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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Dear Bookstore
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.emilyarrow.com/
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:Graduated from Berklee College of Music; currently earning a master’s degree.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Musician and curriculum designer. Singalong Shop, Nashville, TN, founder; Storïwr Children’s Theater Company, music director; Literary Arts, writing instructror. Performed hundreds of concerts in a variety of venues. Has written for children’s television.
WRITINGS
Author’s music albums include Sing Along with Emily Arrow and the “Storytime Singalong” series; wrote the lyrics for thirty-seven episodes of the Netflix show Cocomelon.
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 1, 2020, Maryann Owen, review of Studio: A Place for Art to Start, p. 65.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2019, review of Studio; January 15, 2025, review of Dear Bookstore.
ONLINE
Children’s Book Review, https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/ (August 1, 2025), Bianca Schulze, author interview.
Emily Arrow website, https://www.emilyarrow.com/ (August 1, 2025).
Literary Arts, https://literary-arts.org/ (August 1, 2025), author bio.
Oregonian, https://www.oregonlive.com/ (March 12, 2020), Amy Wang, “Children’s Entertainer Emily Arrow Is a Portlander Now.”
WHY I STARTED A MUSIC & LITERACY MOVEMENT
My journey began with a profound love for both music and education. With an undergraduate degree from Berklee College of Music and currently earning my Master of Arts in Teaching, I’ve dedicated my career to merging these passions. My goal is to create engaging, innovative experiences that inspire children to embrace literacy through the joyful power of music. Through my work as an experienced teacher, author, and award-winning songwriter, I strive to ignite a love of reading and self-expression in the next generation.
I am a consultant for children’s film and television programming and I offer teaching residencies and workshops around the country at schools, libraries, and arts-based organizations. I am also a Writing Instructor for Literary Arts, Music Director of Storïwr Children’s Theater Company, and the Resident Host of the Portland Book Festival’s Children’s Stage.
My story began while teaching K-6 Music when I decided to create an educational YouTube Channel of songs inspired by my favorite picture books. This was a heart project intended to create meaningful resources for teachers to utilize in their classrooms. After two years of growing the project, I decided to leave the classroom to pursue my lifelong goal of being a touring musician.
Since then, I’ve had the honor of collaborating with the most amazing songwriters and producers (all of whom I am lucky to call friends!) to create 7 original music albums for children.
I sought representation by a literary agent and published 7 books at publishing houses including Penguin Random House and Happy Fox Books. More coming soon with Candlewick Press. I can hardly believe it, a true dream 🥹
My career interests also extend to some fun projects that are near and dear to my heart:
💿 2023: I achieved a personal milestone by signing my first (small) recording production deal with Platoon Records!
🍉 2022: I was the Lyric Writer for 37 episodes of the children’s Netflix show Cocomelon
🎙 2022: I created, produced, and performed in my own Audible Original audio show for children - Go listen to Emily Arrow's Story Bike!
🎶 2020: Founded my own online music school, teaching over 500 students ages 4 and up to play ukulele, piano, singing, and songwriting
📺 2018-present: I’ve developed and pitched multiple children’s tv shows to major networks
🛍 2018: I founded a brick & mortar retail business in 2018 in Nashville, TN called Singalong Shop
🎶 Curious who I write with? Co-writers include April Bender, Cazz Brindis, Grace Kelly, Kristin Cifelli, Sean Della Croce, Ari Tibi, Nick Goldston, and Eric Leva.
Emily Arrow
Emily Arrow (she/they) is an award-winning children’s songwriter, author, and educator known for crafting meaningful stories and songs. She is the author of many books for children including the picture book Studio: A Place For Art to Start (Penguin Random House), Kids’ Guide to Ukulele and Kids’ Guide to Piano (Happy Fox Books) and eagerly awaits four forthcoming titles with Candlewick Press. In addition to writing and teaching, Emily works as a writer and show creator for children’s media, and her long standing role as Children’s Stage Host at the Literary Arts’ Portland Book Festival for nine years underlines her commitment to promoting literacy and arts. Visit www.EmilyArrow.com to learn more.
Emily Arrow
Website: https://www.emilyarrow.com/
Speed Interview with Emily Arrow, Author of Kids’ Guide to Learning the Ukulele: 24 Songs to Learn and Play
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Emily Arrow
Emily Arrow is an award-winning children’s songwriter with 10+ years of experience working with children in music education. Her albums have been played on SiriusXM’s Kid’s Place Live. She has also worked with Sesame Street Studios on The Witch Sisters, and with Cantana Learning Center on the Library Skills Series. Emily is an official Kala Brand Music Company artist. She is based in Nashville, TN.
The Children’s Book Review: Which five words best describe Kids’ Guide to Learning the Ukulele?
Emily Arrow: Colorful, approachable, interactive, how-to, musical.
Can you share one highlight from the book?
One highlight from the book is a song called “Find The Sock” that readers can play with a partner. The reader will hide a sock and then give clues about how to find it by playing their ukulele! It’s a fun way to solidify chord mastery and interact with others through music.
What has been the best reaction from a reader, so far?
At the book’s launch party in Austin, TX at BookPeople, one young reader shared that she’d been hoping to learn ukulele her whole life and was so grateful to finally have a chance to learn. It’s truly fulfilling to hear readers share with me that the book is helping them on their own musical journey.
Why do you think music should be an important part of a child’s day?
I think music is a powerful tool for self-reflection and expression that’s incredibly accessible to humans at a young age. So I believe finding ways to bring music into the daily life of children can open doors for them to understand themselves and the world around them.
For any readers out there just getting started in their music career, is there are particular ukulele that you recommend for beginners?
I recommend the brand Kala for beginner ukuleles. Their model KA-15S is an affordable soprano ukulele that stays in tune exceptionally well. And if readers want to play the same exact ukulele as I do, they can try Kala’s blue tenor ukulele model KA-TEMB.
For your writing energy: sugar or salt, tea or coffee?
Cold-brew coffee!! My favorite thing on a writing day is to wake up and realize I can stay in my pajamas and sip cold brew all morning.
Writing tools: computer, pen and paper, or all of the above?
The tool I used for writing this book was a surprise to me — iPad! I began by digitally drawing my own versions of the diagrams and illustrations that are now in the book. And when I was writing the song content for the book, I need to audio record some parts. So for both, I would use my iPad because I could move around freely with my ukulele to digitally draw, record, and write.
What’s on your nightstand? Any books?
So many books. Always. And almost always exclusively non-fiction female authors. I’m currently reading work by Pema Chodron, the poet Mary Oliver, and Maria Popovia. A favorite picture book text of mine right now is “Music for Mister Moon” by Erin and Phillip C. Stead.
Can you tell us something that even your most loyal fans may not know about you?
I’m left-handed!
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
If a reader is considering learning the ukulele but doesn’t personally own one yet, I suggest they check with their local library! An exciting discovery has been finding out about the many libraries in the US and Canada that offer ukulele lending programs now.
Children’s entertainer Emily Arrow is a Portlander now
Published: Mar. 12, 2020, 5:00 a.m.
A woman dressed in a green beanie, puffy coat and scarf gives a big smile while tuning a green ukulele on an outdoor deck
Children’s entertainer Emily Arrow tunes her ukulele before an appearance at Green Bean Books in Portland Sunday.Amy Wang/Staff
By Amy Wang | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Sunday morning, the outdoor courtyard at Green Bean Books overflowed with preschoolers and their parents as the Northeast Portland children’s bookstore hosted Emily Arrow, a singer, songwriter, ukulelist and now, Portland author.
Arrow, newly moved to Portland and already a familiar face as the annual emcee for the Portland Book Festival’s kids’ storytimes, was at Green Bean Books to present her debut picture book, “Studio: A Place for Art to Start.”
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“My favorite places, really, are places where artists are making things,” Arrow said. But while she’d seen books about artist studios, “there wasn’t something to inspire kids to curate the same sort of thing in their life, or to feel a sense of ownership about the environment where they feel free to be an artist.”
She decided to write a “studio poem” about artists she’d spent time with, in the hope that “kids would give themselves permission, especially as they decided to try a new art, to really find a home for that.”
In “Studio,” a young bunny gets an up-close look at artists and makers working in all sorts of mediums. The book, aimed at children ages 3 to 7, is illustrated by The Little Friends of Printmaking, who bring to it a Richard Scarry-like vibe, especially through a ladybug character that can be spotted engaging in art on most pages.
Emily Arrow sits with her ukulele in her lap and holds up a copy of her new picture book Studio
Emily Arrow presents her new picture book, "Studio," at Green Bean Books in Portland on Sunday.Amy Wang/Staff
“This ladybug in particular I think represents the side of someone who’s willing to try everything” artistic, Arrow said. “Similar to Richard Scarry, it’s the kind of book that, just like when you walk into a studio, there’s so much to look at.”
Arrow, a former teacher, hopes readers will find a page or two “that really speaks to them in an inspiring way” and that becomes a starting point for an artistic endeavor.
As for her move to the Rose City, Arrow said, “I really love Portland and I’ve felt a connection with this community over the years.”
Arrow also recently released the book “Kids' Guide to Learning the Ukulele.” Her music is available on Spotify and iTunes. She also has a YouTube channel, where she plans to release a music video featuring the Green Bean Books event.
Arrow, Emily STUDIO Tundra (Children's Fiction) $17.99 3, 3 ISBN: 978-0-7352-6485-4
This picture-book debut by a children's entertainer with a focus on literacy features a child-and-mother bunny pair touring a collective studio space.
The furry white youngster, sporting a pink-and-white-striped shirt and black skirt, eagerly follows the cat with the keys who guides them. Activities range from photography and dance to painting and singing. Some of the spaces, such as the ceramics room and recording studio, offer hands-on opportunities. Cheerful, busy silk-screened scenes are unified by a limited palette in the turquoise, coral, and yellow families. Black adds definition and contrast. An artistic ladybug awaits discovery in each spread. Rhyming verses (reminiscent of the author's songs) are presented in a variety of voices: first- or third-person plural, first-person singular, second-person singular, etc., with two to four lines per page. While "the studio" is understood to be the book's subject, the use of mixed viewpoints and short phrases occasionally muddles meaning and makes for some awkward textual transitions that are more noticeable than they might be in a song. For instance, after phrases that dwell on "a habitat for makers," the turned page reads: "Perhaps an animator / Or an actor with a part. / No matter who, they're free to do / Whatever's in their hearts." Ultimately, listeners will enjoy seeing the protagonist find a personal space for creation.
Despite textual issues, this window into process will be welcomed in the current maker environment. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Arrow, Emily: STUDIO." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A605549487/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=51ece46c. Accessed 16 June 2025.
Studio: A Place for Art to Start. By Emily Arrow. Illus. by Little Friends of Printmaking. Mar. 2020.40p. Tundra, $ 17.99 (9780735264854). PreS-Gr. 1.
This picture book is a love song to creativity, and its rhyming text is filled with encouragement for children to try out all types of art. A father rabbit takes his child to the Uptown Art Studios for a tour. During their walk through the rooms, they are introduced to a number of artists who are creating a specific kind of art, including painting, photography, sculpture, drawing, and music. Various animals use the studio space in order to develop their gifts. The small bunny tries her hand at sculpting and singing while taking in the many ways one can be creative. The studio is "A place for making music, / A place for making art, / A place to build and dream and move, / A place for art to start." Large, brilliantly colored illustrations featuring pink, gold, teal, and blue capture readers' eyes as the pictures stretch across the double-page spreads. There are many details and much activity taking place in each image, and children will want to pore over every one.--Maryann Owen
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Owen, Maryann. "Studio: A Place for Art to Start." Booklist, vol. 116, no. 13, 1 Mar. 2020, p. 65. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A618567266/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=abb8e03e. Accessed 16 June 2025.
Arrow, Emily DEAR BOOKSTORE Candlewick (Children's None) $17.99 3, 11 ISBN: 9781536210699
A child finds a second home in a small bookstore.
"We're glad you're here!" The young narrator feels welcome right away; everything--an adorable pup, the books all around, even the soft, comfy chair--seems to be extending an enthusiastic greeting. A friend shares the child's belief that the store is full of magic. On each return visit, the bookseller welcomes the protagonist and asks what books the little one is seeking. Whether the child craves mysteries, adventure, or stories that "twinkle," the perfect book is always right there. Brief, highly expressive text and fantastical illustrations adeptly capture the child's love for the bookshop. Many scenes are bathed in a dreamy, nostalgia-hued mist. As children and adults peruse the books, their dreams take flight in the form of bright yellow birds, flowers, animals, and strange creatures that float against a purple backdrop. As time passes, the narrator becomes a writer, who hosts a book signing at the store; the bookseller, now gray-haired, carries a stack of books, and the protagonist's friend has become a painter. Though the narrator realizes that bookstores are facing challenges ("People weren't reading books anymore--they mostly just read screens," a neighbor notes), the beloved shop is still here, filled with readers and their dreams. The narrator is light-skinned, while the friend and the bookseller are Black, and their community is diverse.
A heartfelt tribute to the power of books and bookstores. (author's note)(Picture book. 4-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Arrow, Emily: DEAR BOOKSTORE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A823102413/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e3a2df76. Accessed 16 June 2025.