Please welcome my guest author today, Valerie Bolling. I’m excited to watch her career take off as an author. For some of us, the Covid lockdown was a time that stymied our creative output but for Valerie, it was the exact opposite. I’m so proud of her and the amazing books that she has created.

We are giving away a copy of Ride, Roll, Run: Time for Fun! Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter!

Picture Books Featuring Outdoor Activities

Ride, Roll, Run: Time for Fun! by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Sabrena Khadija

This book showcases the fun activities children do outdoors. Ride, roll, and run with these children as they glide on bikes and skateboards, play basketball and hopscotch, and jump rope and create art on sidewalks. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Fly by Brittany Thurman, illustrated by Anna Cunha

Here’s a book about another outdoor activity children can enjoy: double dutch. Join Africa as she learns – in a clever, collaborative way – to double dutch, which is much more challenging than regular jump rope. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

I Got Next by Daria Peoples-Riley

Basketball fans will love this book! A young basketball player receives inspiration and guidance from his shadow which gives him confidence and advice about how to prepare for his game. It works because the boy is pumped to play when it’s game time. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Monster & Mouse Go Camping by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jared Chapman

This funny book will make young readers want to go camping. They will discover all of the supplies they need for this outdoor experience, and they’ll be sure to remember to bring the food. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Hiking Day by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell

A family sets off on a hiking adventure. They enjoy their time in the woods, walking and seeing a number of woodland creatures. Hopefully, readers will be enticed to plan their own walk in nature. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Look and Listen by Dianne White, illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford

This rhyming book will appeal to nature lovers. It encourages readers to “listen and look” to discover the beauty surrounding them outdoors. Looking, listening, and exploring – especially outdoors – is an engaging activity. Who knows what’s waiting to be found? [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo

A young boy visits his nana and doesn’t like the loud sounds and scary sights in the city. But when he and his nana spend a day together in the city, he sees it differently. He discovers that it’s bustling with excitement and beauty and that it isn’t scary at all. Exploring a city is an exciting outdoor adventure. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Also by Valerie Bolling:

Together We Ride by Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Celebrate the freedom that comes from an afternoon spent outside on a bike. With a little courage, a guiding hand from her dad, and an enthusiastic bark from her pup, one brave girl quickly learns how to ride! [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Ride, Roll, Run: Time for Fun! GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away a copy of Ride, Roll, Run: Time for Fun! Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter! We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Valerie Bolling is the author of the 2021 SCBWI Crystal Kite award-winning and CT Book Award finalist LET’S DANCE! (March 2020). In 2022 Valerie is happy to welcome TOGETHER WE RIDE (April) and RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN! (October). Sequels to these books as well as a Scholastic early reader series, RAINBOW DAYS, are slated for 2023, and I SEE COLOR will be released in 2024.

A graduate of Tufts University and Columbia University, Teachers College, Valerie has been an educator for almost 30 years. She currently works as an Instructional Coach for Greenwich Public Schools and is on the faculty at Westport Writers’ Workshop. She is also a WNDB mentor and deeply immersed in the kidlit writing community, particularly involved with SCBWI, the 12X12 Picture Book Challenge, and Black Creators HeadQuarters.

Valerie and her husband live in Connecticut and enjoy traveling, hiking, reading, going to the theater, and dancing. To learn more about Valerie, go to her website and Linktree, and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

p.s. Related posts:

Parent-Child Special Moments Picture Book List

Riding a Bike Book List

New Books from My Colleagues at NESCBWI Inclusion and Diversity Committee!

Top 10: Multicultural Dance Picture Books

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My books:

BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.