Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka on My Book and Me

In this post, we feature two of the most globally celebrated creators of books for children. Author Linda Sue Park’s multi-award-winning books include A Single Shard, which won the Newbery Medal. Chris Raschka has been awarded the Caldecott Medal twice, for The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster, and A Ball for Daisy. You can hear them speak about their new picture book, My Book and Me, and try their “invitation to imagine” activities. You’ll also find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

My Book and Me

Written by Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka
Published by Red Comet Press
Release date: June 4, 2024

Newbery medal-winner Linda Sue Park and two-time Caldecott medal-winner, Chris Raschka introduce a diverse group of children in this jubilant celebration of reading. Each joyful spread features a different child, reading in every possible place: “On the porch. In the park. / On a bench. In a tree / On the bus. On the subway. / My book and me.” Both words and images invite readers of all ages to reflect on new books, old favorite books, adventurous books, comforting books, and books that become friends for life. From two of the most beloved creators of books for children, this is a beautiful, vibrant reminder of the transformative power of reading and the cherished place that books can hold in a child’s life.

A spread from My Book and Me. On the left-hand page, a girl with dark brown skin and braids walks under an umbrella in a bright yellow coat and red boots and carries a green book. On the right-hand page, the text reads" "This is my book. My favorite book. I carry it with me wherever I go. "

An interior spread from My Book and Me. The art shows a brown-haired, pale boy reading in bed, surrounded by stuffed animals, a cozy lamp next to him. The text reads: "At night in my bed in a room full of dark, my book and my face in a circle of light."

Explore My Book and Me

Listen to Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka talking with TeachingBooks about creating My Book and Me. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.

Invitation to Imagine

TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activity contributed by Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka.

Imagination Activity with Linda Sue Park

Here is a “guess the book” game. Draw a few very simple symbols or pictures (you can even use emojis) to make an equation. Example:

+ + = ______ (book title)

(In the example above, pig + web + spider = Charlotte’s Web.)

Take turns drawing and guessing!

Imagination Activity with Chris Raschka

Why not find a favorite picture book and then draw a character from inside it? Go ahead and copy it all in your own way, but look at how the artist made the illustration. You’ll find details you might not have noticed.

You could even do this from food packaging. That can be a lot of fun. A can of beans. A tin of sardines or salmon. Canned pineapple. There’s often great art on that packaging that is worth looking at.

Finish This Sentence . . . with Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka

As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy responses from Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka.

“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”

A surprising thing that helps me work is an airplane. I love writing on a long plane journey! It helps the time go by faster, and I’m not distracted by seeing things around the house that I need to get done. I write on my laptop and have only spilled my glass of water once—that seatback tray is so small! —Linda Sue Park

“You may not know that I can…”

You may not know that I can knit. I learned from my mother. If I’m not drawing pictures I might be knitting a sweater. —Chris Raschka

“I hope that our book may encourage families to think about…”

I hope that this book might encourage families to think and talk about their favorite books. Parents, grandparents, and other older caregivers can tell kids about the books they loved when they were young. Kids can share with their elders the books they are reading and loving, which the adults might never have heard of! Books can be great starting points for conversation and connection.—Linda Sue Park

Thank you!

To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka for signing a book for all of us.

The title page of My Book and Me signed by Linda Sue Park with the message, "Reading Rocks!"

A photo of Chris Raschka's hand signing the title page of My Book and Me.

More Connections to Linda Sue Park and Chris Raschka and My Book and Me

Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!

All text and images are courtesy of Linda Sue Park, Chris Raschka, and Red Comet Press and may not be used without expressed written consent.