I’m excited to welcome Andrew Hacket to the blog as he is in the midst of a whirlwind few authors experience. He is a debut author with three, yes three!!! books releasing in rapid succession. He recently celebrated his first book birthday earlier this month with the release of his picture book, OLLIE, THE ACORN, AND THE MIGHTY IDEA, illustrated by Kaz Windness a member of my local SCBWI chapter who knows something about the whirlwind of publishing as she had multiple books release in 2023. Since its release two weeks ago, this book has been receiving all kinds of praise for Andrew’s imaginative story about bullying that includes STEM elements and amazing art from Kaz Windness.
Up next for Andrew is CURLILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS HARES, illustrated by Jan Dolby and being released by The Little Press Publishing. And since he’s here to celebrate CURLILOCKS AND THE THREE HARES which comes out one week from today, I’m going to tell you a little bit about it right now. Yes, I absolutely loved it for several reasons! The main character has a head full of hair that is hard to tame and I know what that’s like from the days my own daughter had hair with a mind of its own! Of course, from the title you know it’s a fractured fairy tale based on Goldilocks, but it’s so much more than that. First of all, it’s clever with a wonderful message with social emotional learning built in. Also, it’s an early chapter book which made my reading specialist heart skip a beat! My students who weren’t quite ready for the next level of difficulty loved books like these (think FROG AND TOAD) which gave them the satisfaction of reading chapters without the struggle of trying to read a book that was too dense or difficult.
Andrew is generously offering on lucky reader a Your Choice Giveaway: A 30 minute Ask-Me-Anything or a signed by the author copy of CURLILOCKS AND THE THREE HARES. Please let us know in the comments which prize you’ll want if you’re the winner. Commenting on this post enters you in the giveaway and sharing on your social media would also be appreciated.
What were you like at the age of your target audience?
At this age I was happy as could be and loved to have an audience. I was not especially interested in reading or writing at this time, but loved being active and especially playing soccer.
What inspires you?
I am most inspired by conversations with children and their anything goes perspective on the world. There are no self-imposed limits and that is an amazing way to be. I also find myself being inspired by being around creative people and by spending time in nature.
I agree with all of these things, Andrew. I marvel at the way children observe the world and are willing to share what they think and notice. It’s the thing I miss most about being in a school every day. I am grateful for so many anecdotes I shared on Facebook when they come up in my memories. Now much of inspiration comes from nature.
What is something you hope readers take away from your books?
I hope my books help readers feel comfortable in their own skin and helps them understand and accept the variety of emotions that exist.
What’s next for you?
In just over a week my second book, CURLILOCKS AND THE THREE HARES (The Little Press) with illustrations from Jan Dolby will be releasing. And just a little while after that on May 28, my third book, HOPE AND THE SEA (WorthyKids) with illustrations by Svetla Radivoeva will release. It is a very exciting time and I am loving being able to share my books with students at school events, libraries, and bookstores.
To learn more about Andrew, his books, and his wonderful blog where I was a guest in February
https://www.instagram.com/andrewchacket https://twitter.com/AndrewCHacket
https://www.facebook.com/AndrewCHacket
Website https://www.andrewhacket.com/
Laura Roettiger Books 
Congratulations on all of these books coming out, Andrew! Love the idea of an early chapter book. I know many students who would benefit from having more of these types of books available. And I especially love how you hope your stories help children feel comfortable in their own skin. Congrats!
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Thanks, Heather! As I writer I didn’t know much about these types of books, but as a second-grade teacher I have seen how much they help young readers build their confidence and love for literacy.
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Thanks for sharing, Heather! I agree, these are the books that we can never have too many of at school. It builds excitement for reading and bridges the gap between the early leveled readers and the chapter books that they so desperately want to read! Good luck in the giveaway.
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What a wonderful convergence – enjoy each one! Thanks for gifting the kid’s world with your stories.
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You are so welcome! I feel fortunate to see these books make their way to publication. Now the gift is seeing them in the hands of kids.
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Thanks for reading Robin and for your support of the authors on the blog. It’s interesting because all three books are so different! Good luck in the giveaway.
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Congratulations, Andrew! What a year!! Great books!
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Thanks, Kim! And I can’t wait for your book.
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Thanks for reading, Kim! Right, what a year indeed! Good luck in the giveaway.
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This is the first time I’ve heard of a debut author having a hat trick of books in rapid succession. Congratulations to you! I would love to win a signed copy of his latest book. The message to readers is universal.
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Thank you, Danielle! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this situation occurring, but here we are, and I am trying to appreciate and enjoy every moment of it.
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Ha, Danielle I was thinking hat trick the whole time I wrote this blogpost. I know you are in Michigan so you maybe a Red Wings fan and Andrew is in Boston, so likely a Bruins fan. I’m still a Blackhawks fan because Chicago is my home even though I live in Colorado now. 😉 Good luck in the giveaway.
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Huge congrats on this accomplishment, the books all sound like kid-friendly fun!
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Lynn, all of Andrew’s books are kid friendly and they are all so different from each other which is interesting to me! It’s just like having three children who are all different from each other! Good luck in the giveaway!
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Wow, amazing and huge congratulations for all three books!
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Right! Such an amazing accomplishment! Thank you for reading! Please share your name and good luck in the giveaway!
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Oops, okay I didn’t realize I didn’t have that saved on my WordPress profile! Hopefully I got it, this is Jenna Daucunas 🙂
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Thank you, Jenna! I appreciate that you came back. I thought it was you in the photo but someone said they had commented and I don’t see her comment so I wanted to be sure. Good luck in the giveaway!
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Congratulations on your 2024 book bonanza! I can’t wait to check all of these out and cheer you on, like you do for so many of us in this biz.
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Thanks for sharing your comments, Kelly! It’s great to see you coming up for air with such a busy schedule and household! Good luck in the giveaway.
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Aw thanks, Kelly! It is a wild ride and I feel very fortunate (and more than a bit tired) to have these books coming out.
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Andrew, I was at Thomas Prince in Kindergarten with Jacquie Whitman when you were teaching there. It was the year you got married so some time ago! I am so excited to read your books to students! So proud of you and all your hard work is paying off. Keep writing!
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Anita, I am so happy you stopped by the blog and are sharing Andrew’s publishing celebration! I know he will know the answer to this question, but I’m curious. When you say you were in Kindergarten when Andre was teaching & it was the year he got married, do you mean you were a kindergarten student or a teacher? I’m a former teacher also and I have students who now have children of their own. 😳 Good luck in the giveaway.
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So wonderful to hear from you, Anita! I hope you are doing well.
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Congratulations, Andrew, on such an amazing debut year! And Curlilocks looks fabulous. I met Jan Dolby at Independent Bookstore Day and we were discussing what a fabulous book it is. I would love to win a copy if Canadian addresses are eligible.
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Unfortunately, the book giveaway is US only, however the AMA is for everywhere.
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