Welcome to the Blog Tour for Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day! by Allia Zobel Nolan, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m thrilled to be taking part in this tour – you’ll see below that I had the opportunity to ask the author some questions and I especially geared them towards questions that might be useful for inspiring the future writer in your kids someday! Make sure you enter the giveaway below!
The Bookshop link below is an affiliate link and I earn off of any purchases you make there. Thanks for your support! For this tour, I did not receive a copy of the book, but did have an opportunity to talk with the author and ask her my questions.
About the Book
Title: Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day!
Author: Allia Zobel Nolan
Illustrator: Alexandra Colombo
Publisher: Kregel Childrens Books
Release Date: August 13, 2024
Genre: Children’s Story Book
“Can you send me some patience, God? Please?”
Harriet’s mom calls her Harriet Hurry-Up–and it’s easy to see why. There’s nothing this little girl can’t stand more than waiting. From a slowpokey sun that won’t rise before she does, to the shy sprouts on her school potato experiment, to the long line at the store with Mom, everything takes forever for Harriet. Why, oh, why can’t this day just go faster? But with her Gran’s help, this impatient little girl is learning to trust God’s timing and find the blessings he puts in every single day–if she can just slow down long enough to see them. With rhymed text that kids will love and colorful, whimsical illustrations full of surprises, Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day! will quickly become a family favorite. It’s perfect for birthdays, back-to-school reading, and for anyone–child or adult–who finds that having patience is hard. PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | BookshopAs someone who loves to write, it is always a delight to peek into the process of another writer and it was fun to brainstorm these questions thinking about what I might have wanted to hear as a young writer. I encourage you to share these questions with your kids – and to encourage them to reach out to their own favorite authors.
Why tackle the subject of waiting?
I got the idea for this book unexpectedly. I was expecting a check from a publisher and as I was walking to the mailbox to see if it had arrived, I thought to myself: Boy, I hate to wait.
And since I write books for children and am always looking for ideas to share with them, I thought learning to wait might be a good topic for children, because if I hate to wait, I could imagine they must feel the same way too.
The truth is we live in a fast-paced, door dash, instant gratification, I-want- it-now world, and this not only affects adults, but we oftentimes unknowingly transfer it to our young ones.
So, I wanted to write a book that showcases a Fancy Nancy type character, one children could relate to, who feels antsy and, in a hurry, most days, but has a real problem with waiting because (spoiler) it’s her birthday the next day. How does Harriet handle being anxious? She prays for patience and receives an answer in the form of a pound dog her Grannie brings home. Playing with the dog refocuses Harriet’s attention so she can live in the moment and stop wishing away a day that seemed to drag on.
What’s the main thing you want children to take away from Harriet Hurry-Up?
Well, four things come to mind:
- Everyone: Moms, Dads, Grannies, Friends, Teachers . . . Everyone has to wait. Whether it’s for a light to turn green; food to cook; plants to grow; brothers and sister to be born; a check to come in the mail . . . We all must wait for things. It’s part of the human experience.
- It’s not wrong to feel impatient at times when you have to wait. Still, you’ll feel a lot better if you practice being patient.
- God’s in control; He has a plan. His timing is perfect. If he makes us wait, it’s for a good reason. Generally, He has something better in mind.
- Trying to stay in the moment . . . focusing on what’s going on right NOW . . . can help cure the anxiousness. If you stop wishing away your day thinking of what’s going to happen tomorrow, you’ll miss out on the joy you can have today.
What advice would you give children who want to become writers?
Read. Read. And read some more. You can’t become a writer if you’re not an avid
reader. Keep a notebook/journal and write about your feelings, or interesting things that are going on in your life. For example, “Today, I saw a beautiful deer in the backyard. It looked like it was saying ‘hello.’” Or “I feel sad today. But that’s okay. Tomorrow I’ll feel happy again.”
Be an “life observer.” Don’t have your head in a phone or a device. Observe what’s going on in front of you.
Many of your books have humor in them – they make children laugh. Why do you think that’s important?
I write books that either make readers laugh, inspire them, or get them to think. That’s important to me. See, I feel there is a great deal of sorrow in the world, and I want children to be able to walk into a book I’ve written, enjoy being there, and
maybe either learn something or just have a good time. The character, Harriet, learns to spend her time wisely . . . enjoys the experiences in front of her and gets through a day that would have otherwise dragged on. If children see themselves in a character like Harriet in a book they’re reading, they might emulate her actions. That’s what I hope for.
What’s the best part of writing for children?
When I write for children, I have to get in the mindset of a child. That allows me to be seven or eight years old again. I can lose myself in the world of imagination and make believe, and what ifs, and totally ignore the outside world … for a while…. until my cats start meowing for their lunch. LOL. It’s the greatest job ever.
I’d love for your readers to visit my website at www.AlliaWrites.com and to say
hello to Harriet @ https://tinyurl.com/34pnaw6d
About the Author
Allia Zobel Nolan is the author of over 150 traditionally published titles. Her books reflect her two main passions: God and cats. Recent titles include Cat Confessions: A Kitty-Come-Clean Tell-All Book (over 130,000+ copies sold); The Worrywart’s Prayer Book, winner of the gold medal first place 2022 Indie Book Award for Christian Non-Fiction; Laugh Out Loud:40 Women Humorists Celebrate Then and Now…Before We Forget, finalist in the 2019 Indie Book Awards for Humor, the classic bestselling children’s book, What I Like About Me: a Book about Differences, and the sequel, What I Like About You: a Book About Acceptance finalist in the 2020 Indie Book Awards for Children’s Picture Books. God Made Us Just Right, from Kregel Publishers, won a 2022 Catholic Media Award for best children’s book. Her latest picture book Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day is currently on presale and will be published August 13, 2024. She lives and writes with her husband, Desmond, their two fur babies, Nolan Nolan, and Colleen Fiona Shannon, and their recently-adopted shelter dog, Miss Kitty, in New England.
Connect with Allia by visiting alliawrites.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will win a signed copy of Harriet Hurry-Up and the Oh-So-Slow Day, a Harriet doll, and book-themed gift items!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 21, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 28, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
I enjoyed this interview! thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading! It was fun to interview Allia!