The Picture Book Buzz - PB 25 Vibes April 2025 Releases

In PB25 Vibes, a group of creators with books launching in 2025, we are all about vibes! Finding that feeling you want to leave with the reader is at the heart of writing a picture book. Our stories are ones that are meant to evoke emotions, and as we drafted our stories, we kept a feeling—a vibe—in mind.

Today, I have the opportunity to chat with two authors from the group about their new picture books releasing in March.

Be sure to visit their X/Twitter feed (https://x.com/pb25vibes) for book announcements and writing tips for authors.

Welcome Chelsea and Ha,

Hey everyone!

Hi everyone and thank you, Maria, for interviewing us!

Tell us a little about yourself. (For instance, where/when do you write or illustrate? How long have you been writing or illustrating? What is your favorite type of book to write or illustrate?)

Chelsea Tornetto – Chalk the Walk (Familius 4/1/2025) –  I am a former educator turned children’s book author.  (I taught 7th grade world geography for 17 years prior to writing for kids.)  I’ve enjoyed writing rhyming poetry since I was a child, so rhyming picture books are a natural extension of that.  I grew up on a farm in the Midwest, and currently live in rural Missouri, so many of my stories are about the simple joys of childhood in this part of the country.  But, my hope is that my stories are universal enough to appeal to kids everywhere!

Ha Dinh – The Jade Bracelet (Random House Studio 4/15/2025) –I am a reading intervention specialist, former primary school teacher, mom, and author. I had been dreaming of writing Children’s Books as a kindergartener when I first came to America. While becoming an author has always been a dream of mine, I didn’t actively pursue publishing until five years ago in 2020.  I then began writing stories that I wished I had as a child and stories that would help share memories of my childhood. With the help of the amazing writing community that was very active on Twitter in 2000, I found a mentor to help me edit and polish one of my manuscripts and was matched with an agent, who helped me sell my debut picture book in 2001.

And what helps you to be inspired? (perhaps a certain place, music, activity, etc.)

Chelsea Tornetto – I am the kind of person who sees picture book ideas everywhere!  I am never short on inspiration.  But because I write mostly in rhyme, I find that most of my stories start with a specific catchy phrase or rhyme that I just can’t get out of my head.  Like the phrase “chalk the walk!”  Once it popped into my head, I couldn’t get rid of it, so I knew it had to be a picture book! 

Ha Dinh – I find inspiration from my childhood, memories of past experiences as a classroom teacher, and my children. Sometimes even conversations about things that happened in the past inspire me to think of stories to write. But no matter what inspires me, I want to make sure that my stories are relatable and relevant to my young readers. I want them to read my stories and find themselves in it and a part of it.

Now that we know a little more about both of you, what made you wonder about this topic or inspired you to write your book?

Chelsea Tornetto – Chalk the Walk (Familius 4/1/2025) – My own kids love to play with sidewalk chalk in the spring and summer.  It’s a cheap and easy activity that gets them off their screens and out in the sunshine!  During Covid, I saw a news story about people leaving hopeful notes outside of  their neighbor’s houses with sidewalk chalk as a way to stay connected while still isolating.  I thought that was a really cool idea, and it made me think about how something as simple as sidewalk chalk can change the whole “vibe” of a street.  And Chalk the Walk was born! 

Ha Dinh – The Jade Bracelet (Random House Studio 4/15/2025) – This story was inspired after my mom had passed away.  As I was looking through all of my childhood pictures, I came across one of me wearing the jade bracelet that my mom had gifted me for my birthday. I then found another picture of her wearing it. These two pictures brought back a flood of memories and sentiments to me and inspired me to write this story as a love letter to my mom and a gift to my daughter.

Those are such wonderful motivations for both of these stories. What do you like to do outdoors - either by yourself or with your family and friends?

Chelsea Tornetto – I like to walk at our local park, watch birds from our front porch, and enjoy my husband’s backyard garden!  In the summer, we also like to go to a local river to swim and float, and I love to spend fall evenings around an outdoor bonfire when I can. 

Ha Dinh – Whenever I can, I love spending all day out on the beach.  The sound of the waves, the feel of the ocean breeze, and the feel of the sand underneath my feet. Being outside on the beach makes me the happiest and brings so much calmness and clarity to me.

What great experiences. What was the hardest, or most challenging, part of writing or researching, your book? How long did it take from first draft to publication?

Chelsea Tornetto – Chalk the Walk (Familius 4/1/2025) – No research required for this one!  And the poem itself came together fairly quickly.  I’d say the hardest part was waiting for the beautiful illustrations!

Ha Dinh – The Jade Bracelet (Random House Studio 4/15/2025) – The hardest part for me was to make sure that I added enough depth, layers, and complexity to this beautiful story, while also making it relatable and easy to read for children. The main character experiences a lot of complex and complicated feelings about her own culture and identity, which immigrant children often feel and experience daily.  I did not want to minimize these important feelings in any way.  However, I also wanted children to easily relate to these feelings while finding the story easy to read and understand.  From the beginning to the end, I think I went through 10-12 versions from drafting to subbing to more edits with my editors before it was sent to the printers.

Is there anything special you want your readers to know about your book? Do you have a favorite spread?

Text © Chelsea Tornetto, 2025. Image © Laurel Aylesworth, 2025.

Chelsea Tornetto – Chalk the Walk (Familius 4/1/2025) – I love how Laurel used the overall color palette to show how chalk can brighten the neighborhood.  If you notice, the first several spreads are very monochromatic…dark and gray.  Then, as the story progresses the pages get more and more bright and colorful!  It really helps convey the overall message.

Text © Ha Dinh, 2025. Image © Yong Ling Kang, 2025.

Ha Dinh – The Jade Bracelet (Random House Studio 4/15/2025) – The two-page spread of the main character and her mother in the living room with the family altar was inspired by a picture of my family’s altar that I had found.  I wanted the illustrations in this book to be as authentic as possible and give readers a true glimpse inside the house and life of a Vietnamese American child.  My amazing illustrator, Yong Ling Kang did just that, and I am so excited for everyone to experience her tender and beautiful illustrations inside this book.

You both had amazing illustrators. Who was a favorite/special author, illustrator, and/or your favorite book as a child?

Chelsea Tornetto – A book called, The Snow Kept On Falling by Kathie McQueary has always been my favorite.  It perfectly captures the excitement of rural kids waiting and hoping for snow!  I also love Frog and Toad!  Toad can always make me laugh…he’s so relatable!

Ha Dinh – I loved the simplicity and beauty of Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle’s works together. It was Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? that helped me to learn English when I came to America at 5 years old.  I will never forget reading that book over and over.  Even though it was memorization, I felt accomplished as a reader, and it motivated me to keep learning and keep reading. 

These are great picture books. What makes you passionate about being a children’s author?

Chelsea Tornetto – For me, writing is an art and a challenge I set for myself.  It’s a bit like wanting to solve a crossword puzzle on your own without using Google!  I enjoy tinkering with words until I’ve found the perfect one!

Ha Dinh – Being a teacher to primary-aged students and a mother motivates me to write stories that I wished that I had as a child and help children see themselves reflected in the pages of my books.

Are there any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

Chelsea Tornetto – I’m currently working on edits for another upcoming book with Familius!  It’s non-fiction, which is different for me.

Ha Dinh –Yes! I have two other books that are coming out this year! One is the first book from the Ly-Lan Finds a Way Chapter Series with ZonderKidz (June 2025), Ly-Lan and the New Class Mix-up (Ly-Lan Finds a Way).  In this first book, Ly-Lan learns to navigate through third grade with new changes and challenges and must find a way to thrive and grow.  The second book is The Moon Lantern with Albert Whitman (September 2025). In this book, the main character, Huy follows his heart to make the lantern that makes him proud and brings light and joy to all those around him as he celebrates the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival.

Intriguing. We will have to keep our eyes open for these books, Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

Chelsea Tornetto – Ha!  Full disclosure, I love to sit on my own porch and watch nature…but I NOT outdoorsy!  So, the city park is about as far as I really want to go.  There’s a small lake there I like to walk around…and then head back to the air conditioning!  I would like to take my own kids to see the Redwoods someday though.  We’ll see!

Ha Dinh –I love the Gulf Islands National Seashore. I love how pristine, quiet, and absolutely beautiful it is.  The powdery white sand, the serene environment, and the beautiful wildlife make it one of my favorite places to be in the world.

Thank you all for giving us a little peek into you and your books. Wishing you all enormous success.

To learn more about these writers and illustrators, visit PB25 Vibes @ https://x.com/pb25vibes

Synopsis: Take to the sidewalk with this colorful picture book to inspire artistic expression and imagination!

A pair of adorable siblings explores the incredible power of a piece of chalk, transforming the world around them. With people of all ages from their neighborhood coming along, they use their bucket of chalk to make some sidewalk magic.

Rhyming text by Chelsea Tornetto and increasingly colorful illustrations by Laurel Aylesworth make Chalk the Walk a celebration of imagination. Grab a piece of sidewalk chalk and join in the fun!

Synopsis: When the girls at school show off their shiny new bracelets, newly arrived immigrant Tien is embarrassed by the plain jade bracelet she wears as a symbol of her Vietnamese heritage.

Although Tien loves the Vietnamese traditions her family celebrates, more than anything she wants to fit in at school and be just like her classmates. So, when all the girls start wearing brand-new sparkly bracelets, Tien tries to hide the simple jade bangle her mother gave her in memory of her grandmother. Now her bracelet looks like an old green thing and an embarrassed Tien runs home crying, flinging it on the floor. Her sympathetic mama understands and takes Tien to the shop to buy the popular bracelet. But at the last minute, Tien remembers her grandmother’s love and decides to wear her jade bracelet proudly.

The Jade Bracelet is based on the author’s own experience of being the new kid at school and wanting to blend in. Now an elementary teacher, Hà Dinh encourages her immigrant students to share and honor their family’s traditions.