New illustrations revealed!

Dear readers, you may recall a recent post of Andrew's wherein he announced an upcoming brand-new hardcover edition of the Wingfeather Saga. The first two books release in March, and today Joe Sutphin released a first look at a few new illustrations!

The first editions of the books were illustrated by an assortment of artists—Andrew himself did book 2—so the publication team is taking this opportunity to bring the whole series together with a consistent look.

But enough piffle and blather! You want PICTURES. Here you go:

From Joe's post on Instagram:

Last winter I illustrated all 4 of my pal Andrew's books, including re-illustrating book 4. It's been something like 7 years since I illustrated the Warden and the Wolf King, so I'm a very different artist today than I was then. Thankfully Andrew believes in me, and allowed me to be true to who I am today. Having said that, all of the characters needed redesigned. Because Nicholas Kole had already painted covers for the books, I decided to loosely reference his facial designs, to keep some consistency between covers and interiors.

For two more preview illustrations, head over to Joe's Instagram! And to compare his new Wingfeathers to Nicholas' covers, check out this post.

What do you think of the new character designs? Which scenes are you most excited to see re-illustrated? I want a new look at the very last one.

Exclusive song download!

Featherheads, Flabbits, and Fendril-riders! Andrew's first nonfiction book is coming out in less than a month! Preorders are open at the Rabbit Room, Amazon, and everywhere else, AND Andrew announced a few days ago that preorders come with a free song download! This new song is called "Linnea," and it's a tribute to Andrew's connection with the land of his ancestors. It's not available anywhere else right now, so the only way to get it is to preorder the book. ;-)

Adorning the Dark is about community and creativity, which I bet is going to be of particular interest to the writers, poets, and other makers here in the Great Library. And the truth is that we are all makers. Every one of us has some creativity to bring to our corner of the world. So if you'd like to discuss what it means to serve your creative work, to serve your audience (however big or small, even if it's just your baby brother or sister), and to pursue art in community, preorder that book (and download that song)! We'll start the book club on October 28. Here's a video to get you excited. :-)

https://youtu.be/jDJeqcSWvv0

For more information about Adorning the Dark (including preorder links), and to download "Linnea," visit AdorningtheDark.com. Adorning the Dark releases on October 15.

A FishFamily North! review

FishMama Jessica Fisher shares her boys' response to their family read-aloud of North! Or Be Eaten.

Hilarious. Definitely fun. Kinda feels like it’s real. When a scary part happens, you definitely feel scared. I’m jealous that I didn’t think of those jokes. — FishBoy 8 ...

FishBoy12 didn’t want to join in our read-aloud time; he kept hiding in the shadows, though, because he really wanted to know the story. On one of the last days of summer vacation, he ended up swiping the book and sequestering himself in his room to read the entire thing — without us!

To read the rest of the review, click over to Life As Mom. (The family has since finished the series together, and you can find other posts about Wingfeather on her website. Just search.)

Andrew on Tour: Andrew's played two shows in Sweden so far, which still leaves four to go! To find info and tickets, visit his music site. You can find short clips from the shows in his Instagram Stories. :-)

Silly fun and songs for everyone

The current update on the animated Wingfeather Saga is that it is proceeding apace. I know, the process is slow. But while you're waiting, and especially if you have younger siblings or small children, you might want a sneak peek at something else Andrew's had the opportunity to do lately.

Andrew's good friend Randall Goodgame is also a musician, and when their kids were little and in Sunday School together, the two of them decided to both write silly songs week in and week out. This resulted in the first Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies album, which resulted in more Slugs & Bugs songs and eventually Sing the Bible (and a couple of Veggie Tales silly songs and a friendship with our Wingfeather producer, J. Chris Wall). And do you know what happens when all those things come together?

If your guess is a TV show with Muppet-style puppetry and Andrew riding a tractor (shooting to the moon!), you're right. :-) Check out this preview:

https://youtu.be/-CaEFv9BD70

The Slugs & Bugs Show will release on September 27, and will be available for preorder on the 17th (next Tuesday!). You can find more info in this live video on the Slugs & Bugs Facebook page, and on the website. This is a super cool thing that Randall and Chris are doing, and it's super cool of them to invite Andrew to participate as a guest. You're going to love it. :-)

Andrew on tour: Check out Andrew's music page for dates and ticket info for his upcoming tour in SWEDEN! Vi ses där!

Sweden in September

Featherheads, Flabbits, Flamebearers and Fendril-riders (especially Fendril-riders), an announcement: Andrew will playing six shows in Sweden this month! If you live thereabouts or can convince your parents that a family vacation is in order (or even educational!), you may want to take note.

Footnote: In much of Europe, dates are listed day first, and then month. Sweden does not have 21 months, nor will Andrew be there for seven months (although he regrets this).

For more information and tickets, visit Andrew's music site!

p.s. At all of the above dates, a Swedish musician named Jenny Wahlström will also be playing. She is the vocalist for a treehouse wait. Click here for an introduction from Andrew. (And here for another.)

A family must-read recommendation

Monica from Beside the Creek recommends the Wingfeather Saga for the whole family, and she backs up this recommendation with reviews from the whole family! She says,

We do a ton of reading in our house; both silently and out loud. Some is for school requirements, but most is for the pure enjoyment of all the adventures you can embark on.  We love to “do voices”!

So when my sister-in-law recommended that we read this series, we borrowed the first one from our library. Little did I know that for the next, uh, 4 weeks, we wouldn’t get much other “school work” done….

Click here for more thoughts on the series from Monica, plus quotes from kids, parents, and grandmother. Thanks, everyone! We're so glad you loved the books. :-)

Review from a Bookworm

Carolyn Leiloglou from A House Full of Bookworms reviewed the Wingfeather Saga awhile back, and we're grateful to be able to share her thoughts with you. Here's a snippet:

The plot is full of adventure, peril, monsters, battles, and humor. And on that front alone, these are great stories.

But what makes these stories amazing is their characters. ...

Your kids will identify with Janner when he resents having to take care of his younger siblings. They’ll get why Tink doesn’t want to shoulder the responsibility placed on him. And while we see into these character’s thoughts, we still get why they are wrong. And the terrible circumstances they find themselves in? That’s what pushes and molds their character into the heroes they must become.

Thanks, Carolyn! Readers, click here to read the rest of the review, which includes reading tips and a podcast link.

FAQ updates!

Can I help you?

Since Andrew's announcement last week, a few of our old FAQs needed updating! You can find answers to many good questions, such as how Andrew finds story inspiration and whether there'll be a reprint of the Creaturepedia (spoiler: YES), on our FAQ page. Click here or find the link in the menu above.

As long as we're updating that list of questions and answers, what questions do you have about the Wingfeather Saga? Post them in the comments here or on the FAQ page, and I'll do my best to find answers for you. Meanwhile, if you need me... I'll be around. ;-)

::vanishes::

The stories are true.