This adorable board book is just perfect for Thanksgiving AND any other day of the year when we want to express thanks to someone we meet. As you can tell by the cover, this is not a Thanksgiving book, yet I can see how fun it would be to share it with little readers to give them ideas of how to tell (and show) others thank you. As far as the rest of the year, The Thank You Book is just right.
Colorful illustrations and simple text come together in a delightful package. The rhymes roll easily off the tongue, making it fun to read aloud. From the back cover:
Thanking is easy. Thanking is fun. Can you find a way to thank someone? This lovely book shows us all the ways we can be thankful!
I love how we read about not only ways to say thank you with words, but ways to say (and show) thanks in other ways.
So to you, my readers, thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate you!!
Welcome to the blog, Beverly! Thanks for taking the time to fill us in on what’s happening in your life, especially with the recent June 2025 release of Meet Lottie and Annie. This beautiful picture book is about two historical and inspirational women who led women and families to pray for and support missionaries around the world who tell others about Jesus.
Let’s get started!
Tell us what drew you to illustrate Meet Lottie and Annie. What made you decide to accept the assignment?
Hi Angie,
Thank you for this opportunity to share my part in this wonderful book. As my friend and critique partner you began talking about this book months ahead of your need to find an illustrator. Time passed and at some point I became aware of the fact that you didn’t yet have an illustrator, but Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) was looking for one, so I prayed that the right illustrator would be found. Later, I got the idea that I would like to be considered, but I kept that to myself. About 2 or 3 months more passed and I heard nothing more from you regarding the book, so I concluded that you had found your illustrator. I was content with that, but shortly thereafter you surprised me and asked if I would be interested in the job. That was an easy answer. I have been interested in missionary work for decades and spent several months serving in England and in Israel. I’ve also had long term correspondence with missionaries for many years. Therefore, being drawn to illustrating a book about two missionaries was of great interest.
I’m so glad you were able to be a part of Meet Lottie and Annie. As in all publishing, it goes slow-until suddenly it goes super-fast (especially regarding deadlines). It was a blessing to work with a critique partner and sister in Christ.
What was your process as you illustrated this picture book? How much research did you need to do?
One of the first things I did was to gather images of clothing and room décor for the sketches for Annie’s part. She would be easier to illustrate since I was already somewhat familiar historically with those items. Afterwards I began to research clothing, homes, furnishings, and villages in China, circa 1900. I located a photo of Tengchow, where Lottie spent much of her time. I used this photo for the outdoor illustration of Lottie and the missionary children. However, I didn’t include the buildings in the photo because I didn’t want them to compete visually with Lottie and the children.
Once I had the information I needed, including some photos of Lottie and Annie, I began my storyboard. Normally I would do character sketches but since I was trying to make Lottie and Annie look like themselves I did not need to design characters. The storyboard was then sent to you, Angie, for approval. Once approved, I then created the full-sized sketches which I entered into Procreate in my iPad. From these, I completed the final art.
Let me tell you, it was amazing to see the storyboard! I shared it with my team, and everyone loved it. We had a few tweaks as the process went on, but the final book is stunning!
From beginning to end, how long did it take you to complete illustrations for Meet Lottie and Annie?
It took me about 4 months. I began the art in November and finished the final art in mid-March.
We did a lot of back and forth, but really 4 months went fast.
Are there any special Easter eggs included in the illustrations? By that, I mean any fascinating special facts or tidbits that readers would love to hear about?
Yes, there are several tidbits. Many of the illustrations in Meet Lottie and Annie had some collaged pieces added to them. The letter that Annie is reading on page 18 is a clipped area of an actual letter written by Lottie. The painting on page 20 is a portion of an oil painting which I created from a trip my husband and I took to southern Spain. The rug on the floor of page 20-21 is of a rug that belonged to my husband’s grandparents, which makes the rug about 100 years old. The painting on page 29 is a pastel I created years ago of some tulips in my yard. Lastly, page 30 contains a small tugboat in the illustration. It is a McAllister tug. The McAllister tugs at that time in history were mostly located in the northeastern part of the United States. I specifically chose that tugboat company because my grandmother is a McAllister. Her family owned these tugboats. In very tiny writing on the side of the tug is the name Isabel McAllister which is my grandmother’s name. It is not legible to the naked eye, but nevertheless it is there. When I was very young, I rode on the tug that bears my grandmother’s name.
I remember seeing your grandmother’s name as I zoomed in to study the illustration. All of these are very cool fun facts!
You have illustrated several other books. What makes the illustrations for Meet Lottie and Annie unique and different from your other projects?
Most of my books have been illustrated in traditional watercolor. This book, as mentioned above, was digitally colored with some pieces of collage taken from fabric or other items.
Another thing that is unique about this book is that it is two books in one picture book. The front half of the book is about Lottie Moon who served in China and the second half tells of Annie Armstrong and her service in the United States. Although I have illustrated many Bible stories, this is my first time illustrating a book about missionaries. In a small way I feel connected to both women because I have written my share of letters to overseas missionaries and on November 14, 2025, my 18-year-old granddaughter flies to China to serve as a nanny for six months.
Wow! What an inspiring experience for your granddaughter to have! And the details in the illustrations are so interesting to dig into-the collage, fabrics, patterns, designs. The different aspects came together to make one fascinating picture book!
What’s next for you in the writing and illustrating world?
Just before I began Meet Lottie and Annie I finished up my second book as an author and illustrator, Tinker, where Are You?, which is about a young girl struggling to keep a promise she made to her best friend. For this holiday season I just completed a Christmas story coloring book. This is my first time creating a coloring book. It is about two small sparrows who build a nest for baby Jesus as a gift to him and his mother. I also have a picture book out on submission to some publishers and I’m working on another picture book and an illustrated chapter book.
I can’t wait to see the coloring book! As one of your critique partners, I’ve seen this work-in-progress many times!
Thank you, Angie for pairing me up with WMU to create this book. It was a joy to work with you on this project.
I totally agree! A pleasant fellowship!
As an illustrator, when I am illustrating a biography, I always feel like I get to know the characters that I illustrate in a unique way. As they live in my mind for the months that I attempt to portray them visually, I wonder about what it would be like to meet them in person. I wonder how they endured the great challenges on their chosen paths, and with Lottie and Annie, I wondered about the steps that God used to lead them into their call.
Thank you so much for sharing inside information about your process of illustrating Meet Lottie and Annie. A labor of love!
If you would like your own copy of Meet Lottie and Annie, you can find it here.
Each year on November 13, we celebrate World Kindness Day, “a day to celebrate and promote positive human interactions.” We focus on showing kindness in ways big and small. Every kindness extended to others spreads goodwill and lightens the load of stress people shoulder as they go about their days.
Need more info and ideas? I found Awareness Days very helpful. I especially like the list of ideas and the #hashtags to use when sharing and talking about World Kindness Day (and kindness in general).
Some things you could do include showing random acts of kindness, volunteering, donating to a charitable cause, and teaching kindness to children and young people.
Not quite two years old, my picture bookBe Kind, Make Friends, helps preschoolers and the younger audience learn about showing kindness and making friends. I’m glad to have this resource to encourage us to celebrate kindness every day! Do you know of any other resources to help promote kindness to the younger crowd? Add them to the comment section so we can all hear about them.
What will you do to celebrate World Kindness Day?
To celebrate World Kindness Day, I’m giving away one copy of Be Kind, Make Friends to someone who comments on this blog post (US only). Let us know how you would use Be Kind, Make Friends with someone in your world. Winner chosen in one week on November 20. Check back next Thursday to see who won!
Happy World Kindness Day! Thank you for being a part of this blog world!
It was so cute to watch my honey bring in the mail the other day. He was so excited to show me the cover of Be Kind, Make Friends on the slip sheet of the Mission Friends Winter Leader Kit! I mean, it does look awesome to me as well. But his excitement was super adorable.
Last week, Laura Sassi visited my blog and shared about her new book, My Tender Heart Devotions. Everyone who commented on that post had their name put in the hat – er, pretty purple bowl – and I closed my eyes, spun them around, and pulled out the winner.
The winner is . . .
KIM A LARSON!
Come on down, Kim! Congratulations! Please message me with your mailing address so Laura can send you a copy when My Tender Heart Devotions comes out on October 1!
Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments and for visiting this blog. If you did not win a copy, you can find it at Paraclete Press, Amazon, and other places where books are sold.
If you missed out on the author interview, you can read it here.
Thank you, everyone! And thank you, Laura, for sharing your new book with us! Congratulations!!
Hello, friends. I have exciting news this morning! Darlene Beck-Jacobson invited me to visit her blog and talk about my new picture book, Be Kind, Make Friends. Such an honor!
I hope you can hop over to visit Darlene’s blog and read more about how Be Kind, Make Friends came to life. Make sure to leave a comment on Darlene’s blog to get your name in the hat for a chance to win a copy of Be Kind, Make Friends!
First, just look at that handsome guy hanging out in his office at work. That’s my honey and God has really blessed me with a wonderful husband and best friend. ❤️
Second, check out the background. My honey is such a strong supporter and cheerleader for me. He’s proudly displaying and showing off Be Kind, Make Friends, my new picture book. What a great guy! I love you honey!
I’m excited to have my friend and fellow critique partner, Kim Larson, interview me today. Her debut picture book, Goat’s Boat Won’t Float, will be released Oct. 1 (The Little Press). You can learn more about her at KimALarson.com.
And here’s my guest host, Kim!
Congratulations on your beautiful book, Angie! It has such an important message. I’m thrilled to interview you today so your blog readers can learn more about this amazing book. Please tell me where you got the idea for it?
In January 2023, I was at a WMU (Woman’s Missionary Union) preschool affinity group meeting—a group of leaders who love and teach preschoolers. We discussed what resources the leaders wanted or needed, what they would like to have for their classrooms. The idea of a picture book about friends and kindness came up. The topic of kindness and friendship is evergreen for everyone, especially preschoolers who focus on practicing kindness and skills for making friends every single day. Be Kind, Make Friends came out of that discussion and sharing of ideas.
I should back up a bit and share that the name of the WMU preschool-aged missions discipleship program is called Mission Friends. More on that later.
That is such a fun backstory! I love that you found a need and filled it. Was this always the title for the project?
Be Kind, Make Friends has been the title from early on in the process, with a few tiny variations. I LOVE how Gayle West, our illustrator, turned the comma into a paper heart!
I agree! Gayle did an amazing job on the illustrations. I bet you were thrilled when you saw them. Tell me more about the writing process. Did you go through many revisions of the text?
So. Many. Revisions. From large picture down to tiny word changes. I think as authors, we are pretty hard on ourselves, aiming for the very best manuscript we can write, but also we are so close to the work, we need fresh eyes that haven’t spent nearly every waking minute writing, revising, thinking, and rearranging our manuscripts. It was an important part of my process to involve feedback from others. I had feedback from the preschool team at WMU, critiques from my critique partners, critiques from the 12×12 Picture Book Writing Challenge community—and all of that was to get it as close to perfect as possible.
And THEN we sent the Be Kind, Make Friends manuscript out to preschool leaders (who would potentially be using the book with preschoolers) and others in the WMU audience, a group of readers who regularly read preschool materials for feedback, preschool writers, and even higher education experts.
Getting fresh eyes on my manuscript was so important and helped me see words and ideas that might not be as clear to others as they were in my mind. Be Kind, Make Friends is nonfiction, so accuracy is vital. I am so thankful to ALL the readers. Writing something like Be Kind, Make Friends really is a team effort. Thank you, team!
For new (or any) writers, sending out our work can make us feel nervous. EEK! But when we have others read and critique our manuscripts and then we carefully choose how to implement the comments, this only makes our work better. But we need to remember that we are the creators of the work, so we do not have to use all of the suggestions, only those that fit with our vision for the work. I did find that if several readers mentioned the same section of the manuscript, then I knew that there was a problem I needed to work on, something to fix so the idea was clear.
I couldn’t agree with you more about the importance of feedback. As one of your critique partners, I’ve appreciated your honest, helpful suggestions and the encouragement you always provide. When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
I knew Be Kind, Make Friends was ready after I went through all of the above steps. Revisions. Critiques. Addressing comments. Rereading. Allowing time for the manuscript to rest. And then a final round of reading by our preschool team. I did not have to submit at that point since the project was already approved. In the kidlit world, Be Kind, Make Friends is called a work-for-hire project, so the process was a bit different. Gayle West was working on the illustrations right along with me as I worked on revisions. After I paginated (this is SO helpful) and made a thumbprint board of what text went on which page, she was ready to go. We came roaring down the finish line together! Ready to go to the printer.
You laid out the steps beautifully, whether it’s a work-for-hire project or otherwise, it takes a team to get a book into print.It sounds like one of your first steps was to find a publisher.How did you connect with the publisher of Be Kind, Make Friends?
About 30 years ago, my husband and I were attending First Baptist Church in Wapato, the church my husband grew up in and we were married in. Our family had grown by two babies, both preschoolers at the time. Wednesday night meetings were great for youth and adults, but there was nothing offered for preschoolers. Our pastor at the time suggested I try Mission Friends, a preschool missions discipleship curriculum. From the get-go I was in love with Mission Friends and the curriculum! Missionaries around the world, international excitement, fun activities, engaging stories, loads of hands-on learning. It was exactly right for us.
I loved the curriculum so much, I cold-queried them! LOL That’s what I’d call it now. Back then, in the dark ages of technology, I sent a typewriter-typed letter introducing myself and asking if I could write for them. I was soon invited to a writer’s conference in Birmingham, Alabama, and I was on my way. I’ve been writing preschool curriculum (stories, activities, session plans), picture books, articles, and other resources since then. I’ve been blessed to have a connection with WMU for many years. When this project came up, I was still (and still am) writing and editing preschool resources for WMU. I was very excited to write Be Kind, Make Friends!
I loved learning about your connection with the Mission Friends organization! I hope that continues. Tell me, what’s next for you?
I will continue writing and editing for WMU. I also write picture books and submit them to publishers and editors. I enjoy penning haiku poems and sharing them on my blog. There are always ideas swirling around in my head. I will have to see what happens next!
You are very creative, Angie, and I look forward to reading your future work. Please let your readers know where they can buy a copy of this beautiful book!
I would love to share where to find Be Kind, Make Friends!
Kim, thank you so much for hosting me today on my blog! You are a truly gifted writer and a special friend and critique partner! I appreciate you. I look forward to interviewing YOU soon about your upcoming debut picture book, Goat’s Boat Won’t Float!
So many people contributed this book, whether it be by sharing an idea, reading different drafts, offering suggestions, copyediting, proofreading, creating the fabulous illustrations, or getting the word out. Thank you! This was a labor of love, and I am thankful to the Lord and the community of helpers.
About this book:
What does it mean to be kind and make friends? Why is this important? Preschoolers will explore the whys and hows of being kind to others and making friends as they interact with the engaging text and colorful pictures found in Be Kind, Make Friends. You can encourage preschoolers to be kind and make friends with this picture book. Preschoolers will be especially glad to follow the examples when you share that missionaries show kindness and make friends with others in their work around the world.
Just in case you were wondering, Be Kind, Make Friends is available at wmustore.com.
Love, Laughter, and Life 