Prize Winners AND Summer Plans!

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Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope you all had lovely weekends and happy celebrations of Father’s Day!

I am happy because I get to start off the week by giving out prizes to some of my favorite people 🙂

You will recall that on Friday, we celebrated the 100th posting of Perfect Picture Books, and by way of a little thank you, I had 9 highly acclaimed picture books to give away randomly to 9 lucky staunch supporters.

And here they are!!!

I will list their names, their fabulous blogs where they have faithfully posted tons of wonderful picture books, and the picture book they won:

Barbara Gruener at The Corner On Character wins: On A Beam Of Light: A Story Of Albert Einstein

Joanna Marple at Miss Marple’s Musings wins: Warning: Do Not Open This Book

Julie Rowan-Zoch at Julie Rowan-Zoch – Writing Illustrating Reading Children’s Books wins: Mitchell Goes Bowling

Stacy Jensen at Stacy S. Jensen – Writer & Designer wins: Gaston

Vivian Kirkfield at Picture Books Help Kids Soar wins: Mr. Wuffles

Joanne Roberts at Bookish Ambition wins: The Dark

Beth Stilborn at By Word Of Beth wins: Journey

Carrie Finison at Story Patch wins: This Is The Rope: A Story Of The Great Migration

Laura Miller at Laura Miller – Children’s Book Writer/Illustrator wins: The Watermelon Seed

Winners, please email me with your snail mail addresses so I can get the books mailed out!  And if any of you want to exchange what you won for any reason, let me know and we’ll see if we can work it out 🙂

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to the winners and to everyone else who has faithfully posted Perfect Picture Books, visited the many wonderful blogs each week to read and comment, and generally supported the whole Perfect Picture Book project!  You guys are what makes it all work! 🙂  Like I said on Friday, I wish I could give everyone a prize!

Alrighty!

Now that we have completed the happy task of giving out prizes, let’s talk summer plans a bit, shall we?

I’ve got a busy summer ahead.

Full classes in Making Picture Book Magic for June, July, and August (for which I am exceedingly grateful!)

A full queue of picture book critiques to do through mid-July (for which I am also exceedingly grateful!)

A house full of family – my kids for the whole summer, my sister and her family for about 4 weeks (again – so happy :))

Another summer of college visits (tons of fun, but on the road again… 🙂  Ohio, Maine, etc… lots of driving and time away from home)

Life in general, and, oh yes, my own writing which I’m supposed to get around to from time to time 🙂

I am not one to take blog breaks lightly.  I like consistency, and I so value all of you and appreciate that you make time in your day for me and my blog.  I worry (a LOT) that if I drop off the grid for a while, you’ll all find someone else’s blog to go hang out at and I will miss you terribly!

But I think it’s unrealistic of me to pretend that I’m going to manage blogging with any kind of regularity this summer.

So here’s my plan (such as it is and subject to change because you know me and plans :)):

Would You Read It Wednesdays will continue uninterrupted through the end of July, because they are all already scheduled.  I do so hope that you’ll continue to stop by and help our brave pitchers!

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are on hiatus until September 5 or 12 (depends when all my kids go back to school :))

I may post on sporadic Mondays if and when I have something to share.

But I will be completely on a blog break for the whole month of August.

I know.  Hard to imagine me shutting up for a whole month, but there you have it 🙂

I hope you guys won’t mind.  I figured you all might actually like a break too – we all have things to do in the summer that involve being away from our computers, and I know a lot of people do step away from blogging.   I think a little break will help us all feel refreshed come September.

I had all kinds of plans… another season of Summer Short & Sweets (but Tracey Cox is running Summer Sparks which is kind of the same thing)… a writing contest in August… something new and different which I haven’t thought up yet… but I think I’ve reached my limit for a bit and my family is going to disown me if I don’t pay a little attention to them 🙂

So I hope you’ll all continue to visit on Wednesdays through July, as well as on whatever other random days I happen to post, and I hope you’ll forgive me for the sparse posting, and I hope you’ll all have wonderful summers full of fun, family, time outdoors, productive writing, and enjoyable reading!

Please feel free to voice your thoughts on the matter below 🙂

Have a magnificent Monday, everyone! 🙂

100 Weeks Of Perfect Picture Books! (Celebrated In The 101st Week!) – I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo! PLUS PRIZES!

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WOO-HOO!!!

Can you believe it?

In spite of the fact that Perfect Picture Books goes on vacation every summer, we are now celebrating the 100th week of Perfect Picture Book Fridays!  (Just in time to go on summer vacation again :))

100 weeks of fabulous picture books with resources of all kinds to make them easy for parents and teachers to use at home and in the classroom!

100 weeks of highly recommended books listed alphabetically and by theme to make it easy for gift-givers to find the perfect picture book for that special little someone!

100 weeks of perfect examples that we, as writers, can study and learn from!

To date, we have picture books listed in 226 themes/categories.

And we have – get this! – 2055 Perfect Picture Books on our list!!!

(Or, we would if I ever got caught up updating!  Which is on my to-do list for this summer along with about a million other things :))

For those of you who haven’t noticed yet (because I haven’t announced it because I’m not finished with it :)), Perfect Picture Books is now on Pinterest.  I’m hoping it will make it easier to search.  But it’s a work in progress and far from complete!  If you want to check it out, here’s the link: http://www.pinterest.com/susannaleonard/

So really, after all the hard work you guys have put in, all the wonderful picture books and resources that are now available to teachers, parents, writers, and gift-givers everywhere, I think we should celebrate!!!

First, we need cake (obviously!) 🙂

Next, we need streamers. . .

. . . confetti. . .

. . . and balloons!

And last but not least, we need prizes for all the amazing bloggers who have contributed so devotedly week after week to this effort!  So let’s do today’s Perfect Picture Book, and hopefully by then I will have thought up a plan.  I’ll meet you down below after you’re done reading about this delightful book!

Title: I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo!
Written By: Jill Esbaum
Illustrated By: Gus Gordon
Dial (Penguin Group), May 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: honesty, courage, animals

Opening: “Nadine was a truly remarkable cow.
There was nothing she feared – so she claimed, anyhow.
“Not lightning?” asked Starla.  “Loud noises? A rat?”
“I’m not scared,” Nadine boasted, “of any of that.”
“The woods?” asked Annette.  “‘Cause that place scares me stiff.”
“Not me,” bragged Nadine with a proud little sniff.
“As a matter of fact, just to prove it, let’s go!”
(She was certain her meek-hearted friends would say no.)

Brief Synopsis: Nadine boasts that she isn’t afraid of anything!  When her friends call her bluff, she learns that sometimes acting brave can make you feel brave… and sometimes it can’t!  And when she’s hailed as a hero for saving her friends, she has the choice to ‘fess up and admit she was just as scared as they were or let her friends believe what they want.  Which do you think Nadine chooses? 🙂

Links To Resources: this book will give parents and teachers a great opportunity to have discussions about what courage is, and what makes a person brave.  Is it not being afraid? Or is it going forward in spite of your fear?  It will also give an opportunity to talk about honesty.  Is is okay to lie if it ends up being the truth?  Is it okay to let people believe something good about you even if it’s not exactly deserved?  Talk with kids about things they’re afraid of.  What do they think could make them feel braver?  Ask kids if they’ve ever lied about something and gotten caught?  How did they feel?  Classroom Activities: Honesty, Classroom Activities: Courage.

Why I Like This Book:  Nadine is so full of herself, so spunky and fun, and so believable because haven’t we all met kids (or adults :)) who can bluster their way through just about anything?!  Kids will relate to this confident bovine who pretends not to be scared of the Deep. Dark. Woods. only to discover that she really isn’t afraid… until the sun goes down!  Things unravel a bit (I don’t want to spoil it :)) but she ends up saving her friends (completely by accident) and is hailed as a brave hero… an illusion she chooses not to discourage 🙂  The art is lively and entertaining, and the story is fun and full of humor!

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

So.  About those prizes!  Since we’re celebrating Perfect Picture Books, I’d like to give away a few 🙂  I wish I could give everyone a prize, but I have yet to become one of those authors who makes millions of dollars 🙂  Instead, I’ve chosen a few books that have been widely well-received that I hope you guys might want to win:

Journey by Aaron Becker (Candlewick)
Mr. Wuffles by David Weisner (Clarion)
Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt, illus. by Matthew Forsythe (Simon & Schuster)
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli (Disney/Hyperion)
On A Beam Of Light: A Story Of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illus. by Vladimir Radunsky (Chronicle)
Mitchell Goes Bowling by Hallie Durand, illus. by Tony Fucile (Candlewick)
The Dark by Lemony Snicket, illus. by Jon Klassen (Little, Brown)
This Is The Rope: A Story Of The Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by James Ransome (Nancy Paulsen Books)
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, illus. by Christian Robinson (Atheneum)

+1 – If you’d like to win one of these fabulous books, please leave a comment below.
+1 – If you follow the Perfect Picture Books Pinterest Board, you’ll get an additional chance to win (if you already follow, please remind me, if you don’t already follow, there’s no time like the present :))  http://www.pinterest.com/susannaleonard/
+5 – If you’ve posted 50 or more Perfect Picture Books on your blog over the course of the past 100 weeks, tell me that and I’ll give you 5 additional chances to win!  (Scout’s Honor – I don’t have time to count! – but I think I know who qualifies :))

(And if there’s a book your particularly hope to win or one that you already own, feel free to let me know.)

Please leave your comments/follow the Pinterest Board/let me know if you’ve posted 50 or more PPBs etc. by Sunday June 15 at 5 PM EDT.  Names will be entered the appropriate number of times into random.org and 9 winners will be randomly chosen and matched with the books.

My deepest thanks to all the bloggers who have supported this effort so whole-heartedly, and to all the readers who come by to share our love of picture books every week!  Perfect Picture Books would not exist without you!

And maybe we’ll have another celebration/giveaway in September when we start up again because I’d really like to spread the word about PPBF but now is a dumb time since we’re about to go on Summer Vacation! 🙂

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

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and I look forward to hearing from you all in the comments!!! 🙂

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! 🙂