I’m so excited it’s Friday because I have the best book to share with you today!
It’s one of those “man-I-wish-I’d-thought-of-that!!!” books 🙂
Are you ready?
Title: Tap The Magic Tree Written & Illustrated By: Christie Matheson Greenwillow Books, August 2013, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8 (according to pub. – I think kids as young as 3 would love it.)
Themes/Topics: following directions/listening, magic, seasons, nature
Opening: “There’s magic in this bare brown tree. Tap it once. Turn the page to see.”
Brief Synopsis: The seasons change as if by magic, all at the reader’s touch! From spring, to summer, to autumn and winter, with a lovely little surprise at the end 🙂
Links To Resources: Classroom activities, draw pictures of different kinds of trees – apple trees, pine trees, what else can you think of and how can you make them look different from each other? Talk about what trees wear in different seasons (and how some trees (deciduous) lose all their “clothes” and others (conifers) don’t) and compare to what you wear in different seasons. Project Plant It: Trees For Kids And Their Communities.
Why I Like This Book: Who needs an app for interactivity? This book has it all. Tap the tree to make the leaves come out. Rub the tree to make it warm so it blossoms. Jiggle the tree and wiggle your fingers to make a rain of petals. Brush the petals away and blow the tree a kiss to make apples form. The reader is in charge and gets to do all the activities. So clever and fun!
I hope everyone is hard at work on their Halloweensie Contest entries and that you’re all doing better than I am (since I haven’t yet had time to start!) It’s so exciting! I can’t wait to read what everyone comes up with.
Oh, and that reminds me, I think we’re going to skip PPBF on Friday November 1 because all the Halloweensie Contest entries will be up (hopefully… assuming anyone actually enters…I’m feeling a little anxious on that score…!) and I want everyone to have time to read them. I apologize if that’s too last minute a change for anyone’s schedule. I just got to thinking that since we’ll be in the middle of the contest it would be nice to leave the link list up over the weekend so people who might not have gotten a chance to read yet can do so easily. Feel free to voice your opinion on this in the comments. I’m willing to negotiate if anyone feels strongly 🙂
Have a great weekend, everyone! And PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you 🙂
It’s time for everybody’s favorite program – Would You Read It! – brought to you in part by Chocolate (it’s what’s for breakfast!)
Except today, since it’s October, our Something Chocolate is going to be Something Pumpkin because I’ve got pumpkins on my mind. So how about this? Hot from the oven pumpkin muffins…
…with chocolate chips 🙂
YUM!
Now, even though it is rude to speak with your mouth full, I’m going to announce the winner of the September Pitch Pick. And the winner is…
DDDRRRUUUMMM RRROOOLLLLLL!!!!!!
Kirsti, with her pitch for Upside Down In Frown Town!
Congratulations on an excellent pitch, Kirsti! It has already zipped through cyberspace to editor Erin Molta and I’m sure you will hear from her shortly!
Congratulations to our other pitchers as well! Everyone did such a good job – it was a tough choice this month! Good luck to you all as you proceed with the stories these pitches are for!
Help yourself to another muffin, and then we’ll move right along to today’s pitch which comes to us from Rosi. Rosi has sold a few pieces to Highlights and Highlights High Five magazine, but no books yet. She writes for all ages, but mostly for children. She is the Critique Group Coordinator for SCBWI North/Central California. And she would love it if anyone would like to visit her blog at: http://rosihollinbeckthewritestuff.blogspot.com/
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Iris The Rainbow Girl Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 2-5) The Pitch: When Iris sees a rainbow, she decides she want to be a beautiful rainbow. Her parents tell her all the reasons she cannot be a rainbow, but Iris persists and finally finds a way to achieve her goal.
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 Rosi 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 Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in January so you’ve got a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Rosi is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to figuring out the rest of the prizes for the Halloweensie Contest. Stay tuned! And once again, if you have any particular thoughts in the what-you’d-like-to-win department, please let me know and I’ll see what I can arrange 🙂
You know what Columbus Day means, don’t you? It’s time for a little (twisted) history:
Four score and seven years ago… plus a couple hundred… Columbus set sail from Peppermint Bay on the Good Ship Lollypop,
searching desperately for a recipe for a perfect pie crust that would be light and flaky and never tough. Instead, he found a brave new world. “Woe is me!” he wailed. “What use is a new land if I cannot bake a decent pie?” Pocahontas led him through the wilderness to the Culinary Institute of America but he was expelled when after 6 months his pie crust still had the consistency of truck tires. “Who cares?” he shouted maniacally as he was led away in footie pajamas. “You guys might make better pie crust, but I’ve got my own holiday! So nanny-nanny-poo-poo!” And he was right, because lo and behold these many years later we are thankful and celebrate ole Chris because we don’t have work or school on his holiday, and anyone can just buy a pie crust any old time from the frozen food section of the grocery store.
And if that is not the version you’re familiar with, well, lets just say there’s a reason it’s called hiSTORY!
Either way, the fact that we don’t have work or school means that we are here… ready… and waiting with baited breath (which, what does that mean really? That your breath smells like bait? Because that would be icky… but I digress…) We are here, and ready for the announcement of…..
The 3rd Annual HALLOWEENSIE CONTEST!!!!!
That’s right! It’s time!
courtesy google images
The Contest: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words spooky, black cat, and cackle. Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words (you can count black cat as one word) and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 🙂 (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge! We got over 40 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!)
Post your story on your blog between 12:00 AM EDT Monday October 28th and Thursday October 31st by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list that will accompany my October 28th post. There will be no Would You Read It that week, so the post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you don’t have a blog and would like to enter, you can simply copy and paste your entry in the comments section of that post once it’s up.
The Judge: my lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to 3 (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with only 3, so we’ll see) top choices which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Monday November 4th. The winner will be announced with Would You Read It on Wednesday November 6th. If we get more than 20 entries, I will post 6 finalists and give prizes for 1st through 3rd.
The Prize: yeah… I’m still working on the prizes 🙂 Feel free to chime in the comments if there’s something you’d particularly like to win! 🙂 But prizes will include (in some way, shape, or form) a hardcover copy of Charlotte Gunnufson’s picture book Halloween Hustle and an e-pub or PDF copy (winner’s choice) of Linda Ashman’s new Nuts And Bolts Guide to writing picture books. Plus whatever else I dream up in the meantime 🙂
So that’s it! Have a marvelous Monday, everyone, and use that Columbus Day holiday free time to get started thinking about your Halloweensie Contest entry!
It’s gray and rainy out, still pretty with all the fall foliage, but a nice to day to curl up with a good picture book 🙂
Since it’s October and I’ve got pumpkins on the brain, today’s choice is a tons-of-fun pumpkin real-aloud!
Title: The Runaway Pumpkin Written By: Kevin Lewis Illustrated By: S.D. Schindler Orchard Books, 2003, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-6
Themes/Topics: thinking ahead, consequences, language fun
Opening: “Once upon a hill, when the wind blew with a chill wandered Buck and Billy Baxter with their baby sister, Lil. And there, upon that hillside, growing orange, fat, and fine, the budding Baxters found a pumpkin on a twisty, twirly vine.”
Brief Synopsis: One Halloween, Buck, Billy and Lil Baxter find an enormous pumpkin. The boys take one look and have to have it. Without thinking about how they’ll get it home safely, they cut the pumpkin from its vine. Off it goes, gathering speed, busting through fences, scattering farm animals, with the Baxters right behind it. How will they stop it, and what will they do with all that pumpkin?
Why I Like This Book: This story does carry a message about the consequences of not thinking ahead, but mostly I like it because it’s flat out fun 🙂 Haven’t we all been captivated by something which causes us to leap before we look? 🙂 The pumpkin is impressively gigantic. It takes off down the hill with the little Baxters in its wake. As it wreaks havoc on the countryside, the text bounces along in fun rhyme that kids love to join in on: “‘Round and ’round/across the ground/makin’ a thumpin’ bumpin’ sound/came that thumpety/bumpety/thumpin’/bumpin’/round and roll-y/RUNAWAY PUMPKIN!” See? Fun! 🙂 Also a good pick for Halloween 🙂
Scout (who must still be known as Skunk Dog but is getting better) seconds the motion, and Jemma thirds it, so the motion carries!
Help yourselves to chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing! (That way we get vegetable – from the cocoa BEAN – and dairy and protein from the cream CHEESE. I am nothing if not concerned for your health and well-being, so I try to make sure we cover as many food groups as possible :))
Now then, I’ve got the September Pitch Pick ready to go and it’s only October 9th! (Yes, it’s really me, and no, I am not feverish, nor is my mind being controlled by aliens… although that’s what I would say if my mind were being controlled by aliens, so I guess you never know… :))
So without further ado, let’s have a look-see at our new and improved pitches and vote for the one we think deserves a read by editor Erin Molta!
Here are our contenders:
#1 Kirsti Upside Down In Frown Town – PB ages 3-8 Where Sam lives, smiling is frowned upon. But, no matter what he tries, he can’t wipe the smile off his face. Even a frowning contest doesn’t make a frowner out of Sam. When he can’t change himself, he decides to change the town instead.
#2 Kathy The Garden Disaster – PB ages 4-7
Jasmine’s daily chore is to collect pollen and nectar, but she never seems to collect enough. Her Mom said it’s because she plays too much, but Jasmine knows the real reason. Today was different though. Today a new hairy beast showed up! Jasmine must think up a great idea to outsmart this new bee chasing beast and then she will finally be able to fill her bucket to the tippy-top.
The Garden Disaster is a 480 Word PB for early readers ages 4-7.
#3 Wendi The Superhero Rejects – MG Morphus is ashamed that his superpower is turning into lame objects like paper clips, rubber bands and light bulbs. At ZITS (The Zapdor Institute for the Training of Superheroes), he and the other Superhero Rejects are relegated to practice their pathetic skills in the old gym in the basement. When the nefarious Scorpius attacks the school and puts everyone upstairs into a hypnotic trance, Morphus and his band of rejects might be the only ones that can save them!
#4 Donna The Lightbulb And The Lab Coat – PB ages 8-12 Thomas Edison befriends an orphaned robin, who provides him with companionship and inspiration as he faces a tight deadline to deliver the first incandescent light bulb. As tests are feverously conducted to find the right bulb filament, the industrious robin shows him that the answer was right under his nose all the time!
Please cast your vote below for the pitch you feel most deserves a read by Erin by Sunday October 13 at 11:59 PM EDT. Thank you all so much!
Today’s pitch comes to us from Linda, who has visited us a couple times before (WYRI #79 – Twitch (MG) and WYRI #72 – The Good For Plenty Bibs (PB) and WYRI # 60 – Alpha Bitty (PB) – did I miss any Linda? :)). Linda is a former gifted and talented teacher and the author of a number of books including the multi-award winning picture book, The Blue Roses. Please take a moment to visit her website at www.lindaboyden.com.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Proberta Gerber And The Terrible Mess Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8) The Pitch: Once upon a time Proberta Gerber once had a purple and pink bedroom; now all she has is a terrible mess. Dad wonders why? Big brother Arbuckle helps: “Clean one thing at a time. Start with your bed.” Proberta can’t find it. She blames the mess on the Dust Bunnies who live in her closet, but Mom says, “Stay there until it is cleaned, young lady.” Sniffling, Proberta makes a special wish for help. And who appears? The REAL Dust Bunnies who help, but not in the way she thinks.
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.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in January so you have a little time to polish up your pitches and send them for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Linda is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I just got the final proofs for the Crock of Charms Anthology project I participated in (along with a few devoted readers from this blog :)) and I am looking forward to seeing it in print! I will share full details when they are available, hopefully by early December 🙂
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Ready, set, WRITE! (or read, or teach, or go play on the swings, or whatever happens to be on your agenda today :))
Remember on Friday when I was being so amazingly brief? And I told you that I wanted to wax poetic about something but didn’t have time?
Well, lucky you! Now I have time!
(But not too much, so don’t panic and run away :))
I am of the firm opinion, at least when it comes to my own writing, that there is always room for learning and improvement. So I’ve always got my eye out for books and classes and such-like that might help me in my quest to be a better writer. And it just so happens that I have discovered a gem!
And because you are my peeps I will share it with you 🙂
This gem of which I speak is Linda Ashman’s new Nuts And Bolts Guide To Writing Picture Books. I’m sure you all know Linda – author of the fabulous No Dogs Allowed and 30 or so other wonderful picture books. Well, I read her guide last weekend and loved it. Tina Cho did a wonderful write up of it HERE along with an interview with Linda, so rather than reinvent the wheel I’ll just direct you over there if you want an in-depth review.
But if you’re interested in purchasing this excellent how-to book, which I highly recommend, it’s available in e-pub format ($15) or PDF ($20) and you can get copies at
I am happy to say that Linda has kindly offered a copy as a prize in an upcoming writing contest on this blog. I think it will be for the Halloweensie Contest… but I’m still deciding… 🙂 So some talented writer will be able to win one here! 🙂
(And as long as we’re on the subject of Linda, I have more great news which is that she will be offering a Rhyme Clinic here on Monday December 2. Full details will be provided in a future post, but mark your calendars for the day and all you rhymers get out your troublesome stanzas and get ready to send them in! :))
And now, given that it’s only about 3 weeks until the Halloweensie Contest and I’m sure you’re all anxious to have the guidelines so you can get started working on your stories, let’s have a chat about Halloween words, shall we? Everyone please share one or more of your favorite Halloween-related words in the comments below! And I was thinking I’d post the guidelines next Monday, which would give you just over 2 weeks to write your stories, but feel free to let me know in the comments if you think you need more time. I can always post them in an extra special post somewhere 🙂
Have a marvelous Monday, everyone! And don’t forget – Halloween words!!!
Now, I’m off to talk to a class of college students about a career in writing picture books. Wish me luck (as having to stand up and talk to people over the age of 9 turns my knees to jelly!)
Goodness, the weeks are flying by! Here we are at Perfect Picture Book Friday again already! Having spent half my week washing the dogs I am feeling a bit behind (see Wednesday’s post if you missed it and are wondering why). The result? I will be admirably succinct!
I have an oldie but a goodie to share today 🙂
Title: Alexander And The Dragon Written By: Katherine Holabird Illustrated By: Helen Craig Clarkson N. Potter, Inc, November 1988, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-8
Themes/Topics: fear (of the dark), friendship
Opening: “Alexander was quite small, but he was very, very brave. He wasn’t afraid of dogs or thunderstorms; he liked riding on roller coasters and swimming underwater. The only thing that really frightened Alexander was the dark.”
Brief Synopsis: Alexander does not like the dark. Especially when he discovers a dragon under his bed. “There are only two things you can do with a dragon,” says his father. “You’ve either got to scare it off or make friends with it.” So Alexander dons his armor…
Why I Like This Book: This is a sweet story told and illustrated in a comforting way. Alexander’s parents are kind and understanding, but they leave it up to him to face his fear. He does, learning a valuable lesson in the process: if he is brave enough to face a dragon, he can handle the dark. What’s great about this book is that, should you happen to be reading it to several children at once (for example, your own at bedtime :)), it’s a soothing story for one who is afraid of the dark while still a fun story about a boy and a dragon for everyone else.
Now, everyone, off you go to enjoy all the other books on today’s list. I told you I was going to be admirably succinct! (And yes, it’s really me, not an impostor :)) I was going to wax poetic about something I want to share with you, but it will have to wait until I have time to do it justice… maybe Monday 🙂 Also, keep a weather eye out for the upcoming Halloweensie Contest Announcement!!!
PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific link in the list below.
They keep me company while I work. They are warm and cuddly and sweet and lovable. They’re always up for an outing if the writing is not going well.
Really, how can you not love these two? (Even though they are blurry because it’s next to impossible to get them both in the same picture :))
But yesterday?
Yes, well, yesterday, I can’t say I was terribly happy with either one of them.
First, on a perfectly lovely morning run, during which I don’t recall losing sight of Scout (although Jemma disappeared for a while to investigate the neighbor’s compost heap), Scout somehow managed to get skunked.
we run here – no cars, so no leashes
Those of you who have dogs know that anything to do with skunks IS NOT FUN!
How could I have not seen it happen? I was right there!
Nevertheless, skunked she was. And I didn’t have time to wash her – I had to get my daughter to school! So I had to gate her in the kitchen, open all the windows, and pray that her extreme odor wouldn’t asphyxiate either dog while I was gone and that I would somehow be able to get the smell out of the house when I returned.
Then came the bathing.
Although she will get in any scummy, algae covered, filth-laden mud puddle, pond or stream as long as it isn’t actually iced over, Scout does NOT like to be bathed!
And when I am alone, with no one to hold on to her, bathing Scout is an Olympic sport, let me tell you!
Afterwards, she sulked.
See? She wouldn’t even look at me.
Then, while she was still QUITE wet (it’s hard to comprehend how much water that coat holds if you haven’t experienced it firsthand), the guy showed up out of nowhere to service the furnace.
“But you said October 3rd!” I sputtered, when he insisted the dogs be shut up before he got out of the truck.
So I had to shut them in my office… which now smells like wet skunk dog with a trace of lemon dish soap. Quite the scent. I think Febreze will be introducing it this fall.
So then, when he finally left, I put them out in hopes of airing out the house…
… and they conveniently found something dead to roll in….
…so we had another round of baths….
…and now my house smells like wet skunk dog mixed with barely concealed dead animal and a trace of lemon dish soap.
Truthfully it’s a miracle I was even able to write this 🙂
I think that calls for Something Chocolate if anything ever did!
Let’s go hog wild!!! (with many thanks to Kathy P. for the photo!! :))
It’s called Candy Shop Truffle! (but it kind of looks like cereal so let’s pretend it’s good for us :))
So, after all that!, we have the August Straight From The Editor. You will recall that Lisa won the August Pitch Pick with her pitch for The Golden Egg, a PB for ages 5-8.
Here is her pitch:
The golden egg that doesn’t hatch creates quite a stir among the feathered friends on the farm. The Eggsperts are called and the Whisperers weigh in. In the end, Mother Hen must decide whether to follow their advice or listen to her heart.
And here is what Erin had to say:
This sounds like it has potential, but in order for an editor to be intrigued you have to clarify it a bit. I love the Eggsperts and can imagine all the other hens giving advice, but who are the Whisperers? Are they the horses, or the cows? Some other animal entirely? If so, if you are envisioning the horses, perhaps you can say something like the Whisperers neighed their opinions or the Whisperers mooed their recommendations. If it’s a snake then the Whisperers would hiss . . . It helps to draw a picture in the reader’s mind. Good luck!
As always, I find Erin’s comments interesting and enlightening! Thank you, Erin, and thank you Lisa!
Now, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Kari who says, “I live in upstate NY and resurrected this children’s series I started way back in elementary school. My stories are based in part on things that happened to me and my friends when we were younger. Living in a very small town in the middle of nowhere, you had to make your own fun, just like Mekayla and her friends do.”
Working Title: The Great UFO Hunt Age/Genre: Early Reader The Pitch: Aspiring space explorer Mekayla is convinced she sees a UFO crash land in the woods behind her house. But despite finding evidence of something from another world, no one but her friends believe her! With weird things happening in their small, sleepy town, Mekayla and her friends are out to save their town and prove life from outerspace does exist.
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 Kari 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 Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in January so you have a little time to polish up your pitches and send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Kari is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to when my house no longer smells like wet skunk dog with barely concealed dead animal and a trace of lemon dish soap!
Of course we will be celebrating with the 3rd Annual Halloweensie Contest, guidelines to be posted very soon (which means when I get around to making them up :)), but to get us in the mood we have an interview with debut author Charlotte Gunnufson today and she will tell us about her picture book, Halloween Hustle! A copy of the book will be one of the prizes in the Halloweensie contest, so you’ll want to know all about it.
First, let me introduce you to Charlotte who says:
Charlotte Gunnufson
I grew up in Minnesota and suffered all the things a middle child normally suffers: my older sister tricked me into eating a worm (You mean spaghetti doesn’t grow in the ground?), my little brother blew out the candles on my birthday cake, and they called me Miss Prissy—which, I have to admit, was true when I was a kid. Clearly, I’m trying to make up for lost time.
I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with my husband Scott and Isaac and Ellen. Perry is all grown up and living in Minnesota. Besides writing, dancing, and Halloween-ing, I love crossword puzzles and playing board games and charades with family and friends.
I’m happy to be a member of SCBWI-Iowa!
Welcome, Charlotte! Thank you so much for joining us today! We’re all delighted you’re here! Can you start by telling us a little about how you came to writing and what your typical writing day is like?
CG: I actually came back to writing. My first poem was published when I was in elementary school (in an Archie’s comic book). I wrote in my teens and early twenties and then stopped writing for 15 years. As crazy as it sounds, I was inspired to start writing again by a movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. (Yep, that’s how it’s spelled and watching it made me feel like I’d been wasting time.) I started writing again the next day. I write for kids because I love their earnestness and exuberance! I like writing humorous stories with word play, rhyme, and lots of exclamation points!!!
I try to write every weekday and protect my writing time like a mama bear protects her cub. I don’t wait for inspiration because that time can be spent writing. Bonus: a (mostly) consistent schedule helps me be ready to write and knowing I’m going to write keeps my mind open to stories ideas (which are lurking everywhere!). I usually do my best writing in the morning. I try to hold my internal editor at bay for a few hours because she can work long into the afternoon and evening.
SLH: What inspired Halloween Hustle?
Isaac’s project – the inspiration for Halloween Hustle
CG: I had been writing for kids for a little over a year and relentlessly trolling for story ideas. I opened a bin of Halloween decorations and an art project my son Isaac made way back in 2nd grade caught my attention. (I keep as much of my kids’ artwork as space permits. Okay. Perhaps a bit more than space permits.) I began writing a poem about a dancing skeleton, thinking I’d submit it to a children’s magazine. But then Skeleton discovered he wasn’t just dancing; he was dancing his way to a Halloween party. And, hey, there’s his buddy Frankenstein, and why don’t they just hop on that bus…and the poem stretched into a story.
SLH: Is Halloween Hustle your first published book? What was the road to publication like?
CG:Halloween Hustle is my first book, though I’ve been lucky enough to have my work appear in Highlights, HighlightsHighFive and Hello, Cricket, Ladybug and other children’s magazines. I submitted the manuscript to several publishers and either received rejections or [Cue crickets].I hadn’t given up on Halloween Hustle, but I’d moved on to other stories.
Illustration copyright Kevan J. Atteberry
I didn’t receive the proverbial call. More than a year after I’d sent out the manuscript, I received a package from a marvelous and multi-talented editor at Marshall Cavendish, with abundant notes, whole pages crossed out, and a letter saying the story had potential for their list. I revised (and re-revised), and the manuscript was acquired by Marshall Cavendish, which was subsequently acquired by Amazon Children’s Publishing.
Timeline
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Writing
Submission
Acquisition
Writing other stuff
Still writing
Publication
During this same time period…
My daughter Ellen grew from kindergartener to fifth grader.
My son Isaac grew from fifth grader to high school junior.
My son Perry grew from college freshman to having a real job and a house.
A grain of advice humbly offered to fellow writers: Don’t waste a nanosecond waiting. Be brave, be fierce, and keep writing.
Illustration copyright Kevan J. Atteberry
SLH: Do you have an agent?
CG: I do not have an agent but believe that having an agent the way to go. I’ve queried about a dozen agents with various manuscripts. I’ve received a few requests for additional material (which, of course, I happily obliged!) but haven’t received an invitation to sign with an agent. I’m working to develop a body of publishable manuscripts. It’s a WIP (Work In Progress).
SLH: What have been your marketing strategies so far?
CG: Since Halloween Hustle is my first book, I’ve invested oodles of time and not inconsequential funds in promoting it. I developed fun, free, kid-friendly stuff for my website: a giggle-inducing book trailer and dance-along video as well as Halloween-themed crossword puzzles, word searches, and mazes. Illustrator Kevan Atteberry created cool coloring pages and graciously shared his work so that visitors to the website can send Halloween e-postcards to their friends. I hired Taylor Ridling to design the website. Alisabeth Von Presley created the book trailer and dance video, including the music, vocals, and voice over. My son Isaac designed bookmarks for the small price of not having to clean his room.
Illustration copyright Kevan J. Atteberry 2013
DIY (Do It Yourself) Tour: I’m hosting Halloween Hustle dance parties at schools, libraries, and bookstores throughout the Midwest. Kids craft Batty Hats and Bookmark Buddies, listen to the story, participate in original action rhymes, and then do the Halloween Hustle (Yes! Literally!) and boogie to Halloween classics like “Monster Mash” and “Purple People Eater.” The events are fun (Fun!) for the kids and for me. (Setting up events and promoting them are time-consuming.) I’m also appearing at the Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival along with Betsy Lewin (Click, Clack, Moo), Bob Raczka (Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word), and Paul O. Zelinsky (Z is for Moose). Seriously? I know. That’s how I feel. Did the Festival contact me? I wish. Actually, no one contacted me. (Fortune cookie message for fellow writers: Don’t wait. Do!)
SLH: What is YOUR favorite kind of dancing? 🙂
CG: I am a dancing fool and could never choose a favorite! I teach Zumba Fitness® which is Latin based with a dash of Bollywood, African dance, hip hop and more. I get to see students trade in stress for Samba!
It makes my heart happy to see kids dance at the Halloween Hustle parties because they really get into it. It’s so good for them to move, and when they “get the steps,” they gain confidence. They cheer and always ask to do “Purple People Eater” again.
Well, Charlotte, it has made us happy to have you visit today! Thank you so much for coming!
Folks, you can find Charlotte at the following places online:
And don’t forget! One fabulous writer will win a copy of Charlotte’s delightful book for writing a great entry in the Halloweensie Contest coming soon to a blog near you.
(Uh, that would be this one. :))
Have a hip-hoppin’, Hustlin’, Halloween’s-comin’-soon Monday, everyone! 🙂
(And if you have any questions for Charlotte, it’s possible she can be prevailed upon to swing by and answer them if you leave them in the comments :))
Well, would you look at that? It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday again!
Wowee! did last week disappear fast!
I have a tons-of-fun, 3 day old book to share with you today. I hope you like it!
Title: Little Red Writing Written By: Joan Holub Illustrated By: Melissa Sweet Chronicle Books, September 2013, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 5-8
Themes/Topics: Fairy Tale retelling, writing, bravery
Opening: “Once upon a time in pencil school, a teacher named Ms. 2 told her class, “Today we’re going to write a story!” “Yippee!” said the birthday pencil. “Slammin’,” siad the basketball pencil. “Sharp!” said Little Red.”
Brief Synopsis: Ms. 2 sets her pupils on the story path and let’s them loose to write their very own stories. The other pencils stick to what they know about, but Little Red wants to write “a story about bravery because red is the color of courage.” With a basket of 15 red words from Ms. 2 to use in case she runs into trouble, Little Red sets out to find adventure.
Links To Resources: The obvious resource here is the book itself accompanied by giving kids the opportunity to write their own story! If they need a little help getting started, supply some story starters. They can base their story on a well-known fairy tale – like Little Red Riding Hood 🙂 You can give them a “basket” with 3-5 words that they must include in their story. You can give them an opening line and let them continue, for example, “Once upon a time there was a lonely princess whose best friend was a bear…” or “The night I threw pizza on the roof Mom got really mad…” For younger kids, you could make up the story together. There is a classroom guide aligned to common core HERE but be forewarned it took awhile to load. Hang in there, though. It shows up eventually 🙂
Why I Like This Book: I love fractured fairy tales. I love clever. And I love books that show kids the fun in writing and teach them a little something about how to do it in the process. In this story, Ms. 2 (the teacher) writes “The Story Path” on the blackboard: “1. Idea, characters, setting 2. Trouble 3. Even bigger trouble 4. Fix the trouble.” She gives Little Red a basket of emergency nouns. As Little Red travels her story path she discovers that action verbs are better than boring ones, adjectives may overwhelm your story and need to be cut down, conjunctions can get you in trouble with run on sentences, adverbs can be helpful (“We deliver speedily!”), that the right word in the right place can make all the difference, and that it takes courage to follow your story through to the end… but it’s worth it when you share it with a rapt audience 🙂 Melissa Sweet’s art (which I love – if you haven’t seen Balloons Over Broadway check it out immediately! :)) is the perfect accompaniment for this story as Little Red wends her way through the forest of adjectives and has to face down the Wolf 3000! (Can you guess what that is??? :)) I also love the little extra touches, like the fact that they attend the Pencilvania School, and the cover page admonition to “Write often and carry a big notebook” 🙂
Before we all head off to read all the other Perfect Picture Books, I’d just like to let you know that on Monday we’ll be having a special guest! She’s pretty entertaining, so you won’t want to miss her debut appearance!
Have a great weekend, everyone! And PPBF bloggers, please be sure to leave your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come visit!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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