Mining for Heart: “We are all Mootilda.” by Kirsti Call

Posted on by Beth Anderson

Just take a look at that book cover…who hasn’t felt like that a time or two recently? And that just might be the key to the heart of this new picture book. Welcome, Kirsti Call, co-author of Mootilda’s Bad Mood. Thank you for sharing your process of adding the heart to the humor in your new picture book! 

Giveaway! Kirsti is giving away a signed ARC (Advance Release Copy)! Just add your comment below to be entered.

Last week’s blog giveaway winner of Lindsey McDivitt’s Truth & Honor: The President Ford Story is…  “julietersteeg” – Congratulations!

Kirsti Call Author Photo Color!We are all Mootilda.

Let me explain. Mootilda is the one who has a hard moment, then a hard couple of hours, then a hard day, and then a hard few months.  Global pandemic, anyone?

Mootilda’s friends try to distract her, but things just get worse.  And when she finally realizes that other animals are also struggling, she doesn’t lose heart. They cow-miserate and she tries to help.  Does this sound familiar?

I’ve always had my heart set on writing a book with the perfect combination of humor and heart.  Mootilda started with humor.  And then Corey Rosen Schwartz and I squeezed the heart of the story in at the last possible moment—just in time for COVID 19.  Here’s how Mootilda is all of us in our heart of hearts. Mootilda cover

  1. Mootilda is relatable. She gets more and more frustrated with every cow-tastrophe she experiences.  With a heavy heart, she vents: “I’m in a bad mooooooood!”  This creates emotional resonance for toddlers and adults alike. Who hasn’t wanted to have a tantrum about something important being cancelled recently?
  2. Mootilda accidentally hurts others. Her bad fortune affects the chickens, and she’s totally oblivious to it. But her heart is in the right place. How many times have we accidentally taken our moods out on others?
  3. Mootilda helps when she realizes her friends are suffering. When Mootilda realizes her friends are sad, she has a change of heart. She empathizes, talks to them, and helps by giving them her favorite treat. No matter how tough life seems, don’t we all try to help when we realize there’s a need?

We're in a bad moood!

So there you have it.  We are all Mootilda.

And it’s our choice. What will we do with all our mooooooooods?  Personally, I’d like to get to the heart of the matter and moooooove right into cow-miserating and ice-cream made from scratch.  Who wouldn’t?

mootilda mugs

Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered  to win a signed ARC of Mootilda’s Bad Mood! Drawing 10/2. Continental US Addresses only please.

18 thoughts on “Mining for Heart: “We are all Mootilda.” by Kirsti Call”

  15. Exactly! This book makes me smile whenever I read it. Such a good reminder for parents and kids, alike, that those mooods affect others, and that laughter can go a long way toward improving our moooods….and yes, ice cream helps, too…..

    Liked by 2 people

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  16. Perfect classroom book for many reasons. Who doesn’t get frustrated! There are a number of themes and it one situation reminded me of my daughter being loud (hearing impaired) and somewhat clumsy as a child — clueless to how she impacted other kids. Look forward to checking this book out.

    Liked by 2 people

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