Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Children’s picture books

PATCHWORK

Corinna Luyken Matt de la Peña

PATCHWORK is a deeply moving ode to the complexity and uniqueness of every child, from Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña, with art by New York Times bestselling creator Corinna Luyken

You are more than a single note played again and again.
You are a symphony.
. . .
You are blues and pinks and loneliness and laughter,
mismatched scraps accumulated over time
and stitched together
into a kind of patchwork.

In profound, uplifting verse and sumptuous artwork, beloved creators Matt de la Peña and Corinna Luyken explore the endless possibilities each child contains: A young dancer may grow into a computer coder; a basketball player might become a poet; a class clown may one day serve as an inspiring teacher; and today's quiet empath might be tomorrow's great leader. Destined to become a new classic, this book is a powerful reminder that no one is defined by just one thing and a heartfelt tribute to the threads of love, empathy, and kindness that connect us to one another.

Matt de la Peña is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Last Stop on Market Street, Milo Imagines the World, Carmela Full of Wishes, Love, and A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, as well as a number of critically acclaimed young adult novels. You can visit Matt at mattdelapena.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @mattdelapena.

Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of the New York Times bestseller My Heart, The Tree In Me, and The Book of Mistakes. She is also the illustrator of Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse, Nothing in Common, and Something Good. You can visit Corinna at corinnaluyken.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @corinnaluyken.

Available products
Book Published 2022-08-30 by Putnam

Comments

From the time we are born, we change, and continue to change all the time. Author Matt De La Peña and illustrator Corinna Luyken gently and profoundly make this abundantly clear in Patchwork. Reassuring, thought-provoking, and a genuine tribute to children and all they are capable of, now and in the future, Patchwork is a must-read. Read more...

Matt de la Peña, Newbery Medal-winning author of classics such as Last Stop on Market Street, Love and Milo Imagines the World continues his tradition of creating deeply thoughtful, celebratory compositions for every child. A shelf full of de la Peña's work is a shelf full of hope, love and acceptance. Read more...

Italian: Fatatrac ; Japanese: Inwanami Shoten ; Spanish & Catalan: Corimbo ; Turkish: Eksik Parca

Poetic... contemplative... In expansive lines, de la Peña counters messages of narrowing one's sights, conveying the heartening idea that lives of meaning emerge, instead, from "mismatched scraps accumulated over time/ and stitched together/ into a kind of patchwork".

NPR's "All Things Considered" ran an interview with Matt de la Peña about how basketball informs his writing process and mentioned PATCHWORK. Read more...

Matt de la Peña and Corinna Luyken's Patchwork is an exultant picture book salute to kids who are a little different. And it's no coincidence, the book suggests, that these kids go on to make a difference. De la Peña [...] is at his compassionate best in Patchwork... Luyken incorporates additional colors in small boxy shapes, creating shimmery, glowing images that conjure the book's title exquisitely. Read more...

Using lyrical language, de la Peña celebrates the potential found in every child... An apt and inspiring message, beautifully rendered.

KPBS-FM's "Midday Edition" aired an interview with Matt de la Pena about PATCHWORK. Read more...

Imagination Soup (1.5 million social media followers) revealed the cover for PATCHWORK by Matt de la Peña; illustrated by Corinna Luyken, including a terrific interview with the two creators about collaborating on the book! Read more...

Publishers Weekly included PATCHWORK in several roundups including "New and Noteworthy Children's and YA Books", "New Kids' and YA Books", and "Big Children's Books for Fall 2022" Read more...

This unassuming picture book comes with a powerful message. Patchwork reads like a poem and provides an important life lesson that's best taught when kids are young: There's no one-size-fits-all, and our life stories are full of possibility. Corinna Luyken's simple illustrations and pastel color choices bolster the message but also portray the feelings and emotions described in the book. Read more...

De la Peña's lyrical observations and proclamations take the mind from complacent to questioning to affirming. His gentle guidance from page to page creates a poetry of understanding - we are more than what is expected of us. Luyken depicts a diverse group of children, using a palette of pastel pink, blue, lavender, and yellow and a subtle pattern evoking patchwork on each page to highlight the transformative power of self-discovery. The call to revel in the glorious patchwork that is "us" blazes forth from this paean of acceptance.

Gentle and affirming.

...Luyken and de la Peña's first picture book together, Patchwork is a poetic ode to possibility that's perfect for readers who love de la Peña's lyricism and Luyken's effortlessly impressionistic art. Read more...

The Children's Book Review's Growing Readers Podcast (2.7k listeners per episode) aired an interview with Matt de la Peña and Corinna Luyken. Read more...

The San Diego Times-Tribune (circ. 249.4k / 2.7 million UVPM) ran a profile of Matt de la Peña, in which he talks at length about his inspiration for Patchwork. Read more...

First off, the illustrations in this book are gorgeous... [the book] had all of these beautiful revelations in these children's lives. I just thought it was so well done. Like, if you're a crier... you might. Read more...

From the time we are born, we change, and continue to change all the time. Author Matt De La Peña and illustrator Corinna Luyken gently and profoundly make this abundantly clear in Patchwork... Reassuring, thought-provoking, and a genuine tribute to children and all they are capable of, now and in the future, Patchwork is a must-read.

The pastel spongework patterns that Luyken overlays on these portraits of children aptly evoke de la Peña's liberating theme: We are not indelibly drawn at birth; our identities shift and blend and bloom. Read more...