Would You Read It Wednesday #91 – The Backpack Secret (PB)

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You will not believe this, but I almost missed the fact that Friday is National Donut Day!

I know!

Quel horreur!

Thank goodness I found out in time to celebrate!  (Where would I be without the helpful Dunkin’ Donuts commercials on my car radio?)

In honor of the fact that Friday is National Donut Day (but today is our Something Chocolate day) let’s have some delectable Boston Creme Chocolate donuts this morning.  As a kind of a warm-up for Friday 🙂

Yummyummyum!!!  ‘Sheverymnone mreadymmfor mwouldmyoureadit numnum?

Sorry!  I know it’s rude to talk with your mouth full but I couldn’t help myself 🙂  Is everyone ready for Would You Read It?

Today’s pitch comes to us from Andrea, who was actually our very first pitcher for Would You Read It way back on July 27, 2011 with a MG pitch for Wild (Girl) Genius!  Isn’t that amazing?  When she’s not working on her middle grade novels, Andrea is inescapably drawn to writing picture books, possibly because of all the wonderful ideas and questions she hears in her job as a Kindergarten teacher. She has written many stories and articles for educational publishers and blogs about writing over at That’s Another Story (www.andrea-mack.blogspot.com) and with her writing group the MiG Writers (www.migwriters.com). She recently joined Twitter (@ AndreaL_Mack) and would love to connect with other writers.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Backpack Secret
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-7)
The Pitch: When Amani starts school and notices that one of her classmates won’t take off his backpack, she’s determined to find out why. After she finally convinces Mason to open up, Amani has an idea that will help the entire class feel better about coming to school.

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 Andrea improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in July so we’re about ready for some new pitches!  Send yours in for great feedback from your peers and your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Andrea is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to another donut… or two 🙂

Ooh!!!  And I’m looking forward to something else too!  I am running a writing contest the first week of July (details and official announcement coming next week!) and boy oh boy is there a good prize for the winner!!!  I’m looking forward to sharing all the details with you! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday! 🙂

Oh Susanna! – Does A Similar Book Mean I Should Not Submit My Story?

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Good Monday, Everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

I finally put my annuals in because, after a week of over 90 degree weather, we are hoping the danger of frost (which we had last weekend) is past!  Who is in charge of the weather around here?  It’s nuts! 🙂

Of course, given my reputation as The Black Thumb Of Poughquag, my plants will probably be looking like this before long 🙂

Also (thanks to Beth Stilborn and Laura Miller) I MAY have a new plan for Perfect Picture Books which would make the list easier to search and easier to update.  Keep your fingers crossed!  It will probably take me the whole summer to put it together, but it will be great if it works! 🙂

Today, after many weeks in which we have been distracted by other things, we have an Oh Susanna question!

Oh Susanna!

I am currently working to get my first picture book published. I have been studying the market and in doing so I came across a recently published book that looks somewhat similar to mine. Should I be discouraged? Will anyone be interested in publishing my book if there is already one with a similar topic in the market? 

Sincerely, Clueless 

I think this is an excellent question.

Although we are all told to be original, there are some who say there are no new stories.  New baby and sibling rivalry and fear of the dark and first day of school and wanting a pet, etc., etc., etc. have already been told.

This may be true.  But if you spend five minutes in the library or bookstore, you’ll see (using new baby as an example) Julius The Baby Of The World, Not Yet Rose, The Best Kind Of Baby, Penny Loves Pink, A Baby Sister For Frances, The New Baby, On Mother’s Lap, Hello Baby, Babies Don’t Eat Pizza, Waiting For Baby, Peter’s Chair… I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea – there are LOTS of picture books about kids getting a new sibling.

Pretty much any topic/idea/theme you choose to write about will have been done before in some way.  The trick is to make it your own – to put a spin on it that hasn’t been done so that your story is new and fresh even if it deals with a tried and true topic.  If you were to read those 10 books listed above, you’d see that although they all revolve around the arrival of a new baby, they are all different stories.  In Julius The Baby Of The World, Lilly is jealous and doesn’t have much nice to say about her new brother until her friends criticize him and she rushes to his defense.  In Not Yet Rose, Rose worries that she won’t like being a big sister or that the baby might not like her.  In The Best Kind Of Baby, Sophie imagines all the kinds of babies her mother could have, thinking puppies and monkeys and fish would be much more fun than a human baby.  As you can see, those are all very different types of stories, which address different aspects of getting a new sibling and have different moods and atmospheres.

In addition to trying to put your own unique spin on your story, you will also want to research the publishing houses you plan to submit to.  For example, (sticking with the idea of new babies), does the house already have a new baby book?  How old is it?  Is it still in print?  Has it sold well and become a classic or is it lesser known?  Is the actual story it tells similar to yours (e.g. is it a brother waiting for a sister and yours is too?  Or is it a jealousy story and yours is too?)?

A house that has a book very similar to yours will probably not want to compete with itself.  But another house may be happy to have it… overjoyed if they love it and think they can outsell other houses’ books on that topic 🙂

If you find that your story really is too similar to one or more books already out there, think about ways you could tweak your story to make it different.  Could you tell it from a different point of view?  Could you change the focus slightly?  Could you make it a sister waiting for a brother instead of a brother waiting for a sister?  Could you place it in a very unusual setting or time period, or make it about an animal family instead of a human family?  Try stretching your idea in different directions and see where you end up 🙂

I hope that answers your question and helps you out a bit!  And as always I’d be grateful to have all our readers chime in with their thoughts and experience in the matter!

Have a magical Monday everyone! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Three Little Pigs And The Somewhat Bad Wolf

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Good Morning Everyone!  Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I’m a big fan of fractured fairy tales, and the three little pigs is one of my favorites, so I’m excited to share today’s selection 🙂

Title: The Three Little Pigs And The Somewhat Bad Wolf
Written & Illustrated By: Mark Teague
Orchard Books, April 2013, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: fractured fairy tale, humor, responsibility, girl power

Opening: “Once there were three little pigs.  They lived on a farm, as most pigs do, and were happy, as most pigs are.  Then one day the farmer told them that he and his wife were moving to Florida.  He paid the pigs for their good work and sent them on their way.
“Let’s buy potato chips,” said the first pig.
“Let’s buy sody-pop,” said the second pig.
“Let’s buy building supplies,” said the third pig, who was altogether un-pig-like.“

Brief Synopsis: Three little pigs set off to find a new place to live.  One is more interested in potato chips and hanging about in a hammock than building.  Another is more interested in sody-pop and mud-bathing than building.  Only the third pig (who is also the only girl in the group!) is smart enough to use her money for building supplies and her time for building.  Then, along comes the big, somewhat bad wolf… 🙂

Links To Resources: I think it would be fun to read the original Three Little Pigs, and then a bunch of other versions including Corey Schwartz’s The Three Ninja Pigs, Jon Scieszka’s The True Story Of The Three Little Pigs, Eugene Trivizas’s The Three Little Wolves And The Big Bad Pig, and any others you might come across and compare how the stories are alike and different and which elements the author chose to change or twist and how that affects the story.  Here is a link to a lesson plan for the original Three Little Pigs.

Why I Like This Book:  I love fractured fairy tales, and I love Mark Teague’s sense of humor.  This is an entertaining twist on the familiar tale, in which the only girl pig is the one who builds a strong house, eats healthy food, and comes up with a solution for the wolf.  I love the details in Mr. Teague’s art.  My favorite page is the one where the wolf tries to get something to eat at the donut shop, the hot dog stand, and the pizza parlor 🙂

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

PPBF bloggers, please add your post-specific link to the list below so we can all come see what you picked this week!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Would You Read It Wednesday #90 – The Word Thief (PB) AND The Biannual What-To-Wear Challenge

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Good Morning, Folks.

If you hear any gnashing of teeth, don’t worry, that’s just me.

You see, it’s time for my Biannual What-To-Wear Challenge.

When you have kids approximately 2 years apart, 8th grade graduations, high school graduations, and college graduations come along at fairly regular intervals.  And along with graduations comes the whole what-to-wear headache.

One of the many perks of being a writer is that there is no dress code.

I can wear blue jeans (my outfit of choice) every single day and no one cares because no one sees me.  For that matter, I could wear this

or this

and no one would even know!

(And I think I would look quite fetching.)

But on occasion it is necessary to go out in public, and that is where I run into trouble.  Unfortunately blue jeans are not considered appropriate attire for graduations (why not? I ask!), and I have a graduation to attend… tomorrow!  As I am absolutely hopeless when it comes to fashion and have the figure of a dumpling, I am faced with quite the challenge.

What to do?

Being resourceful, (but not in the sense of having financial resources or I would hire a personal shopper… or possibly a model to go in my place… :)) I decided to consult Google: “How to dress for your shape.”

Right away, I ran into problems.  Hourglass, rectangle, diamond, apple….  Hmm….  no dumpling.  What’s with that?  My second shape choice, garden gnome, doesn’t show up either…  I don’t look exactly like any of the choices they offer.

Figures.

(Ah-ha-ha, my punster is showing… :))

Oh, well.  Picking one that seemed somewhat close, I looked at the clothing suggestions.

A line? Wedge heels?

Balance? Elongate the torso?

Wrap tops?  Belted jackets?  Are they serious?

There is absolutely no hope.

So I will be going to the graduation in this:

(Feel free to share your fashion advice.  I can use all the help I can get :))

Gosh!  All that fashion anxiety is exhausting!  I definitely need a little Something Chocolate!  Let’s go traditional this morning and have chocolate-chip pancakes, shall we?

Ah!  That’s better 🙂  Ready for Would You Read It?

Today’s pitch comes to us from Sian who says, “I live in San Jose California.  I come from England and although I love the beaches and the weather over here my heart will always belong in my rainy but beautiful homeland.  I’ve 2 kids – 6 and 4 and am a SAHM.  In my life BC (before children) I was a primary (elementary) school teacher and I love everything to do with teaching (apart from the tedious paperwork – that I do not miss!).  I have no publishing accolades to brag as I’m still at the very start of my writing ‘career’ (can I call it that??).  I’m learning stuff every day.”

Working Title: The Word Thief
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Benedict’s an unusual Vampire.  He likes nothing more than snacking on a tasty noun because Benedict eats words.  He rampages through the city gobbling ‘words, whispers, songs and shouts’ until there are none left.  A silent city is a soulless and very eerie place.  Who can stop him?  There may be something furry lurking in the sewer that has the answer….

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 Sian improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in July so you have a little time to polish for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Sian is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to the graduation, even though I can’t wear blue jeans 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone! 🙂

Monday Short & Sweet – Happy Memorial Day!

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Happy Memorial Day, Everyone!

I hope you’re all getting to spend the day with family and friends, ushering summer in with all kinds of happiness and fun!

badge created by Loni Edwards

                                             
Since I know we’re all busy today, our Short & Sweet will be really short and sweet.

List three words that make you think of either Memorial Day or summer.

Using one or more of your own three words, or someone else’s that are listed in the comments, or some of the samples listed below as inspiration, give us the first sentence or two of a story and/or a one or two sentence idea for a story.

Here are a few sample words you can use for inspiration if you can’t think of any:

family
soldiers
honor
duty
red, white, and blue
Old Glory
barbecue
fireworks
swimming
ice cream
lemonade
beach
sand pail
sea shell

Here is a sample opening sentence or two:

“Just keep digging,” said Jamie, dumping out another pail of sand.  “We’re almost there!”

Here is a sample idea for a story:

Ari plans a special welcome for his mother returning from active duty in the armed forces.

Now you go!  Don’t over think it – remember, this is supposed to be short and sweet! 🙂  Share your words and your opening and/or story idea.  maybe it will give you a great idea for a story, or maybe someone else’s words, opening sentence or story idea will inspire a great story!

Have fun!  I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

And have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Complete Adventures Of Big Dog And Little Dog

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Woo-hoo!  It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

I’m sure you’ll all be thrilled to know that I’m in a mad rush today, which means I shall attempt brevity (stop laughing – I can hear you!), which means a quicker than usual read for you 🙂

Title: The Complete Adventures Of Big Dog And Little Dog
Written & Illustrated By: Dav Pilkey
Harcourt, June 2003, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: publisher says 4-8, I’d say 3-6

Themes/Topics: friendship, humor

Opening: “Big Dog and Little Dog are hungry.  Big Dog and Little Dog want food.”

Brief Synopsis: (from the jacket) “Big Dog is ready for some fun!  Little Dog is ready too.  Join these irresistible puppy pals on five zippy adventures, together for the first time in one cozy picture book collection.”

Links To Resources: activities to help teach opposites, opposites worksheets, friendship activities

Why I Like This Book: You may be familiar with Dav Pilkey from The Stupids or Captain Underpants.  This is a different side of him – simple and sweet with gentle humor.  These two dog friends do everything together (including get in trouble!) and always look out for each other.  These five stories were originally published separately but are now all together in one book which gives them the feel of George And Martha or Frog And Toad, but with a lot less text.  Simple and fun, I know from experience that these stories appeal to very young readers.  And also, as many of you may have figured out, I like dogs 🙂

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

So there you have it!  Wasn’t that the shortest post ever?

Oh, except, due to a blog comment yesterday I’m all worried about my comment system.  I’m going to try replying differently.  I would be EXTREMELY grateful if you guys could let me know if you’re receiving my replies to your inbox or not today!

Have a great, safe and happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!  And PPBF bloggers, please be sure to leave your post-specific link on the list below so we can all come see what you have to share! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #89 – Bonjour Remy! (PB)

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Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

First I just have to show you who appeared under the tree in the horse pasture.

Isn’t that just the sweetest little cutie-pie?  First one of the year, and thankfully the dogs were nowhere around.  Time for collars and leashes until these little ones are better able to fend for themselves! 🙂

Next I will entertain you with the fact that I’ve entered into a brave new world.  With my track record it will probably only last about 14 seconds, but I’ll pass it along to you in case anyone is interested and has more self-dicipline than I do 🙂

You know how we all have so much to do these days and it can feel a bit overwhelming?  And how we seem to find ourselves often working through the weekends even though that’s supposed to be family time?

Well, Katie Davis happened to mention a (relatively) new system called Simpleology.  I read about it and thought it sounded interesting… and tempting… and then Pat Miller said she was trying it.  So I thought, what the hey?  I’ll try it too.

If you’d like to find out about it, go HERE.  It claims it will organize you and make you more productive.  I don’t know if there’s any realistic hope for me, but many of you might benefit.  (On the other hand, many of you might not even need it because you’re already organized! :))  And it’s FREE.  (At least the basic level is… :))

It’s going to require some discipline: no turning on the computer in the morning and reading intriguing-looking blog posts or checking email or Face Book.  No sirree Bob!  Straight to Morning Brainstorming!  But, since it’s free, I’m willing to give it a try for 14 seconds and see if I like it.  Check with me on Friday and see if I’ve thrown it over yet 🙂

Now.  I don’t know about you, but where I am, it’s breakfast time and that means…

…health food!  YUM! 🙂

In case you are somehow not familiar with my line of reasoning, let me explain: chocolate chip cookies are comprised of crucial nutritional elements: dairy, protein, and vegetables (I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that chocolate comes from a bean! :))

Ah, that’s better.  I’m sure you’re feeling much stronger now.  Breakfast, after all, is the most important meal of the day!

Ready for Would You Read It?

Today’s pitch comes to us from Kimberly.  Kimberly says, “I’m a 23-year-old student at the University of North Texas who is just now starting to really explore the world of publishing. I’m discovering a fantastic group of well connected children’s authors and trying to learn all that I can from their experience.”

Working Title: Bonjour Remy!
Age/Genre: Picture Book (age 6-8)
The Pitch: Six-year-old Remy loves adventure—just so long as it never leaves the garden. So she hesitates when her parents surprise her with a trip to Paris. How can she leave all of her favorite things? It might take some convincing, but if Remy will leap into the new and wonderful Parisian culture she might just learn that beauty and her favorite things can be found in many places. They just might have different names.

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.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in July so polish up those pitches for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Kimberly is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing if Simpleology can help me be more organized and productive.  Really, if it can work for me, it can work for anyone!  I’m full of optimism 🙂

Have a great day, everyone! 🙂

Just Another Lazy Monday

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Happy Monday Everyone!

I know we’re due for a Short & Sweet or an Oh Susanna (though I can’t for the life of me remember which right now since the Jingle Contest disrupted the schedule.)

But you know what?  We’re taking the day off today.

these two totally have the hang of it 🙂

Fill up your water bottle with ice water and slice or two of lemon, or whatever you like.

Pack a little snack (may I suggest some fresh strawberries and homemade banana bread?)

Put on some sunblock.

Grab that paperback you’ve been dying to indulge in but haven’t found the time, or your pad and a pen if you’ve been struggling to get into your writing groove lately and been foiled by distractions and/or obligations.

Now head out onto the back porch where the bees are humming in the lilacs…

yeah… these are rhododendrons because I don’t have a picture of our lilacs 🙂

… or the hammock swinging gently beneath the new leaves.

A park bench under the apple blossoms is always nice…

… or a blanket on the wave-lapped sand if you’re lucky enough to be near a beach.

A small table at an outdoor cafe would be lovely…

… or a meadow dotted with wildflowers… or the slow glide of a canoe on a still pond.

Get comfy.

Soak up the sunshine.

Breathe in the fresh air.

And enjoy doing something just for you.

Feel free to share your choice of day off (real or imaginary :)) in the comments below.

And have a lovely day 🙂

(And forgive me – I spent my weekend driving to and from Vermont to fetch half a dorm room’s worth of stuff so #3 has room for the rest in her car when she comes home this week, spending some quality time with #5, and seeing #4 off to his senior prom *sniff* I may need a hanky 🙂  As a result, I ran out of time to prepare a Short & Sweet or an Oh Susanna.  But I do truly want you all to have a lovely day off! :))

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Extraordinary Endangered Animals PLUS The Contest Winners!!!

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Thanks to Joanna over at Miss Marple’s Musings, I realized in the nick of time that today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday coincides with the 8th Annual Endangered Species Day.  So I have chosen a special book.  I hope you will enjoy it.

Title: Extraordinary Endangered Animals
Written By: Sandrine Silhol and Gaelle Guerive
Illustrated By: Marie Doucedame
Abrams Books For Young Readers, November 2011, Non-Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 10 and up

Themes/Topics: endangered species

Opening: “Our lives are closely connected to those of the animals that surround us.  The monkey is our cousin, we’ve domesticated the horse, the now-extinct aurochs has become the ox, the wolf has turned into our dog, the silkworm has given us beautiful clothes, and the maggot protects us from serious infections.  We’ve identified roughly over a million animal species.  Of those numbers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List indicates that close to 43,000 are endangered and face possible extinction.”

Brief Synopsis: The book begins with a brief overview of living in harmony with nature, biodiversity, which animals need protection, and how important any effort to help is, as well as a map of the world showing where you would find the animals listed in the book.  (It really is brief – only about 4 pages.)  This is followed by the main part of the book which details 34 species that are endangered (from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, and Oceania).

Links To Resources:  The book itself is a resource, full of information on many endangered animals.  It has a glossary in the back along with several sections on how you can help endangered animals.  It could be used in conjunction with study of animals, the environment, science etc.

Why I Like This Book:  Full of large, gorgeous color photographs, this book is appealingly written in fairly small chunks of text that are informative in a fun way with lots of little details about the animals.  I think kids would find it interesting and accessible.  I think the plight of endangered species is an important one to be informed about and to try to help with.  And it’s hard to stop looking at those photographs! 🙂

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

Now.  We have one other item on the agenda today.  Usually I tease you for a while before I tell you what you want to know, but today I’m going to be very mature.

I’m going to get right to the point.

Without wasting a moment, I’m going to just come straight out and tell you that the Can’t Sleep Without Sheep Jingle Contest and the Can’t Sleep Without Sheep Kids’ Drawing Contest have both been clearly and decisively won.

Congratulations to the winners!  Well done!

Have a great weekend, everyone!  See you Monday!  (PPBF Bloggers, please put your post-specific links in the list below so we can all come see your recommendations for this week.)

What?

You’re still here?

Shouldn’t you be off reading everyone’s picture book recommendations?

OH!

You want to know WHO the winners are?

Golly!  You guys are sticklers for details!

Fine.  I’ll be more specific 🙂

The winners are…

both human!

Not good enough, eh?

OK.  The winners both…

used sheep in their winning entries!

No?

Well, how about this:

The winners are both…

under 12 and from the same family!!!

Need I say more?

That’s right!  The popular vote has spoken, and the winner of the Can’t Sleep Without Sheep Jingle Contest is none other than the incredible 11 year-old film wizard himself, ERIK!!!

And the winner of the Can’t Sleep Without Sheep Kids’ Drawing Contest is his sister,  the very talented JOSIE!!!

Apparently talent is genetic 🙂

Hearty congratulations to Erik and Josie for amazing entries, and to all our other contestants who did a truly fabulous job – each and every one of you!  I can’t thank you enough for putting it all out there for Can’t Sleep Without Sheep, even though after all that we are still waiting for the technical glitch to be resolved and the e-book is still not available.  Who cares?  It was tons of fun! 🙂

Oh, and lest I forget, we have one more winner – the winner of the Social Media Love Contest, for FB posting, tweeting, and/or blogging to raise awareness.  That winner, selected by random.org, is Beth Stilborn!  (Apparently random.org really likes Beth! :))

Thanks to everyone for writing, recording, filming, drawing, reading, listening, watching, FB posting, tweeting, blogging, and voting – what a wonderful bunch you are!!! 🙂

Erik, Josie, and Beth – please email me and we’ll talk prizes 🙂

NOW PPBF bloggers leave your post specific links and everyone go have a great weekend! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #88 – Nobody Loves Roberto A. Tailbottom (PB)

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Bonjour, mes amis!  It’s Mercredi, so let’s have some pain au chocolat!!  (I know… you guys always forget how multi-lingual I am 🙂  But really, you just heard all my French right there :))

So, petit déjeuner? (Oh, except that 🙂  Who knew?)

Mmmmm, that’s good!  Kind of puts you in the mood for a picture book pitch, doesn’t it?  Luckily, I have one for you right here!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Rita, whom you may all remember from last year for her part in the mini-series on self-publishing as well as for her pitch for Elephant And Dolphin last June.  Living in Malta but raised in the New York City, Rita Antoinette Borg has written seven picture books and an anthology. The picture books are mostly in bilingual Maltese- English format. But her newest book is Meg The Egg and you can buy it on Amazon in English. She loves being a writer more than her previous jobs as dog walker, rubber band counter and airline ground hostess. She is a mother of three, married to a doctor, and searching hard for a new dog to love.

Her website is www.ritaborg.us. Look her up on facebook.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Nobody Loves Roberto A. Tailbottom

Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch: A picture book for ages 3-7 about a street rat that is always hungry. When anyone sees him they all scream and want to grab him. But one day he enters a food factory with caged animals ready to be eaten. Freddie, the owner of the place, tries to capture Roberto. But Roberto is much more clever and rescues the other animals making him hero of 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 Rita improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in July so you have a little time to polish your pitches for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Before you all race off to your Wednesdays, may I beg desperately on my knees politely and not at all pushily ask anyone who hasn’t voted in the Can’t Sleep Without Sheep Jingle Contest to head over HERE and vote?  I wasn’t kidding when I said the competition was fierce.  We need votes!  The poll will be open until noon tomorrow (Thursday.)

Rita is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing who will win the Can’t Sleep Without Sheep Jingle Contest!!!  How many minutes until Friday????

Have a great day, everyone! 🙂