Wow! Between the Holiday Contest and the holidays themselves, I’ve missed a few PPBFs! I’m excited to show you today’s book, though. I hope you’ll love it! And I think it fits very nicely with the idea of the beginning of the new year – the concept of stepping out and looking closely at what’s around you 🙂
Step Gently Out Written By: Helen Frost Photography By: Rick Lieder Candlewick, March 2012, Fiction
Themes/Topics: nature, insects, taking time to look closely, poetry
Suitable For: ages 2-7
Opening: “Step gently out,/ be still, and watch a single blade of grass.“
Brief Synopsis: (From the Booklist starred review) “Nature’s miracles are often small and hard to capture, but in a syncopated harmony of text and image, Frost and Lieder manage to depict tiny moments as seen through a bugs-eye-view of the world… Moving from day to night, the poem makes for a soothing bedtime lullaby that includes a reminder to children about the book’s small creatures: “In song and dance / and stillness, / they share the world / with you.”“
Links To Resources: the back of the book includes lots of information on all the insects pictured – a resource all in itself. In addition, here are some Insect Coloring Pages. Try taking some photographs of your own. Try writing a short poem about an insect.
Why I Like This Book: I am always in favor of books that encourage kids to go outside and look closely at the real world around them, really observe it, think about it, be part of it. I’m not an insect lover per se :), but this book is amazingly beautiful. I cannot stress enough how absolutely exquisite the photography is. Such detail! Here’s another little sample:
It’s breathtaking, isn’t it? and I think kids and adults alike will thoroughly enjoy looking at it, especially in combination with the poetic text which is as gorgeous in it’s imagery as the photography is. This book is a feast for eyes and ears and hearts!
Before we all run off for to read everyone’s book choices for today and then head out for our weekends, I’d just like to thank everyone who took the time to visit Donna’s blog Wednesday for my guest post, and also tell you a little more about something I might be able to offer you.
Patricia Morrison, who is a creativity coach (as well as a singer/songwriter) is starting a new website/blog called InnerFireOuterLightand she has put together a virtual conference for next week, January 8th – 11th entitled Take Your Talent To The Bank: Go From Starving Artist To Creative Rock Star.
Here’s a little blurb Patricia prepared to give you an idea what it’s all about:
The Take Your Talent To The Bank Virtual Conference in just one week away, on January 8th-11th!
You can attend the entire power-packed conference with EIGHT brilliant and successful creatives from the comfort of your home, for FREE!
This [FREE] virtual conference is designed for brilliant, creative professionals and those who just might be ready to take a leap into sharing their creative voices and gifts in a bigger way.Successful creatives who have been where you are share their struggles, tips, tricks and strategies for taking your talent to the bank and going from starving artist to creative rock star!
You’ll hear from:
An internationally touring performer, playwright, screenwriter & more
A best-selling author & photographer
An acclaimed children’s picture book author of nearly a dozen books (you might recognize this one :))
A top 5% earning actor with NY & LA careers
A multi-6-figure creative business coach & actor
A celebrated visionary fiber artist and painter, author, editor & more
One of the most sought after Marilyn Tribute artists in the world today
AND MORE
Ready to escape the starving artist mentality (and reality) and get the recognition, fans, and income you deserve?
Share your creative gifts with a world hungry for vision, beauty and meaning AND make a grown-up living!
Okay, well the blurb was longer than that but I think that’s enough to give you the general idea and the link to sign up! 🙂 And I’ll save you the clicking for the time of my interview which is on Friday January 11th at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST. I will likely sound like a somewhat confused and very frightened guinea pig since public speaking of any kind to grown-ups is not my forte, but one can hope for the best 🙂
Please feel free to share the word to anyone you think might be interested! And if you have any questions about it, ask away in the comments… I may or may not be able to answer 🙂
And now, enjoy all the PPBs and have a wonderful weekend! PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links in the list below!
Here are my wishes for you: that your year is filled with health, happiness, creativity, fun, and fulfillment in every aspect of your life! Here’s to an amazing 2013!!! 🙂
I hope everyone’s holidays were wonderful, relaxing, restorative, and full of family togetherness.
Mine were practically perfect in every way. The only bad part is when everyone has to leave and return to normal life. My sister and her family go back to Georgia, my kids go back to school, my husband goes back to work, and the dogs and I are left in peace and quiet with free run of the house… well wait a minute… I guess that part doesn’t sound so bad 🙂
The highlights of vacation aside from Christmas itself were spending time with all the family, ice skating, sledding (yes we got snow! :), rousing games of Taboo (totally fun – if you haven’t played I highly recommend it! :)), and Charades (where we ended up literally rolling on the floor howling with laughter until we couldn’t breathe!), snowy winter walks with the dogs, cozy evenings by the fire… golly gee it was lovely! There was one small incident involving a horse, a snowbank, and a fast-moving sanitation truck which resulted in my husband insisting I go to the ER for an X-ray (no it was not broken – I was totally right on that score!) and my kids referring to my hand for the rest of the vacation as “the claw” but all’s well that ends well, as Ma used to say in Little House On The Prairie 🙂 Still, if you notice that my typing is even worse than usual that’s why and you can blame it on the claw 🙂
We are not even going to discuss college applications. Nope. Zzzppp. My lips are sealed. Enough said. Except I may have actually aged 10 years in the last three days. But not another word. Except why??? Why??? do they insist on leaving things of such importance to the absolute last minute??? I think it’s just to watch our hair turn gray. But seriously, as you can see, I am not discussing it! 🙂
I must admit that, although I missed you all terribly, it was horrifyingly easy to not blog for a week! I’m going to have to gather up my self-discipline and get back to it. I can promise you that there will be some serious whip-cracking from the person in charge around here until order is restored! And no fruit cup 🙂 (Bonus points to anyone who knows which movie “no fruit cup” is from :))
So anyway, due to the holidays and everyone’s busy schedules, we got a little behind on our Straight From The Editors, so today I’ve got Carrie’s from October as well as Larissa’s from November.
Carrie’s pitch was as follows:
Scooter Annie (PB ages 4-8) Annie loves swooping and gliding on her new scooter. Nothing can stop her…except the hill at the end of her street. Now, if Annie wants to ride in the neighborhood parade, she must find a way to tackle that big hill – without getting hurt in a big way.
Erin’s comments are:
This is cute. I like Annie’s swooping and gliding but the ending is a bit of a downer. An editor would be more inclined to request it or take notice of it if were more positive. Perhaps something like –she must find a way to tackle that big hill — and prove what a big girl she is or – and glide at the head of the parade . . .
Something that gives a reader the idea that yes, she’s afraid of the hill, but she can/will conquer it :).
Larissa’s pitch was as follows:
Dim Sum Dog – PB – ages 4-8 With business dwindling, Chang and his family fear they will have to close their dim sum stand. But with the help of a special dim sum-loving dog who entertains customers, they may save the stand after all.
Erin’s comments are:
This has potential but I think to better grab an editor’s eye you should make more clear whether the dog is theirs, or is he a stray, and if he is, does he join their family as well as help their business out? Something that grabs their hearts right from the get-go. Perhaps something like this:
Dim Sum Dog – PB – ages 4-8With business dwindling, Chang and his family fear they will have to close their dim sum stand. But with the help of a special dim sum-loving stray dog who entertains customers, they may save the stand after all and make an addition to their family . . . .
As always, I find her thoughts so helpful and educational!
And now it’s time for our very first Would You Read It of the New Year!!! Are you ready? Here we go 🙂
Today’s pitch comes to us from Sidney, whom you may remember from her early reader pitch back in October for Phantom And The Boneyard. Sidney is a former newspaper reporter and editor. She now works for a university and writes freelance. She is a wife and the mother of a toddler, and is enjoying dipping her toe into the great ocean of fiction!
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Astrid Climbs Her Family Tree Age/Genre: PB (ages 4-8) The Pitch: Astrid is bored silly one Saturday. Then she discovers family photo albums. But she can’t figure out how she is related to all these people. Join Astrid as she learns how to draw a family tree, create a gravestone rubbing, build an Aztec pyramid and chase her boredom away.
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 Sidney 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 February, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Sidney is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! And I am looking forward to regaining full use of the claw 🙂
Have a great day, everyone! And here’s to a New Year filled with our best writing ever! 🙂
P.S. Oh, and YIKES! I almost forgot to mention that I am guest posting on Donna Martin’s blog today to kick off her new Writerly Wisdom series (although whether I have any wisdom to share is debatable :)) so please hop over and visit if you care to – I’m sure she’d appreciate it. And also, I am a Guest Expert (her words not mine :)) at Patricia Morrison’s virtual conference Take Your Talent To The Bank which will take place next week from January 8th-11th. (My part is on the 11th, and I will share more info on FB, twitter and here.)
As I mentioned in my extremely late post Wednesday, I’m not posting today. Instead, I will be going skating with my kids and nieces and nephews (an outing which I know would be VERY entertaining for you to witness – too bad there’s no streaming video! – Michelle Kwan I am not! :))
For anyone who has more time than I do and wants to post and visit, here’s the list. Have fun! See you all next week, probably Wednesday.
Good Extremely Late Afternoon Practically Evening Everyone!
I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a Merry one filled with happiness yesterday.
I realize I’m way behind schedule today… lots of family visiting and lots going on… but having promised, I didn’t want to let you down completely – better late than never, right? 🙂
I know you’ve all been waiting with barely controlled (or possibly uncontrolled) antsiness to find out who won the amazing Holiday Contest!
So without further ado, here they are, the winners of the Pretty Much World Famous 2nd Annual Holiday Contest!!!
First Place: Laura Renauld for Humphrey The Humbug
Second Place: Marci Henry for Jingle Sheep
Third Place: Cheryl Secomb for Dashing Through The Snow
Fourth Place: Penny Klostermann for Christmas Bash-A-Roo
Fifth Place: Joanna Marple for The Tree
All five winners will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate as soon as I have all the email addresses (Marci and Cheryl, I may need yours). And I will sort out which winner gets which PB critique ASAP and update this post, so check back!
UPDATE: The critiques have been sorted and will be assigned as follows: Laura – Corey Rosen Schwartz Marci – Amy Dixon Cheryl – Sarah Frances Hardy Penny – Tiffany Haber Joanna – Alison Hertz
Congratulations to all our winners for fantastic stories amid fierce competition, and congratulations to all who entered! Everyone who took the time to exercise their creativity and actually write and post an entry deserves to feel proud of their efforts. And many thanks to everyone – writers and readers – for making the Holiday Contest so much fun for the second year in a row!
And now, because I have grossly overestimated how much blogging time I’d have during the holidays, I must announce that I will not be doing Perfect Picture Book Friday this week (although I will post the link list for anyone who wants to) and I will probably not post Monday the 31st either. And if I fail to visit your blogs as much as usual, it’s not because I don’t love you 🙂 It’s important to enjoy time with the family when you can 🙂
Enjoy your holidays and Happy New Year to everyone, with all best wishes for happiness, health, and publication in 2013!!!
Today, we have a VERY special blog post to celebrate the birthday of a VERY special member of our writing community!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIK!!!
As our special birthday gift to you, we have written you a Choose Your Own Adventure story! We hope you’ll have fun with it! 🙂
(And we hope LOTS of other people will set out on Erik’s adventure too because it’s extremely fun :))
Start below. Read each section and at the end you’ll have a choice of where to go next. Make your choice and see what happens! You can always go back.
I must confess, before we begin, that this was a bit of a rush job. I’m truly hoping all the sections will be posted in time, and that all the links will work properly, but on the off chance they don’t I will put a list of the sections and links at the bottom of this post so you can find your way if need be. But don’t peek unless you have to because it will give away the story! 🙂 Also, we had to start with generic blog links, so if you follow a link and don’t see a section of the adventure, you might have to scroll to the December 24th post. We will do our best to update with post-specific links as we get them.
I would also like to thank the lovely Ms. Klostermann for designing and sharing your birthday banner. And I would like to extravagantly thank the lovely Ms. Stilborn for writing half the sections – I literally could not have done this without her! But boy did we have fun writing 🙂
I hope you enjoy your adventure, Erik, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday and a Merry Christmas 🙂
Ready? Here we go… 🙂
The Start Of The Adventure – Guardians Of The Gift
Erik was polishing Sir Lionel’s armor and dreaming of the day when he’d have armor of his own when a small pageboy dashed into the antechamber.
“Erik!” he gasped. “You’ve been summoned to the Great Hall!”
Erik dropped his polishing rag. “Me? Are you sure?”
The pageboy nodded solemnly.
Erik swallowed nervously. Was he in trouble? He had never been summoned to the Great Hall before!
He swiped at his hair trying to smooth it, brushed himself off, and hurried after the pageboy.
The doors to the Great Hall stood open. Erik paused on the threshold.
“Welcome, Erik!” said the king. “Come in! We have a surprise for you!”
Sir Gareth stepped forward and presented Erik with a box. “Happy Birthday, Erik!” he said.
“For me? Gee, thanks!” Erik was delighted. He hadn’t received many birthday presents in his life, and none today.
He lifted the lid of the box eagerly. But what was this?
“Uhh…” he said. “I don’t get it.”
Sir Gareth looked down. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “Where’s the present that’s supposed to be in here?”
The other knights gathered around to look at the empty box. “It’s been stolen!” cried Sir Lionel.
“Well I guess I’d better go find it!” said Erik. “Someone must know what happened to it!”
“The court jester is always at the center of activity,” said Sir Gareth. “He might know what happened.”
“Or one of the castle guards,” suggested Sir Lionel. “They ought to know who comes and goes.”
“Then I’m off to discover the truth!” declared Erik. “I don’t want to miss out on my only birthday present!”
The Blog Link List (to be looked at and used only in extreme emergency :)) (and not helpful if the posters simply haven’t gotten their posts up yet… :))
I don’t know about you, but I am completely floored by a) how many entries we got for the Holiday Contest (40!!) and b) how good they all were!!!
What a job it’s been trying to winnow down 40 fantastic entries to a manageable number of finalists! It’s actually a great exercise in understanding what editors must go through. I could find at least something to like about every entry – it was a question of weighing and balancing strong points and weaker points and overall impression – and it gives me an appreciation for the subjectivity aspect of editorial choosing – it’s entirely possible that some of the finalists my assistant judge and I settled on are not the same ones you would have chosen.
All of this to say that everyone really did a wonderful job. It was a pleasure to read every entry, and even if you didn’t make the list of finalists, please know that our decision was agonizing and there were many great things about every single story – we really wrestled with choosing the finalists and went back and forth for a LONG time! – so you should feel good about your effort no matter what! And my assistant judge and I, as well as ALL the readers (there were over 1200 views of the Holiday Contest post alone, not to mention how many visits you all got on your individual posts) got loads of enjoyment and entertainment out of your wonderful stories, so thank you all so very much for participating and sharing your creativity with us all!
In the final analysis, though, the finalists were chosen on the basis of 1) kid appeal (it is a children’s story after all!) 2) originality/creativity 3) writing quality and story quality, and 4) if you chose to write in rhyme we were pretty strict about how well you did it since there was a prose option (although of the 40 entries, only 15 were in prose.)
Please review the finalists’ entries below and then vote for the one you think should win! You have until midnight Christmas Eve to vote (December 24 11:59 PM EST.) There are 10 finalists (I know! I’m sorry! But I did get it down to 25% of the entries, and a lot of you will have read them all already and there will be 5 prizes given!) and they’re all fantastic, so we’re going to need all the votes we can get! 🙂 Oh, and one more thing – if you make it all the way to the bottom, the girls and I have a special Holiday message for you and I really don’t think you’ll want to miss it 🙂
#1 Dashing Through The School
Dashing through the school,
The bell’s about to ring,
I can’t be late again,
And disappoint Miss Sing.
I’ve got the leading role,
The play’s about to start,
Through the doors and up on stage,
I’m born to play this part!
Oh,
There’s the bell, there’s the bell,
I’m in the nick of time,
The auditorium is packed,
And the curtains start to climb.
Oh,
“Jingle bells, jingle bells,”
The chorus sings in tune,
My tummy’s feeling funny,
‘Cause I know it’s my turn soon.
I take a big deep breath,
Step forward on the stage,
Look out at the crowd,
Is that my Aunty Paige?
The lights shine in my face,
This costume’s far too hot,
The words catch in my throat,
An actor, I am not.
Oh,
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
They’re ringing in my head,
At practice I was doing fine,
But now I’m filled with dread!
Oh,
I’m not well, I’m not well,
I’m really feeling ill,
I wonder if it’s not too late,
To swap my part with Bill.
I take another breath,
Deliver my first line,
The butterflies are gone,
Suddenly, I’m fine.
When the play is done,
Applause rings ‘round the hall,
I take my final bow,
I’m an actor after all!
Oh,
I did well, I did well,
My heart is beating fast,
I never thought I’d feel this way,
The day that I was cast.
Oh,
“Jingle bells, jingle bells,”
I’ll sing it loud and clear,
I wonder if they’ll let me play,
This part again next year.
#2 Christmas Bash-A-Roo
Tromping through the pines In their woolen socks with toes, Yetis march in lines Grunting Ho, Ho, Ho’s! They meet their Sasquatch friends, And Bigfoot buddies too. The time is here to all attend The Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap, Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
High up in the sky A flash caused them to pause. “Could this be the guy? Could this be Santa Claus? We’ve heard the tales of old. We’ve heard the human lore, But never has he joined our fold At Christmas time before.”
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap, Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
They heard a Ho! Ho! Ho! And saw a red-nosed gleam. Coming through the snow Was Santa and his team. “I think we can agree— Though sightings have been few It can be reality— Yes, legends can be true”.
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Santa flashed a grin And said, “Hey guys, let’s bop.” The reindeer joined right in And did the Reindeer Hop. He handed out sweet treats To each and every beast. Then said, “Let’s dance a few more beats Before we fly on east.”
Oh… Black-boot tap, Santa rap Reindeer line dance too. What a holly-jolly, Hairy Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Santa waved goodbye And headed to his sleigh. He winked a twinkling eye As he flew away. Oh, what a joyful night— A Santa Claus debut. Oh how merry! Oh how bright! The Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Tromping through the pines In worn out socks with toes Yetis march in lines Grunting Ho, Ho, Ho’s! They wave at Sasquatch friends And Bigfoot buddies too. And say, “We’ll see you all again At next year’s Bash-A-Roo.
#3 Garbage Truck, Garbage Truck
Trashing through the snow, in a noisy garbage truck,
The bins are hard to empty, with boxes getting stuck.
Crumpled wrapping paper, chunks of Styrofoam,
Packing peanuts everywhere are blown from home to home.
Oh, garbage truck! Garbage truck! After Christmas trash.
Load it in the garbage truck and watch it mash and smash.
Garbage truck! Garbage truck! Haul it all away.
What looked so festive yesterday is now J-U-N-K.
Dried-up wreaths with bows, Lights that didn’t light,
Toys already broken, clothes that got too tight.
The garbage man is tired. He’s handled lots of stuff.
He wishes folks could see that they already have enough.
Oh, garbage truck! Garbage truck! After Christmas trash.
Load it in the garbage truck and watch it mash and smash.
Garbage truck! Garbage truck! Haul it all away.
What looked so festive yesterday is now J-U-N-K.
The garbage man goes home, and hugs his kids and wife.
They eat and read together, a calm, uncluttered life.
He’s happy with his job, but wishes people knew
That things don’t bring you happiness, but times together do.
Oh, garbage truck! Garbage truck! After Christmas trash.
Load it in the garbage truck and watch it mash and smash.
Garbage truck! Garbage truck! Watch it blend and mix.
So much turns to garbage on December 26.
#4 The Tree
Sliding through the snow
in Granddad’s beat-up truck,
Looking for a tree.
Not having any luck.
Evergreens galore.
The Spruce and Firs abound
Nothing fits our search –
too dense, too big, too round.
Finally I spy
the perfect Christmas tree.
Granddad swings his axe,
“Ready. One, two, three!”
“Granddad, stop!” I shout,
“I see a mouse nose there.
Don’t you see that nest?
And isn’t that a hare?”
Thoughts swirl round my head.
I tell Granddad my plan.
He wags his graying beard,
then shakes my mittened hand.
Singing as we drive,
we race back to the farm.
I raid the kitchen store,
while Granddad raids the barn.
Night begins to fall.
We truck back through the snow –
find our lonely tree,
lit up in starry glow.
Stringing beans and hay,
instead of paper chains.
Nuts and seeds in fat,
we cover all in grains.
Then we sit and wait.
and slowly they appear.
The bestest gift and tree
from any Christmas year.
#5 Humphrey The Humbug
Dropping through the mail slot in a BAH-Mobile, came Humphrey. Humphrey was no ordinary bug. He was a Humbug. And being a Humbug, Humphrey had to follow one simple rule: ‘Make Christmas cheer disappear.’
It was Christmas Eve. Humphrey’s well-trained eye zeroed in on the slightly tilting Christmas tree. “All I have to do is give that tree a push, knock over the glitter, and let the cookies burn and the Holly Household’s Christmas cheer will soon melt into the Grinchy grumps,” Humphrey said to himself.
But I can’t wreck another Christmas, thought Humphrey. The truth was, Humphrey was a half-hearted Humbug. He secretly liked everything about Christmas: the tree, the lights, and especially the music.
He poked his head out of his BAH-Mobile. The coast was clear. First, he made his way to the tree but, instead of giving it a push, he made it stand taller, tightening the bolts in the stand. Next, he took the jar of glitter and tightly screwed on the lid. Finally, he set the kitchen timer so the Holly’s would take the cookies out of the oven.
Humphrey settled down inside his BAH-Mobile, happy for the first time. I spread Christmas cheer this year, he thought, as he drifted off to sleep.
Humphrey awoke to a laugh. “Ho, Ho, Ho,” chuckled Santa. “I’ve caught a Humbug!” He gently placed Humphrey on his knee.
“I know I’m on the Naughty List, Santa, but let me explain,” started Humphrey. Santa held up his hand.
“You are mistaken, Humphrey. You are on the Nice List this year.”
“I am?”
“You, my friend, have had what is called a ‘Change-of-Heart.’
“Yes!” said Humphrey. “I don’t feel like a Humbug anymore.”
“Did you know,” asked Santa, “that Humbugs are very musical?”
“I do like to hum,” said Humphrey.
Santa handed Humphrey a small package. “My first present!” he shouted. Tearing it open, Humphrey found a book of Christmas carols. “Oh, thank you!” he beamed.
Now, at Christmastime, Humphrey, the humming bug, follows his own rule: “Hum carols far and near to make Christmas cheer appear!”
#6 That’s Not Santa!
Walking through the mall,
In my brand new Christmas Shoes,
Look at that kid bawl,
I have got the blues!
–
My mom smiles at me,
She wants this photo,
Can’t anybody see,
That’s NOT SANTA -NO!
–
(Chorus)
OH!
His beard is fake,
His eyebrows snake,
His mustache is dark brown,
I feel bad for the lad,
That Santa just put down!
–
OH!
He has a belt,
It’s made of felt,
That just makes me pause,
His suit’s off-red, like I said,
THAT’S NOT SANTA CLAUS!
–
(Second Verse)
I don’t have a choice,
Four more kids to go,
I hear Santa’s voice,
He says “Hoo Ha Ho”?
–
The girl on Santa’s knee,
Looks as scared as she can be,
The camera makes a flash,
The girl makes a dash!
–
(Chorus)
OH!
His beard is fake,
His eyebrows snake,
His boots are made of plastic,
I’m ahead and my mom said,
“This will be fantastic”!
–
OH!
He has no belly,
That shakes like jelly,
I am feeling sick,
On his lap is when I yap,
THAT’S NOT OLD SAINT NICK!
#7 Jingle Sheep
Tiptoeing through the fog On teeny tiny feet, Six hundred wooly sheep Were sneaking down the street.
Poor Santa had the flu. His temperature was high. His doctor told him, “Stay in bed And stay out of the sky.”
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made.
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
The sheep tried very hard To visit every child. They tried to keep it quiet But soon got very wild.
The children did not dream Of sugarplums and toys. They peeked out of their bedroom doors To wonder at the noise.
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
At first the children stared And some began to cry. They then began to giggle And not be quite so shy.
The sheep shared all their hats And danced around the tree. The children shared their gingerbread With shouts of happy glee.
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
The sun began to rise. The party had been grand. The gifts had been delivered, Though not like Santa planned.
He thanked them just the same, The dear sweet, sneaky sheep. He asked them what they wanted. They asked for sixty jeeps.
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
#8 New Skates Please, Santa!
Wobbling on the ice In my sister’s worn-out skates, I might as well be wearing Great big wooden crates! The blades are really dull, They’re too big for my feet, and when I try to glide along I end up on my seat!
Ohhhhhh, Scrape, scrape, scrape, Skid, skid, skid, I do a crazy dance, I can never learn to skate While sitting on my pants! Ohhhhhh, Thump, thump, splat, Ow, ow, drat, Falling’s not much fun, I’d really rather glide and twirl And whirl like everyone.
My friends all have new skates They glide around with ease While I just watch them swish right by Me, fallen on my knees. It’s almost Christmas Eve, I’ve wished upon a star, I hope that Santa hears my plea And brings skates from afar.
Ohhhhhh, Scrape, scrape, scrape, Skid, skid, skid, I do a crazy dance, I can never learn to skate While sitting on my pants! Ohhhhhh, Thump, thump, splat, Ow, ow, drat, Falling’s not much fun, I’d really rather glide and twirl And whirl like everyone.
The presents are unwrapped, No shiny skates in sight, Just sweaters, hats, and oranges – but what about tonight? My sis hands me a box and much to my surprise Bright shiny skates, the kind I wished, And look! They’re just my size!
Ohhhhhh, Swish, swish, swish, Zip, zip, zoom, My skates are really fast, I can whirl and twirl all day And never be outclassed. Ohhhhhh, Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, Jump, twirl, spin, Across the ice I glide, This is better than I dreamed, I’ll never go inside!
#9 How The Grinch Spends Christmas
Dashing through the snow
In Santa’s stolen sleigh
Over Santa’s toe
Laughing all the way. MUA-HA-HA!
Flying snowballs sting
I’m not at all contrite
How fun it is to toss and fling
The gifts into the night.
Oh, bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Trouble making – Reindeer MUSH!
In Santa’s stolen sleigh
Bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Trouble making – Reindeer MUSH!
In Santa’s stolen sleigh
This morning when I woke
I thought, “The fun begins,”
I’ll lick the cookies clean
Return them to their tins
Pluck festive door wreathes bare
Chop down Christmas trees
Cram stockings — not the kind you wear —
With coal lumps to the knees
Oh, bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Shelf Elf shaking, snow globe breaking
Reindeer led astray
Bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Snowman baking, present taking
In the mall Santa’s toupee.
Whooshing far and near
Dropping water bombs away
Then, Santa calls his deer
And rats! They do obey
He hums a little tune
Shakes his head so slight
Nails me with the last balloon
And flies into the night.
Oh, bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Santa made my day
I think I saw him gloating
As he rode his sleigh away
Bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mean is in my genes
I can’t wait for him to find
I fed his reindeer beans.
#10 Dashing Through The Snow
“Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh…” The song floated from the kitchen radio. Holly heard her neighbor, Mrs. Frost, humming along.
Holly stared out the window at the snowless neighborhood and sighed. Would she ever have a white Christmas? She picked up the snow globe from the table and shook it. Tiny white flakes swirled about the miniature horse pulling a sleigh with two riders.
Mrs. Frost poked her head into the living room and smiled. “The first batch of cookies is almost done. Once they’re cool, you can help me ice them, okay?”
Holly grinned. “Sure!”
Mrs. Frost was Holly’s favorite grown up…besides her mom and dad, of course. There was something kind of magic about her, especially at Christmas. Her house glowed with red and green lights and holiday decorations. She even had a Christmas name. Like Holly.
Holly shook the snow globe again and set it on the window sill. She watched the tiny flakes spiraling inside. The song continued to play. “Dashing through the snow…” Her eyelids drooped. “I wish we had snow,” she whispered.
Suddenly, wind whipped through her hair, and she squinted as wet flakes splattered her face. “What?” She gasped in the chilly air. “Where am I?”
“Dashing through the snow, of course!” Mrs. Frost sat beside her, chuckling. She held the reins to a horse covered in white. Its neigh echoed like laughter.
Holly glanced down. Tiny houses flickered with Christmas lights far below. “We’re flying!” she yelled.
Snow flurries danced around them. “We’re dashing!” Mrs. Frost snapped the reins.
“It’s time,” she said.
Someone gently shook Holly’s shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Mrs. Frost standing beside her. “It’s time to ice the cookies.”
Holly blinked. A dream? She shivered. But it felt so real.
“Oh, look!” said Mrs. Frost.
Holly peered out the window. “It’s snowing!” Fluffy white flakes tumbled down.
She turned to Mrs. Frost and spotted something sparkling in her hair. Could it be?
Mrs. Frost’s eyes twinkled.
Holly was sure she saw a snowflake…before it melted away.
I told you it was going to be tough! Ready, set, VOTE!
And my assistant judge and I felt we really must give Honorable Mention to Julie for Splash! Crash! Dash! – sibling Christmas vacation, very well written!, Renee for Holidaze – quite possibly the cleverest entry and amazingly well done, Carrie for Christmas In Lights which had a wonderful message about helping neighbors, Maria for Elmer The Christmas Sprite – a lovely, original, quiet story, and Linda for In A Daddy Open Buggy – excellent, excellent small child POV! Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jill whose story I Believe brought tears to my eyes with its wonderful ending, and Delores’s A Christmas Memory with it’s evocative writing and lovely nostalgic feel… And now I’m going to stop before I’ve got the entire list up here 🙂
Have fun voting everyone! And here’s a little holiday message from me and the girls 🙂
P.S. I wasn’t going to post on Monday… and I still might not… but there may be a special surprise post going up that day if I can get it written and organized and if the stars are properly aligned… 🙂 If I can’t pull it off, then I’ll see you on Wednesday the 26th with the winners. Happy Holidays Everyone! 🙂
I can barely contain my excitement because IT’S HERE!!!
The2ndAnnualHolidayContest!!!
I look forward to these contests so much, because everyone who enters is so creative and writes such terrific stories that it’s like Christmas morning – or maybe like each new day of Hanukkah – clicking over to new entries as they go up, full of anticipation for another entertaining read! I literally cannot wait! (It occurs to me that I sound like a five year old :))
For those who are just arriving on the scene and might want to take a crack at it, here are the rules:
The Contest: Write a children’s holiday story beginning with any version of “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh.” You may use that actual opening, or you may change it to any similar version “[Verb of your choice]ing through the [any substance you choose] in a [conveyance of any kind].” For example, “Dashing through the sand in a two-wheeled donkey cart” or “Sloshing through the swamp in a green and white canoe” or “Flying through the air in a striped hot air balloon…” You get the idea, I’m sure 🙂 But “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh” is completely acceptable too – whatever works for you 🙂 Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (because I have to read them all in the week before Christmas! :))
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog any time between today and Wednesday December 19 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Wednesday December 19 (there will be no new post on Monday December 17 to get in the way :)). If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I’ll post your entry for you!)
The Judge: My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to seven (or possibly a couple more :)) finalists which will be posted here on Friday December 21 (no PPBF that day) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Christmas Eve and the winner(s) will be announced on Wednesday December 26. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to fifth place.
The Prizes!: When I said the prizes were fantastic, I wasn’t kidding. In the spirit of the holidays, winners will be named for 1st – 5th place, and will each receive a picture book manuscript critique AND a $20 Amazon gift card to spend on the reading material of your choice AND the incredible fame of being able to say you won (or placed in) the Pretty Much World Famous 2nd Annual Holiday Contest! The critiques have been generously donated by the following fabulous children’s authors (in alphabetical order by first name :)):
Alison Hertz: author and illustrator of FLAP! (Magic Dreams Publishing, November 2012)
Amy Dixon: author of MARATHON MOUSE (Sky Pony Press, October 2012)
Corey Rosen Schwartz: author of Hop! Plop! (Walker Children’s Books, April 2006), THE THREE NINJA PIGS (Putnam Juvenile, September 2012), and the forthcoming GOLDIROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS and NINJA RED (both coming from Putnam). Corey also writes the Meter Maids blog with Tiffany (below).
Sarah Frances Hardy: author and illustrator of PUZZLED BY PINK (Viking Juvenile, April 2012)
Tiffany Strelitz Haber: author of THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN (Henry Holt, July 2012). Tiffany also writes the Meter Maids blog with Corey (above).
So! With prizes like that on offer are you…
…Ready, set, GO!
Here is my pathetic and clearly hurriedly composed sample 🙂 It requires that you sing it to the tune, and even then there are a couple places where I may have taken some liberties with the meter 🙂 The good thing is, I’m sure everyone else’s is way better than this, so you can all take comfort in knowing that and feel brave about posting your entries! 🙂
Christmas Eve Travel Trouble
(341 words)
Flying through the air in a sleigh pulled by eight deer Santa and his elves were filled with Christmas cheer When suddenly the sleigh gave an unexpected pitch “Look out!” warned Comet from the front, “we’re heading for that ditch!”
OH….
Lying in the snow, presents scattered everywhere The reindeer tangled up, the sleigh needing repair, Santa’s Right-Hand Elf said, “This will never do! We’re only halfway ’round the world and it’s quarter to two!”
OH…
Cleaning up the mess, Santa said “I’ve got a plan! If our sleigh won’t fly, we’ll use this gift for Dan. Help me load the pack. Everybody climb on quick!” Soon they were bouncing on their way aboard a pogo stick!
OH…
Hopping through the snow, they got to France’s shore But then old Santa gasped, “I can’t jump any more! Let’s find a better way. There’ve got to be a few.” His Right-Hand Elf said, “How ’bout this? A bicycle-built-for-two!”
OH…
Cycling through the drifts, they reached Saskatchewan Then Santa said, “That’s it. I simply can’t go on. What else is in the pack? We need a better choice.” They took a look and settled on the gift for Jen and Joyce.
OH…
Rowing through the snow, in a fiberglass canoe Their arms soon tired out. They switched to something new. But traveling by kite, it’s very hard to steer! When heading for the USA they landed in Zaire.
Flailing ‘cross the ice in a plastic wading pool…
Sailing o’er the plains in a LEGO pirate ship…
Riding through the hills on a wooden rocking horse…
Santa sighed. “I miss my sleigh. There’s got to be a better way!”
They reached the final stop at three minutes ’til dawn “We made it!” Santa said, with a gigantic yawn. Just then the sleigh caught up, hitched to the flying eight. Comet said, “I fixed the sleigh. Why didn’t you just wait?”
OH! Jingle bells Santa’s swell He will find a way To get the toys to girls and boys In time for Christmas Day!
HappyHolidaysEveryone! Please remember to check the comments for entries! There are stories there from Linda, Yvonne, Jill, Marci, RJ, and 2 different entries from Bara (also one from Deborah, but hers is on the link list now)!
Today is a special Perfect Picture Book Friday. At the suggestion of Pat at Children’s Books Heal and Vivian at Positive Parental Participation, since today is the anniversary of the date in 1954 that the UN General Assembly recommended there should be a Universal Children’s Day, we are doing our part to raise awareness of the plight of children around the globe and to promote the welfare of children in the world by posting books which focus on multicultural/multiracial issues, human rights, and/or children who have helped to change the world in some way. (The actual date of Universal Children’s Day is November 20 – we are celebrating the day it came into being!) I quickly discovered that the books that leapt instantly to mind in this category (Beatrice’s Goat, One Hen, etc…) have already been expertly reviewed by others for previous PPBFs. So I chose a book for younger readers that shows a way of life very different from my own. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Lala Salama: A Tanzanian Lullaby Written By: Patricia MacLachlan Illustrated By: Elizabeth Zunon Candlewick Press, November 2011, Fiction Suitable For: ages 3-7 Themes/Topics: day-in-the-life, bedtime, lullaby, multicultural Opening: “Long ago, this morning, the sun rose above our house, spilling light over the hills of the Congo and the lake with the beautiful name, Tanganyika, like a song. Lala salama, little one.” Brief Synopsis: (From the jacket) The rhythm of the Tanzanian day inspires the melody of the evening’s lullaby in this sweet song of family life. Links To Resources: It’s important for children to learn about the world they live in, and understand that not everyone lives the same life they do. This book offers a wonderful opportunity for children to explore how things in their life compare to things in this book – ask, how are your clothes alike or different from the baby’s clothes? Does your home look like the homes in the book? How is it the same or different? Do you take a bath the same way the baby does? The baby’s father works on a fishing boat – what does your father do? The baby’s mother carries him in a sling on her back – how are babies carried where you live, or are they put in strollers or swings? This baby has monkeys and zebras nearby – what animals live near you? The story offers a great opportunity to talk about how life is the same everywhere on some levels, and yet very different on others. Why I Like This Book: The language in this book is rhythmic, soothing and beautiful – just like a lullaby. The story takes readers through a day in the life of a family on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. The gorgeous illustrations give a glimpse of what the scenery is like, how people dress, where they live, what they do. The story is not long – easily short enough for a very young child, but offers an idea of what life is like in another part of the world, perhaps very different from what the reader has experienced. This is a beautiful book, perfect for bedtime!
PPBF bloggers, please leave your post-specific links in the list below. I’m really looking forward to reading everyone’s choices for Universal Children’s Day!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
“WHAT!” I heard you gasp. That’s it?
I realize this may be my shortest post ever, but seriously, you have not been in my house this week where life has been a three-ring circus 🙂 Plus I just realized that somebody had the bright idea of posting the Holiday Contest on Saturday the 15th which is – you got it! – TOMORROW! (I don’t know who is in charge around here, but apparently she has horsefeathers for brains!) Honestly, it’s going to be pretty much of a miracle if my sample entry is ready by then, because let’s face it that’s in like 12 hours! so I might be posting the official post and putting up the list and then adding in my sample entry Sunday or Monday 🙂 Just warning you :)) But I totally can’t wait to read everyone’s entries! I hope there are some 🙂 OK. Really. Happy weekend! 🙂
Would You Read It is here. I promise 🙂 And anyone who wants to can skip the special first part of this post and scroll right down to the pitch, which is pretty close to the bottom. But for those of you who are up for a little insanity fun… 🙂
Once upon a time, I had a hairbrained scheme to send Phyllis on a World Tour. During the tour, it came up somewhere along the line that the treasure hunt in April Fool, Phyllis! was based on the birthday hunts my dad used to make for us when we were kids, which I now do with my kids. A dear friend of mine, who welcomed Phyllis into her Saskatchewan home during the tour, remarked that a birthday hunt sounded like fun, and she’d really like to give it a try sometime.
Beth Stilborn is a pillar of our writing community. She writes a wonderful blog about writing and the arts, with a special love of theatre. She, along with Emma Walton Hamilton, established The Children’s Book Hub Face Book page. She is incredibly supportive to all of us in the writing community, and she is always up for a hairbrained scheme 🙂 And she’s a nice person 🙂 and kind to groundhogs 🙂
So, Beth, HappyBirthday from me, and Phyllis, and a whole bunch of your blogging family. Here is your birthday hunt 🙂 It’s not quite the way my dad did it, but hopefully it will work and be fun. And of course, anyone else who likes solving puzzles is welcome to play along! It’s not too hard because it is a bit long (12 clues because your birthday is 12/12 :)) but should you have any difficulty, there are hints 🙂 Many hints can be found right here on my blog too, in the side bars or recent posts.
Instructions: Solve each clue in order. When you have cracked the code and figured out what the clue says, do what it tells you. When you get there, you will find a word in colorful bold-face font. Write it down! Then come back here for the next clue. Eventually all the words will make a message and lead you to your present 🙂 If you need a hint, click the HINT button 🙂
golf oscar foxtrot india november delta alpha papa lima alpha charlie echo whiskey hotel echo romeo echo charlie hotel india lima delta romeo echo november’ sierra bravo oscar oscar kilo sierra hotel echo alpha lima
PHEW! I hope Beth (and at least a few others) made it this far before next week 🙂 and I hope everything worked as it was supposed to and there weren’t too many glitches and/or mistakes. Any complaints about execution may be directed to the management, who will probably refer you to the resident Seer Of Seers, Prognosticator Of Prognosticators, Weather Prophet Extraordinaire 🙂 (because she’s cute and furry and hard to stay annoyed at :))
(Side note: this hunt will only work properly (assuming it ever does :)) on 12/12/12. After that, when you follow the clue directions, you will have to scroll back to the bloggers’ 12/12/12 post.)
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming 🙂 Would You Read It!
The winner of the first ever tied pitch pick is: LARISSA!!!
That was quite a hard-won win – congratulations! Your pitch is on its way to editor Erin Molta for a read and comments! And congratulations to everyone who wrote wonderful pitches and then made them even better. You are all winners as far as I’m concerned 🙂
Now then, the runner up of the first ever tied pitch pick, has a new pitch!
Kim is “Mama” to a wonderful 8-year-old with multiple nicknames, wife of a genius, and has switched careers numerous times in her short (ha!) life. She has been passionate about picture books since her first encounter with Dr. Seuss, though it has taken her decades (don’t ask) to realize that writing them is something that she can probably do for the rest of her life. She writes a wonderful blog over at Kid Lit Dish and is a regular participant in PPBF. She would love it if you’d like to follow her on Twitter or like her on Face Book! Here is her new pitch: Working Title: Oyster And Pearl Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8) The Pitch: Pearl is a tiny grain of sand that lives in the bottom of the ocean. She feels insignificant in her world and both envious AND enamored of the star in the sky that she can see above her at night. As she sets her sights on joining the star, she encounters many challenges… until finally, one night, she meets Oyster, who helps her become a star of her own.
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 Kim 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 time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Kim is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! And I am looking forward to seeing whether Beth can solve her birthday hunt and whether anyone else takes a crack at it! If you solve it, let me know 🙂
Have a terrific day, everyone! And happy birthday dear Beth, happy birthday to you 🙂
Today I’m delighted to share a guest post from author/illustrator Alison Hertz, whose debut picture book FLAP! was released from Magic Dreams Publishing in November!
One quick thing first: seriously, you guys have to remind me when I space things out! I forgot to mention in Friday’s post that the winners of my blogiversary giveaway, who shall receive a 5 pack of Tracy Campbell’s gorgeous hand-crafted greeting cards, are Rhythm (who is technically a dog, but I’m pretty sure s/he’s got a mom who will enjoy the cards :)) and Laura Anne Miller!!! Laura, it’s entirely possible I have your address from sending the Perfect Picture Book bookmarks, but Rhythm, I’m going to need yours, so please email me when you get a chance! (Handy Email Me button in right side bar or you can do it the old-fashioned way and type in susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com.) Congratulations to the winners, and thank you ALL for being such wonderful involved participants in my blog – you guys are what make it all such fun 🙂
Oh wait! One more quick thing. For the first time in WYRI history, we had a tie for the November Pitch Pick! Kim and Larissa scored the same number of votes! I can really only send one pitch per month to Erin, so I’m going to have to ask you all to vote again and choose between these two talented writers!
#1 Kim How The Bull Lost His Feathers – PB – ages 4-8 Long, long ago in a faraway land, bulls actually had feathers. And they were big, colorful peacock-like feathers at that! Discover how one very stubborn yet lovable bull lost every one of his feathers– not only for himself, but for all the bulls born in the world after him. This fable-like tale also reveals why the color red will always make a bull’s temper flare!
#2 Larissa Dim Sum Dog – PB – ages 4-8 With business dwindling, Chang and his family fear they will have to close their dim sum stand. But with the help of a special dim sum-loving dog who entertains customers, they may save the stand after all.
Please vote by noon tomorrow EST (tomorrow being Tuesday Dec. 11) so I can announce the winner on Wednesday!
Welcome, Alison! And thank you so much for joining us today!
I’m very happy to be guest posting on Susanna’s blog today. As a writer and an illustrator, I often get asked about how I work. How does an illustrator write stories? How does a writer illustrate stories? How did you create FLAP!? Well, that’s actually kind of complex to answer. The process that I used for FLAP! was quite different from how I write and illustrate stories now. Let me explain.
When I wrote the manuscript for FLAP!, I didn’t plan to illustrate it. In fact, I submitted it to editors and agents describing myself as a writer (not mentioning any art training or design experience at all). Actually, I have two college degrees in art (city planning and toy design) and was a professional toy designer for many years. I designed hundreds of toys that were produced and sold in major retail stores but all of that changed in an instant. On my way to the toy company, to finalize some models for a major toy retailer presentation, I was in a terrible car accident. My left arm was broken and permanently dislocated (and I’m a lefty). I also had a bunch of other horrible injuries but there’s no need to go into that now. In short, I was told by the doctors and physical therapists that my arm would have basic function but never be near the level of fine motor movement that I had before. I temporarily became a righty, earned a teaching degree, and began teaching middle school art and technology (both art and tech are used together constantly as a toy designer).
Alison’s work space
Fast forward to 14 years later…Shortly after sending out FLAP! for submission, I received a call from a small traditional press in Illinois that explained they were expanding their line and starting an imprint for children’s books. I had sent it to them because their description was pretty general. They loved my story and wanted to publish it. After the contract was signed, they began their search for the right illustrator for my story. At the same time, the economy tanked and budgets tightened. I was told a year later that they could not afford to hire an illustrator for my story and would probably have drop it from their line. I cringed as I explained to the publisher that I had been a toy designer and an art teacher and that I could illustrate the book. I had not been drawing for many years (except to model examples for my students, which was nowhere near the same thing as illustrating a presentation quality piece). I sent her sketches. She loved them and I became the illustrator for FLAP!
Alison drew sketches by hand
I was excited at the opportunity to get published as a writer and an illustrator but scared that my arm couldn’t handle creating 30 finished pieces. It was incredibly difficult to draw for long stretches of time (more than 40 minutes), my wrist and my arm could not handle the extended use of holding a pencil or stylus and the movements required for drawing. I was on a very tight schedule because of the planned publication date and had only 10 weeks to create all of the illustrations from sketch to final. I created the roughs (sketches) by hand. (See above) Once the roughs were approved by the publisher, I scanned the drawings in and taught myself how to use Sketchbook Pro as I created the line drawings. Those drawings went through another approval by the publisher and I was given the okay to create the final, color illustrations.
some interior artwork from FLAP!
When the illustrations for FLAP! were finished, I accepted that I could be an artist again. I had retrained my left arm to draw.
I now use a much different method of writing and illustrating. When I submit manuscripts to editors, I refer to myself a writer and an illustrator and send samples along with a link to my online portfolio. I challenge myself to things like SkADaMo that require me to draw everyday. I will prove the doctors and physical therapists wrong. I believe that someday I will get back the fine motor function of my left arm if I continue to draw everyday and rebuild those muscles. As Watty Piper once wrote, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”
In addition to writing and illustrating, I am using my graphic design skills to design bookmarks, postcards, coloring sheets, business cards, etc… for authors and other professionals. Check out AH Designs at: http://www.alisonhertz.com/graphic-design.htmlfor details, samples, and pricing.
Thank you so much for joining us, Alison. Your story is so inspiring. I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say I’m glad you pulled through with such flying colors and proved those doctors wrong. I hope you sent them an autographed copy of FLAP! to serve as inspiration to future patients 🙂 And if you haven’t had a chance to see Alison’s work, hop on over to her blog and check out the sketches she did for SkADaMo – they’re wonderful! (And as many of you probably know, Alison designed 3 different sets of book marks for me and they’re all terrific – I can highly recommend her work!)
Alison has generously offered to give away a signed copy of FLAP! to one lucky winner! In the book, twins Max and Katie decide to teach their little sister Lilly to fly. At the end, Max says, “I have an idea for tomorrow.” To qualify for a chance to win the book, please write in the comments what bright idea you think Max had – what are those kids are going to get up to tomorrow? Or, if it’s too early on Monday morning and you’re not sufficiently caffeinated to be creative, you can just say who you’d like the book for 🙂 Of course, what Alison would really love is pictures of people flapping – especially kids – so if you can add such a picture to your comment you will get an extra chance at winning! Please enter your comment by Wednesday December 12. Winner will be chosen by random.org. And it could be a holiday gift for someone 🙂 For a nice review of the book, please go HERE.
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