling. It's about making the concept of love, and the perpetual-always-there-for-you nature of it more accessible to little ones, while older ones can appreciate the beautiful words and the gorgeous illustrations that give them wings...in some cases, like the one seen above, quite literally.

I've read my fair share of Picture Books, but they never fail to amaze me with how they can take something as seemingly commonplace as love, and turn it into something even more marvelous, more beautiful, more astounding than it already is. There were several illustrations we were able to share, but this one was one of my favorites. The gorgeous colors and artwork are totally on display, while the words share in the magic of the dance. The starkness of each page let's readers focus on the message, and each individual scene as it unfolds. There's not chance of getting lost in the background because it simply isn't there and it doesn't need to be because what IS is so much more than a picture to fill a space. The images create their magic, something to dazzle the eye, and spark the imagination, but when combined with the words shared, and the feelings behind them, you've got a combination that can't be ignored.

A lovely story for readers of all ages to be shared whenever the mood strikes. I can see it being a bedtime read to reassure little ones that the love shared with them will be waiting for them in their dreams and when they awake. I can see it being a gift from parent to child or even child to parent...something that gets passed on as an heirloom, or added to with their own sentiments to personalize it further. What I see the most though is it easily finding a place on bookshelves near and far because the messages it conveys are universal, and the images reaffirm that.

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A Friends and Family Offer

If you’ve already purchased a copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, head on over to Laura Smetana’s website to receive two free downloadable 8×10 watercolor collage art prints:

–Print 1 – My love for you is like a garden

–Print 2 – My love for you flows freely

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR

Laura Smetana is the author and illustrator of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, a joyful picture book that celebrates unconditional love with bold, watercolor collages of garden scenes. She is also the author of Ice Cream with Grandpa: A Loving Story for Kids About Alzheimer’s & Dementia (illustrated by Elisabete B. P. de Moraes), which was winner of a Northern Lights Book Award, and Little Squiggle’s Lake Adventure, which she co-authored with her son, Stirling Hebda.

When she isn’t writing or painting, Laura can be found talking to kids at school author visits, gardening in her sunhat, and spending time with her family outdoors. Laura lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Downers Grove Artists’ Guild.

Visit her online at www.laurasmetana.com and @SmetanaLaura on Twitter.

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Enter for a chance to win a glorious garden-themed grand prize, including a hardcover copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, autographed by Laura Smetana!

One (1) grand prize winner receives:

A cotton tote bag filled with:

-A hardcover copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, signed by author & illustrator Laura Smetana

- 4 oz of tea from Adagio Teas

- A bar of Italian rose soap

- Cherry blossom & tea rose hand lotion

- Sunflower & ladybug garden stake

- A 12 piece colored pencil set

- A mini sketchbook with elastic closure band

- 5 blank cards & envelopes featuring art from My Love for You is Like a Garden

Two (2) winners receive:

-A paperback copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, signed by author & illustrator Laura Smetana

CLICK HERE

to access the entry form for your chance to win

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Special thanks to Bianca at The Children's Book Review for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the author for the guest post. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the tour for more bookish fun!

TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, February 27, 2023

The Children’s Book Review

Author Interview with Laura Smetana

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

The Fairview Review

A book review of My Love for You Is Like a Garden

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

The Momma Spot

A book review of My Love for You Is Like a Garden

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Life Is What It’s Called