Would You Read It Wednesday #137 – Dandelion Wishes (PB)

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Well, lovelies, I promised you a little synopsis of the conference, so here it is.

I think it went okay.

Well, maybe I should say I hope it went okay.  Because truly, it’s all a bit of a blur – intense nervousness apparently has an inhibiting effect on memory – someone should probably study that if they haven’t already! 🙂

There was a brief period just before I began when I feared someone would have to employ smelling salts to peel me off the floor, but luckily that didn’t end up being necessary 🙂

Here I am, standing at the front trying to look and sound like I know what I’m talking about:

Here is one of the slides from the beautiful power point presentation (my first ever!) that my daughter kindly helped me with (and by helped I mean did the entire thing with me leaning over her shoulder saying, “I want it to look like this here, and say this there”, etc…. patience and kindness, thy name is Katie :)):

Here are some attendees having the kindness to look interested:

And, now for the really important photo, here is the Something Chocolate that Dee, the organizer, who clearly knows me well, left as a gift for me when I arrived at the hotel:

This is a Buffalo specialty called Sponge Candy.  It has a delicious inside, kind of like caramelized sugar but with a texture that is light and crispy when you bite into it, but then melts away in your mouth like cotton candy.  And the outside is coated in milk or dark chocolate.  Here is a close up:

YUM!

I know you all want to rush right out to Buffalo and get some!

So anyway, that about sums it up: long drive to Buffalo, perfect gift on arrival, miraculously managed to get through the whole full day workshop, went out for a delicious and delightful dinner with the organizers as well as 5 YA authors and 2 agents who were going to be Sunday’s workshop – really fantastic company – what a group!, and then long drive home from Buffalo. . . and am here to tell the tale 🙂

Now then!  Onward!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Katey.  Katey Howes has been dreaming of publishing children’s books since she was 5, and finally had the good sense to take a break from a full time job as a physical therapist to turn her dreams into realities. She is raising 3 voracious readers (8, 6, and 4 years old) who are her biggest inspiration AND harshest critics. Katey has worked with children her entire life in camps, schools, homes and hospitals. Because of this, she has a special sense of what makes them tick, what makes them strong, and what makes them laugh. She tries to bring this to all her stories. Katey blogs on Raising Readers every Monday (and other random mommy/writer/insomniac nonsense on other days) at http://www.kateywrites.wordpress.com.  You can find her tweeting @kateywrites, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kateywrites, and pinning book-y goodness at http://www.pinterest.com/kathrynhowes3/.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Dandelion Wishes
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch: Gia and her mother have everything they need on their hill above the trees: one Saturday after another of togetherness, magic, and wishes.  Dandelion Wishes follows Gia and her mother as they journey through the seasons and see sunny skies turn grey; fields of dandelion wishballs disappear.  Just when Gia thinks magic has gone from her hill and her heart, something beautiful happens to remind her that what she always wished for was there the whole time.

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 Katey 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.)
Katey is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to catching up on all the work I left by the wayside whilst preparing for the conference so that things can get back to normal! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!  And don’t forget to help yourselves to Sponge Candy.  I feel quite certain that anything that light cannot possibly have any calories.  In fact, I’m pretty sure it has negative calories 🙂

Enjoy! 🙂

Edmund Pickle Chin Blog Tour – And A Chance For A Prize!

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Good Morning, Everyone!  Happy Monday!

As you can see, I survived my In-Real-Life teaching experience this weekend!  I would tell you about  it, but I’m suffering selective amnesia and besides, we’ve already got something else on the agenda for today, so it will have to wait 🙂

Today it is my pleasure to host Clara Bowman-Jahn and Susan Elwood on the final stop of their blog tour for Edmund Pickle Chin – A Donkey Rescue Story, their wonderful new picture book!

The previous stops on the tour (listed below for your convenience) covered animal mistreatment, collaboration, a book review, an author interview, and an interview with Edmund himself 🙂  Make sure you visit them and follow the instructions because there are PRIZES involved! 🙂
Today, we will hear about how teachers can use Edmund in the classroom.
Please help me welcome Susan Elwood!
Hi Susanna, it’s a pleasure to be your guest!
Edmund Pickle, A Donkey Rescue Story, may be a children’s picture book, but it is packed with opportunity for teachers to use in the classroom in various subjects and themes. I can see the opportunities spilling over into not only in the kindergarten and first grade classroom but the second and third as well. For the younger grades it has the days of the week built right in, along with an adventure Edmund has for each day. The days of the week also allow for the children to see that Susan, Edmund’s care giver in the story did not get results in a day, that it took a period of time (and patience).
There’s the cause and effect lesson.  Each and every one of us are responsible for our actions toward others and the results it may bring, and that includes our actions toward creatures. For those children who don’t have the opportunity to have pets, it teaches that all creatures respond to the way they are treated, be it positively or negatively. Compassion toward others goes a long way.
Bullying is a serious topic in schools now a days and this book talks about a donkey trying to overcome this obstacle and how with patience from his care giver he is able to blossom and give back. It shows team work and patience.
Ah patience! It seems with all the immediate results children can get now days with numerous technology devices, instant gratification is accepted. Sometimes that doesn’t come quickly when we are dealing with real life. Susan the care giver dedicates the time needed to bring on the results she hopes for Edmund. 
As far as my hopes on what the book will do for rescue animals, first and for most I hope it teaches the older children that places like Evermay Farm exists.  That there is an option to abuse and neglect. I hope the book will impress upon them that animals have feelings and needs.  My hope is that the younger generations grow up showing compassion and not looking the other way, when they could step in and make a difference. 

The book was written in hopes on drawing attention to a small rescue/sanctuary called Evermay Farm, which I founded about a year ago.  The book was written to bring attention to the nonprofit and help with donations, but also, for me at least, to teach children compassion and patience. 
In the end….I hope they enjoy it as a story with a happy ending, because every child deserves
one!
So happy to have had this chance to chat!

Susan April Elwood co-author Edmund Pickle Chin,A Donkey Rescue Story

Thank you so much, Susan!  I’m sure teachers will find that very helpful and informative!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. . .


 Prizes – From Clara And Susan!

Thanks so much for reading Friends! For all friends of Edmund are my friends. Below please find our links and the tour. Read every post, follow the blog and comment for prizes. The reader who follows each blog and comments on each stop of the tour will get first prize. And if there are many winners, hurray! We will deliver!
First prize is a print book of both Annie’s Special Day and Edmund Pickle Chin. Second prize is either a print copy of Edmund or of Annie, you get to pick. Third prize is a copy of the ebook of Edmund Pickle Chin, a Donkey Rescue Story.
For Susan April Elwood:
For Clara Bowman-Jahn
BLOG TOUR DATES
May 26: Animal abuse and mistreatment — Joanna –www.joannamarple.com
May 29: Author collaboration— Stacy – http://www.stacysjensen.com
May 30: PPBF and review — Vivian – http://viviankirkfield.com/
June 2: Author interview  — Erik – www.ThisKidReviewsBooks.com
June 4: Edmund interview — Patricia – http://childrensbooksheal.com
June 9: Teacher info and guide — right here 🙂
About the Authors:

Clara Bowman-Jahn

Clara Bowman-Jahn worked as a registered nurse for thirty two years finally trading that job for her true love, writing. Clara’s short stories have been published in three anthologies, Campaigner Challenges 2011, The ‘I’ Word and Charms Vol. 2. She is also the author of Annie’s Special Day a children’s picture book. Her second Picture book, a true story, called Edmund Pickle Chin, a Donkey Rescue Story, is co-authored with Susan April Elwood.

 When Clara is not writing, she teaches ESOL to adult students through a library program. She also likes taking long walks with her husband, blogging, and reading books. She is a member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Julie Hedlunds Picture Book Challenge 12×12, Susanna Leonard Hill’s Making Picture Book Magic; Pennwriters, Bethesda Writer’s Center and Round Hill Writer’s Group. She lives in rural Loudoun County, Virginia with her brilliant husband, and two fat cats. She is the proud mother of two wonderful grown sons and a grandmother to a delightful grandson. 

Susan April Elwood

Susan April Elwood has worked with children for over twenty years in Northern Virginia as a preschool teacher, kindergarten assistant, and a library assistant. With her passion for animals it made perfect sense to combine the two and write an animal story for children, teaming up with author Clara Bowman-Jahn.


Susan and her husband Tom moved from Northern Virginia in 2007 to central Georgia where they founded Evermay Farm, a non-profit rescue for farm animals. This is the setting for the book titled, Edmund Pickle Chin, A Donkey Rescue Story. The story is based on Edmund a donkey, the first of many animals to call Evermay Farm home. Susan and her husband Tom have two treasured sons, a wonderful daughter-in-law and a precious grandson. In her free time, Susan enjoys photographing animals and antiquing.      
        

www.evermayfarm.org

Thank you all so much for joining us today!
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Oops

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Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday!

As you all know, I am shuffling off to Buffalo to the SCBWI conference.  And it’s finally happened.  I have run out of time.

Does anyone here realize how long it takes to try to turn a perfectly good online course into a one day workshop?  Sheesh!  I had no idea!  And shockingly (because you all know how organized I am and how good I am at estimating time :)) I underestimated how much time I’d need.  I’ve been nose-to-the-grindstone for days, and when I realized at 11:45 PM that I’d forgotten it was Thursday and hadn’t done a Perfect Picture Book I was too zombified to come up with a decent plan.

So here is my indecent plan 🙂

I am posting the list, packing up Princess Blue Kitty, and hitting the road!

Please wish me luck.  I’m not at all sure I can do this.  There’s a reason writers are perfectly happy writing in the kitchen with their dogs where they don’t have to be outgoing and brave!

Hopefully I will see you Monday with the last installment of Clarike Bowman-Jahn’s book tour for Edmund Pickle Chin!

And even though today is technically the 100th Perfect Picture Book Friday, we will celebrate next week with our last PPBF post before the summer hiatus!

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday # 136 – Sprinkles Goes To School (PB)

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Good Morning, Peeps!  Happy Wednesday!

As y’all know, I am frantically trying to prepare for the SCBWI conference this weekend – finishing critiques and preparing my presentation – and the upside of this is that I have no time to talk your ears off!  So enjoy this remarkably short post for WYRI!

Today for our Something Chocolate our pitcher requested something dark chocolate and minty – which sounded delicious – so I was happy to comply.  Of course, then I couldn’t decide between two luscious-looking options, so we have an elegant and crisp mint chocolate bark

AND

a soft cake with creamy mint filling for those who prefer something in that department.

I, of course, will have some of each 🙂 and I encourage you all to do so as well 🙂  It’s important to keep up our strength, after all!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Kimberly who says, “I keep pretty busy working at my local public library, owning a costume shop/balloon store, and working as a professional clown.  Therefore it’s sometimes hard to find time for writing!  But it’s my goal to focus on it more now which I’m doing by having participated in PiBoIdMo and 12×12 as well as being a member of SCBWI.  I previously had 2 YA pieces e-published though my e-publisher has since closed. 

I look forward to any comments or suggestions others have to share!”
I can be found on Facebook as Kimberly Sprinkles Cowger

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Sprinkles Goes To School
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: The first day of Kindergarten is intimidating for everyone, especially if you’re a clown.  Sprinkles the Clown tries to fit in with her new classmates but when her juggling act for show-and-tell goes wrong all the kids laugh at her, in a way that even clowns don’t like to be laughed at.  When a storm rolls in scaring all the students, Sprinkles puts her own fears aside and uses one of her true clowning skills to try and save the day!

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 Kimberly 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.)
Kimberly is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to getting all this work finished so I can stop worrying about getting all this work finished and come catch up with you all!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Red Sings From Treetops

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Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Guess what?

Next week is the 100th Perfect Picture Book Week!

Can you believe it?

We should probably have a party.

Except…

Next Friday – only one week from right this very second – the day of the 100th Perfect Picture Book post – is when I leave for the SCBWI conference I’m teaching at.

Teaching GROWNUPS!  IN REAL LIFE not online!

(Can you say petrified? :))

I am finishing the pile of critiques.  I am trying to prepare my workshop in a way that will hopefully sound coherent and give the participants a fun and meaningful experience.  I’m also winding up my May online class and starting my June one.  My children are arriving home from college which necessitates driving to pick up, loading and unloading cars, masses of laundry, and packing things away for the summer.  Oh, and I’m babysitting for my granddaughters on Sunday and in charge of the barn chores until my friend gets back from her mini break.  All good things in every way, but I’m feeling a little like I just don’t have enough time in the day!

So I’m not sure if I’m going to manage to plan a party.

And you will also have to (please!) forgive me for recycling a Perfect Picture Book today!

I don’t feel bad too about it, though, because this book is one of my all-time favorites.  I use it as an example of beautiful language in my class, and if you haven’t had a chance to read it you’re truly missing out.  Get thee to the library right quick!

Red Sings From Treetops: A Year In Colors
Written By: Joyce Sidman
Illustrated By: Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin Books For Children, April 2009, Fiction

Suitable For: ages 5 and up

Themes: Colors, Seasons, Poetry

Opening:
“In SPRING,
Red sings from treetops:
cheer-cheer-cheer,
each note dropping
like a cherry
into my ear.

Red turns
the maples feathery,
sprouts in rhubarb spears;
Red squirms on the road after rain.”

(Don’t you just love that?  Can’t you just hear that cardinal singing and see the worms wiggling on the pavement?)

Brief Synopsis:  From the jacket: “Color comes alive in this whimsical, innovative book.”  That pretty much sums it up!

Links To Resources: Junior Library Guild Activity Guide, Poem Starters, Readers Guide

Why I Like This Book:  I love the lyrical language of this book.  The author was so creative in her thinking – the way she describes the colors makes you see, feel, hear, touch, and taste Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.  The art is exquisite and perfectly suited to the poetry.  How can you not love lines like,
“Green waits
in the hearts of trees,
feeling
the earth
turn.”

I hope you’ll get a chance to read this book, linger over the language, enjoy the images it evokes, maybe challenge yourself or your children to come up with your own descriptions!

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

I want to take this opportunity to let you all know that PPBF will be going on hiatus for the summer as usual.  I am open to popular opinion as to whether next Friday (June 6) or the following Friday (June 13) will be the last day.  As I said, I will not be here next Friday.  Princess Blue Kitty (my car for those of you who don’t know her) and I will be on the road to the aforementioned SCBWI conference.  But y’all can carry on and I’ll catch up after the weekend.  Assuming I survive 🙂  Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments.  As for a party, I guess we could maybe have it a week late…???

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come see what delights you have in store for us this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #135 – Princess Petulia’s Problem (PB)

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Something very weird is going on.

(Cue Twilight Zone music)

Last week, 4 people informed me that they had stopped receiving my blog post notifications.  While I was agonizing over what on earth to do to fix this knotty problem, I suddenly got a blog post notification from Janet Sumner Johnson, soon followed by one from Wavy Lines, soon followed by ones from Growing, Writing, Creating Our Own, Sunlit Pages, Fiction University, and a host of others.  Almost all of them are Blogger blogs and/or delivered by Feedburner.  None of them had missed a post… and yet I hadn’t received notifications from them for a couple weeks.  Coincidence?

(More Twilight Zone music!)

I don’t THINK so!  I mean, what are the odds?  (A question which I am WAY to bad at math to have any hope of figuring out, but knock yourselves out if you want to actually answer :)) And…

AND!!!

… my blog is a Blogger blog delivered by Feedburner!  Coincidence?

Again, I think not!

So I’m hoping against all reason and former evidence to the contrary that this was some kind of Blogger or Feedburner issue which has resolved itself.

(Hahaha!  I know!  That would be so simple it will probably never happen!  But here’s hoping everyone who is supposed to get my blog post notification today WILL!  My glass is half-full :))

(And we will not discuss the fact that I am so busy and my inbox is so full that I didn’t even realize I’d MISSED their notifications until they reappeared… sharpest tool in the shed, here :)… so I deeply apologize for missing those posts and failing to visit!)

I don’t know about you, but after all that spine-tingling weirdness and the depressing realization of my lack of cognizance, I need Something Chocolate!  Let me rummage in my pantry and see what we have today…

…chocolate is brain food, you know.  Very restorative…

Ooh!  How about these morsels of delectableness thoughtfully sent to me by the lovely Rene!

Brownie Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

YUM!  I hope you can see that there is an oreo spread with peanut butter, topped by another oreo and more peanut butter, all enveloped in lovely brownie!  I think even I might be able to make these, and boy do they look good!  Please.  Help yourselves!  We’ll forget all about the Blogger/Feedburner conspiracy! 🙂

Now.  To the business at hand.  (I mean, the OTHER business at hand, besides stuffing ourselves with chocolate at whatever ungodly hour of the morning it currently is :))

Today’s pitch comes to us from Steve, who says says, “I spent 20 years as a teacher of small children in London. Reading aloud was my favourite part of teaching. This means that I absolutely know what a PB, Lower MG should sound like. The challenge is to make my own writing sound right!”  We have met Steve before with his pitches for Rashad Saves The World (WYRI #111) which won the November 2013 Pitch Pick, and Silly Tilly (WYRI #123)

Here is his pitch:

Working Title: Princess Petulia’s Problem
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5-8)
The Pitch: Princess Petulia had the longest hair you ever saw. It was long, it was luscious, it was glossy and glamorous and Princess Petulia … hated it. Children stood on it, birds made nests in it, but the King had rules for princesses and the number one rule was NO HAIRCUTS. Kings are kings and can’t be disobeyed, but when she accidentally bumped in to the old gardener with the pruning shears and the shaky hands, Princess Petulia started to see the perfect solution to her problem.


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 Steve improve his 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.)
Steve is looking forward to your thoughts on his pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing if anyone gets this post notification.  (I will be very forgiving and not sentence Blogger/Feedburner to an entire week without their crayons if the problem has been fixed/spontaneously fixed itself!)

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – This Is A Moose

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My goodness what a busy week that was!  I can’t believe it’s Friday again already!

I didn’t manage to finish even half the work I hoped to get done, but I did get to go on a particularly wonderful school visit.  Look at the lovely displays they made to welcome me:

So bright and cheery, aren’t they?  And lots and lots of my favorite characters 🙂

I was hoping to have a picture with the kids in it, but I didn’t get it in time.  Trust me – they were terrific, and super cute too 🙂

But now, it is time for a Perfect Picture Book!  This is such a fun one!  If you haven’t had a chance to see it, trot right over to the library.  It will make you laugh 🙂

Title: This Is A Moose
Written By: Richard T. Morris
Illustrated By: Tom Lichtenheld
Little Brown & Company, May 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: being yourself, imagination, perseverance

Opening: “This is the Mighty Moose.  His father is a moose.  His mother is a moose.  This moose wants to be an astronaut. CUT!”

Brief Synopsis: Billy Waddler is making a film.  A film about a moose.  At least, it’s supposed to be about a moose.  But this moose simply will not conform to Billy’s idea of what a moose should be.  In fact, no one in this book is behaving the way they’re supposed to.  What’s a filmmaker to do?

Links To Resources:  Fun facts about moose;  Classroom activities about moose, including a hands-and-feet moose poster and a make-your-own moose with moving parts; Moose coloring pages; Moose maze (there are other animal mazes, too); read and compare with Morris The Moose Goes To School by Bernard Wiseman; ask your kids or students what they want to be when they grow up.

Why I Like This Book:  This book is colorful, engaging, and funny.  The filmmaker is single-minded in his mission, and the other characters consistently frustrate him with their non-conformity, resulting in some great comedy 🙂  The story is about characters who refuse to be pigeon-holed into stereotypical roles, and it carries the messages that you should be yourself no matter what, and that no one person’s vision is more important than another’s.  The art is fabulous and includes many fun details that kids will enjoy exploring.  I dare you not to love this book 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come visit you and see what delights you chose this week!

Have a GREAT Memorial Day weekend, everyone, and enjoy the day off Monday while we celebrate  and give thanks for the brave men and women who gave the last full measure of devotion for their country.  Although summer won’t really begin for another month, Memorial Day always seems like the moment it arrives, so happy summer, everyone! 🙂

Would You Read It #134 – Little Lizzie Knows What She’s Doing (PB) PLUS The April Pitch Winner

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Bonjour, mes petites oiseaux!

(For those of you less fluent in French than me, that means good morning my little birdies – at least, I’m hoping it means something like that :))

I’ve got birds on the brain (no, I did NOT say I was a bird brain!) because of Mr. and Mrs. Canada Goose on the way to my daughter’s school.  They have recently successfully hatched 6 delightful fluffy goslings!  How can you not just love something this cute?

But enough of cute babies.  We’ve got an action-packed, fun-filled day ahead!  Are you ready?

First off, the winner of the April Pitch Pick is Frances!  Congratulations, Frances!  Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for her comments, and I’m sure you’ll hear from her shortly!

Congratulations to our other fearless pitchers, too!  You did a tremendous job and I know I speak for all of us when I say we admire and respect you for bravely posting your work!

Now.  On a more serious note (one might even say grave), I’d like to discuss something of great importance.

Something I know has been weighing heavily on your minds.

Admit it.

You’ve been lying awake nights plagued by the torturous question of how, oh HOW, should you eat your berries?

Darlings.  I am here for you.

With prime berry season almost upon us, I feel it’s critical that we clear up some common misconceptions.

You might think you should pluck them from the bush they grow on and pop them right in your mouth.  This is called Beary Picking because that’s how the bears do it.  This is not the correct way for you to do it.  Please don’t.  Get out of that blueberry bush right now.

You might think you should buy them at the store, wash them, and put them in one of your pretty china dishes to eat with a spoon.  I’m sorry to tell you that this is also wrong.  Seriously.  Put that dish back in the cabinet before you break it.  And what is that?  Vanilla ice cream?  Don’t make me come over there!

THIS, darlings, is the proper way, the ONLY way to eat berries:

SOMETHING CHOCOLATE 🙂
Chocolate Dessert Cups With Fresh Berries from Plain Vanilla Mom
Recipe HERE

No dishes to wash, hence no water wastage.  No disposable items that have to be thrown away only to clog up our recycling centers.  Just a good old-fashioned edible Something Chocolate cup like our founding fathers used to use back in the old days.  Simple.  Elegant.  Eco-friendly.  Delicious.

I’m so glad I was able to clear that up for you 🙂

Now.  Bring your chocolate cup of berries along and let’s get down to business!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Linda who says, “I know what I’m doing” was a favorite phrase of mine when I was growing up. I wanted to discover the world f or myself, not through my parent’s eyes. This meant that on occasion I would find myself stuck up in a tree or riding my bike with my eyes closed. The results were not pretty!  Today, I continue to be adventurous, writing about the Glimmer Glen Elves who visit me in my Elfery, and dabbling in self-publishing in a variety of genres for both children and adults.” 

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Little Lizzie Knows What She’s Doing
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-6)
The Pitch: Little Lizzie may be small, but she has an enormous curiosity about her world and how she fits in it. She wants to figure things out in her own way, so when her parents caution her about trying something new, her reply is always, I know what I’m doing!  Giving the cat a bath and other experiments lead to some interesting consequences, until at last Lizzie demonstrates she does know what she’s doing.

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 Linda 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.)
Linda is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to not washing any dishes ever again now that I’ve discovered chocolate cups 🙂

Have a wonderful, productive, and fulfilling Wednesday, everyone! 🙂

Aaand… We Have A Winner!

42 Comments

Happy Monday, Everyone!

You would think, given that it’s Monday, the start of a new week full of possibility, that I would have something pithy or inspiring or at the very least entertaining to share with you all.

And I do!

I have exactly ONE THING!

(Prepare for the shortest post in the history of this blog!)

I’m sure you will all recall that on Friday we held a giveaway thanks to the generosity of Lori Degman.  One of the commenters on Friday’s post was promised a signed copy of Lori’s new book, Cock-A-Doodle Oops!

Lori and I were amazed and delighted by how many of you stepped up to admit you were donkeys, chickens, pigs, goats, horses, cows, sheep, ducks, and wow! a whole lot of barn cats!  Also, we loved your creative and original crows!

Random.org has done its thing, and I’m thrilled to announce that Farmer McPeeper and his barnyard menagerie will be winging their way to sunny Italy, because none other than the lovely Renee has won Lori’s book!

Lori, thank you again for generously donating a copy of your wonderful new book!

Everyone who commented, thank you so much for joining the fun, and I hope you all get a chance to read Lori’s fabulous book!

And Renee, please email me your address again because although I’m pretty sure I have it somewhere you will get your book a whole lot sooner if you just send me your address than if I start rooting around for it.  I’m very ADD when it comes to searching… or house cleaning… and have a tendency to get distracted from my original task and go off on unrelated tangents and would likely end up sending myself a box of Perugina Chocolate instead of figuring out where in Italy to send your book 🙂

Have a marvelous Monday, everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Cock-a-Doodle Oops! PLUS A Giveaway!!!

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Thank goodness it’s Friday!

I’ve been waiting for MONTHS to share this book with you (because I was lucky enough to get an advance copy), and it’s finally officially out, so I can finally post it for Perfect Picture Book Friday!

Not only that, but I have a signed copy to give away to one lucky commenter!  All you have to do is bake me cookies er tell me and Lori which farm animal you are and why in the comments 🙂

I, for example, would be the horse because I am beautiful and graceful and I can run like the wind…

*snort*

Yeah, I didn’t think anyone would buy that 🙂  I can’t even sell it to myself 🙂  But I do really love horses – that should count for something!

If it’s too hard to think of yourself as a farm animal on Friday morning at the end of a long week, you can just tell us who you’d like the book for.  That will be less sporting and some people might judge you for wimping out, but not me!  Nosirreebob!  I will not think any less of you if you don’t have the gumption to declare to the world that you belong in the donkey shed!

Title: Cock-a-Doodle Oops!
Written By: Lori Degman
Illustrated By: Deborah Zemke
Creston Books, May 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: friendship, helping others, jobs, animals (farm)

Opening: “Farmer McPeeper was such a deep sleeper;
not even an earthquake could shake him.
A poke or a pinch wouldn’t budge him an inch,
’cause only his rooster could wake him.”

Brief Synopsis: Poor Rooster!  He’s tired of getting up so early every morning!  What he needs is a vacation.  Leaving the other animals in charge, Rooster heads for the beach.  Animal after animal tries their best, but no one can wake Farmer McPeeper.  Rooster’s return is greeted with relief, but he’s caught a cold.  How will they ever get the sleepy Farmer up now?

Links To Resources: Teacher’s Guide to Cock-A-Doodle Oops,  Farm animal coloring pages, classroom activities to learn about volunteers, emergency animal rescue, what do I want to be when I grow up, workers and the work they do.  Talk about jobs kids are familiar with and what kind of skills are necessary to do those jobs, or what personality traits would be helpful.  Talk about friendship and what kinds of things friends might do for each other.  Enjoy the YouTube video where Marissa Moss reads the story aloud HERE.

Why I Like This Book:  This book is fun from start to finish!  The rhyme is expertly written, catchy, and fun to read aloud.  The attempts of the various animals to wake the sleeping farmer are hilarious, and kids will enjoy calling out the different crows – cock-a-doodle moo, cock-a-doodle baa, etc.  The illustrations are bright and colorful and a perfect match for the story.  When Rooster returns from his vacation with a cold, the animals have to come up with an inventive solution to get the farmer out of bed.  When at last the farmer is up, he delivers a surprise ending that is clever and funny… but I can’t say what it is here because that would be telling 🙂  Just mosey on out and get yourself a copy.  You won’t be sorry.  It’s delightful 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Lori and I were going to do a little interview or something to go along with this post, but it appears we didn’t quite get our act together in time.  I don’t know how that happened.  I am the epitome of organization.  Ask anyone.  And please ignore the rapidly increasing length of my nose 🙂

So anyway, at the very least, here’s Lori 🙂

Lori Degman is a teacher of Deaf/Hard of Hearing students by day and a writer of picture books by night, weekend and school holiday. She lives in a northern suburb of Chicago with her husband and two dogs. Her debut picture book, 1 Zany Zoo was the winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest and a mini version was distributed inside 2.2 million boxes of Cheerios. The hardcover was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010. Ms. Degman’s second picture book, Cock-a-Doodle Oops! was released by Creston Books on May 13th.

You can also see a wonderful interview with her over at Laura Sassi’s HERE, another review of Cock-A-Doodle Oops at Sue Morris’s HERE, and another terrific interview at Carrie Brown’s HERE.

Now then, my little chickens, get thee to the comments and tell us which farm animal you are and why (or just tell us who you’d like the book for), and one lucky commenter will get a signed copy of this fabulous book!

OR…

Ooh!  How ’bout this?

If you REALLY want to impress us, you can write your own crowing line!  Examples from Lori’s book are:
Her cock-a-doodle-cluck didn’t have any pluck
His cock-a-doodle-bleeeeat just couldn’t compete
Her cock-a-doodle-whoooooooo just didn’t ring true
What kind of rhyming crow can you think up for the farmyard animal of your choice??? 🙂

Please leave your comment by Sunday May 18 at 5 PM EDT and then random.org will choose the winner and I will announce it on Monday.

PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you and see what treasures you have to share this week!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!!! 🙂