It’s another Perfect Picture Book Friday, and not only do I have a wonderful book to share, I also have a giveaway thanks to Sterling Children’s Books!
Leave a comment on this post to be entered in the random drawing and you could be the lucky winner of a hot-off-the-presses copy of Bindu’s Bindis when it releases March 16!
Let’s have a look at this wonderful book! đ
Title: Bindu’s Bindis
Written By: Supriya Kelkar
Illustrated By: Parvati Pillai
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books, March 16, 2021
Opening: “Every month Bindu’s nani sent her a new set of bindis from India. Bindu adored her bindis. She wore them to the temple. She wore them on holidays. She wore them at home.”
Brief Synopsis: Bindu loves her family, especially her nani, and she loves the bindis that nani sends her. But sometimes, she feels different in a way that doesn’t feel good. But with her nani beside her and a lightning bolt bindi for courage, she finds she’s able to embrace who she is even if others sometimes find her differences strange.
Links To Resources: an author’s note at the end offers wonderful information and details about bindis; we are all unique – what are some things about you that others might find different, strange, or hard to understand about you even though they seem completely normal in your family?; we all have things in common – what are some things you share with people who seem different in some ways?; Bindu chooses certain bindis to match her mood/emotional state – a lightning bolt for feeling brave, an oval for pride, squiggly lines for feeling unique. Would you choose as Bindi does? What shapes would you choose to match feeling shy? Fierce? Uncertain?
Why I Like This Book: Bindu is a delightful and charming main character who bounces believably between exuberant self-confidence and sudden worrying uncertainty, but no matter what she faces she feels surrounded by and grounded in the love of her family, especially her beloved nani. I love the warm feeling of family, Bindu’s deep connection to nani, and the way culture and tradition come through as a natural part of the story without feeling forced or contrived. The bright, colorful art is a perfect complement to the brighter moments of the story, dimming to more subdued colors on the pages where Bindu’s confidence and security are challenged, and rising to a swirl of bright pink dress in the purple background of the stage when Bindu finds the courage to join nani. A lovely book that will introduce young readers to the meaning and importance of bindis.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out đ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Don’t forget to leave a comment to get entered in the random drawing to win a copy of this lovely book!
What a Would You Read It Straight From The Editor line up we have today!
Fun times for all!
It’s always such a great learning experience to hear what editor Erin Molta has to say!
Let’s jump right in, shall we?!
First off, we have such a treat! Straight From The Editor for FOUR (count them! 4!) pitches: April 2020, May/September 2020, October 2020, and November/December 2020!
You will recall Sierra’s winning pitch from April:
Title: The Bug Battle Circus Audience: Children ages 3-8 Genre: Narrative Nonfiction/Humor
Pitch: When household pests go head to head in the Bug Battle Circus, which crawly critters will be victorious? You guess! A wild, interactive story comparable to Bob Shea’s Crash, Splash, or Moo! and the Who Would Win? series. Nonfiction backmatter included.
Here’s what Erin had to say:
I can see the potential for this and understand why youâre comparing it to already published books but that shouldnât be in the pitch. Thatâs in the query letter. The pitch is your sell line. What makes your book specialâapart from Crash Splash Moo or Who Would Win? It would be great to get at least one example of a competition in the pitch. Even a wild interactive story is telling us, not showing us and an example from the story would have more impact on an editor. Perhaps something more like: Household pests go head to head in the Bug Battle Circusâants and mice compete to see who can hoist the most crumbs. Which crawly critters will be victorious in this interactive story? Nonfiction backmatter included.
Lindsey’s winning pitch from May/September was:
The Wind Keeper PB ages 4-8
On Jenny’s eighth birthday, Papa tells her that she comes from a long line of Wind Keepers. Together they harness the power of the wind to change the seasons and send kites flying high. But when Papa suddenly passes away, her world becomes still. Jenny must find the strength to overcome her grief and bring the wind back to the valley.
And Erin said:
This seems almost perfect. I would suggest one tweakâjust to have slightly more impact. Rather than âher world becomes stillâ because itâs everybodyâs world and no wind affects everybody, Iâd say âthe world becomes still.â
Nicole’s winning pitch from October was:
Dear Duchess (PB 4-8) When her octopus stuffie, Duchess, moves to the ocean to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a mermaid, Charley isnât sure sheâs brave enough to face the first day of school alone. Duchess and Charley comfort and cheer each other through letters until Duchess realizes that some things are even more precious than her magnifique new tail.
And Erin said:
This sounds adorableâso much going on between a pretend animal moving away to become a fantasy creature of a whole different type in a whole different place and then to write letters to her friend/owner. So much suspension of belief needs to be unpacked here. Not saying that canât be done but maybe Duchess goes back to the sea because of her lifelong dream to become a real octopus but realizes life in the ocean is dangerous and scary and lonely without her friend Charley. Just a thought. At the very least, I think you need to add âbelovedâ before octopus stuffie (as shown below)âjust to make it clear that Duchess is a well-loved longtime companion of Charleyâs.
When her beloved octopus stuffie, Duchess, moves to the ocean to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a mermaid, Charley isnât sure sheâs brave enough to face the first day of school alone. Duchess and Charley comfort and cheer each other through letters until Duchess realizes that some things are even more precious than her magnifique new tail.
Last but not least, Patricia’s winning post from November/December was:
Working Title: Back to the Sea (PB 4-8)
The Pitch: At sunrise on a lush, tropical island, an inquisitive child accompanies a huge cast of terrestrial hermit crabs as they scritchedy-scratch and clickety-clack on their annual journey to spawn in the sea. They face rocky terrain, hungry gulls, and larger animals that could crush them, but the crabs remain focused on their instinctive goal. This lyrical STEM manuscript is Hawk Rising set in the Caribbean.
Erin had this to say:
This seems very interesting. However, I would encourage you to get more of your lyrical language into the pitchâshow an editor, donât tell an editor that your text is lyrical. The scritchedy-scratch clickety-clack are great and I think that youâd be better off using another line to mention the dangers a hermit crab faces on its trek from the trees to the ocean. No need to mention another book (Hawk Rising) in the pitch. That goes in the query letter.
I am always so interested to hear Erin’s thoughts, and she is so helpful and generous to share them with us! I hope you all found this as educational as I did!
After all that learning, I think we need Something Chocolate, don’t you? Packed with vegetables (from the cocoa BEAN) and protein (from the peaNUT butter) and calcium (because I just dare you to eat these without a glass of milk!), let’s start the day off right with this healthy breakfast!
Now that you (surely!) feel totally energized (from all the nutrients of course, not the sugar surge đ) I think we’re ready to direct our full attention to today’s pitch which comes to us from Deborah. Deborah Foster is a home designer, mother, and a fantastic cook. Her CRAV-O-METER tends to have a “sweet” outcome and her all-time favorite food is cherry pie. She is a master at writing while cooking supper and, thankfully, her husband doesn’t mind eating burnt casseroles every now and then. Deborah is a member of 12×12, Inked Voices, and SavvyAuthors. She is always looking for more writing friends on Twitter. Follow her @DeborahClaytonF. A
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: The Bitter Tastebud
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Amargo is a bitter tastebud who can’t stand to take another sweet, salty, or lip-puckering bite. But he is outnumbered and so is his vote on the CRAV-O-METER. Amargo must figure out how to change the vote or continue eating the food he detests.
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 Deborah 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! Â For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. Â There are openings in April, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Deborah is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! Â I usually say something I’m looking forward to here, but today I have something for YOU to look forward to! I know I’m a little bit Mars-crazy, having written a book about Mars and the rovers, but if you haven’t seen this official video from NASA of Perseverance landing on Mars you’re in for a treat. It is, to put it plainly, absolutely incredible! Watch the video, share it with your kids and/or students, maybe read MARS’ FIRST FRIENDS along with it… đ but don’t miss the video!
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another exciting episode of Tuesday Debut!
Today’s debut-ess and I are clearly kindred spirits! Her book is being published by Nancy Paulsen, who has one of my books due out next year, her publication date is one of my daughters’ birthday, and her name is Rebecca, which is my sister’s name! There’s a pretty good chance we are twin princesses separated at birth đ
So I am delighted to introduce you to Rebecca Kraft Rector and her fun-looking book, Squish Squash Squished! (I don’t have my copy as of the writing of this post but I hope it will be here soon!)
Squish Squash Squished Written by Rebecca Kraft Rector Illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House February 16, 2021 Fiction, ages 2-6
When Max and Molly complain about being squished in the back seat of their gracious-spacious automobile, Mom invites their animal neighbors to ride along. Theyâd better figure out what to do before theyâre truly SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED!
SUSANNA:Welcome, Rebecca! Thank you so much for joining us today! We’re excited to hear all about how Squish Squash Squished came to be! Where did the idea for this book come from?
REBECCA: Family car rides were a big part of my childhood. But the story was not inspired by us kids being crowded in the back seat, because we were very well behaved. đ In fact, SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED grew out of another story I was working on. That story was about the car itself. Gradually I started focusing on the children and adding humor and word play. My most successful stories happen when Iâm making myself laugh.
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
REBECCA: I wrote and revised the story with the help of my critique group in about three months. It didnât sell and I put it away. That was twenty years ago!
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
REBECCA: SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED was revised at least 15 times before it was submitted.
I revise before sharing with critique partners and then I revise again. (and again) When I think a story is finished, I do a few more passes. I use Word to turn the text into a 4 x 8 table. Itâs an easy process under Insert/Table/Convert Text to Table. Each cell of the table represents a page of a 32-page book. The table lets me see where page turns will fall, if one page will have more words than another, if Iâm repeating things unnecessarily, etc. A new revision tool I use is Read Mode in Word. I can see the text spread across two pages, just like a book. And if I enlarge the font to 18 (or so) it has fewer words on the page, so it reads like a picture book. I also like to change the font size and color of the text. It gives me a totally new perspective on the story.
SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
REBECCA: After many revisions and feedback from my critique group, I felt I had a solid story. It made me laugh and the words flowed smoothly when it was read aloud.
Rebecca’s work buddies, Ollie and Opal đ
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
REBECCA: My agent submitted the story three times before we parted ways. Then I submitted to publishers that took unsolicited manuscripts. I put the story away when it was rejected and only pulled it out again, almost 20 years later, when I needed a story to work on for a workshop. Cecilia Yung, Art Director at Penguin Random House, saw the story at the workshop (text only since I canât draw), loved it, and took it to editor/publisher Nancy Paulsen. A week later, I received an email from Nancy offering to publish the story!
SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
REBECCA:This was my first picture book contract so I only had a vague idea of what to expect. The advance was divided into two paymentsâhalf on signing the contract and half on âdelivery and acceptance of the manuscript.â I believe âdelivery and acceptanceâ referred to a revised manuscript after editorial feedback. The number of author copies was negotiated from 10 to 24. The contractâs timeline for publication was 18 months after acceptance of text and illustrations. 18 months seemed a long, but reasonable time to wait. However, the timeline was actually about three and a half years. Publishing is sloooow.
SUSANNA: Can you tell us a bit about the editorial process?
REBECCA: The editorial process was wonderful. Nancy was awesome to work withâresponsive and open to discussing any questions I had. Yes, I had to make some changes. But she really did listen to my concerns. One example is that she had revised the story so that the animals exited the car in one paragraphâthe dogs got out at the puppy school, the ducks got out at the duck pond, and the pigs got out at the market. I really wanted to show the car gradually emptyingâthe dogs got out but Molly still had two ducks on her head quack-quacking and Max still had a pig on his lap oink-oinking. (Those lines are all paraphrased.) Nancyâs changes were made so that the story would fit into a 32-page picture book. After some discussion, she decided to go with a 40-page picture book so that we could include my original text!
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
REBECCA: I was included in the illustration process from the start. I had input on illustrators and I was able to give feedback on sketches. I hadnât included any art notes but I had pictures in my head, of course. It took a little time to adjust my vision when I saw the sketches. But they quickly grew on me. I was so lucky that illustrator Dana Wulfekotte came on board to create the world for SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED. She even made some changes based on my suggestions.
text copyright Rebecca Kraft Rector 2021, illustration copyright Dana Wulfekotte 2021, Nancy Paulsen Books
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc?
REBECCA: Nothing yet.
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
REBECCA: July 2017 to January 2021. Three and a half years.
SUSANNA: What was the initial print run for your book?
REBECCA: 10,000 copies.
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
REBECCA: The associate publicist is pitching widely to national and regional media, targeting trade and book-interest sites, illustrator and educator media, and parenting media.
SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
REBECCA: Iâm doing blog interviews and Iâve joined a debut picture book groupâ21 for the Books. Itâs been a great, supportive group. We have a blog https://oneforthebooks.wixsite.com/2021 and we create graphics and interviews to publicize each otherâs books.
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
REBECCA: It was a long timeâat least thirty years.
SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up and coming writers?)
REBECCA: The most important thing I learned was Donât Give Up! Keep writing and keep trying. This might not be the right time for this story, but who knows? Maybe itâll sell next year (or twenty years from now).
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to join us today and give us a glimpse of your publication process, Rebecca! It is such a privilege to get to learn from you! I know I speak for everyone when I wish you the very best of luck with this and future titles!
Readers, if you have questions for Rebecca, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!
You may purchase Rebecca’s book at: (all links below are book-specific)
We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:
– purchasing their books
– recommending their books to friends and family
– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians
– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores
– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries
– sharing their books on social media
– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.
Thank you all for stopping by to read today! Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday! Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book đ
Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts? Check them out!
I know someone in your house probably snagged the last Poptart and you’re stuck eating All-Bran for breakfast. . .on a frigid Monday morning. . .in the snow!
But.
BUT!
I am about to cast a ray of sunshine into your freezing, snowy, All-Bran-y, Monday morning!
Yes!
It’s true!
Here comes sunshine and heart-warming happiness because I am going to SING YOU A SONG! đ¶đ”đ¶
đ¶How much are those Poptarts in the window, So sugary sweet and divine? I’m brave, but not brave enough to offer All-Bran to my sweet Valentine!đ¶
No?
Ok, how about
đ¶Oh, my darling, Oh, my darling, Oh, my darling, Valentine! I will give you all my Poptarts If you promise to be mine!đ¶
Oh no, wait! I’ve got it!
đ¶I’m a little Poptart filled with jam Some say I’m sweet and it’s true! I am! But my Valentiny also true – No one else is sweet as you!đ¶
I don’t know what’s happening here.
Apparently someone (who is not a good singer) has Poptarts on the brain.
Who could that be?
But never mind, because GUESS WHAT?
It’s time to announce the WINNERS of
The6thAnnualValentinyWritingContest
~forchildren’swriters~
First of all, I want to thank EVERYONE who took the time and care to write an entry for this contest. You all did a fabulous job and provided great enjoyment for so many! As always, I was thrilled to see so many wonderful stories! It is amazing and inspiring, not to mention VERY entertaining! There is just so much talent out there amongst you all! The other judges and I are blown away anew each time!
Second, I’d also like to thank EVERYONE – writer, reader, or both – who took the time to go around and read as many entries as you could and leave supportive comments. This means so much to the writers who worked hard on their stories. It helps them see what they did well, as well as giving them the joy of knowing that their stories were read and enjoyed. I hope you all got as much delight and entertainment out of the reading as I did! Plus, we got to meet quite a few new people which was a wonderful added bonus! đ
Third, I want to say again how difficult it was too choose! There were so many amazing entries. Really. I could find at least something terrific about every single one. The sheer volume of entries meant that many good ones had to be cut. We chose 14 finalists, and around 35 Honorable Mentions which we also loved, and even with those 49 total there were over 200 entries we couldn’t list! So if yours didn’t make the final cut please don’t feel bad. You’re in good company! There was a huge amount of competition. Judging, no matter how hard we try to be objective, is always subjective at a certain point – we all have our own preferences for what makes a great story. And the fact that you didn’t make the final cut DOES NOT mean you didn’t write a great story. Everyone who plonked their butt in a chair and worked hard to write a story for this contest is a winner! You showed up. You did your best work. You practiced your craft. You wrote to specifications and a deadline. You bravely shared your writing with the world. And you have a brand new story that is now yours to expand beyond 214 words if you like and maybe submit at some point to a magazine or as a PB manuscript. So bravo to everyone who entered!
Because it was such a hard choice, and there were so many wonderful stories, before we get to the winners, my assistant judges and I would like to award bragging rights, recognition and a small prize to the following authors for the following merits:
1.ForHonorable Mention In The Competition As A Whole: (entries we truly wrestled with not including in the finalists!)
Elizabeth Volkmann for Class List
Melissa Trempe for The Most Terrible, Awful, Icky Valentine Ever
David McMullin for Brave Brave Brave (also funny đ)
Laken Slate for The Brave Little Conversation Heart
M.R. Haqq for Soon
Mia Geiger for Peanut’s Brave Valentine’s Day
Ashlee Hashman for The Wildflower
Lindsey Hobson for U R Brave
Audrey Day-Williams for Legendary Valentine
Sara Ackerman for Arrrrr Is For Valentine
Amy Leskowski for A One-of-a-Kind, Just-in-Case, Not-at-All-Pink Valentine’s Day
Donna Kurtz for The Owl and the Kitty-Kat
2. For Great Kid Appeal: (not already mentioned in the finals or other categories)
Una Belle Townsend for Six Secret Valentines
Jan Suhr for The Lost Valentine
Kaylee Gwarjanski for Mission: Cancel Cupid Call
Gregory E. Bray for A Valentine’s Day Quest in the Land of Moore
Elizabeth Muster for W-R-I-T-E For Each Other
3. For Original POV:
Molly Ippolito for Cardamom’s Courage (POV of cardamom)
Rozana Rajkumari for Lemon-Tine (POV of a lemon)
4. For Humor:
Kelly Conroy for The Monster’s Valentine Buffet (dark đ)
Catherine J Lee for The Valentine on My Shoe
Karyn Curtis for The Valentine’s Quest
Tracy Curran for The Wibbler (also great POV – jelly!)
5. ForWell-Written, Fun Story With Great Sibling Interaction:
Brenda Whitehead for Step-Brother Battle
Shannon Howarth Nelson for Super Brothers
Danielle S. Hammelef for Scaredy-Cat
6. ForBeautiful Writing:
Ciara N M Greenwalt for The Gift Tree
Sandhya Acharya for Sarla Asks A Question
Jyoti Rajan Gopal for A Cocoon of Love
Amy Flynn for Tilly’s Great Big Heart
7. For Best Short Valentiny Story:
P. J. Purtee for A Simple Valentine
8. For Sweet Valentiny:
Kelly Swemba for Brave For Gigi
Anne Bromley for Caleb’s Heart
Carmen Castillo Gilbert for Roses From Valentina
9. Best Story From A Young Writer:
Sophia Zafra for Bravery Is From The Heart
Congratulations to all of you for fantastic elements of your stories! You may all email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com subject line Prize Winner to collect your award badge and prize, which is five dollars in a format that can be emailed for you to put toward something you’d like at a large online store (and I’m being cryptic because when I did this for Halloweensie I got a ton of problematic spam mail because of the way I worded the post, but hopefully you can figure it out. The store starts with the letter A đ) I know it’s not much, but hopefully it will come in handy for something!
And now…
…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
The announcement of the WINNERS OF THE 2021 VALENTINY CONTEST as voted on by you, our devoted readers!!!
rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat-rat-a-tat
DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!
In First Place…
Winner of the whole shebang…
who gets first choice of all the prizes…
Sarah McDermott for Lemur in Love!!!
Congratulations, Sarah! We had such fun reading this aloud! Terrific job đ
In Second Place
Sarah Meade for Jana’s Valentine Visit
Congratulations, Sarah! So believable! You get to pick your prize after Sarah.
In Third Place
Nancy Derey Riley for Percy’s Valentine
Congratulations, Nancy! What a perfectly rhymed and timely story! You get to pick your prize after Sarah and Sarah.
In Fourth Place…
Jessica Hinrichs for Valentine’s Gotcha Day
Congratulations, Jessica! So sweet! You get to pick your prize after Sarah, Sarah, and Nancy!
In Fifth Place…
Carrie Boone for The Ballad of Bad Bart
Congratulations, Carrie! What a Valentine bargain! You get to pick after Sarah, Sarah, Nancy, and Jessica!
In Sixth Place...
Nicole Loos Miller for Stella & Hank
Congratulations, Nicole! You must have a cat and a dog to write them so well! I’m sure you get the idea of how the prize picking goes by now đ
In Seventh Place…
Paul Kurtz for Someone Special!
Congratulations, Paul! You made us laugh You get to pick next đ
In Eighth Place…
Chambrae Griffith for Octopus Hugs
Congratulations, Chambrae! Happy ending for shark đ You get to pick after Paul đ
In Ninth Place…
Janie Reinart for Untangled Valentines
Congratulations, Janie! So beautifully written! You get to pick after Chambrae!
In Tenth Place…
Anne Lipton for Most Valuable Valentine
Congratulations, Anne! You did a masterful job of turning history and racial justice into a Valentiny story! And in rhyme! You get to pick after Janie!
In Eleventh Place…
Katie Brandyberry for Valentine Delivery
Congratulations, Katie! We could just see the picture book your little mail truck would make! You get to pick after Anne đ
In Twelfth Place…
Lauri C. Meyers for Charmadillo
Congratulations, Lauri! You had us at the title! And we laughed at the ending đ You get to pick your prize after Katie.
In Thirteenth Place…
Judy Sobanski for Brave Little Friends
Congratulations, Judy! Little Racoon was certainly very brave! đ You get to pick after Lauri!
In Fourteenth Place…
Samantha Haas for Valentine’s Day Rocks
Congratulations, Samantha! We loved Marjorie for her kindness and understanding, and Roger for bravely (and intelligently) coming up with valentines that worked for him!
All the winners should email me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com with the subject heading Prize Winner so we can work out details for you to receive your prizes! (The sooner the better!) And for your convenience, the whole prize list is included at the bottom of this post.
Congratulations again to all our winners – it was a stiff competition!! – and congratulations to EVERYONE who wrote and entered a story in the contest. You all deserve a huge round of applause and a gigantic chocolate heart… or lots of little chocolate hearts… or both… really, you can never have too much chocolate đ . (Or, can I interest you in a Poptart? Maybe a chocolate Poptart… đ )
Thank you to everyone who helped make this contest SO MUCH FUN, whether by writing an entry, reading people’s stories, leaving comments for the authors, and/or voting in the finals. It’s because of all of you that this contest was such a success, so many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart!
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non-rhyming, fiction) from Becky Scharnhorst, author of the forthcoming MY SCHOOL STINKS! (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non-rhyming, fiction, fewer than 800 words) from Rebecca Kraft Rector, author of SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED (Nancy Paulsen Books, February 16, 2021) (which means it’s coming out in the middle of our contest!đ) and the forthcoming LITTLE RED (Aladdin, Simon & Schuster, Spring 2022) and TRIA AND THE GREAT STAR RESCUE (Delacorte/Random House)
A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by gifted author and former Holiday Contest prize winner, Jenna Waldman, author of the forthcoming Larry’s Latkes (October 2021) (originally written for the Holiday Contest!) and Shark-bot Shalom (August 2021) She is on twitter at @SarafinaDesign
Author Jenna Waldman
– Either a signed copy of WHEN A TREE GROWSOR a Picture Book Manuscript Critique – winner’s choice! – from Cathy Ballou Mealey, author of WHEN A TREE GROWS (Sterling April 2019) and the forthcoming SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE (Kids Can Press, May 4, 2021)
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for birthday, holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, recommending them for school and library visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! đ
You’ve been up all night, wearing holes in your carpet, nibbling your nails to nubbins, refreshing your browser every 10 seconds in case the blog notification you’re waiting for somehow needs a nudge to load, picking the clock up to make sure you read it right because YIKES! how long can it BE until MORNING!
And when at last it is actually time for that blog post to arrive. . .
. . .it DOESN’T! (You had to wait until 11 AM!)
(Gnashing of teeth, tearing of hair, rending of garments, howl of frustration! GAH!!!)
I know. I understand. I really do.
Because here, on the other side of the blog post, the other judges and I have spent the past several days (and nights) reading and re-reading 252 amazing, wonderful entries, trying to narrow them down to a mere handful of finalists when there are SO MANY we’d like to choose. It is agony, I tell you, sheer AGONY!
It makes me realize that apparently I am a glutton for more than chocolate! Who knew? I must also be a glutton for punishment to put myself through this every contest!
Because every contest you guys amaze me with your talent and creativity. Each time I think I can’t be more impressed with the entry pool, you prove me wrong.
So. . .
. . .gnashing of teeth, tearing of hair, rending of garments, howl of frustration! GAH!!! and consumption of a LOT of sustaining chocolate and caffeine đ
Because entering a contest is a kind of practice for submitting to agents and editors, I thought you might be interested to see a bit of breakdown so you know what you’re up against when you submit. This contest (popular as it is đ) got 252 entries this year – a mere drop in the bucket compared to the number of submissions agents and editors get. Approximately 240 entries had to be cut. Only the tiniest percentage of entries make it to the finalist list. It is even more competitive among agents and editors. I do not say this to discourage you! But it does show how important it is to submit your best work. When making a choice, it is much easier to cut the ones that didn’t follow the submission guidelines, weren’t proofread, have subpar writing mechanics with mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word usage, or simply don’t feel special enough to stand out from a crowd of excellent entries.
This contest the entries seemed to fall into topic categories more than usual.
We had many groups of 2 or 3 entries relating to robots, spiders, bees, lions, seeds/flowers, snails/slugs, color blindness, dragons, and zombies.
Then we had bigger groups about:
Birds (4) Cats (5) Chickens (5) (I think that was because of the bravery theme đ) Grumpy/Scary Neighbor (5) Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity (6) Fear of Public Speaking (7) Nursing Home/Elderly/Ill/Dementia/Dying/Dead Grandparent (8) Sick/Injured Child (particularly cancer) ((9) Dogs (10)
(and I don’t claim to have counted exactly right đ there may have been a few more in each group)
I thought it might be helpful to you in your continued writing so see how many writers’ minds go in similar directions in order to help you distinguish your writing from that of others by looking for ways to make those topics fresh and new, and to write them in ways that truly enhance the topic and make it shine so that a judge, agent, or editor can’t get it out of her mind. What (for example) will make your dog story funnier, more heartfelt, more original, more…whatever, than the other X number of dog stories it’s up against?
Anyway, with apologies for being unable to winnow the finalist pool to 12 and therefore settling on 14 (which is the number of Valentine’s Day after all đ) (and yes, I will see if I can scare up two more prizes!) I present to you the finalists in the 2021 Sixth Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest! Â Please read through them carefully, take your time, think it over, and vote for your favorite in the poll below by Sunday February 21 at 5 PM Eastern time.
To help with objectivity, finalists are listed by title only, not by author.
And I’d like to be very clear about the voting process. You are MOST welcome to share a link to this post on FB, twitter, or wherever you like to hang out, and encourage people to come read ALL the finalists and vote for the one they think is best.  Please do that.  The more people who read and enjoy these stories the better, and the more objective votes we get the better.  HOWEVER (and I want to be very clear on this) please do not tell people you are a finalist.  Please do notask people to vote for a specific number or title, or for the story about the brave little alien who faced certain peril at the launch of the Valentine Roboblaster 2000 or whatever.  Trolling for votes or trying to influence the outcome is counter to the spirit of this competition which is supposed to be based on merit.  We operate on the honor system.  I thank you in advance for respecting this. Your win will mean more if it’s honestly earned.
So now, here are the 2021 Valentiny Contest Finalists!!! 7 rhyme, 7 prose (total accident!), some for younger readers, some for older (but still kid) readers, some funny, some sweet, some sad, some thought-provoking but all fabulous! đ
The6thAnnualValentinyWritingContest
~FINALISTS!!!~
#1 – Percy’s Valentine
âHello NASA, Percy here, Iâm on approach to Mars. Iâve come to meet my valentine out here among the stars.â
Suddenly his dash went dark. He lost communication. The rover now was on his own to reach his destination.
âThe next ten minutes are the worst. Itâs called the time of terror. Iâve calculated all the risks and have no room for error.â
He used an extra thruster burn, to slow his rate of speed. He changed his orbit, pitch, and slope to plot the course heâd need.
But then alarms began to blare. He cried, âIâve overshot!â His heat shields glowed a brilliant white. âIâm coming in too hot!â
With only seconds left to save his Valentineâs Day mission, he saw âRange Triggerâ on a knob, âThatâs how I change position.â
He pulled the knob and felt a thunk, the parachute deployed. The sky crane lowered him to Mars beside another droid.
He smiled at Curiosity. âI had to persevere. Please say youâll be my Valentine, now that I made it here!â
âYour entrance was spectacular. It won my heart and soul.â She said, âWeâll be the best of friends. Come on, letâs rock and roll.â
#2 – Valentine Delivery
Mail Truckâs engine flutters with nerves. Today is Valentineâs Day and his mailbags are overflowing.
But⊠snowflakes swirl and twirl around him. Mail Truck has never driven on snowy, slick roads before.
Wheels spinning, he begins his route. He slips to the left, then slides to the right. His shocks shake. He fogs up in fear. He carefully shuffles back and parks.
The snow will melt tomorrow. Iâll deliver the valentines then, he thinks. Iâm sure nobody will mind.
Across the street, a child darts to her mailbox. She slips in a homemade valentine for pickup. Mail Truckâs tires deflate with guilt.
Further down, an old lady trudges to her mailbox. Seeing it empty, she wipes away a tear. Watching her, Mail Truckâs lights turn red in shame.
Determined, Mail Truck fills his tank. He turns on his brightest lights. His wipers zip back and forth.
âMy job is to deliver the mail â snow or shine!â
Bravely, he rolls down the street. His heart races as he inches from mailbox to mailbox.
The child runs outside, yelling âHappy Valentineâs Day, Mail Truck!â
When the old lady sees her mail delivered, her face lights up.
On this cold and snowy day, Mail Truck feels warm inside⊠and remembers why he loves his job.
#3 – Most Valuable Valentine
This year Iâll make baseball cards instead of valentines, to honor a brave player who transcended racial lines. Henry Louis Aaron batted well above his weight, his legend soaring over those who needled him with hate.
Henry grew up poor but loved, down south in Mobile Bay. Thwacking bottle caps with sticks, heâd pop them far away. Though he had no bat or glove, he had great strength within, but he was barred from Little League because he had dark skin.
Henryâs high school had no team, so he went semi-pro. When he unspooled his mighty swing, he made the crowd go âOh!â Henry slid into home plate, and heâd sew up the win, yet some hotels and restaurants would not let Henry in.
Henry Aaron never quit, his hopes pinned to his dream, working hard to do his best, to always help his team. With his eyes glued on the ball, heâd shut out racist jeers, and with the cracking of his bat came loud, wholehearted cheers.
Henry was the Home Run King, a diamond for his court. He rose above the foul done him and championed good sport. My ball-entines will be a hit, a home run, no debate, because theyâre threaded through with love and not a stitch of hate.
#4 – Stella & Hank
Stella was the perfect cat: Gorgeous, And charming, And oh-so-soft.
She was loved by all, Especially Hank.
Hank was the perfect dog: Huge, And drooly, And oh-so-playful.
He was loved by everyone⊠Except Stella.
Hank tried to win Stellaâs affection With rope-pulls, And slobbery bones, Even his favorite stuffie.
But Stella flattened her ears, Wrinkled her whiskers, And turned her tail.
When Hank came near, Stellaâs claws came out.
When Hank whimpered, Stella HISSSSSSSSED. When Hank howled a love tune, Stella SMACKED. And when he tried to give her a bath⊠YIKES!
Poor Hank.
Then, one February day, Stella Went Away And Hank Sighed And Waited And Sighed And Waited UntilâŠ
She finally came back With a big plastic collar That went up instead of down.
Stella was sore, And sad, And sleepy, And it broke Hankâs heart.
He gathered his courage, And his bones, And his stuffie.
He risked a HISS, And a SMACK, And even a SWIPE, To put his offering at her feet.
Stella opened one eye. She considered him closely. And Scooted To The Right.
Enough room for a large dog (If he stayed very quiet). Hank barely dared to breathe. Stella started to purr. It was the best Valentineâs ever Because he spent it next to her.
#5 – Octopus Hugs
Octopus was floating by, when a flyer caught his eye.
Clown fish, dolphins, sting rays, slugs, are you good at giving hugs? A Valentineâs Day hug contest. The prize, a sunken treasure chest! Contestants, meet at Aqua Park. Test all your hugs on me! Love, Shark.
âA treasure chest? Oh what a prize!â But hug a shark, would that be wise?
With 8 strong arms heâd be the winner, or he might wind upâ sharkâs dinner!
He squirmed his way to Aqua Park to see who dared to hug a shark.
But not one creature stood in line Only sharkâwho held a sign.
Hug contest. Enter, please! Iâve never had a single squeeze.
Sharkâs head hung low, he looked so blue, Octopus knew what to do.
He swam up slowly feeling wary, shark was big, and very scary!
He stretched his shaking arms out wide, and whispered, âHere shark, swim inside.â
He wrapped shark up, all tight and snug, and gave him the most perfect hug.
âOh what a hug! The very best! You win this sunken treasure chest.â
But Octopus had fixed his eyes on something else, a shark-sized prize!
âThough the treasure chest looks great, Iâd rather winâ a new best mate!â
#6 – Untangled Valentines
This Valentineâs day is tangled like my hair⊠like my thoughts.
One last time, I brush my bangs.
Put on the gift from my sisterâ a new red headband.
Sheâs been in the hospital a lot.
My sister worries⊠no one will want to be her valentine.
My sister worries⊠no one will think she is pretty anymore.
Clumps of her hair fall outâ rest on her pillow.
Today, we leave for another appointment.
I promise her âcross my heartâ I will hold her hand the whole timeâŠ
First, they tie her hair into ponytails.
Scissors snip, snip.
Then clippers buzz, buzz.
My heart beats ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.
Whatâs left of her soft curls fall to the floor.
I clutch her hand.
In minutes her little head is ⊠bald.
I blink fast. Squeeze my eyes closed. And swallow hard.
Her small mouth quivers into a half smile. âWant to rub my head for good luck?â
I exhale.
Slowly, I take off my new headband.
The words untangle on my tongue.
âBetter than that,â I say softly. âIâm next.â
#7 – The Ballad of Bad Bart
High noon Western town Bad Bart stares the sheriff down.
Empty street Dusty square Tension crackles in the air
Spurs jangle Fingers shake Bad Bartâs heart begins to quake.
Overhead Buzzards fly Shadows in the clear blue sky.
Down below Bad Bart stands Lasso twisting in his hands
Palms sweaty, Mouth dry, Bad Bart catches Sheriffâs eye.
Hesitation â Can he do it? Deep breath inânothing to it!
âTell me, Sheriff Caroline, Will you be my Valentine?â
Buzzards pause Wind stops Bad Bartâs stomach flips and flops
Sheriff frowns Seconds drag Bartâs high hopes begin to sag
Sheriff brightens Hope revives! Bad Bartâs dearest wish survives
Sheriff says to her cowboy Words that fill his heart with joy:
âPut aside your life of crimeâ Then Iâll be your Valentine!â
#8 – Someone Special!
âYoo-hoo, Blowtorch,â Danny calls into the cave. A dragon appears. âYAWN! I was nappingâwhatâs up?â
âTomorrowâs Valentineâs Day. I want to show someone special Iâm brave.â Danny waves a striped bag. âPretend to fight me and these fireball-jawbreakers are yours.â
âOooâmy favorite.â
Next dayâ
âDanny,â Princess Dawn says, âare you sure about this? Your Valentine card, flowers, and candy were plenty.â
âBut I want you to see Iâm brave.â
CLINKâCLANKâCLUNKâ
ârattles Dannyâs armor as he approaches the cave.
âCome out, fiery dragonâbrave knight Sir Danny challenges you!â
Blowtorch appearsâ
ROARRRR
Dannyâs silver sword flashesâBlowtorchâs golden claws rip the air.
âOh myââ Princess Dawn gasps.
All day they fight like tigers.
âOH MY!â Princess Dawn squeals.
Blowtorch rises onto his back legs, andâ
WHOOSHHH
âgiant flames flare from his nostrils.
âYYIII!â Danny shrieks.
The flames melt Dannyâs armor and burn away his clothes. Stumbling backward, he sprawls on the ground in his charred, smoking underpants.
âOHHH! Blowtorch, why did you do that?â
Blowtorch winks at a dragon with glittering pink scales standing beside Princess Dawn.
Giggling, she waves her silver claws and flutters her violet eyelashes at him. âMy handsome, brave dragon-hero.â Blowtorch sighs and flames flare from his nostrils, forming a heart. âI have someone special too!â
#9 – Charmadillo
Charmadillo sniffed the air And smelled the lovely Shelly there. She snorted dirt while pigging out. He loved her soft pink digging snout.
He should say âhiâ or âwhatcha eating,â But his heart was loudly beating. Too shy to speak, he hatched a scheme To tell sweet Shelly sheâs his dream.
He would write some words of love And pass the note from up above. âYour snout is pink, your bands are fine, Wonât you be my Valentine?â
He watched the letter fall below⊠But then his fear began to grow. He tried to snatch it back again, But it was deep inside her den!
The situation turned him pale. He rolled himself and hugged his tail. His armor wasnât tough enough â Inside he felt all squirmy stuff.
He tried to dig a hole and hide, But something stirred from deep inside. What if his dreadful doubts were wrong, And sharing feelings made him strong?
He paced nearby for her reply, Jumping when he heard her cry: âCharmadillo, I canât read. You want a candied centipede?â
The lunch of termites he prepared Showed his love how much he cared. She didnât know the words he wrote, But showed her love and⊠ate the note.
#10 – Valentine’s Gotcha Day
Valentine sat in her kennel, nervously thumping her tail against the floor.
Was today the day? Sheâd gotten her hopes up before, but everyone always said her fur was too scruffy, her nose was a funny shape, and her size was just too much to love.
Day after day, she remained at the shelter, watching families adopt her friends and hoping one day it would be her turn too.
Just then, Valentineâs ears perked up. She heard a girlâs voice. Her heart beat faster as the girl approached.
âLook, Mommy!â The little girl squealed. âHer fur is red! Her nose is shaped like a heart! And thereâs a lot of her to love! Sheâs perfect.â
The little girl knelt down and smiledâthe prettiest smile Valentine had ever seen.
Valentineâs eyes pleaded with her. Could this be my Gotcha Day? Iâm too scared to even hope. Be brave! She trembled, but she held the little girlâs gaze.
As if the little girl understood, she reached out her hand and gently whispered, âSweet Valentine, will you be mine?â
Will I ever! Valentineâs fears faded in a split-second and she lunged into the little girlâs arms, peppering her face with wet kisses.
The little girl giggled. âYouâre the best Valentine ever!â No, thought Valentine, you are.
#11 – Lemur In Love
Trevor is an AYE-AYE and heâs ready for some love. But sadly heâs so SHY-SHY, hiding in the leaves above. Heâs got his eyes on Rita, it feels more than just a whim. But what if she wonât love a scruffy GUY-GUY just like him?
Trevor knows that AYE-AYEs arenât the handsomest of males. He gives a great big SIGH-SIGH as he polishes his nails. But maybe looks arenât everything, he needs to make her see The fluffy little TIE-TIE wearing GUY-GUY up the tree.
Trevor must impress her but an AYE-AYEâs skills are few. He gives a mournful CRY-CRY. He just hasnât got a clue. But then a lightbulb moment, Trevorâs great at French cuisine! Heâll bake a splendid PIE-PIE, soon sheâll be his jungle queen!
Trevor looks up HIGH-HIGH where the moon is shining clear. He makes his way to Rita, trying hard to show no fear. He offers her his PIE-PIE, Rita smiles then takes a bite And hearts begin to FLY-FLY on this very special night.
#12 – Valentine’s Day Rocks
âTime for show-and-tell!â Ms. Carla announced. âWho wants to share their Valentineâs Day craft first?â
Arms sprang toward the ceiling like balloons. But Rogerâs hands stayed hidden inside his sweatshirt.
Dylan held up a homemade flower. âI painted pasta for the petals and used a pipe cleaner for the stem.â
Then Jade chimed in. âMine is a clothespin butterfly with glitter tissue paper for wings.â
Rogerâs fingers fidgeted inside his pocket while the others went around the circle â each project more colorful than the last.
Marjorie nudged Roger. âPsst. Your turn.â
His face turned as red as the rose on his teacherâs desk.
âRoger, did you forget yours at home?â asked Ms. Carla.
He cradled something in his palm, weighing what to do next.
Marjorie leaned over and whispered, âItâs okay. I donât have craft supplies at my place either.â
Roger took a deep breath and showed the plain rock to the class. âI read a library book about penguins who give out pebbles like people do with candy when they like somebody.â
When the students giggled, Marjorie jumped up to distract them with her project: a bent and twisted paperclip.
âThis is my heart,â she beamed. âIâm giving it to the bravest person I know.â
Roger scooted closer to Marjorie. âPsst. You rock.â
#13 – Brave Little Friends
Little raccoon spent all afternoon making cards that heâd soon give away. For tomorrow at three, the forest would be all a twitter for Valentineâs Day.
He put names on each card and tried very hard to make certain that all were included. Then Raccoon had a thought that maybe he ought to give one to his friend whoâs secluded.
Poor Mr. Bear, was quite unaware of the Valentineâs Day celebration. He was curled in heap, in a winter deep sleepâ his annual bear hibernation.
Little Raccoon arrived around noon to deliver the card to Bearâs cave. He shivered and shook as he took a quick look; he knew that he had to be brave.
He set the card down by the bearâbig and brown, then left in a tippy-toed dance. His friends all stood near shaking with fear, âWhy would you take such a chance?â
âCause heâs my friend, too, and so wouldnât you like to make a kind gesture toward Bear?â The rest found their âbraveâ and went to the cave to leave goodies and cards everywhere.
When Bear opened his eyes and saw the surprise, he knew the exact words to say. âFriends⊠Iâm very elated to wish you a âBelatedâ but Most Happy Valentineâs Day!â
#14 – Jana’s Valentine Visit
Almost there. Mom sings along to love songs on the radio as she drives. Jana stares down at her sparkly red fingernails. They match her Valentineâs Day dress. She thinks about last time, even though she doesnât want to. How scared sheâd been. The strange smells, scary sounds, sad faces. Jana shivers. She doesnât want to go back there today. When the car stops, Jana feels her breath catch. âIâm scared,â she whispers. âIâll be with you,â Mom says. Jana carries her valentine in shaking hands. They step up the sidewalk, through the sliding doors. Inside. The strange smells, scary sounds, sad faces. Again. Jana swallows. She slides behind Mom, tries not to breathe, or hear, or see. Outside Gramâs room, they pause. âSee? Youâre OK,â Mom says. Jana nods, her face hot. She goes to Gramâs bed. âHappy Valentineâs Day,â she whispers. Gramâs same small smile. Jana places the valentine in Gramâs hands. âThank . . . you,â Gram murmurs. She grabs Janaâs hand and squeezes. Jana gasps. âPretty. . . nails,â Gram whispers. Jana smiles. âSparkly red like valentines. Itâs your favorite holiday.â Gram nods. âGram?â Jana says. âWant me to paint your nails, too?â Gramâs face lights up. Janaâs hands donât shake at all as she begins to paint.
Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by Sunday February 21 at 5 PM Eastern time.
Tune in Monday February 22 to see THE WINNERS!!!
Thank you all so much for taking the time to write (if you did), read, and vote! These contests simply wouldn’t be what they are without all of you!
[For those trying to post, you must click on the Blog Post Title to get on the blog post page and access the comments]
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Valentinies rock
And so do YOU!
Like galloping hooves, our brave hearts are pounding with excitement and anticipation (or maybe trepidation!) because it’s time for. . .
The6thAnnualValentinyWritingContest
~forchildren’swriters~
The Contest: since writing for children is all about “big emotion for little people” (I forget who said that, but someone did so I put it in quotes!) and Valentines Day is all about emotion, write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone feels brave!
They can be brave about asking someone to be their Valentine, of course, but they can also do something brave to get a Valentine (the person or the gift), or do something brave to help a friend. They could be brave about giving something up, or brave about asking someone they’re not sure they like to be their Valentine just to be nice. . . sky’s the limit! Think beyond the obvious!
Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone brave (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day đ
You can go under the word count but not over!
Title is not included in the word count.
You are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself đ
No illustration notes please!
Post your story in the comment section below (preferred) or on your own blog between right now this very second and Sunday February 14th by 11:59 PM EDT. If you only post on your own blog, add your post-specific link to the form list at the bottom of the post. This post with all the entries in the comment section and the list of links for those who prefer to post on their own blogs will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you have difficulty posting your entry to the comments, which unfortunately sometimes happens, you may email your entry to me and I’ll post it for you! [susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com
We discussed changing the entry posting. The majority voted to have all the entries in one place here in the comment section, so we’re going to give that a try. But there were some who wanted to continue blog-hopping, so I’m going to include a link list for them at the bottom of the post. For those who are willing to post in the comment section but also plan to post on their own blogs, you are most welcome to post the link to your blog in your posted entry here (see example below.) That way people can come visit you if they want to but can also read most of the entries in one place on my blog if they prefer. It is certainly easier for the judges to have as many entries as possible in one place. We’ll try it this way one time and see how it works. We can always go back to the old system đ
(So a sample entry might look like this: ENTRY TITLE – word count Author Name (link to your own contest entry blog post if you have one and would like to share it) Amazing wonderful Valentiny Contest story.đ
It was almost Valentines Day and Dudley’s heart had sunk to somewhere near his big toenail. (etc etc amazing story continues)
I know how hard you all work on your entries and how anxious you are to be sure your entry is posted, but please try to be a little bit patient if you’re waiting for your entry to show up in the comments or on the list of entries. I try never to get up from my desk during contests but sometimes it’s unavoidable. đ
The Judging: over the next several days, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 12 top choices which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Thursday February 18th (or possibly a day or two later if the judges need extra time.) The winner will be announced Monday February 22nd depending on judging and voting time needed. The dates of the judging/voting/winner announcements are subject to finagling depending on how much time the judges actually end up needing!
Judging criteria will include:
Kid-appeal/Kid-friendliness – remember, this is a story for kids!
Creativity in using bravery and success in making us feel the bravery!
Valentine’s Day appropriateness – this is a VALENTINE story!
Quality of story – we will look for basic story elements and a true story arc
Quality of writing – use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics, excellence of rhyme and meter if you use it, PROOFREADING!
Originality – surprise us with something new and different! đ
How well you followed the Submission Guidelines – agents and editors expect professionalism. This is a chance to practice making sure you read and follow specified guidelines. If you don’t follow agent and editor submission guidelines they won’t even read your submission.
The Prizes: Talk about a pounding heart! Just look at these fabulous prizes!
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non-rhyming, fiction) from Becky Scharnhorst, author of the forthcoming MY SCHOOL STINKS! (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)
– Picture Book Manuscript Critique (non-rhyming, fiction, fewer than 800 words) from Rebecca Kraft Rector, author of SQUISH SQUASH SQUISHED (Nancy Paulsen Books, February 16, 2021) (which means it’s coming out in the middle of our contest!đ) and the forthcoming LITTLE RED (Aladdin, Simon & Schuster, Spring 2022) and TRIA AND THE GREAT STAR RESCUE (Delacorte/Random House)
A Picture Book Manuscript Critique by gifted author and former Holiday Contest prize winner, Jenna Waldman, author of the forthcoming Larry’s Latkes (October 2021) (originally written for the Holiday Contest!) and Shark-bot Shalom (August 2021) She is on twitter at @SarafinaDesign
Author Jenna Waldman
– Either a signed copy of WHEN A TREE GROWSOR a Picture Book Manuscript Critique – winner’s choice! – from Cathy Ballou Mealey, author of WHEN A TREE GROWS (Sterling April 2019) and the forthcoming SLOTH AND SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE (Kids Can Press, May 4, 2021)
Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for birthday, holiday or other gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, recommending them for school and library visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! đ
Now! Put your heart into it and bravely post your entries!
I can’t wait to read your stories!!!
Eager Readers: Check out the comment section for all the fabulous entries, and the link list at the end to visit the blogs of the authors who wanted to post on their own home turf đ
ENTRIES IN THE COMMENT SECTION: (all entries are linked)
In case you were wondering, not only is today Would You Read It Wednesday, it is also National Umbrella Day!
(I knew you’d want to know!)
It’s kind of funny, actually, since today is the only day we’ve had recently (or expect to have for the next few days) when it is NOT precipitating! (And also not sunny, so no actual reason for an umbrella!)
Still, we should celebrate.
And since many of us (including moi) are surrounded by a LOT of snow, I’m going with this:
Now that we’re feeling warm and sunny, let’s begin the day’s festivities with the January Pitch Pick! Our contenders are:
#1 – Aundra – Beach Sand Waves (PB 4-8)
Itâs another sizzling summer Saturday. Beach day. Ocean day! Sand day-ugh. The average beach has ONE HUNDRED TRILLION GRAINS OF SAND. They scratch, they stick, there are crabs and bugs. But to get to what Morgan loves- quiet floating- first sand.
#2 – Sarah – Crin and Iggy: Friendship Rocks on the Beach (Young Reader Graphic Novel Ages 4 -8)
Three stories, two rock friends, one day. With Iggy’s friendship, Crin’s grumpy morning turns into a swimmingly fun afternoon. Well, except, rocks can’t swim — they sink. What will they do? To end their day, Iggy puts on a One Rock Band performance. Maybe.
#3 – Debbie & Sophia – Rocky The Christmas Tree Surprise (PB 4-9)
A little owl falls asleep in her tree in the forest and wakes up to find herself in the middle of New York City. Alone and without her family, the tiny owl will have to trust her own courage and the kindness of strangers in order to find her way home.
#4 – Mindy – Just Right For Jack Ambrose (PB 3-8)
Jack Ambrose Kalabash wants everything to be just right; from his name, to his fly swatter collection, to the sounds he hears all day long. He knows how to make the annoying and loud sounds at school just right, but on the bus ride home and at home, it is never just right. Then, unexpectedly a package arrives to help him through his noisy days.
Now that you’ve read them, which one do you think is best and most deserving of a read and comments by editor Erin Molta? Please vote for your favorite in the poll below by 9 PM Eastern Sunday February 14th (ooh! that’s Valentines Day! â€ïž)
All that reading and choosing and voting definitely calls for Something Chocolate, so please help yourself to some French Silk Brownies!
Mmmmm! Chocolate-y, creamy, delicious! Perfect to take with you on your beach picnic for Umbrella Day! đ
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Ms. T. A NYC native, Ms. T. has been teaching dance for decades across the country. Her past students perform all over the world and all have received countless coloring sheets and daily dance stories as part of class.
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 Ms. T 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 Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in April, so reserve a spot now and you’ll have time for a little polishing before you’re up for helpful feedback on your pitch and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Ms. T is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to the Valentiny Contest which opens in less than 2 days at 12 AM Eastern February 12! I absolutely cannot wait to read all the wonderful stories I know you guys will invent!
I’m thrilled to introduce you to Melanie Ellsworth and share a glimpse of her journey to publication with this delightfully lively and fun-looking picture book due out on February 23 (so pre-order your copy now! đ)
Are you ready?
Hip, hip, Beret! đ
HIP, HIPâŠBERET! written by Melanie Ellsworth illustrated by Morena Forza Fiction Picture Book for ages 4-7 HMH Books for Young Readers February 23, 2021
Bellaâs beret blows away on a windy day, taking a ride through the seasons and landing on a variety of heads along the way. Full of rhyme, repetition, and humorous word play, with a few touchable berets to engage young readers.
SUSANNA: Welcome, Melanie! Thank you so much for joining us! We are so looking forward to hearing Hip, Hip…Beret!’s birthday story đ Where did the idea for this book come from?
MELANIE: Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Susanna. Iâm thrilled to be here!
I often play around with common sayings, idioms, or nursery rhyme phrases and see what happens if I change a word or two. I remember playing around with the phrase, âHip, hip hooray!â to see what would happen if I changed the last word. One of my early ideas was âHip, hip moray!â a non-fiction picture book about moray eels. (Itâs probably best I didnât follow that idea too farâŠ) Fortunately, it didnât take long from there to get to âHip, hipâŠberet!â and imagine where a beret might travel on a windy day.
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
MELANIE:I wrote the first draft in one sitting once I hit upon the structure of the book, and I revised over the next month and a half while also working on other projects. Unlike a number of my ideas, which sit around in a Word doc on my computer for months or years before I write them, I was eager to write a first draft for HIP, HIPâŠBERET! as soon as I got the idea. It seemed like tons of fun to write, and it was. Rhymezone.com was my best friend on this journey as I needed many words that rhymed with âhoorayâ for the repeating phrase!
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
MELANIE: I wrote eight drafts of this story, sharing with my critique groups along the way, before sending this off to an editor. For many of my books, I write twenty or thirty drafts, so writing HIP, HIPâŠBERET! went much more quickly than usual for me. (Thank goodness! We could all use one like this from time to time!)
Because I established the simple structure of the story quickly, the various drafts donât reflect major differences from the first to the eighth â just minor word tweaking. It was one of those rare stories that came to mind almost fully formed, although early on in the brainstorming process, I tried a few rhyming stanzas like this:
SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
MELANIE:By the eighth draft, I had done all the wordsmithing I could do, and my critique group members thought it was ready. One of them suggested I submit HIP, HIPâŠBERET! to an editor who was already considering another one of my manuscripts because it seemed like a good companion to that book. That turned out to be a great idea because the editor ended up acquiring both books! Thank goodness for critique groups who often give you the push you need at the right time!
Melanie’s writing buddy, Baxter, working hard in her office đ
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
    MELANIE: For HIP, HIPâŠBERET! I had a connection with an editor I had met at the Agents/Editors/Writers conference in Belgrade Lakes, Maine. She was considering a different manuscript of mine from that conference, and I asked if she would be interested in this one as well. She said yes, so I sent HIP, HIPâŠBERET! along to her in May of 2018.
SUSANNA:How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions (if you did) or after you submitted did you get your offer?
MELANIE:I emailed HIP, HIP…BERET to the editor in May and received an offer on August 13th, so it was about three months from submission to offer for that one. (My other book being considered by the same editor around that time, CLARINET AND TRUMPET, took a lot longer – with an initial submission of November 7th, a revise/resubmit request, and an offer seven months later in June. )
SUSANNA:When did you get “the call”? (Best moment ever! đ)
MELANIE:In June, I heard back from the editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt by email with an offer on my other manuscript (CLARINET AND TRUMPET). At that point, I reached out to a few of the agents on my list and ended up signing with Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis. She negotiated the contract for CLARINET AND TRUMPET with my editor. Then in August, I had an offer on HIP, HIPâŠBERET! from the same editor, and Christa negotiated that contract as well. It was definitely a joyful summer for me! The two books were originally scheduled to come out about 6 months apart, but due to the pandemic, CLARINET AND TRUMPET was pushed from 2020 to 2021, so now the two books are practically twins, due out in February and March of 2021. (I imagine HIP, HIPâŠBERET! elbowing CLARINET AND TRUMPET out of the way so it could come out first!)
SUSANNA:How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
MELANIE: I got the offer for HIP, HIP…BERET on August 13, 2018 and had the contract (which my agent negotiated) two months later on October 4th.
SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?
MELANIE:I remember letting my critique groups know first thing â they did some happy dances with me over email/phone. My husband suggested I frame the first advance check that I got, so I did, and itâs hanging on my office wall. I was especially excited to share the news with my daughter; she had been watching my picture book writing journey since she was a little picture book reader herself, and even though she was moving into chapter books and early middle grade by then, she was still thrilled for her mom. (Plus, no one is ever too old for picture books!)
SUSANNA: That is so true! Picture books are for everyone! Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
MELANIE: My contract was fairly typical, with an advance in the 3-6K range, and the standard royalties, and 20 author copies. I thought the initial advance offer was generous for a debut author, and my agent was able to increase it even more.
SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?
MELANIE: It was fun to work on revisions with my editor; Iâm one of those writers who (most of the time) loves the editing process. I think we went back and forth with a few changes here and there about five times before we had a final version. Most of it was small word changes, but there were some larger stanza changes as well. I had a stanza featuring an old oak tree that we ended up replacing with a ballet scene which was more dynamic. I originally had a hawk swooping down to grab the beret â âhip, hipâŠmy prey!â and I really didnât want to cut that scene at first, but the editor convinced me that it darkened the tone of an otherwise lighthearted book. We replaced it with a balloon carrying the beret skywards until the balloon pops. Morena Forza, the illustrator, also played a role in some text changes; she felt like the donkey stanza would result in illustrations too similar to the horse stanza, so the donkey hit the cutting room floor (Hip, hipâŠbr-aaay!!). We made the ending a bit brighter as well, with the beret almost sprouting from the ground as the spring flowers emerge. In retrospect, itâs surprising how many revisions you can make on a story that is less than 300 words long! But every word is gold and needs to shine.
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
MELANIE: I didnât have much to do with the illustrations, as publishers wisely like to give illustrators freedom to explore their own vision. I had very few art notes in my initial submission, except one for a plot point at the end that wasnât clear in the text and one at the beginning suggesting that the illustrations show Bella looking for her missing beret throughout the story. As it turned out, the illustrator and design team disregarded that note because they felt that having Bella searching in each spread, even as an inset, would make the spreads too busy. I had also suggested that Bella not be white, feeling like more of our young readers need to see themselves reflected in text and/or illustration, but they made a different decision on that. But there is diversity reflected in other characters in the book.
My editor thought that it would be fun to have a few touchable, felt berets throughout the book, and I think children will enjoy the search for those. I got to see the art early on in the process in case I wanted to make comments, and I was happy to let Morena (and the art department) pursue their vision. As I sit here holding an author copy in my hand, Iâm thinking that the vivid color and whimsy that Morena brings to the illustrations perfectly matches the tone of the text, and I love her work.
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc.? What was that like?
MELANIE: I havenât seen reviews yet, but Iâm keeping my fingers crossed!
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
MELANIE: Letâs see â offer on August 2018 and first copy in hand January 22, 2021! So about two and Âœ years.
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
MELANIE: My editor shared HMHâs 50-page marketing guidelines PDF which helps authors with social media promotion. Other publishers might have something similar â for writers debuting, itâs worth reaching out to your editor or publicist to ask. My editor suggested I pass marketing questions by her, but some editors prefer that an author work directly with their assigned publicist. I asked about doing book giveaways, and they offered to do an Instagram giveaway. When I inquired, my editor also said they are willing to send books to winners (living in the U.S.) of my blog tour giveaways, so itâs helpful that I donât have to use all of my author copies for that. The publisher has also reached out to their usual sources for reviews of my books. As a debut author, I have been reluctant to ask tons of marketing questions â not wanting to be a major pest! â but I do think it helps to be as proactive as possible in promoting your work. Ultimately, that will benefit the publisher as well. And being part of a debut book group is very helpful â Iâm part of the Soaring â20s Picture Book Debut Group (https://www.soaring20spb.com/) â because you can get a lot of marketing questions answered by folks who have debuted before you, and they can help you figure out what you need to ask your publisher.
SUSANNA:Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
MELANIE: Iâve arranged for a number of blog tours, particularly on blogs that Iâve been following regularly â like this one! â for years. Iâve also participated on Matthew Winnerâs The Childrenâs Book Podcast (and soon on KidLit TV) with my Soaring â20s debut group. It has been helpful for our group to promote and review each otherâs books and provide useful content to other writers. Iâve also set up a library event with my local library, offering signed/personalized books through my local bookstore. For both of my books, the illustrators have agreed to be part of Zoom book events, which is wonderful (especially since Morena Forza lives in Italy â quite the time difference!). A website seems like a must for authors/illustrators, and you can certainly create one for yourself if you are willing to put in a lot of time. I started down that route for a while before realizing I was better off putting my website into more capable hands. đ
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
MELANIE:About 6 years. I started writing and joined a critique group in 2012 and sold my first picture book in 2018.
SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?
MELANIE: It can get a little stressful as you approach your debut date and think about all the marketing you still need to do, but Iâd advise anyone debuting to be sure to also have fun and enjoy the crazy journey! And for writers who arenât sure if theyâll ever get that first book out there, keep the faith. You have your own stories to tell, and the world needs them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Melanie! We are so grateful to you for sharing your time and expertise, and wish you all the best with this and future titles!
Readers, if you have questions for Melanie, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!
You may purchase Melanie’s book at: (all links below are book-specific)
We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:
– purchasing their books
– recommending their books to friends and family
– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians
– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores
– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries
– sharing their books on social media
– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.
Thank you all for stopping by to read today! Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday! Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book đ
Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts? Check them out!
With Valentines Day on the horizon (and the Valentiny Contest fast approaching!) I thought today was a good day for this lovely book about feelings!
Title: In My Heart: A Book Of Feelings
Written By: Jo Witek
Illustrated By: Christine Roussey
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed, October 2014, informational fiction
Suitable For Ages: 2-4 (but I think up to 6 would like!)
Themes/Topics: emotions
Opening: “My heart is full of feelings. Big feelings and small feelings. Loud feelings and quiet feelings. Quick feelings and slow feelings. My heart is like a house, with all these feelings living inside.“
Brief Synopsis: Happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness . . . hearts can feel so many things! Some make us feel as light as a balloon, others as heavy as an elephant. How does your heart feel?
text copyright Jo Witek 2014, illustration copyright Christine Roussey 2014, Abrams Appleseed
Links To Resources: make a collage of different colored hearts to represent your emotions/how you feel; draw a picture of what happy, sad, angry, brave, hopeful, shy, or any other emotion looks like to you; write a haiku or poem about being happy, sad, angry, brave, hopeful, shy, or any other emotion; make heart cookies (recipe HERE) and color the icing so you have a rainbow of emotions!
text copyright Jo Witek 2014, illustration copyright Christine Roussey 2014, Abrams Appleseed
Why I Like This Book: Emotions can be tricky even for adults. For kids, who have less experience of the world and a harder time understanding and articulating emotion, it’s wonderful to have a book like this that describes and shows the feel and the look of different basic emotions. The words are lovely, describing how different emotions feel in lyrical and accessible language (e.g. “Sometimes my heart feels as heavy as an elephant. There’s a dark cloud over my head, and tears fall like rain. This is when my heart is sad.“) And the art enhances the words by showing even further what the emotion looks like. The book is beautifully done, with heart cut-outs that run through the center of the book growing smaller on each page, and I think would be an asset to any library! đ
text copyright Jo Witek 2014, illustration copyright Christine Roussey 2014, Abrams Appleseed
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out đ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Phyllis and I certainly did. We had to dig out of our burrow which was buried under 16+ inches of snow in order for Phyllis to determine that Punxsutawney Phil was nuts to claim he could see his shadow! There were no shadows on Blueberry Hill – only more snow! As far as we’re concerned, it’s going to be an early spring! đđ· (Which reminds me of the plot of a certain picture book I know. . . đ)
With that in mind to cheer us on, let’s get down to business! First off, the pitch winners!
The winner of the October 2020 Pitch Pick was Nicole with her PB pitch for Dear Duchess!
And the winner of the November/December Pitch Pick was Patricia with her PB pitch for Back To The Sea!
Congratulations to both of you on terrific pitches that made people want to read your stories, and for making good use of the feedback you received to improve your originals! Great job! Your pitches have been sent to editor Erin Molta and I’m sure you’ll hear from her as soon as she is able!
And congratulations also to all our other pitchers! You also did a great job! It is no easy thing to put your work out in the world for evaluation. But not only do you get the opportunity to learn from the experience, all of us do, too. So thank you for your bravery and generosity!
Let’s all celebrate with Something Chocolate! This morning, we will be indulging in Cheesecake Brownies because why not?! đ
Doesn’t the day look better already with breakfast like that? Scrumptious!!! đ
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Corey who says, “Hey there!! My name is Corey King (C.E. King) and I have been writing for a few years now. Just turning to Kidlit last year, I have enjoyed learning new ways of communicating through the power of words! I have an awesome 7 year old to judge my stories and give me daily inspiration. I hope to see you all in print someday!! To see current titles in progress, visit my website: http://www.scribblebuddy.com/ceking or look my up on Twitter @ckinginator”
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Hairy Bigfoot Believes In Humans
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Hairy Bigfoot has spent years writing books & hosting weekly podcasts proving that humans exist. After a gang of non-believing bigfeet vandalized his storefront, Humans-R-Real, INC., he sets out to disprove the naysayers. BRAVE READERS ONLY! #pbpitch #ha
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 Corey 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! Â For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on Would You Read it in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. Â There are openings in early April, so you could get your pitch up pretty soon for helpful feedback and a chance to have it read and commented on by editor Erin Molta!
Corey is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! Â I am looking forward to trying out 1 or 6 of those brownies! (writing fuel – it’s allowed!) đđđ
