The Picture Book Buzz - PB 25 Vibes March 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 Alison and Chelsea,

Hey everyone!

Tell us a little about yourselves. (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?)

Alison McGauley – Kenzie’s Little Tree (Orca Book Publishers 3/11/2025) – I am an elementary teacher of almost 20 years who has always loved picture books. I teach half days which leaves me time in the afternoons to write. It has been about five years since I began writing towards the goal of publication, and I draft fictional picture books, often narratives and sometimes informational fiction. As a person who lives with multiple chronic illnesses, I sometimes write about characters with chronic illness or disability. I also love writing stories that feature SEL and the natural world.

Chelsea Tornetto – Seasons on the Farm (Sleeping Bear Press 3/15/2025) – 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!

It is wonderful to "meet" both of you. What helps each of you to stay inspired? (perhaps a certain place, music, activity, etc.)

Alison McGauley – A lot of my inspiration comes from things that my daughters say and do. They are creative kiddos who often make me laugh or provide me with story nuggets. Walking outside and observing nature and wildlife also sparks my creativity. Oftentimes, certain feelings and emotions that I experienced as a child or even now will trigger a story idea.

Chelsea Tornetto – I am the kind of person who sees picture book ideas everywhere! I am never short on inspiration. Because I write in rhyme, I find that it’s often a certain catchy phrase that inspires a story. For example, I have another picture book coming out in April about sidewalk chalk. The phrase “chalk the walk” somehow got stuck in my head…and I knew it had to be a story!  

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? 

Alison McGauley – Kenzie’s Little Tree (Orca Book Publishers 3/11/2025) – I was inspired to write Kenzie’s Little Tree by my daughters who have always lived with a chronically ill mom. Over the years there have been difficult times for my children such as when I was gone to the hospital for an IBD flare, or when I couldn’t do certain activities or eat particular foods because of my pain or symptoms. I wrote Kenzie’s Little Tree to represent my kids and others who are impacted by illness or disability. After my lengthy hospital stay, my family didn’t talk about that time much because we wanted the girls to forget, but they were worried every time I went out, thinking that I’d return to the hospital. After meeting with a therapist, we found out that repeated conversations about traumatic experiences can help children to better process their emotions, so we started discussing our experience. Learning about the importance of talking with kids about their experiences, thoughts and feelings was another source of inspiration for Kenzie’s Little Tree, because I hoped to create a helpful resource for families.

Chelsea Tornetto – Seasons on the Farm (Sleeping Bear Press 3/15/2025) – In this case, I was inspired by my childhood growing up on a farm in rural Illinois.  My mom’s side of the family are grain farmers, and my dad’s side are hog farmers. I was thinking about all the “old wives tales” my grandpa would talk about in regard to the changing seasons - for example how if you cut open a persimmon seed and see a “shovel” or “spoon” shape, it means it’s going to be a snowy winter! And although we now see some of those old-fashioned traditions as nothing more than superstition, they were actually really important to farmers who have to be super in-tune to weather and climate. I thought a book about how seasons are especially important to farmers would be both beautiful and informative for young readers. 

Alison, I hope that this helps other families talk about similar experiences. And Chelsea, it's interesting to learn more about the seasons and their relationship to farming. What do you like to do outdoors - either by yourself or with your family and friends?

Alison McGauley – We are fortunate to live across from a nature trail and pond. My family and I walk, bike, and snowshoe on the trails and enjoy birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. I adore observing the beauty of trees through the seasons and am thrilled that the cover of Kenzie’s Little Tree is full of gorgeous pink blossoms! Each summer, we also visit family cottages in Northern Ontario and relax at the beach.

Chelsea Tornetto – I like to walk at our local park, watch birds from our front porch, and enjoy my husband’s backyard garden! (Although I DO NOT have a green thumb, myself.)  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. 

Sounds like wonderful experiences for both you and your families. Is there anything special you want your readers to know about your book? Do you have a favorite spread? 

Text © Alison McGauley, 2025. Image © Emilie Leduc, 2025.

Alison McGauley – Kenzie’s Little Tree (Orca Book Publishers 3/11/2025) – What's special about Kenzie’s Little Tree for me is that it is based on my family's experience. I'm thrilled that this story of my heart is my debut picture book. I adore all the nature aspects that Emilie Leduc included in the art, especially the monarch on the front cover, because my older daughter and I rescue and raise monarch caterpillars each summer. My family and I also adventure outside in all four seasons, just like Kenzie’s family in the story. It’s also special that Emilie included a pet cat in the illustrations because our cat is an important member of our family as well! 

Text © Chelsea Tornetto, 2025. Image © Karen Bunting, 2025.

Chelsea Tornetto – Seasons on the Farm (Sleeping Bear Press 3/15/2025) – This is such a hard question!  I think my favorite page is the one of the whole family at the hog show at the county fair.  I spent a LOT of summers at hog shows growing up and was always so proud of my dad and the farm!  Oh, and a fun little detail….my dad’s farm is Cedar Ridge Farms.  If you look at the page with the pumpkin patch, you’ll see the truck’s license plate is in honor of it!

It's fun that both books involve the seasons. I really like these illustrations. What was the hardest, or most challenging, part of writing or researching, your book? How long did it take from first draft to publication?

Alison McGauley – Kenzie’s Little Tree (Orca Book Publishers 3/11/2025) – It took about four years from the time I wrote the first draft until the book’s publication date. I started off with the idea of wanting to represent a child who lives with a chronically ill mom, and I think that the hardest part of that was deciding on the format of the book and how to write an engaging story wasn’t too heavy-handed in its messaging. It was also difficult to represent chronic illness because these are invisible illnesses, not something that would be evident in the illustrations. Finding the right balance between providing details about Mom’s health and focusing on the journey of young Kenzie was also a challenge.

Chelsea Tornetto – Seasons on the Farm (Sleeping Bear Press 3/15/2025) – The hardest part was probably the illustration process. Karen Bunting is so talented, and her illustrations are BEAUTIFUL! But…she’s from the United Kingdom, not the Midwest!  So, there were a few things we had to change from the first sketches, and communication was key! For example, the corn plants shown in the summer spread were about half as tall at first. For mid-summer, that would have been considered a really bad corn crop! So, we asked her to make it taller. And on the planting page in the spring, she originally showed the characters planting seeds by hand.  But modern farmers use large equipment, so we asked her to make that change. I even sent her photos of real farm equipment! I really wanted to make sure the illustrations were accurate!

You both seemed to have had some really interesting challenges. I'm glad you were able to address the issues. Who was a favorite/special author, illustrator, and/or your favorite book as a child? 

Alison McGauley – As a young child, I found the Grover book, The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, to be wildly funny. One of my favorite bedtime stories was Good Night Little Bear by Richard Scarry. Likely, I was captivated by Father Bear’s playfulness, and the joke of Little Bear believing that he tricked his dad. The first chapter books I fell in love with were the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.

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!

I always enjoy discovering books that authors enjoyed as children. What makes you passionate about being a children’s author?

Alison McGauley – I have always loved reading and writing stories. Being an elementary teacher for almost 20 years and a special education teacher who implements small group reading instruction, I know the importance of literacy and the value of quality, enjoyable texts. As an author, I aim to write big-hearted stories for little readers that represent a wide range of emotions. Writing fills me up creatively and makes me feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. As a life-long picture book lover, I am 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!

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

Alison McGauley – I have a few stories in process that feature children with chronic illness that I'd love to get out into the world. We need more representation for chronic illness and disability in children’s literature and I would love to add more books to this conversation.

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

Good luck with these endeavors. We'll have to keep an eye out for them. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

Alison McGauley – I've been to some beautiful parks in various locations, but I would say that my favorite is the one that is just up the street from our house as it holds many family memories. This is the park where I've spent countless hours with my daughters, pushing them in the stroller, catching them at the bottom of the slide, and pushing them on the swings. I’ve walked many laps around the track, flown kites, and played games on the grass. It’s also the place where we’ve watched birds, rescued butterflies, and explored together.

Chelsea Tornetto – Full disclosure, I may have grown up on a farm…but I am 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!

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

To learn more about these authors, visit their post Storystorm 2025 Day 22: PB25 Vibes Shares the Vibes and https://x.com/pb25vibes.

Alison McGauley is a special education teacher and the author of Kenzie's Little Tree (March 2025, Orca Book Publishers), illustrated by Emilie Leduc. As a chronic illness warrior, Alison is passionate about writing books that speak to children and caregivers who are impacted by illness or disability. She also loves creating stories that feature humor, SEL, and the natural world. Alison resides in Ontario, Canada with her family. Connect with Alison on her website alisonmcgauley.com, Instagram @alisonmcgauley, or Bluesky @alisonmcgauley.bsky.social.

Synopsis: When Kenzie picks out a small tree for her family's backyard, she promises to take care of it.

It seems delicate, just like her mom, who doesn't always feel well. As the seasons change, her mom's health has ups and downs, and the tree sways in the wind and weather. Sometimes her mom is too tired to play, and they just cuddle. Other times, she has to go to the hospital. During the winter, she's away for many days. When a snowstorm hits, Kenzie frantically tries to keep the tree warm. And she worries: Has she broken her promise? But no matter the challenges, come springtime, the tree is still there, blossoming and strong—just like her mom, and just like Kenzie.

Chelsea Tornetto is a former world geography teacher, who has loved writing ever since she was a kid. Her first book, Conquering Content Vocabulary, was published by Scholastic in 2018, but now her passion is picture books. She is the author of Gardens Are For Growing, God Made You Too, Seasons on the Farm, Chalk the Walk, and The World’s Best Christmas Light with more titles on the way. When she isn’t working on her own stories, she helps others follow their dreams of writing for children as a freelance editor and author coach for At Home Author. Connect with Chelsea on her website https://chelseatornetto.com/, Instagram @chelseatornetto, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MrsTornetto/, or Bluesky @chelseatornetto.bsky.social

Synopsis: Throughout the year, life on a farm is filled with growth and joy, patience and renewal.

On a farm, each season arrives with new jobs to do--crops to plant, animals to tend to, and fields to harvest. Readers get an insider's look at what spring, summer, fall, and winter look like on a family farm, from adorable baby animals to rumbling tractors and pumpkins to pies. This sweet, rhyming story is perfect for young readers, whether their home is on a farm or not!