Ahh, don’t you just love cover reveals? There’s nothing better as an author, to finally see your creation in all its beautiful bookshelf glory. The story that began as a little seed and grew into a manuscript has finally taken root and it’s ready to soar.

Speaking of soar, I’ve got Annie Silvestro here today to welcome her newest picture book to the world.

BRAVO, LITTLE BIRD!

(That’s the title of the book, not my nickname for Annie.)

Since I’m fascinated by ideas and how they leap into our minds, I asked Annie to share a backstory of the story.

For years my son took piano lessons at his teacher’s home. She had a beautiful front lawn and the piano sat in her living room with windows facing out to the yard. As I would listen to the lesson, occasionally a deer or a rabbit would pop up in the grass and I imagined they were listening to and enjoying the music, too.

Sitting there, I also had plenty of time to think! Of course birds also came to the piano teacher’s window, and being that many birds are musical creatures, a bird seemed like a good match for the story I wanted to tell.

At some point as the idea percolated, I scribbled down the first line into my nightstand notebook and the story began to take shape in my mind.

At heart, BRAVO, LITTLE BIRD!, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki, is a friendship story between an old man and a bird, and about how the power of music affects us and unites us in ways we don’t even realize. I look forward to sharing it with you!

For now, I am grateful to Tara for revealing the truly beautiful cover illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki. Thank you, Tara!

It’s gorgeous, Annie! I can feel both the music and the bird taking flight!

BRAVO, LITTLE BIRD! will be published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books on February 21, 2023. Watch for it to flutter into your bookstore window!

Annie Silvestro is a lover of books who can often be found shuffling piles of them around so she has a place to sit or someplace to put her teacup. She is the author of the forthcoming BRAVO, LITTLE BIRD as well as DYLAN’S DRAGON, SUGAR AND SPICE AND EVERYTHING MICE, BUNNY’S BOOK CLUB GOES TO SCHOOL, BUTTERFLIES ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, THE CHRISTMAS TREE WHO LOVED TRAINS, MICE SKATING, and BUNNY’S BOOK CLUB, named a Kids’ Indie Next List Pick, an Amazon best book of the year for 2017, and a 2018 pick for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Annie lives with her sons by the beach in New Jersey where she laughs loudly and often. Visit her at AnnieSilvestro.com and follow her on Twitter @AnnieSilvestro.