Would You Read It Wednesday #160 – Finley VS The Fly (PB) PLUS The December/January Pitch Pick!

Wowee!  What a busy week it’s been so far and it’s only Wednesday!

Monday was Phyllis’s big day, and boy did we ever get a lot of AMAZING poetry, videography, art, photography, etc to celebrate!  If you didn’t get a chance to see/read, you really won’t want to miss it (and everything is very short and un-time-consuming so you should totally check it out! :))  Go HERE.

One item that didn’t make it in time for Monday’s post, and didn’t get posted yesterday because I was away at a school visit, is Dana Atnip’s totally fun depiction of everyone’s favorite weather-hog!

illustration copyright Dana Atnip 2015
please visit her website HERE

I’ll add it to Monday’s post, but I didn’t want anyone to miss it! 🙂

We will figure out some winners from Phyllis’s celebration, I just haven’t had time because, as I mentioned, I was “out of the office” 🙂

Phyllis and I had a LOVELY school visit yesterday!  There were balloons and cake and wonderful students and teachers!  I’m hoping to have pictures to share at some point, but my photo stream won’t update… because I am a technopoop!… so maybe next time!

Now then!  Onward to today’s business!

First, we have the December/January Pitch Pick!

Here are last month’s wonderful pitches, newly tweaked and polished thanks to your helpful advice.

#1 Marla – Froggy Went A Courtin’ (PB ages 4-8)
Froggy Went a Courtin’ is an updated version of the traditional song. Missy Mousey has agreed to marry Froggy. But an old tom cat crashes their wedding and wants to eat the bride. It’s up to the strong and independent Missy Mousey to save herself, Froggy, and the day.

#2 Jeff – Stormy With A Chance Of Pizza (PB ages 3-7)
Grandpa’s creative problem solving saves the day (or at least their dinner) when ‘can do’ perseverance triumphs over challenges of a new recipe and Mother Nature’s threats, showing  his storytelling grandchild the value of self reliance.

#3 Bekah – The Penguin And The Pelican (PB ages 4-8)

After being turned away by graceful dancers at a dance hall, a penguin and a pelican try to fix their awkwardness on land by taking lessons from graceful but greedy dance teachers.  When the birds discover that dance lessons have not cured their clumsy gaits, new friends help the pair to keep dancing joyfully and find their natural gracefulness. 

#4 Michele – Hoot And Holly (PB ages 4-8)

When Holly finds the orphaned owlet Hoot in a windswept field near home, she knows he won’t survive without her help. With clues from Hoot and a bit of creativity, Holly teaches Hoot to hunt and fly. And when he is ready, they say goodbye.    

#5 Maria – The Trouble With Homework (PB ages 6-9)

“Demonstrations Speeches Today” is written in large letters on the board. OH NO! What’s a kid to do when he’s totally forgotten about his homework? Sometimes, you just have to improvise!
Join Ms. Noble’s 3rd grade class as they deliver their first-ever speeches. Ethan’s folding napkins. Ella’s frosting cake. Jillian’s crying great, big tears ’cause her cookies didn’t bake! But what about Conor? He’s come to school unprepared so he’ll just have to make his up as he goes along. Don’t be surprised if he has to “let the cat out of the bag.”
Do you have anything to demonstrate to others? Let Conor’s presentation inspire you to create your own speech and show off the skills and talents you have. A speech outline is included to get you started.
Disclaimer: No snails or house cats were harmed in the making of this book! 

Please vote for the one you think is best and deserves a read by editor Erin Molta by Sunday February 8 at 5 PM EDT and I will announce the winner next week.

Now dearies, I know you’re pooped out after all that reading and voting, so how about  quick pick-you-up?  Something Chocolate always does it for me 🙂 and I’m in a brownie mood today so…

YUM!

Feel better?

Good!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Kirsten.  Kirsten W. Larson used to work for NASA but now writes about rocket science — and just about any science — for kids. She is the author of SCIENCE FAIR SUCCESS! and USING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD (Rourke), as well as more than a dozen children’s magazine articles. Find her at kirsten-w-larson.com

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Finley VS The Fly
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages
The Pitch: On the verge of losing his favorite sandwich to a pesky fly, Finley strikes back with a vacuum, the sink sprayer and more creating chaos in the kitchen. But when he finally wallops the fly, he learns to be careful what he wishes for.

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Kirsten improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in June so you’ve got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Kirsten is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to catching up on whatever I missed yesterday, and getting to meet an online friend in real life later – all the way from Indiana!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!!! 🙂

59 thoughts on “Would You Read It Wednesday #160 – Finley VS The Fly (PB) PLUS The December/January Pitch Pick!”

  1. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    Thank you for your comments for Kirsten, Angela! And by all means, help yourself to as many brownies as you like after the agony of voting 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed Dana's drawing – I thought it was inspired 🙂

  2. Ariel Bernstein says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    I would read this! It sounds like wonderful, silly fun 🙂 I don't know if someone else suggested this already but I would put a comma after 'more'. Also, instead of two 'he's in a row, I would change the second 'he' to 'Finley.'

  5. Johnell DeWitt says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    I'd read it. Lots of great suggestions already but to add one other:

    On the verge of losing his favorite sandwich to a pesky fly, Finley strikes back. He tries the vacuum cleaner, the sink sprayer and (another item) to vanquish his flitting foe, but the fly isn't going down easy. When the chaos finally settles and Finley wins the day, he starts to wish he hadn't.

    I added vacuum cleaner because it fit with the same cadence of your following item: sink sprayer. This sounds very fun.

  8. This_Kid_Reviews_Books_Erik says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    I couldn't vote, mostly because the poll closed. Serves me for being late – humpf. Are there anymore brownies? 😉
    Ms. Atnip's picture is awesome! 😀
    I don't think I can say any more than what other people have said, but I WOULD read the book! 😀

  9. Susanna Leonard Hill says:
    Reply
    Unknown's avatar

    Don't feel bad, Erik! You are a busy guy! I appreciate you stopping by at all, and I know Ms. Larson does too. No worries about the voting – we have a very clear winner this time, so no tie-breakers were needed, and there are always plenty of brownies for you! 🙂