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Celebrate Embrace Your Geekness Day with José Avelino Gilles Lourenço &James Braithwaite - PLUS 3-Book Giveaway!

Happy Embrace Your Geekness Day, readers, writers, and RoboCorn lovers of all kinds! 🤓⚙️ Today we're celebrating with a picture book that proves imagination, creativity, and a little geekiness can lead to extraordinary adventures. We're thrilled to have José Avelino Gilles Lourenço and his delightful book, Billie Builds a RoboCorn, brilliantly illustrated by James Braithwaite with us for an up-close look at how RoboCorns are made.


Packed with STEM-inspired fun, humor, and heart, Billie Builds a RoboCorn follows an inventive young maker whose creativity knows no bounds. As Billie dreams up and builds an unforgettable robotic unicorn, readers are reminded to stay curious and embrace what makes us unique.


Want to know more about José and James, and their new book, PLUS want a chance to win one of THREE copies? Read on… 🤖🦄



Q: Hi, José and James! Welcome to SeasonsOfKidLit.com! We're so excited to celebrate Embrace Your Geekness Day with you and your wonderfully geeky & delightful picture book, Billie Builds a RoboCorn. José, can you tell us about the inspiration behind the story and a little about its path to publication?


José: Hey, thanks for having us! This first Billie book is very much a product of that particular brand of summertime loneliness that I think is fairly universal? I felt it as a kid whenever I was starting at a new school, which was often. We moved around a bunch when I was young, and I’d attended five different elementary schools by sixth grade. I always found new pals, but was also always a bit nervous about how it was going to go.


As for the path to publication, all credit has to go to the most wonderful agent, Rosemary Stimola, who from Day 1 envisioned Billie as a character who could lead a series. Ro shaped the pitch and found incredible partners for Billie in Tara and Sam at Tundra, and then we were off to the robo-races.


Q: Billie proudly embraces her geekness and isn't afraid to think differently. What do you hope readers take away from her story? And besides Embrace Your Geekness Day, what other holidays or celebrations make this book a great read all year long?


José: I hope Billie’s tenacity and élan resonates with readers — anybody can learn to do mechanical and electrical things, the same way anybody can try different creative pursuits. I like that she has no fear of failure, and dives headlong into whatever grabs her interest in the moment. Let’s have more of that in the world.


For holidays, Billie loves all things celebratory and any excuse for a big party, but she also has a special fondness for Back To School Week — the more kids in her orbit, the more opportunities for larks and capers.


Readers, you're in for a treat! James's energetic illustrations are bursting with color, creativity, and plenty of RoboCorn magic!


Thanks for sharing, José! And We couldn't agree more about James's illustrations!


Q: James, what was the most fun scene to illustrate, and what was the most challenging to illustrate?


James: My most challenging scene was the big reveal of Robocorn. In the previous pages we had seen Billie’s perfectly imagined Robocorn, but in this scene we see Billie’s actual creation.I had to imagine what a kid could find around the house to build such a Robocorn. It turns out that all you need is a broken stroller, a garbage can, a sandcastle bucket, a yogurt container, a spatula or two and a paper towel roll for a horn. Simple as can be! It only took me about a million sketches to make it all work. 


Coming up with a million funny little inventions for the end papers was the most fun. If left to my own devices, I would brainstorm silly inventions until my fingers fall off. 


Q: Also, what is your favorite spread from the book and why is it your favorite?


James: The two pages where Billie is jamming with her friends, paired with the page of Billie moving to the new town are my favourite. Like José, I moved a lot as a kid, and I very distinctly remember having to leave my set of friends to move across the country. I wanted to capture the wild fun of her making music with her friends, and contrast it with the grumpy drive to a new city. Also both images have Hank the Turtle, who I think is the lowkey star of the book. 


Q: José, if you could build your own RoboCorn, what ridiculous features would it have? 

James, we'd love to know what your version would look like!


José: I actually did build one! My favourite thing about him is the robot heart inside his chest cavity. It’s constructed from a copper-wrapped deflection yoke I scavenged from the guts of an old tube TV, which I then wrapped in a string of blinking Christmas lights. Children seem to find it nearly as hypnotic as I do.


James: Since I was a child, I always dreamed of having a Chrome Plated Hot Lunch Dispenser, so no matter what kind of robot it is (probably a turtle) it would need to have a hatch that dispenses hotdogs. 


Q: One of our favorite things about Billie Builds a RoboCorn is how it celebrates curiosity, creativity, and STEM. What does embracing your geekiness mean to each of you, and were there any geeky hobbies or interests you loved as kids?


José: I don’t know if I ever thought of geekiness as something that was separate from my identity as a kid; it was more like an existing series of parallel veins coursing with green Vulcan blood. I always loved books, movies, video games, Lego, comics, etc., and was very happy to spend time alone gobbling those things up. 


Also: the best gift I ever received was a super detailed Technical Manual that very seriously explained the inner workings and technology of the NCC-1701D Enterprise from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — it went deep into the science and pseudo-science behind things like the transporter, warp drive, and holodeck. I feel like I still have it memorized? Go to page 112 to see how they explain space toilets.


James: I think geekiness is the true core of childhood fun. I was a super geek, and spent all my time drawing, soaking stamps off envelopes, and absorbing near lethal levels of Calvin and Hobbes. Geekiness is poopooed by adults because they are scared to be a kid again and have some real fun. I think STEM should be an extension of this fun, and not be treated as serious business for little adults.


Q: Looking back, what surprised each of you most about bringing Billie Builds a RoboCorn into the world?


José: It’s been so joyful seeing parents and kids laughing and smiling together during readings, and talking with them afterwards and goofing around. It’s a nice reminder that the world remains, at its core, a very positive and hopeful place. And it feels good to make a very small contribution to that vibe.


James: I’ve been happily surprised by how many people have seen themselves in Billie. Being bored and lonely is such a universal experience, and I’ve heard so many stories of the funny things both parents and kids have wizzed up in those doldrum days. 




Q: Would you like to leave a Tip or a Treat for our readers? 


James: Appreciating and understanding the power of boredom, especially as a kid, is my biggest tip. That’s the reason I draw, and why I’m never without pen and paper. Looking at your phone is clearly lame, so finding a way to disappear into your imagination at a moment's notice is the ultimate tip. Doctor is an hour late for an appointment? GREAT NEWS! 


Wonderful tip! Thank you!


And as a treat: Tundra would like to offer THREE copies of Billie Builds a RoboCorn to our readers!


Thanks again to you both for joining us! We had a wonderful time getting to know you and hearing more about your wonderful picture book.


Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter to win one of three copies of Billie Builds a RoboCorn, 1) share this post on social media and 2) leave a comment below to thank José and James for stopping by. HUGE bonus points for Robot & Unicorn GIFs too. ;)


Giveaway winners will be drawn and announced on or about 07/27.


Books will be shipped in the US only.



JOSÉ AVELINO GILLES CORBETT LOURENÇO is a Toronto-based writer and filmmaker. His debut feature Young Werther premiered in TIFF’s Special Presentations section, was longlisted for the Vallée Discovery Award, acquired by Lionsgate, and released theatrically around the world. A former Toronto Star columnist, he now works across film, television, publishing, and advertising. His wife and two daughters believe this bio would be 10% stronger if it were 10% shorter.









JAMES BRAITHWAITE is an illustrator, animator and writer, who lives in Toronto with his lovely wife and two little sprogs. James’ work has been nominated for an Oscar, was presented at the Guggenheim, and won an Emmy. An Emmy is alarmingly sharp, and is great for holding bananas. James currently spends all his time in his studio softly muttering at his watercolour palettes. He’s fine. But you should probably bring him a bagel.






For more about Billie the RoboCorn, Tundra, and their books, check out the below links:




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