Janet Sumner Johnson
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release day countdown

26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 8-10

Jul

15, 2022 |

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Books,Giveaway,Publishing

Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jungand published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 8-10 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!

DAY 8: Picture Book Character 

Diante in BRAVE IN THE WATER does (spoiler alert!) finally put his face in the water instead of running away.

~by Stephanie Wildman, illustrated by Jenni Feidler Aguilar

A cartoon of the top half of a head of a dark-skinned boy with black hair peeks into a photograph of a non-cartoon doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."


DAY 9: Casey Lyall, author of A SPOONFUL OF FROGS 

“My chicken exit story is that I was in a haunted house with three of my friends and we were all hanging onto each other so tight none of us could even make it to escape through the chicken exit. So I guess sometimes you need your friends to help you be brave. 😄”

A white woman in glasses peeks in from the bottome with only her eyes and nose showing. She stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

 

DAY 10: Picture Book Character 

Shailey, from HELP WANTED: MUST LOVE BOOKS, faced down her chicken exit by standing up for herself to find a new bedtime storyteller. ~by Janet Sumner Johnson & illustrated by Courtney Dawson

A cartoon of a dark-skinned girl with dark curly hair in a bun holds an orange book and stands in a photograph of a non-cartoon doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

 

There we have Days 8-10! In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

DAYS 2-4

DAYS 5-7

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 5 – 7

Jul

12, 2022 |

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Books,Giveaway,Publishing

Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jungand published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 5-7 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!


DAY 5: Patricia Bailey, author of The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan 

My husband wanted to learn to paraglide and wanted me to learn with him. So, despite being AFRAID of HEIGHTS  and easily MOTION SICK, I agreed.

I kited on the training hill. (FUN!)

I took a tandem paragliding ride off of the top launch of the mountain. (SCARY and MOTION SICK MAKING! NOT FUN!)

But despite being scared and sick, I decided to pluck up my courage and keep trying.

So, I learned how to handle the wing (FUN!) and how wind works (INTERESTING!) until I was able to I fly by myself off the training hill (SO MUCH FUN!)

Then it was time to put all that training to work and fly for real off the middle launch of the very big mountain.

One by one my training partners launched off the mountain. One by one they soared over the trees, navigated the power lines, and landed in the field below.

Then it was my turn. I looked the treetops below and the power lines in the distance. I thought about what I’d learned, and I thought about all the things I needed to remember in order to fly down safely and land. And I knew that the minute my feet left the ground it was all me. I knew if I was too scared I would crash.

And I knew I was too scared.

So I took the Chicken Exit. I stayed on the ground and cheered the others on while they soared through the air again and again. (FUN!)

I’m still not sure what kind of bird I’ll be in the future – if someday I’ll fly off the mountain or if I’ll stay close to the ground forever. I’ll just keep picking my brave day to day and we’ll see.

Trish, a white woman with light brown hair wearing a blue dress, stands in an open doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the door is a yellow sign that says "Chicken Exit"

DAY 6: PB Character 

Big Sister and Little Sister in WATER MAKES MUD: A STORY OF REFUGEE CHILDREN faced down their chicken exit when escaping war with nothing by creating their own toys and keeping hope alive. ~by Janie Reinart and illustrated by Morgan Taylor

A cartoon of two young girls with dark skin. One wearing a purple dress, the other a yellow dress, sit in a photograph of a non-cartoon doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."
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DAY 7: Dee Romito, author of FORT BUILDERS, INC.

“When I was teaching, we went on a field trip to Rock City. We had to take the “swinging” bridge, walking on creaky wooden slats across the empty space below. My students thought it was funny that I was so scared and made sure that bridge shook. When I got across, a bunch of the kids were already there. “How did you get across?” I asked. They pointed and said, “We took the stone bridge.” If I had known I had the option, I would have totally chickened out!”

A white woman with dark hair in a pink skirt and navy shorts stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

 

Voila! Days 5-7. In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

DAYS 2-4

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAYS 2 – 4

Jul

09, 2022 |

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Today, we continue the countdown to the release of my upcoming picture book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, illustrated by Eunji Jungand published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. I present Days 2-4 of 26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit!


DAY 2: Wanda, mc of Braver than Brave

Wanda wants to be Brave like her big brother Zane who is the bravest kid she knows. She tries the monkey bars, Skeleton hill, and even camp Wakalaka. But they are not her Brave. Will Wanda ever find HER Brave?

I love this picture of Wanda. @eunji.illustration really captures Wanda’s emotions. All the fears. All the doubts. Wanting to be Brave so badly, but so uncertain if she’ll ever manage it.

I feel that way all the time. How about you?

A cartoon of a dark-skinned girl with dark curly hair, wearing a yellow sweater stands in a non-cartoon photograph of a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."
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DAY 3: Eunji Jung, Illustrator of Braver than Brave

“At the opening reception of my solo exhibit, I was so nervous and scared to do the artist talk in front of a lot of people, but I faced down my own chicken exit by thinking about the reward I would get for being a little brave. In the end, people loved my speech and art!”

 
Eunji, an Asian girl with bleached hair wearing brown slacks and a gray shirt, stands in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

 

DAY 4: Picture Book Character
Mama, from GET READY, MAMA, had to be brave and say goodbye to her daughter when it was time to go to school.
~by Sharon Giltrow & illustrated by Arielle Li
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A cartoon white woman with dark hair in a brown skirt and white shirt stands in a photograph of a non-cartoon doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. Above the doorway is a sign that says "Chicken Exit."

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And there we have Days 2-4! In celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

Check out other days of Facing the Chicken Exit:

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

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26 Days of Facing the Chicken Exit: DAY 1

Jul

06, 2022 |

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Books,Giveaway,Publishing

My next Picture Book, BRAVER THAN BRAVE, comes out in 26 days!!! (August 1, 2022) It’s illustrated by the amazing Eunji Jung, and published by Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint. Woo hoo!!!!

I’m counting down with 26 days of Facing The Chicken Exit, and today is DAY 1. Here we go!

DAY 1: The Legend of the Chicken Exit

When my kids were young, we went to an amusement park that had some amazing rollercoasters. My kids were little, but middle child was determined to go on the smallest of them. We waited in line, but the closer he got, the less certain he was about riding it.

We got to the front, and lo and behold, we found this “Chicken Exit.” That moment became a key moment for him as he had to decide what to do.

It also became the inspiration for my upcoming book BRAVER THAN BRAVE! So of course we had to take a trip back to that very amusement park to visit the inspirational Chicken Exit and get some pictures.

Janet, a white woman with graying blond hair smiles and points to a yellow sign that says "Chicken Exit."

Here he is, standing in that exit now that he’s grown and more experienced. Oh how I wish I had a picture of him back then. It was an easy decision to march past it this time, but little him really struggled. Little him HATED the idea of going through that chicken exit, but the roller coaster was big & scary. 

 
The Ride Attendant said, “After the first hill, the rest is easy.”
 
So little him did it.
A teenager stands silhouetted in a doorway with a rollercoaster in the background. A sign above the door reads "Chicken Exit."
I’ve thought a lot about what it means to be Brave. Sometimes it’s Brave to ride the coaster. Sometimes it’s Brave to take the chicken exit. It’s different for everyone, because WE are all different.  We all have different needs. Different talents. Different fears.
A gray-haired white man in an orange shirt sits next to a strawberry blond white teenager in a blue shirt on a rollercoaster ride. They are both smiling and giving a thumbs up.
We all face figurative chicken exits as we go through life, and I’m so excited to share a new story each day this month of how people and picture book characters have faced down their own chicken exits!
Also, in celebration of the upcoming release of BRAVER THAN BRAVE, I’ve got two giveaways going on right now. One on Twitter, which you can enter HERE. And one on Instagram, which you can enter HERE. They both open through July 23rd, and they are both open to wherever Book Depository delivers. Good luck!

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