Showing posts with label Lawrence Schimel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lawrence Schimel. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

New children’s book empowers visually impaired character and celebrates diversity

Lucky Me 

Lawrence Schimel 
Illustrated by Juan Camilo Mayorga 

Publishing for World Sight Day and Blind Low Vision Week, Lucky Me tells the story of a boy who feels very lucky to have a brother like Mateo — who is visually impaired.


Bruno thinks his friend Sanjay is lucky: he has a pet iguana and his own room. Mateo is lucky too: he has a dog who helps him get around and he can read with his fingers in the dark.

Bruno doesn’t have his own room and he doesn’t have a pet. But he soon realises that he’s very lucky too, for his own special reasons.



Lucky Me tells a thoughtful story about the different abilities and strengths that make us unique. 

A disability means that Bruno’s brother does some things differently, but it does not hold him back. On the contrary – he can do amazing things that others can’t!


In the end, Bruno shows we all have something to feel lucky about. 

Written by Lawrence Schimel, the award-winning author of Bedtime, Not Playtime! and Early One Morning, the story is beautifully illustrated by Juan Camilo Mayorga.



Lucky Me was first published by the outstanding independent publisher Rey Naranjo in Colombia. 

Oratia is pleased to publish this English edition in association with Orca Books, Canada, as part of our Five Oceans collection, bringing important international books to Aotearoa.

The author

Lawrence Schimel is an American author and translator who writes in English and Spanish and has published over 120 books in a wide range of genres. He lives in Madrid, Spain, where he founded the Spanish chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers.

The illustrator

Juan Camilo Mayorga is a graphic designer and illustrator with a special interest in children's books. He lives near Bogotá, Colombia, and his works have been published locally and internationally. 

Publication: 12 October 2023 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004250-8 | RRP $25.99

 Hardback, 229 x 229 mm square, 32 pages, colour  

Monday, August 16, 2021

Oratia Books proud to publish international LGBTQI books banned in Hungary

Bedtime, Not Playtime!

Early One Morning


Lawrence Schimel

Illustrated by Elīna Brasliņa


Two board books for pre-school readers that have provoked a storm in Europe are now available in New Zealand and Australia. 

 

From Bedtime, Not Playtime!

Hungary has fined a bookseller that stocks Bedtime, Not Playtime! and Early One Morning as its parliament introduces a ban on showing same-sex relationships in materials for people aged under 18. 


The European Commission has responded with legal action against Hungary for violations of the fundamental rights of LGBTQI  people, related to the new law and the book banning. 

  

 

Bedtime, Not Playtime! and Early One Morning feature rainbow families in stories that simply show them living their daily lives.

 

From Early One Morning

Author Lawrence Schimel has condemned the Hungarian government as “trying to normalise hate and prejudice with these concerted attacks against books like mine


“In these stories, the fact that the parents are two mums or two dads is incidental to the story,” he said. “These families don’t only experience homophobia, they also have fun.”



Oratia Books is proud to publish these books in Australasia, and stands alongside Lawrence, Elīna and the 20 other publishers of the books around the world in condemning the actions of the Hungarian government. 

 

The authors

Lawrence Schimel is an American author and translator who writes in English and Spanish and has published over 120 books in a range of genres. He lives in Madrid, Spain, where he founded the local Society of Children’s Book Writers. 



Elīna Brasliņa is an award-winning illustrator who has almost 20 books to her name, mostly for children and young adults. She has translated numerous Latvian books into English. Also a printmaker and film production designer, she lives in Riga, Latvia.


Publication: 17 August 2021  |  RRP $14.99  
ISBNs: Bedtime, Not Playtime! 978-1-99-004206-5 
Early One Morning 978-1-99-004207-2
Paperback, 150 x 150 mm, 16 pages, colour
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