Today we are excited to share a guest post from author Peter Draw (AI & AIKO AND THE DINOSAUR HUG)!
Read on for more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
About the Author: Peter Draw
Peter Draw is the creative force and the artist behind the Guinness World Record-setting, 65-billion-plus-viewed Giphy phenomena Ai & Aiko. On top of being a savvy, strategic digital creator, Peter leads his company with an unparalleled warmth and philanthropic spirit that has already impacted the lives of children around the globe. He has traveled to China, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, and beyond, providing free art lessons for kids in areas impacted by earthquakes and tsunamis and to children in economically disadvantaged communities. Peter’s warmth and spirit bring to life his mantra that love can happen anywhere and that children everywhere should have access to art. Peter lives with his family in Singapore. You can find more Ai & Aiko content at AiAndAiko.com, and you can follow them and their friends on Instagram @AiAndAiko. You can follow Peter Draw on Instagram @PeterDraw.
About the Book: Anne: AI & AIKO AND THE DINOSAUR HUG
Based on the viral, record-breaking, and award-winning Giphy sensation, this latest loving and heartfelt magical adventure stars a boy and his dog who learn that there is nothing warmer than a hug from a friend.
Ai and his friends are excited to play in the snow! It might be chilly, but they know they have Grandpa’s warm café waiting for them when they return. So when Aiko finds a big blue dinosaur shivering in the cold, they know they need to help him, even if they’re scared. It’s time for another Ai and Aiko adventure!
Back at the café, the friends do everything they can think of to warm the dinosaur up. They give him hot chocolate, a hat and mittens, and every cozy thing they have. But the dinosaur keeps shivering and shivering! It’s only when Ai comes face-to-face with his fear that he realizes just what the dinosaur really needs.
In this sweet and cozy winter story, a hug is the warmest thing of all.
~Guest Post by Peter Draw~
When I first thought of turning my beloved Ai & Aiko GIFs into picture books, I wondered whether it was a plan that made sense. These were sweet little characters that I knew and loved, but did they have full stories to tell? But as I thought about it some more, it actually made so much sense: GIFs are beloved because they work their way into viewers’ hearts, and the Ai & Aiko GIFs have gained as much popularity as they have because they’ve been able to do that well, to keep fans coming back for more. In the same way, picture books are great when they’re books that kids want to read many times over. I hope in the Ai & Aiko’s picture books, I’ve created stories that give readers a reason to flip the pages over and over, and that I’ve done so by building stories around messages that are simple yet powerful enough to bring readers back to the books as many times as possible.
In Ai & Aiko and the Dinosaur Hug, the main message is that sometimes, in the coldest of winters, a little hug is all we need to give enough warmth to someone who needs it. But there’s also a message that digs deeper. The dinosaur in this story has been forgotten, left alone, neglected. And as soon as Ai figures out that all our dino friend needs is a bit of love and care, the rest of the Tofu Café crew joins in and helps give the dinosaur just that.
As I see it, our blue dinosaur is actually a hidden piece that each of us holds, a piece that we’ve left in some way neglected or unnoticed – and that we often leave that way until someone close to us discovers our hidden piece. Much like Ai and his friends didn’t know what to do with the dinosaur at first, we often don’t know how to navigate new pieces that we discover about ourselves. But with the help of friends and family and loved ones around us, we’re able to make sense of new things – and once we do, we can enjoy our full selves and love ourselves (and have others love us) just as we are.
In the previous book, Ai & Aiko and the Little Curve, the message is a different one, but not unrelated. In this book, Ai & Aiko need to find just the right curve to finish Ai’s self-portrait, and only at the end of a fun and heartwarming journey do they realize that the curve they’ve been looking for is a smile.
In my work with children and families who have lost so much in natural disasters, I’ve met many people who have lost their reasons to smile. As I sit and create art with them, if I’m lucky, I sometimes see a hint of a smile start to creep back onto their faces. And that reaffirms what I’ve always believed: that the most beautiful curve in the world is a smile.
And so, this book again has a two-layered message. The first is the obvious one, that a smile is a beautiful thing, that joy is a beautiful thing. On top of that, in this book, Ai’s journey takes him up into the sky and back down to earth, and it also takes him on a wide path around the town. All of these are also curves, and they symbolize the idea that, in life, we all have ups and downs, we all take paths with curveballs and roadblocks. And after it all, the best way to end a journey is to smile, and I hope readers find that joy in this story and take it into their own hearts.
In both of my books, I’ve tried to incorporate both an obvious message and an underlying one, but at the heart of all of it is the idea of love – a concept that we all need more of, and one that I truly hope will have readers coming back to these books regularly. I hope my books fill every reader they reach with as much joy as creating these characters and stories has filled me.
Title: AI & AIKO AND THE DINOSAUR HUG
Author/Illustrator: Peter Draw
Release Date: 01/06
Publisher: Philomel Books; Penguin Young Readers
Genre: Picture Book – Friendship
Age Range: 4-8
*Giveaway Details*
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of AI & AIKO AND THE DINOSAUR HUG and AI & AIKO AND THE LITTLE CURVE (Peter Draw)! ~ US ONLY!
Not only is the cover very cute, with icicles all over the poor neglected dinosaur, but the author’s comments are very positive!