Happy JOYFUL Book Birthday to Lily-May’s Joyful Day,
written by John Schu and illustrated by Holly Hatam,
the same team who created the companion book,
Ruthie Rose’s Big Idea: A Poetry Story, (Candlewick).
I am thrilled to welcome NYT Bestselling author, #Kidlit Literacy Advocate, and genuinely nice guy, John Schu –aka MrSchuReads –back to the blog to celebrate his latest book!
Lily-May’s Joyful Day
Lily-May’s Joyful Day is a “Social-Emotional Learning Picture Book About Mindfulness, Kindness, Friendship, and Finding Joy Every Day” and part of The School of Sharing / Candlewick.
Those of you who know me or follow this blog (Thanks!) know that I’m a huge fan of pbs that encourage kindness & friendship and SEL extensions (more below). You can be sure I will be pairing this book with Squirrel Draws BIG Feelings. But right now…
Meet John Schu
The last time we chatted with John Schu on the Birthday blog was to celebrate This Is a Story, illus. Lauren Castillo. We are so lucky to catch this amazing human between school visits and conferences, writing, and attending musical theater productions!
Other titles include This Is a School illus.Veronica Miller Jamison, and his riveting YA novel-in-verse Louder Than Hunger. He is a children’s librarian at Bookelicious and a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University.
John is a staunch advocate for our #Kidlit community, previously serving as Scholastic’s Ambassador of School Libraries, and somehow finding time to highlight other children’s book creators and their work on his popular blog, Watch. Connect. Read. as well as social media @MrSchuReads. Other “hats” include classroom teacher and school librarian.
When he’s not traveling world inspiring young readers and educators or (see above), John Schu lives in Naperville, Illinois, with two feline house-mates Percy Jackson and Ramona Quimby. (RIP Lou Grant.)
Let’s ask some questions!
Inspiration, Community, and Building Connections
Q 1. What was the inspiration for Lily-May’s Joyful Day? Is it autobiographical in any way? Did you already have it in mind when you wrote about these best friends in Ruthie Rose’s Big Story Idea?
John Schu: Thank you for celebrating Lily-May’s Joyful Day’s book birthday!
As a former classroom teacher, three of my favorite traditions were inviting students to create A Bag of Y-O-U at the beginning of the school year, taking weekly joywalks, and Weekend Update. Every Monday, we gathered in a circle, and each student shared one thing from their weekend.
It was a simple ritual, but it helped us become a community and see one another beyond the walls of the classroom. The updates ranged from a lost tooth to the birth of a sibling to a book discovered at the public library on Saturday. Learning about their favorite TV shows, music, hobbies, and the movies they watched over and over again shaped the books I booktalked, the conversations we had, and the ways we connected as readers.
As I wrote Lily-May’s Joyful Day, I kept returning to those moments.
Takeaways
Q 2. What do you hope readers will take away from reading Lily-May’s Joyful Day?
John Schu: My hope is that this story finds its way into bookstores, classrooms, libraries, and homes, inspiring children to create Bags of Y-O-U, take joywalks, and share what inspires them.
Surprises and Favorites
Q 3. What surprises did your illustrator, Holly Hatam, bring to the project? What is your favorite spread?
John Schu: It was a blast returning to Ruthie Rose and Lily-May’s world with Holly Hatam! There were so many surprises along the way.
My favorite two-page spread features Ms. Adelaide’s class gathered together in a circle. It looks like they’re having a very metacognitive conversation, one of my favorite kinds of conversations to have with students.
John Schu’s Bag of Y-O-U
Q 4. What might we find in your Bag of Y-O-U?
John Schu: Oh, I love this question so, so much! I’m limiting myself to five objects, although I know I could fill the entire bag like Ruthie Rose does in Lily-May’s Joyful Day.
1. A copy of Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan, my heartprint book.
2. The lyrics to Idina Menzel’s version of “No Day But Today” from Rent. It’s the first song I listen to every morning, and I have those words tattooed on my arm.
ED Note: I have the same message on a t-shirt I bought after seeing the show.
3. A Waitress Playbill. I saw the Broadway production approximately 30 times.
“Sugar, butter, flour . . .”
4. My Naperville Public Library card. So many of my favorite memories begin with a library card!
5. During every school visit, I talk about the notebook where I write all my stories and how much I love finding a heart that needs a new notebook. So, of course, I’d have to include the notebook I’m writing in right now.
What’s next?
Q 5. Please tell us about your other projects in the works. ( I cannot wait for This a Theater /illus. Jaime Kim /Penguin Random House/ coming spring 2027.)
John Schu: This Is a Theater releases on March 2, 2027! As I wrote this ode to theater, I channeled the feelings I experience when listening to an original Broadway cast recording, anticipating a live performance, and entering a theater. I LOVE Jaime Kim’s illustrations soooooooooo much!
P.S. Are We Friends Now?, a middle-grade novel co-written with Newbery Honor author Jasmine Warga, releases in fall 2027! I cannot wait to talk more about it next year!
OOOH –We’ll be here to help you celebrate these, if you have the time, John!
Meanwhile….Thank you so much to John Schu for joining us today, and
Happiest of Book Birthdays to
Lily-May’s Joyful Day.
Hmmmm….. To celebrate, let’s all go for a joy-walk –to a local Indie bookstore or library!
To learn more about John Schu and his work, check out his socials, blog, and website:
Twitter/X: @MrSchuReads
Instagram: @MrSchuReads
BlueSky: @MrSchuReads
Blog: MrSchuReads.com
Website: JohnSchu.com
Happy Reading –and have the BEST Back-to-School adventures yet!
Next up on the blog: Cover Reveal!
A GENTLE LIGHT: The Untold Story of British Spy and World War II Hero Noor Inayat Khan
by Shirin Shamsi, Illus. Tara Anand.
We chat with author Shrin Shamsi about illustrator Tara Anand”s cover and their upcoming picture book bio.
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