Book Trailer Premiere: What If...by Samantha Berger and Mike Curato

Hello, Samantha Berger! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE What IF…so much! Thank you for dropping by to share its book trailer and to finish my sentences. I greatly appreciate it.

Well aloha, wonderful Mr. Schu!

We’re both so thrilled to be back with you.

(ehh, unintentional rhyme there, I swear).

Thank you for loving this book.

And thank you for being a Schuper Duper stop on our blog tour!

It means the world.

This is crazy, but back when you and I were e-mailing, in 2015, it was about mutual love for Mike (!!!) and how happy we were about him winning the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor.

Yes, I remember our conversation. I love that you and Mike collaborated on What If...

And, of course, about mutual love of the Golden Girls.

Dorothy, Rose, Sophia, and Blanche always make me think of you.

Back then, I had considered answering your Sentence Starters with multiple choices Sentence-Enders, but surprisingly, didn’t do it then.

But now, here we are, three years later, and since this book is the song of my soul, and since creating this book with my bestie was the collaboration of a lifetime, and since I can’t seem to do anything in a “normal” conventional way, I ask WHAT IF…we did do multiple choice this time? Let’s see!

Ohhhhhhh...what a brilliant idea! Thank you!

What If…’s book trailer…

-was made (deep dramatic movie voice) IN A WORLD…

-is way better than the trailer for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Part 87

-was scored with original music by Kirsten Price, a dear friend and musical shenius, who heard this manuscript FIRST, and is acknowledged in the back of the book.

Mike Curato’s illustrations…

-make me misty every time I see them.

-use mixed media and found objects, JUST like the project I was working on, when I first met Mike.

-are a perfect harmony with the text, much like what Mike and I strive for, when we sing karaoke together.

The ellipses in the title...

-make it a very challenging hashtag.

-lends itself to endless What If…joke sentence starters.

-accompanies the copy on the back cover: “What If…nothing could take away our imagination,” which is the essence of what this book is about.

Hello, Mike Curato! Thank you for finishing my sentences. 

Mike: WHAT IF...I’m so happy to be back!? Thanks for having us, Mr. Schu!

Samantha’s text…

-gives me CHILLS!

-speaks right to my heart.

-consists of words that are so carefully selected, sculpted, and polished that you could find actual pieces of marble sprinkled under her desk.

Gatefolds…

-are perfect for a grand reveal.

-are reserved for a “say something big” spread.

-can be used to show the outside and inside of a character.

On April 10th, 2018…

-I will put on my dancing shoes and party hat.

-we will be celebrating two auspicious holidays: National Library Workers Day and Encourage a Young Writer Day!

-I will have a new book in the world that I got to make with one of my best friends! We hope that readers will think to themselves “What if…”, and let their imaginations open their hearts and minds to endless worlds of possibilities.

For more information and to order your copy, please visit Mike or Samantha’s sites.

Be sure to join us for the rest of The Official What If Blog Tour:

3/26 Nerdy Book Club: WHAT IF...We Told You the Story Behind the Story?

3/27 7 Impossible Things: WHAT IF...Mike Curato Used Mixed Media to Make a Book?

3/28 Pragmatic Mom: WHAT IF...We Used Our Creativity to Overcome Obstacles?

3/29 Kidlit Frenzy: WHAT IF...Two Best Friends Made a Book Together?

Also, check to see if we’ll be in a town near you on our upcoming book tour!

photo credit: Leo Moreton