Our annual book giveaways begin today! This year, we’ll host FOUR picture book bundle giveaways over the next four weeks. Each giveaway will focus on books written by this year’s Picture Book Summit Superstar Speakers or Workshop Presenters.
How’s that for a summer reading plan?
Our first giveaway is a bundle of books by New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Verde. Read on for a brief description of each book Then enter below for your chance to win!
Picture Book Summit
Susan Verde Book Bundle Giveaway!
ARE YOU LISTENING?
written by Susan Verde, illustrated by Juliana Perdomo
Gracefully written by Susan Verde and winsomely illustrated by Juliana Perdomo, the Sensing Your World series teaches little ones to experience the world around them more deeply using the five senses to find joy, connection, and beauty in the small, everyday moments. Are You Listening? encourages us to listen to the world around us with our whole hearts.
All day long
there are sounds.
I hear them,
telling me the world is busy–
and so am I.
But when I find stillness
and make the choice to
pause, breathe, and give each sound my careful attention,
I can listen. Listening tells me more . . .
This is just one book in Susan’s lovely Sensing Your World series. Look for the other titles in a bookstore near you.
I AM HUMAN
written by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Part of Susan Verde’s bestselling I AM series, School Library Journal says I AM HUMAN is “An age-appropriate and hopeful look at what it means to be a connected human on this planet.”
Being human means we are full of possibility. We learn, we dream, we wonder at the world around us. But we also make mistakes and can feel fearful or sad. When we find common ground, we can feel connected to the great world around us and mindfully strive to be our best selves.
I AM HUMAN is a Picture Book Summit two-fer! Susan Verde is one of our 2025 Superstar Speakers and Peter H. Reynolds was one of our Superstar Speakers in 2020!
HEY, WALL!
written by Susan Verde and illustrated by John Parra
One creative boy.
One bare, abandoned wall.
One BIG idea.
There is a wall in Ángel’s neighborhood. Around it, the community bustles with life: music, dancing, laughing. Not the wall. It is bleak. One boy decides to change that. But he can’t do it alone.
Told in elegant verse by Susan Verde and vibrantly illustrated by John Parra, HEY, WALL! celebrates the power of art to tell a story and bring a community together.
How to Enter
Just follow the steps in the Rafflecopter below. Anyone who has registered (or registers this week) gets an extra FIVE entries in the drawing! (REGISTER AT THE EARLY BIRD PRICE HERE!) You get one entry each day you reshare one of our posts on Bluesky or Instagram, one entry for following us on Instagram or Bluesky, one entry for visiting our Facebook page, and five entries for signing up for our newsletter! (If you’re already getting our emails or you’re a current or previous attendee, simply enter your email address in the space provided to get your five entries.) That’s it!
Enter before 11:59pm US EASTERN on July 14, 2025, for your chance to win this awesome book bundle.
Learn More
Of course, Susan doesn’t just write mindful picture books for young readers, she’ll be giving a Superstar Presentation at Picture Book Summit 2025! In Big Ideas for Small People: Writing Concept Books with Heart, Honesty, and Respect for Young Readers, Susan will share her process for writing concept books that are both accessible and deeply meaningful. She’ll explore the challenges of tackling big ideas with simplicity and grace, and the tremendous rewards of trusting your readers while leaving space for reflection, conversation, and growth.
Don’t miss your chance to see Susan Verde live online with Caldecott Medalists Jason Chin and Vashti Harrison, plus workshop presenters Emma Walton Hamilton and Bethany Hegedus at our online event Big, Bold, and Brave: Supercharge Your Picture Books!
Join us for a full day of LIVE online picture book writing fun on October 4, 2025, including these presentations:
- Vashti Harrison – Be Bold, Be Brave: Charting Your Creative Journey with Purpose
- Susan Verde -Big Ideas for Small People: Writing Concept Books with Heart, Honesty, and Respect for Young Readers
- Jason Chin – The Perfect Storm: Big, Bold, Nonfiction Picture Books
- Emma Walton Hamilton – Wordcount Wizardry: How to Say More with Less
- Bethany Hegedus – Secret Superpower: How to Inspire Young Readers Without Teaching a Thing
Plus, these pre-recorded panel discussions:
- Agents Assemble: Query Critiques to the Rescue
- Unmasking the Perfect Manuscript: Insider Secrets from Editors
And don’t forget!
- 7 hours of picture book insight and instruction
- Q&As during each presentation
- Private Facebook group just for attendees
- Exclusive PJ Party
- Dancing … and dancing goats!
- Everything takes place online on October 4, 2025
- Replay access through January 31, 2026
Click here to see the full program, find out about submission opportunities, and register today!
Fine Print:
Facebook is not affiliated with our giveaway. See other legal information about Picture Book Summit {here}.
*At no cost to you, Picture Book Summit may receive a commission on any books purchased through our affiliate links in this post. No purchase necessary to enter the giveaway.
