Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Vicky Lorencen on the release of The Big Book of Barf

A Spewnami of Sick Science, Hurled History, and Body Oddities

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

My husband and I were chatting, and he mentioned the new lineup for a team he volunteered with at our church—including someone named Ralpha. The unusual name immediately tickled my imagination and made me think of “ralphabet.” That’s when the lightbulb/barf bag appeared over my head. “THAT could be something!” I said, and my husband immediately agreed. I wasn’t even thinking of writing non-fiction for kids, but the idea was too fun to pass up. What started as a ralphabet book of weird words for vomit exploded into THE BIG [as in 288 pages!] BOOK OF BARF. Proving once again, much like vomit, you never know when inspiration will spew something at you!

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

First, my goal was to create a book with an intimidation factor of minus 10 so that kids who are shy about exploring science will feel welcome to wade on in. Because it’s arranged in ralphabetical order, young readers can jump into any page to find digestible chunks of facts, stories, activities or recipes. I hope kids will become so fascinated, they’ll want to keep reading.

My second hope is that kids will come to a whole new appreciation of their amazing bodies and be encouraged to take good care of themselves.

What inspires you to write?

I can’t “not” write. Writing helps me see what I’m thinking (if that makes any sense). It’s how I entertain myself and how I connect most easily with others.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

THE BIG BOOK OF BARF is available through big box retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Target, but I’m very pleased it can also be found in independent bookstores across the US and even around the world—after all, barf is a global experience!

What's next for you?

My agent is sending out a proposal for another non-fiction middle grade with a whole new cast of characters who introduce loads of cool sciencey stuff. Fingers crossed!

More about the book . . .

THE BIG BOOK OF BARF A Spewnami of Sick Science, Hurled History, and Body Oddities is for curious, science-minded kids who love to digest (and then regurgitate) cool and crazy facts. This colorful and engaging book is hosted by 10-year-old Chuck, his buddy Queezy, and their knowledgeable friend Professor Anita Puke. THE BIG BOOK OF BARF is filled with myths and history about vomit, humorous health hacks to keep your food down, facts about your digestive system, activities for home, jokes—and even recipes! All this gastronomic gargle-gravy goodness will entertain and inform young readers whether at home, in school, or especially [cough, gag, heave] in the bathroom.

Publisher: Bright Matter, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books

More about the author . . .

Vicky Lorencen has been in healthcare communications for more than 15 years, writing about everything from allergies to Zika virus. Her previous writing-related roles include college writing instructor, freelance journalist, and associate editor for Kids in Common, a family resource magazine. Vicky’s work for young readers has appeared in Highlights for Children, Ladybug and Girls’ Life. Vicky and her husband live in Michigan with their feline proprietor Finn.

Find Vicky via her website/blog "Frog on a Dime" at https://vickylorencen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicky.lorencen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickylorencen/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vlorencen.bsky.social