You don’t have to tell me.
The Groundhogs’ unanimous prediction that we’d have 6 more weeks of winter was a little hard to take.
As we are currently being buried under what some say will be 6-12 inches of snow (and what others are saying will be 12-15 inches, and still others are saying 30+ inches) I guess they’re right so far. Dang and blast the little marmots!
(Uh, please don’t tell Phyllis I said that!)
This calls for Something Chocolate. And I have the perfect thing: Happy Cake!
Don’t you feel better just looking at it? Doesn’t it make you believe spring will come? Soon?
I thought so 🙂
Help yourselves! 🙂
Now then. Before we get to today’s Would You Read It pitch, we have a small matter of business to attend to….
Ironing our socks!
Hee hee hee! I’m just funnin’ y’all 🙂
I know the real order of business is….
Who won Phyllis’s Fun Fashion Show???
And the answer is…
Did I tell you about how Princess Blue Kitty (my car, for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of making her acquaintance :)) is absolutely filthy? Seriously, I have a theory that they put more salt and sand on the roads at the first hint of snow than they ever used to… Why, when I was a mere sprat, it could snow 2 feet and nary a morsel of salt nor sand did we see! We just had to tough our way through it, depending on the survival lessons our Maw and Paw had taught us in our upper east side apartments about how kitty litter makes for great traction…
I’m sorry. What were we talking about?
I believe I may have gone off on a tangent.
If you would all kindly stop distracting me with ridiculous stories about your cars, I would tell you that the winner of Phyllis’s Fun Fashion Show was none other than
Congratulations, Josie! Apparently I wasn’t the only one who loved your sweet sleepytime Phyllis in her cozy pink PJs and slippers with her lovable teddy! Great job!
2nd Place goes to Gracie for her stunning depiction of Springtime Phyllis! Congratulations on a gorgeous drawing, Gracie!
Interesting, isn’t it, that first and second place went to 8 year olds?! I think it’s clear that the youngsters in this crowd are mighty talented!
3rd Place was a tie between Julie Ro-Zo with her incredible Phyllis-as-Elvis drawing, Nata with Phyllis’s Allonge, and Beth with Opera Star Phyllis. (I told you we had a tie problem!) Congratulations, you three! You are exceptionally talented for people who are technically older than 8 (although we know you are young at heart :))
Josie, Gracie, Julie, Nata-ie, and Bethie, (I didn’t think we should break up the streak of -ie names :)) please email me and we’ll get those prizes sorted out! (And in case you’ve forgotten what the prizes are, you may view them HERE, and you may all have your choice of whichever one you want, even if you all want the same thing. Oh! And Pat Miller kindly offered to sign a bookplate for anyone who chooses Substitute Groundhog!)
Thanks to EVERYONE who participated in the Fashion Show! You are all SO creative and talented, and supplied all of us with SUCH enjoyment during this wintry week! Phyllis has never felt so well dressed!!! 🙂
My, that was exciting! But now we have something equally exciting in a different way…
Today’s pitch comes to us from Kristine who says, “I’m a stay-at-home mom who is truly living the dream: playing with my daughter by day and writing (if I don’t fall asleep first) at night. I couldn’t be happier to have found the amazing children’s book writing community that exists online, and I look forward to the day when I can fill a bookshelf with works by authors that I also can call friends.“
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: The STEM Girls: Rising Stars
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-8)
The Pitch: Sophia, Isabella, Madison, and Emma learn that science is not only fun, but an adventure, when their new telescope runs out of batteries, and they have to use their combined talents to save their stargazing trip. The girls are as enthusiastic about science, technology, engineering, and math – the STEM subjects – as Fancy Nancy is about being a girly girl, and they even have their own STEM Girls club to prove it. They invite readers to join them on their adventure, asking “Do you have what it takes to be a STEM Girl?”
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
Kristine is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to Friday because I have a most excellent book to share with you for PPBF, and also to not being snowed in anymore because we have done that enough times already and the novelty has worn off!
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Ummm…YES!!!! Phenomenal!! Girls in the STEM fields is such an important issue right now and I LOVE this idea! I like the pitch and like that it is short, but I wonder if a reader not as excited about STEM would wonder if the book has enough plot and excitement to stand on its own–would there be a way to mention one or two exciting things that happen along the way to their fixing the telescope? And one slightly silly question: I thought it was funny that their initials almost spell STEM, except that Isabella starts with an I instead of a T. Is this a coincidence? A plot point? Or does it just mean I have too much time on my hands? 🙂
Congratulations to the winners!! That was a fun contest, especially since I didn't have to enter and could just enjoy other people's work. 😉
Looove that cake! Almost made me forget the snow…and ice.
As for the pitch, I would love to read it because I am a STEM gal at heart myself. But I do think the premise might be better suited for kids 7-10 than 5-8. I think the pitch could be shortened. The last sentence didn't add much to the pitch. Everything that is vital was mentioned in the first couple of sentences.
I must be really old school because I've never heard of a telescope that needs batteries except for those that have automatic tracking systems. 🙂
Hope you're staying warm and safe, Susanna!
Thank you for your excellent thoughts for Kristine, Wendy! I will be interested in her response about the names – I wondered that too!
P.s. I had a similar thought to Wendy re their names!
Thank you for your insightful comments for Kristine, Teresa! And do help yourself to as much cake as you like 🙂 I am snug in my burrow, thank you, and hope you are too! It's only 7:29 AM and we have nearly a foot of snow already and it's still coming down HARD!
Me too 🙂
Yikes! We got a total of about maybe 6 inches with some ice on top (I'd rather have icing than ice…) but it looks like that's it for this storm. We're supposed to get another one by the weekend though. Holy moly! I want to swap Australia for some of their heat. :}
I know. Is it wrong to say I'm tired of winter??? The snow shows no signs of stopping any time soon here…
Congrats winners!
I would read the story. I've been working on a few stem ideas too- I think there's a lot of room. My little girls love learning science. Shorten up the pitch. Break the first long sentence into two. Cut half the words from the next sentence and I think you're there. Why not make Isabella a “t” name? Then you'll have stem names!
Congratulations all you winners! Kristine, I am going to be annoying and ask if you have thought of making this into a chapter book (series) as it reads older than a picture book for me?
Sounds like a fun one for sure – I'd probably read it! I'd leave out the last sentence of the pitch and tighten up the rest. Also thing it sounds better for slightly older – and am intrigued about the name thing others have mentioned.
And my kids have their seventh snow day of the school year today. Yay?? 😉
Hi Kristine- This is a great concept and I think there is totally room in the market for something like this. Right now, the pitch reads a little too message-y/lesson-y to me. I want to hear less about how they enjoy/learn about STEM topics, and more about the story and characters themselves. What's going to make us want to find out what happens in the story? That's not to say you shouldn't raise the STEM tie-in, because that's really important, but I think it could be in a second paragraph where you'd bring that up and maybe pitch a series?
Also, I agree with Joanna that this sounds more like an early chapter book than a picture book. There doesn't seem to be one identifiable main character here, it's more about the group. What if you focused on one of the girls as the MC for this story, and then the other girls could be the MCs for other stories?
Good luck with it, Kristine! 🙂
CONGRATS JOSIE!!!!!!! (she's doing a happy dance) Congrats all of the other winners!
I would read this book (even though I am a boy). I like the science part of it. I don't think I would compare it to Fancy Nancy but just tell what is cool about your book because it's a great idea! 🙂
Congratulations Josie and Gracie!!!! yipeee Hooray!!! you're both exceptionally talented artists!!!
I think most things have been covered. In addition to the things mentioned, I have a few comments about the following passage. My comments build on the other comments. “Sophia, Isabella, Madison, and Emma learn that science is not only fun, but an adventure, when their new telescope runs out of batteries, and they have to use their combined talents to save their stargazing trip.” If Sophia is the main character, I would simply say, Sophia and friends (or and her friends) learn . . . – A dead battery doesn't seem like a sustainable story problem. I'd like to have a clearer idea of how they use their talents to save their stargazing trip. Is it really the trip that they are trying to save? Or are they in need of a new battery or telescope?
Congrats Josie! I'm with Phyllis today in my PJs.
I like this book. I wondered about so many characters and whether it is a higher age book too?
It seems like they already know that science is fun, since they have their own club.
Maybe skip the not only fun … but also an adventure part.
Make it more about saving their stargazing trip and putting their STEM skills to the test.
Sophia and her friends' stargazing trip is in jeopardy when their telescope runs out of batteries. The girls must use their STEM Girls Club — science, technology, engineering, and math – talents to see the stars. Maybe an example of what they have to do? Is one girl the leader and they use teamwork to solve their dilemma? Good luck.
SNOW SNOW here too. Still pretty sparkly, but very cold.
I forgot to congratulate Josie and all the other Phyllis's Fun Fasion Show winners
I guess I'm more Fancy Nancy than STEM, because my first thought was, “Telescopes have batteries??” Ugh. That being said, I love strong, smart girl characters so I would read this like crazy (and learn a few things in the process…). I think the pitch can do without the last sentence. Good luck with it.
congrats to the 8-year-olds (even the ones technically over 8)!
Now the pitch: I love the idea but ditch “STEM girls”. I am totally STEM, but I think you should sneak it in. Could their names each start with a letter? Otherwise I'm guessing each is has a specific geeky love (science, math…) Reminds me of a book where a girl emphatically states “Insects are my life”. Anyway – I would def. read the pitch. But – heck- I am such a STEM girl.
Thanks so much for your helpful thoughts for Kristine, Sue! And I've got to wonder… if I was 8, could I draw? I think I missed my chance 🙂
I like your point that Fancy Nancy types might learn from a STEM story, Genevieve. So true! Thanks for your helpful comments for Kristine!
Congratulations winners! Yes, I'd read this book. Actually, I just read an article on Yahoo about a girl who wrote LEGO, complaining most of the Lego minifigures are for boys and the boys' legos are more adventurous than the ones for girls. So this story would really fit in our culture. For the pitch though, I don't know if kids would recognize STEM in the title. How about the science girls? kind of like PBS has a cool show for girls called the scigirls? Also, I'd get rid of the second part of the pitch where you explain what stem is. The part that starts “the girls are enthusiastic as…”
Such talent! 🙂
Thank you for your very helpful suggestions for Kristine, Stacy! We're all in PJs here too! We've gotten about a foot of snow, but the sound on the windows indicates it has just turned to ice… I'm glad I don't have to drive anywhere for awhile!
Thank you so much for your helpful insights for Kristine, Alayne!
They really are, aren't they? And so young! 🙂
I'm glad Josie is doing a happy dance – she deserves it! And I'm guessing you guys have the day off from school – everything is shut down in our neck of the woods – so more happy dancing 🙂 Thanks for your thoughts for Ms. Poptanich, Erik – I'm sure she'll find them helpful and like having a boy's POV.
First things, first- Wow! What a cake! If it wasn't for all the snow, I'd be over right now!
Congratulations to all the winners and to those who entered for their wonderfully creative artwork!
As for the pitch, I found it a bit confusing. Why not just replace the dead batteries? I imagine there is another greater problem that prevents their stargazing, and some hint to that needs to be mentioned. I think too much emphasis is put on the Stem Girls rather than their dilemma. I would focus the pitch more and shorten it.
But, yes, I would read it, because girls who are not girly and who enjoy science will relate to it,and perhaps even girly girls might gain some interest in things beyond their tutus and tiaras!
Thank you for your helpful and insightful thoughts for Kristine, Carrie!
Thanks for your thoughts for Kristine, Joanne! And wow! 7 snow days. It seems like more! 🙂
yes!!!!!!!! Kids drawings are so special! next time my daughter Bella would like to enter a future contest 🙂
I wondered about that too, Joanna! Thanks for mentioning it!
Congratulations Josie! I loved Phyllis in PJs, too! And congrats to Gracie and my fellow not-exactly-8-year-olds as well. (Does it count that at my next birthday I'll be a number that ends in 8?) Opera Star Phyllis is delighted that she has tied for 3rd, and I have a feeling I'll be hearing groundhog arias all day in celebration!
Now the pitch — everyone has already said the things I was going to say. Yes, I would read it, but I would like more about the story in the pitch rather than several mentions of STEM. I'm with the others who expected the names to have the same initials as STEM — I think that would be cool. I really liked Stacy's suggested rewording.
Good luck with your story, Kristine!
Thanks for your helpful suggestions for Kristine, Lauri! 🙂
Bravo for the LEGO girl! I hope LEGO follows up! I have long thought about that issue! And thanks for your comments for Kristine, Tina 🙂
Congrats to Josie! Now, as for the pitch, I would definitely read it! I think (as was already mentioned) that I would make the girls initials spell STEM. As an educator, there is a huge push for STEM projects in school, so I think this has great marketability! Good luck, Kristine!
Thanks for your comments for Kristine, Elaine! And… looks like another snow day 🙂 Sledding anyone?
Congrats to YOU, Beth! Phyllis and I were VERY fond of Opera Star Phyllis. So much so, in fact, that she is refusing to wear anything but a Viking helmet (which was her favorite part.) It's magical in the bathtub 🙂 Thanks for your thoughts for Kristine!
Hitch Jambo to the toboggan! I'll be waiting for you… in my PJs 🙂 And thanks for your very helpful thoughts on Kristine's pitch!
Oh shucks! She should have done this one! But no worries. I'm sure we'll have some other wacky scheme going on again soon 🙂
next time!
🙂
Kristine, Great pitch! I would definitely read on. You may want to explain what STEM stands for. Much success with your book.
Thanks so much for chiming in, Robin!
Susanna, I let the dog out and I lost her. She sank right in! (I think there is a PB story in there somewhere) Enjoy the day! 🙂
Great idea, great pitch! STEM is becoming a very common hot topic, so I wouldn't worry about people wondering what it stands for. Hooray for brainy girls!
Definitely! 🙂 My dogs just now decided they had to go out… in the snow/ice mix… and they are forging through snow up to their chests, barely able to go forward!
Hooray indeed! Thanks for chiming in, Nancy! 🙂
I echo Stacey's and Alayne's thoughts below. I would read it but it does sound more like a chapter book to me too. I'd like to hear more about the girls' problem solving skills and the real problem(may need a bigger one than the battery in telescope idea) in the story in the pitch. Congrats to the fashion show winners-they were all adorable!
Thanks for your thoughtful comments for Kristine, Ann – I know she'll find them helpful! And I know – everyone did such a good job with the fashion show I wish they all could have won!