RACHEL VAIL: Banned Book Week Free Giveaway!

Hi and welcome to Banned Book Week!

A few of my books have been banned, but the weirdest was the most recent:

This is a book about a girl named Katie Honors who is "a really happy kid," who has a great life which she joyously describes in the book (accompanied by excellent illustrations by Yumi Heo, who also illustrated the first Katie Honors Book, Sometimes I'm Bombaloo)... but sometimes, instead of just being able to comfortable herself to sleep, Katie has trouble because, "the jibberwillies come." How she copes with that "jibberwillies" feeling is, according to reviewers and many parents and kids who have written to me about the book, both funny and empowering.

But one librarian decided that a book that talks about how a kid copes with feeling worried would cause the kids in her school to develop worries, and therefore banned the book. It caused some trouble and uproar, partly because of all people it was a librarian -- and librarians are awesome freedom fighters who are usually battling for kids' right to read -- and also from my other books, who were sitting all offended on my bookshelf.

We have teens in us, they implied. Doing, you know, teen-ish things! Some of us even have kissing in our titles, and other suggestive stuff! And that's who gets banned? The sweet picture book?

And Jibberwillies at Night was all strutty for weeks, like, Oh, yeah, lock up the kids; I'm coming through and I am baddddd newsssssssss.

So:

In celebration of Banned Book Week, I am giving away FREE CDs of Jibberwillies at Night. The CD features a recording of me, Rachel Vail, reading the complete text of Jibberwillies at Night, for your very own library listening pleasure. Just send me an email (to RachelVailBooks@gmail.com) with JIBBERWILLIES in the subject line, and your mailing address in the text. I'll even pay for postage.

But you have to email me by this Friday, Oct 3, so get on it!

Speaking of Jibberwillies and little kids, meanwhile -- here I am in my kindergarten school picture: all dressed up and yet quite filthy. Recess before pictures, what a subversive idea!

This innocent child grew up to write banned books; you just never know.