Cover Reveal for I SPARK LIKE LIGHTNING!

I’m so thrilled to be kicking off Disability Pride Month by sharing the cover of my second picture book with you! This book was actually the first book deal I made, just over 2 years ago, but will be my second book to hit shelves. It will be available anywhere books are sold on April 7, 2026, but is available for pre-order now!

Here are some links if you want to get a head start on snagging a copy. :) Pre-orders are HUGE and incredibly helpful for authors. They help build anticipation and excitement before a book’s release. And they act as a demand signal, informing publishers and bookstores about the level of interest in the book. This can increase the initial print-run for the book, and influence marketing efforts and bestselling data. It can even influence my future book sales with publishers!

Ruby's Books (You can get a signed copy and bookmarks here!)

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop.org

Big thanks to my agent, Christie, and The CAT Agency, for hosting a lovely cover reveal!

⚡️🩰 Cover Reveal! 🩰⚡️ This gorgeous new cover has sparked so much joy! We can’t wait for Jenna Elyse Johnson’s (@kidlit_jennaj) upcoming picture book, I SPARK LIKE LIGHTNING, illustrated by Sue Teodoro!

A Realistic and Accessible Portrayal of a Child Living with EpilepsyIn I Spark Like Lightning, Jen explains what it’s like to live with epilepsy. Most of the time, her brain is full of electricity that sends signals to tell her body what to do. But sometimes, the signals get mixed up, like a lightning storm, and she has seizures. They can happen any time—at home, during ballet class, even at the beach. It’s hard sometimes, but there are a lot of people who love her and help keep her safe. With the help of her family, friends, and her service dog, Hamilton, Jen manages her epilepsy and appreciates the lightning as part of who she is.

- Offers an honest portrayal of life with epilepsy, what it’s like to experience seizures, and how kids manage it

- Celebrates disability joy and offers an empowering self-representation for disabled kids

- Helps children develop empathy and understanding with first-person storytelling from a child’s perspective

- Centers disabled voices by drawing on the author’s experience with epilepsy

The Disability Books for Kids series explores visible and invisible disability in the first person, as seen through the eyes of children and written from lived experience. The series builds allyship, challenges ableism, and celebrates difference, empowering and educating all readers. Each book includes an author’s note to the reader.Make sure to preorder your copy of I SPARK LIKE LIGHTNING, releasing April 7th, 2026 from @freespiritpublishing⚡️🩰