Perfect Picture Book Friday – My Side Of The Car

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Happy PPBF everyone!  I’ve got such a good one today – I think you’re going to love it 🙂  And please stay tuned afterwards for the winner of the Lisa Thiesing giveaway, as well as the winner of the Puzzled By Pink giveaway!

OK.  Ready?  Fasten your seat belts because here we go! 🙂

My Side Of The Car
Written By: Kate Feiffer
Illustrated By: Jules Feiffer
Candlewick, April 2011, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8

Themes/Topics: patience, imagination, father-daughter love, optimism

Opening:  “My dad and I are going to the zoo.  We’ve tried to go to the zoo before.  But we never get there.  Something always happens.”

Brief Synopsis:  Sadie and her dad are going to the zoo.  Their plans have been thwarted three previous times, but this time they’re really going.  Except… on the way… it starts to rain.  They can’t go to the zoo in the rain.  But Sadie’s not about to let the fact that her dad sees rain deter her.  “I look out my window, and the sun is shining on my side of the car. People are putting on their sunglasses and heading to zoos all over the world on my side of the car.” While her dad sees nothing but rain, Sadie sees people mowing their laws and eating ice cream.  Is it raining or not?  Will Sadie and her dad get to the zoo this time or will they have to wait for another day?

Links To Resources:  Fun Zoo-Related Activities, Zoo Lessons And Activities, a page in the back of the book tells the true story of what happened (which is always fun :))

Why I Like This Book:  Anyone who has lived with kids knows that their perception of reality is not necessarily the same as yours… especially when they really want something! 🙂  What’s wonderful about this book is both Sadie’s determined optimism and her father’s patience and his loving understanding of how she needs to cope with her disappointment.  This book is also delightful because it’s written and illustrated by a father-daughter team about an incident that actually happened.  I’m not going to tell you whether they get to the zoo or not, though.  You’ll have to go read the book 🙂

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

Now then!

I know you’ve all been holding your breath in anticipation of the winner announcements, so I won’t make you wait any longer 🙂

The winner of a signed copy of Lisa Thiesing’s wonderful book, A Dark And Noisy Night, is Catherine Johnson!  Catherine, come on down!  Pleas send me an email with your address and who you’d like the book signed to and Lisa and I will get right on the job of mailing it out to you!

And I want to extend a hearty thank you to everyone who tried to help me with my theme struggles.  I got quite a few good examples, and also discovered that I am not alone in my inability to articulate theme in a meaningful way, so all in all, it was a good exercise 🙂  And the winner of Puzzled By Pink is Beth!!!  Thank you ALL for your help! and Beth, you’d better email me your address…. 🙂

PPBF bloggers, please add your post-specific link to the list below so we can all come visit you 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 37th Pitch… And A Challenge!… With A Prize :)

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YIKES!

I moseyed on over to my blog to write today’s post and everything looks totally different and unfamiliar!  We’re not in Kansas anymore!

What happened to blogger?

I guess this is that new format they’ve been threatening and I’ve been avoiding.

Well.

Let’s just hope this post goes up the way it’s supposed to!

Harrumph!

First things first.  Your friend and mine, Phyllis, cutest and fuzziest of all groundhogs, is still on tour.  Wonderful, amazing, awesome people are still hosting her and putting up terrific posts about her visits.  So if you have a second, please hop over and see what kind of high jinx and shenanigans she got up to with Saba in Washington!

Next, I’d like to throw out a challenge to all of you – and this is for everyone because you don’t have to be a writer to do this.  In fact, some of you teachers might be really good at this!

It has come to my attention that I’m very bad at distilling picture books (or any other books for that matter) down to the nitty-gritty of their themes.  So for anyone who would like to take pity on me (and I’m guessing there are a fair number of others out there who could benefit from this as well :)) please be so kind as to give the title of a well-known picture book in the comments today along with a few words or a sentence that crystalize the theme of the book.  You may also do the plot if you want, but it’s really the theme I’m interested in.

So, for example, what the flinging’-flangin’ heck is the theme of Fancy Nancy?  Pinkalicious?  I Want My Hat Back?  I mean something like “love conquers all” or “if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying”… that kind of thing.  Gosh.  They sound like proverbs.  Is that how this works?  You can see I need help 🙂  So PLEASE help!  For every book you put with a theme in the comments below today or tomorrow, I will put one entry into random.org and then on Friday, during Perfect Picture Books, I will give one lucky winner a copy of the brand new and fabulous Puzzled By Pink (of which I also can’t state the theme) by Sarah Frances Hardy!!!

See how this works?  My desperation equals a great exercise for you and the possibility of an awesome book! 🙂  Nice, no?

Third, by popular demand, we will be doing one (or possibly a couple) of Q&A posts with editor Erin Molta, so if you have questions for her, please get them to me ASAP, either in the comments or by using that handy Email Me button over there on the right 🙂

Now then.  Time to get down to business.  Would You Read It business, that is.  Today’s pitch comes to us from Anna who has a background in teaching and strives to entertain and teach children about different cultures in her writing.  (I believe this book has been self-published, but Anna is still hoping to strengthen her pitch for marketing purposes.)

Ready?

Working Title:  A Bug Who Needs A Hug
Age/Genre: Picture Books (ages 2-7)
The Pitch:  A Bug Who Needs A Hug is about a fuzzy little bug that goes out into the forest looking for someone to hug. The vivid and colorful illustrations in the book emphasize the importance of friendship and leave a positive message for children at the end of the story.

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 Anna 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 early July – not that far away! – so go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Anna is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And I am looking forward to your succinct statements of picture book themes and your questions for Erin!
Have a happy Wednesday everyone! 🙂
Wait!  Stop the presses!  I forgot to say that if anyone hasn’t had a chance to read Monday’s interview with Lisa Thiesing and enter the awesome book giveaway, there is still time!  Hop on over!

Meet Lisa Thiesing Author/Illustrator!… And A Giveaway!

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I know.  It’s Monday.  It’s raining.  And if you’re like me you’ve eaten all of your black jelly beans.  Also the red and orange ones.  Also the yellow ones.  And you’re down to the reject colors like white and pink.  Seriously, does anyone like white jelly beans?  Why do they even make them?

But cheer up!  You’re here, among friends, in our happy little corner of the blogosphere!  And I have someone awesome for you to meet, AND you could get a present!

So tell me, doesn’t the day seem brighter already? 🙂

(Oh, but just one tiny thing before we get started.  Tina put up an awesome post on Phyllis’s visit to South Korea!  If you haven’t had a chance, please check it out!  And I heard a rumor that her visit to Corey in New Jersey might be up today… fingers crossed 🙂  Also, fabulous news, she will be visiting St. Lucia and maybe, hopefully Africa!!!  Okay!  Enough digression… :))

Today I am so excited to be introducing a fabulous author/illustrator to you all.  Please give a warm welcome to the wonderful and talented Lisa Thiesing!
Author/illustrator Lisa Thiesing

Hi Lisa!  Thanks so much for joining us today!!
Hi Susanna!  Thanks so much for inviting me!  I’m excited to be here!
SLH:  When did you first become interested in writing and/or illustrating?  Was it something you always did, or something you came to later in life?
LT:  I first became interested in children’s books when I was very little.  My mother always read to me and she was very excited about all the new books that were coming out at the time.  Things like the Little Bear books and Eloise were brand new!  Can you believe it?  Eloise was a character I particularly related to since I grew up in Manhattan, just a few blocks away from you!   We even had a mail chute by the elevator.  It was tempting but I never did pour water down it! Oh! and Harriet the Spy…. I often ran around the park pretending to be her. These characters seemed so real and were my friends.  My mother would also point out interesting things in the drawings, like how a certain expression on a character was just so perfect for the story.  She made books seem important and fun.  Also, this is probably bad, but she would let me stay home “sick” from school so that I could work on my tremendously original novel about Old Boy, a dog that was constantly saving his boy from falling down wells and other disasters.
SLH:  Were you encouraged by family/teachers?
     
      LT:  I was definitely encouraged by my mother.  I was VERY shy as a girl and I think she saw writing and drawing as my way of communicating.
SLH:  You are both an author and an illustrator.  Which comes first for you, the story or the art?
LT:  The story comes first.  When I write a story, what usually happens is that a certain phrase will keep repeating in my head.  Sometimes it’s the beginning of the story, sometimes it’s the ending.  When I wrote my first picture book, Me &You, my daughter was very little and she kept doing things that I used to do when I was that age.  So I kept saying to her that I used to do whatever it was, just like you!  That would be my beginning.  And I knew I wanted to end it with And when I grew up, I wanted to have a little girl…just like you!  I had a beginning and I had an ending.  I just needed to fill in the middle.  I had lots of photos of me and Katherine doing the same things but completely differently.  So that took care of the middle.  And with the photos for reference, I was able to tell the other part of the story – the differences in time, place, personality, attitude – through the illustrations.
                        
SLH:  Is there an author/illustrator who has been especially inspirational or instrumental in your own development as a writer/illustrator?
      LT:  I really like the early reader genre.  So people like Arnold Lobel, Syd Hoff and James Marshall are particularly inspirational.
      SLH:  What was your first published children’s book?  Tell us about the moment when you got your first offer!
      LT:  My first book assignment was The Ghosts of Hungryhouse Lane by Sam McBratney.  I had been taking my portfolio around to all the various publishing houses for a couple of years, with no luck.  I did keep working on my portfolio, showing it again and again, and kept sending out postcards to editors.  I was close to giving up when the phone rang and it was Brenda Bowen, then at Henry Holt!  She asked if I might be interested in illustrating a middle grade novel!  I nearly fell on the floor!  I thought to myself, “Are you kidding me?!?!”  But I was cool and instead shouted, “YES!!!!”  I got to go to her office, but now as an actual illustrator because I had a real book to do and we’d talk about our project!  It felt wonderful.
      SLH:  Where/when/how do you get your ideas?
      LT:  It seems I often get ideas for stories while driving.  I don’t know why that is.  Or doing the dishes.  My Peggy the Pig books were adaptations of stories I already knew.  The Viper is based on the old campfire scary joke.  The Aliens Are Coming!  is a variation on War of the Worlds.  A Dark and Noisy Night is a combination of The Tell Tale Heart and my cousin’s daughter’s fear that the tree branches scratching at her window were witches’ fingers!  And The Scarecrow’s New Clothes is from an old story a friend’s mother used to tell. 
      If I’m illustrating someone else’s story, then the ideas, of course, stem from the story.  Except that I do get to make the characters look how I want and set the scenes where I want.  It’s like being a movie director.  You get the story and then you can interpret it visually as you like.
SLH:  What has been the most challenging thing you have faced as an author/illustrator?
      LT:  The most challenging thing I have faced is the current climate of publishing in general.  It used to be that even if you were not a super star, bestselling author/illustrator you could still work and still publish books.  It seems that now you are given a small window of opportunity and if in that time you don’t produce a best seller, that’s it.  As Heidi Klum would say, “One day you’re in and the next day you’re out.”
SLH:  What has been the most wonderful thing that has happened to you as an author/illustrator?
      LT:  That’s a difficult question.  A couple of things come to mind.  A few parents have told me that their children actually learned to read with my All Better book. That is really gratifying.  There is a lot of repetition in that book and it was my goal to help kids learn to read and to enjoy it.  And they did!
      Also, the first time I saw my Two Silly Trolls in the front of the I Can Read display at Barnes & Noble.  I took a picture of that and then the sales person said I wasn’t allowed to do that.  And I said, “But that’s my book!”  And he said, “Well, it’s our policy, blah, blah, blah…”
      It’s also really wonderful at school visits when kids say, “I LOVE you!  You are the best writer and illustrator ever!  Don’t ever leave!!!”
SLH:  Do you do school visits?  Would you be kind enough to briefly describe your program/presentation?  What is your preferred age range and group size?  Do you have materials available for parents/teachers to go along with your books(s)?
kid’s drawing of Peggy 🙂
      LT:  So, yes, I do school visits.  I have a PowerPoint presentation of one of my books, complete with sound effects!  Currently I’m doing The Viper.  There’s also a little bit about printing and binding because I have found that kids really want to know how a book is actually made.  My books are geared toward K-4 and I prefer smaller groups.  After we do questions and answers, I also give a short drawing lesson.  I’ve been using basic shapes and have the kids follow me step by step. We draw Peggy and also do other animals or a scene.  All of them, even the youngest, have made beautiful, wonderful pictures which they are really excited about.  
SLH:  Can you give us any hints about what you’re working on now?
      LT:  This seems an unlikely turn of events.  But recently I was contacted by someone from The Guggenheim to work on a project with them!  I will be writing a narrative for children that will be performed at the end of the month for the museum’s Family Day.  It is part of the “still spotting” project, which finds different places in the city that inspire peace, quietness, “home”, transformation. This will be in Jackson Heights, Queens. http://stillspotting.guggenheim.org/about/
SLH:  Do you attend writer’s conferences?
      LT:  I have attended conferences.  I think they are valuable when you are starting out because they do provide a lot of information.  Sometimes there is a really great keynote speaker and that can be inspiring.
SLH:  What has been your best-selling book so far?  Which book’s sales (if any) did not do as well as expected?  Why do you think that might have been?  Have all your titles earned out?  Are they all still in print?  Have sales affected publishers’ willingness to do further projects in a good or bad way?
      LT:  My best-selling books so far have been the Two Silly Trolls books.  They were part of the HarperCollins I Can Read program, which is one of the best, most trusted and well-loved group of books ever.  So there is a built-in safety umbrella.  Both retail customers and educational outlets are going to buy books that are published by them.  That doesn’t happen with most books.
Lisa’s studio (nice, isn’t it?:))
      Most of my books have earned out and I’ve received royalties.  But ALL of my books should have sold better than they did and they are now out of print.  And that, of course, does affect publishers’ willingness to publish more.
SLH:  Where can we find you?

Website:           
www.lisathiesing.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LisaThiesingBooks
Info on School Visits:
http://lisathiesingschoolvisits.blogspot.com/
I’ve started giving art lessons to kids in my studio!  It’s been really fun!
Info on Art Lessons:
http://lisa-coopstudios.blogspot.com/
Also, I’ll be participating in the Hudson Children’s Book Festival on May 5th.  I would love to see everyone there!  It’s a great opportunity for people who love children’s books to come out and meet some of their favorite authors and illustrators.  Bring the kids!
http://hudsonchildrensbookfestival.com/
Reader question:  how important is it to have a story?  Can you just entertain and make people think, or do you have to have a story to make a picture book?
LT:  A story is very important.  But I’m not sure what you mean by story.  Even a concept book about color, for example, is a story.  And I think it is tremendously important that a book be entertaining.  Reading is fun!  A silly book can also be thought provoking and that’s a challenge as a writer for children.
  
Just for fun quick questions:
Agented or not?  Not.
Traditionally or self-published?   Traditionally.
Hard copy or digital?   Hard Copy.
Apps or not?   Not.
Plotter or pantser?   Don’t even know what that means!
Laptop or desktop?   Desktop.
Mac or PC?   PC.
Day or night worker?   Day worker.
Coffee or tea?   Coffee!
Snack or not?   Not.
Salty or sweet?   Both.
Quiet or music?   Quiet for writing.  Music for drawing.
Cat or dog?   Dog.  (But I have 3 cats, too.)

Thanks for visiting everyone!  And now you have a chance to win a personalized signed copy of Lisa’s fun and popular book A Dark And Noisy Night!  (And I just want to say that I’m trying out Rafflecoptor for the very first time and pretty much just hoping it works!!! 🙂 – If you don’t’ see the Rafflecoptor widget, try hitting the comments button and see if it shows up!)


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Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Bear Went Over The Mountain

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Today I am thrilled to be showcasing a truly perfect picture book by one of my favorite author/illustrators!  It’s brand new, and if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, rush right out because it’s wonderful and you’re going to love it 🙂

The Bear Went Over The Mountain
Written & Illustrated By:  Iza Trapani
Sky Pony Press, April 2012, Fiction

Suitable For:  ages 3-7

Themes/Topics: Animals, Language Fun, Nature, Seasons, 5 Senses

Opening:  “The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain,
The bear went over the mountain
To see what he could see.
He saw a dragonfly,
A bluebird flitting by,
Three fuzzy rabbits skipping,
Five happy ducklings dipping…”

Brief Synopsis:  The bear goes over the mountain to see what he can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste, and he gets a few surprises while he’s at it! 🙂

Links To Resources:  Classroom Activities, Coloring Page, Maze, Connect-The-Dots, Word Search, Bookmarks.

Why I Like This Book:  This book, like all of Iza Trapani’s books, has impeccable, fun-to-read/sing aloud rhyme, a delightful child-friendly story, and gorgeous art that makes you want to crawl right into the pages and live there 🙂  The bear goes over the mountain and experiences nature through all five of his senses, some in rather unexpected ways.  Children will learn the song quickly because it’s a familiar tune, and they will delight in singing along to the bear’s adventures.  Perfect for bedtime, story time, preschoolers learning about the 5 senses, rides in the car – another winner from Iza!

Iza was kind enough to visit us here recently, and if you didn’t get to see her interview you can read it HERE.

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

Now, before we all rush off to read the other PPBs and enjoy our weekends, I have two three other things to tell you:

First, in case you haven’t had a chance to check it out, Phyllis visited Clar in Virginia, and Melissa in Australia.  She is currently flying home from England (I wonder if she’ll have an accent :)) and arrived in South Korea yesterday which was tomorrow over there at the time 🙂  She should be arriving at Saba’s in Washington today.  And this just in, she has been to see Alison in Georgia!

Second, by overwhelmingly popular demand, editor Erin Molta’s visit to our little corner of the blogosphere will be a Q&A, possibly divided into more than one post, so please check the comments from Wednesday’s post to see the questions currently on the table, and add any additional questions here when you think of them (or email me :))  There is not yet a set date for this extravaganza, but you can be sure I’ll let you know! 🙂

Finally, on Monday we will have a visit from the fabulous author/illustrator Lisa Thiesing!  Because I know people in high places (that would be me) I have already read her interview, and I can assure you it is really good!!!  So I hope you’ll all flock over here first thing Monday morning and show her some much-deserved love! 🙂

Now then.  PPB bloggers, please add your post-specific link below, and everyone have a super-fantastic fun-filled weekend!!!

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 36th Pitch… And Some Fun Stuff For You!

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Boy do I have an awesome surprise for you today!  Are you ready?  Can you stand the excitement?

I will tell you in one second, but please promise that, even if you’re reeling with excitement, you’ll remain calm and focused enough to read and comment on today’s pitch! 🙂

Do you promise?

Cross your heart?

Okay.

Ready?

Really?

Are you sure?

Alrighty then…

I’m happy to announce that we have a great opportunity.  Editor Erin Molta (of Pitch Pick Critique fame :)) is going to visit my blog!!!  AND she is willing to do whatever would be most helpful to YOU!

So please tell me in the comments what you would most like Erin to talk about:  common mistakes editors see from writers? what editors look for in a PB ms?  how to tell if your book is a novelty book or a picture book? 10 best tips for writers from an editor?  what kinds of stories or non-fiction are needed?  a Q&A where you could submit questions ahead and Erin can answer….?  Use your fertile imaginations! 🙂  Sky’s the limit – you guys tell us what you want to know about.  And I’d love to have it be something that hasn’t been done before!  What do other posts/articles leave you still wondering about?

This is your chance to get questions answered by a real industry professional, so grab it by the horns (or something like that :))

Now.  Wasn’t that an awesome surprise? 🙂

I’m also happy to report that Phyllis is back on the trail.  There are fabulous blog posts up from Clar and Melissa, with others coming soon from Alison, Renee, and Denise.  Tina, Saba,  Margaret, and Robyn will be receiving her soon, and Rosalind in the UK has a post scheduled for May 1!  So don’t abandon our furry little friend yet! 🙂

Now, on to Would You Read It!

Today’s Would You Read It pitch comes to us from the amazing and wonderful Kirsten over at Creating Curious Kids.  Kirsten is a former NASA PR princess, current college instructor, and mom to two curious boys.  When she’s not breaking up wrestling matches she reads, writes, and runs (so she can keep up with the kiddos!)  Here is her pitch:

Working Title:  Out Of This World Opposites
Age/Genre: Non-Fiction PB for ages 5+
The Pitch:  Space is a place of opposites. Burning stars and icy comets. Roaring rockets and silent stillness. An ancient universe and newborn planets. Everyday scientists discover something old, new, near, far, wet, dry, dark or light as they learn more about the cosmos. Come along and explore our amazing universe.

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 Kirsten 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 early June – not that far away! – so go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Kirsten is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
And I am looking forward to hearing what you’d like to hear from Erin!  Happy Wednesday everyone 🙂

Straight From The Editor! #7 and Oh Susanna – Board Book Length? and Resubmission To Publishers?

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Greetings from the old folks’ home where some of us are a year older than we were last week 🙂

(That makes us 27 if anyone is counting… :))

My truly heartfelt thanks to all of you who took time out of your weekend to send me birthday wishes and read Eric’s Happy Birthday Author post – you are all the BEST and I feel so lucky and grateful to be part of such a wonderful group of people!  Thank you, thank you, so very much!!!

Now (lest I become overly sentimental :)) we’d best move right ahead to Straight From The Editor!

You will recall Miranda’s winning pitch:

Working Title:  Reef Stew
Age/Genre:  Rhyming Picture Book ages 4-8
The Pitch:  When a shipwreck destroys their reef, the shellfish grow selfish and every creature’s a crab.  Can Whale stir up happiness with a single piece of stony coral?  Filled with slurps, burps, and spicy sargassum, this quirky version of a classic tale will send ripples of laughter through any school of young guppies.

Here is editor Erin Molta’s comment:

I actually don’t have anything to say about this except for one thing: What you have written is lyrical and inviting and gets the point across, but if you’re pitching a rhyming picture book then it would be great to show some rhyme  — something to give an editor an idea of how you rhyme. Rhyming is not looked upon favorably, so either don’t tell them it’s rhyming because that might turn them off unnecessarily or show them example of how you rhyme.

Pretty interesting, don’t you think?  Looks like y’all picked the right winner 🙂 and I thought Erin’s comment about the rhyme was intriguing.  I hope we all learned something!

Moving right along, let’s jump on into Oh Susanna.  Today I’m actually going to answer two questions because they’re pretty short.

First, Laura asked, “In regard to Children’s Board Books –  Is there a magical number of pages required?  A minimum or maximum number (i.e. 32 pages for picture books)?” 

My answer to this question is that it depends on the publishing house/line you are writing for.  Board books have fewer spreads than picture books, as a general rule – they will not be 32 pages.  But I have seen them anywhere from 6 or 8 pages up to about 20.  So go to your local library or bookstore and look at a selection of board books.  Count the spreads/pages and make yourself a chart – for example, Little Simon’s board books tend to be about 8 spreads/16 pages.  This will help you on two levels: one, you will end up with a list of publishers who publish board books (many of them do not so it’s important to know who does), and two, you will have a good idea of the length each publisher/imprint leans toward so you can appropriately target your manuscript.

Second, Kirsten asked, “Can you ever approach a publisher more than once with the same piece. For example, if Publisher A rejects the piece, can you resubmit the same piece to Publisher A after you’ve made substantial rewrites and a substantial period of time has elapsed? Or is it “one strike and you’re out” for each manuscript?“

Hmmm…. this is a bit tricky.  I would say “one strike you’re out” as a general rule.  If you’ve submitted and your manuscript has been read and passed on (that’s the euphemism for rejected :)), your work there (with that particular MS) is done and it’s time to move on to another publisher.

The exceptions to this rule would be:

1.  You submitted to Editor A at Publishing House A.  After some time and substantial rewrites that make your MS much stronger, Editor A leaves Publishing House A and is replaced by new Editor B who has never seen your MS.  If you still feel Publishing House A is a great fit for your book, you could try Editor B.  (This is not the same as resubmitting your MS to another editor in the same house.  Presumably you selected Editor A because s/he was involved with the imprint most suited to your work, so you wouldn’t resubmit to editors of other less well-suited imprints of the house just to get another editor’s eyes on your MS.  For example, you submit to the editor at Little Simon.  If she turns you down you wouldn’t turn around and resubmit to another editor at Little Simon or to an editor at Beach Lane (another S&S children’s imprint.))

2.  When you submitted to Publishing House A, they rejected your MS but indicated interest, saying they would like to see it again if you change X, Y, and Z.  In that case you could make changes and resubmit as soon as you comfortably could.

That is what I think, Kirsten, but I would be very interested to hear what some of you other experienced writers think about this subject, so please share your wisdom with all of us in the comments!

Kirsten or Laura, if you have follow up questions or anything I said wasn’t clear, please pursue it in the comments!!

Finally, in Phyllis Tour Update News, I’d like to point you all toward Kathy’s brand new blog where Phyllis visited Vermont, and Julie’s blog which posts about Phyllis’s visit to Colorado!  Please stop by when you have a second and share the love 🙂

Also, Phyllis took the liberty of posting a picture of her Kiwi Bird friend on Face Book (he arrived on Blueberry Hill all the way from New Zealand courtesy of Diane!) and Donna, being an alert sort even at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning, immediately suggested we have a contest to decide on a name for the bird.  You all know how I can’t resist a contest, so later today (or at some point when I get around to it) when I have had my coffee and we are all feeling as alert as Donna, I will post the contest on Phyllis’s FB page and everyone can put in their 2 cents 🙂  You may put your two cents here in the comments as to what you’d like the prize for the winner to be!

Now, I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting something (you see, this is what happens when advanced age sets in :)) but since I can’t think what it is, off you all go to enjoy your Mondays.  Have a lovely day! 🙂

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Cowgirl Rosie And Her Five Baby Bison

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Usually when it’s time to pick a Perfect Picture Book for the week, I pop into one of the kids’ rooms, scan the shelves get lost in nostalgia remembering when I used to read all those books to them and almost instantly find a beloved story.

This week, clever lass that I am, I thought to myself, “I’ll go to the library and find something new!“

So off I trotted.  I set myself down in the corner.  I read picture book after picture book after picture book.  And none of them were Perfect.

So I came home, popped into one of the kids’ rooms, scanned the shelves, and almost instantly found this VERY beloved story 🙂  Doesn’t that title just already make you want to read it? 🙂

Cowgirl Rosie And Her Five Baby Bison
Written & Illustrated By: Stephen Gulbis
Little Brown & Co, 2001, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 3-8
Topics/Themes: animals, love, responsibility, right vs. wrong, consequences

Opening: “Cowgirl Rosie lived on a ranch with her five baby bison.  They were the most handsome babies you ever did see.  Every day Cowgirl Rosie brushed each glossy black coat and kissed each shiny nose.”

Brief Synopsis:  Cowgirl Rosie has five handsome baby bison – Bigwig, Bonnie, Beefy, Butch, and Baby B – but those babies are also mischievous!  They have a way of going thisaway and thataway that leaves their little mistress plumb worn out at day’s end.  One day they head to town.  “Stay close,” says Rosie.  But by the time she reaches her destination all five baby bison are GONE!  Where could they be?  And how will she get her beloved babies back?  It’s not what you think!

Links To Resources: Activities For Cowgirl Rosie, Cowboy And Wild West Page


Why I Like This Book:  This story has the flavor of a wild west tall tale.  The art is warm and bright, full of the colors of the desert.  The baby bison are adorable.  Though they disappear, they have not actually been disobedient, and Rosie is called on to be brave and resourceful to get her baby bison back.  The story moves right along and is fun to read aloud, full of western lingo (when the bison disappear the exclamation is “Oh, calamity!” :))  The bad guy gets what’s coming to him, and it’s the girl who saves the day 🙂

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

Now, before you all rush off to read all the other Perfect Picture Books, I have a couple quick things:

First, I want to thank Cally Jackson very much for bestowing The Versatile Blogger Award upon me.  She also tagged me (as did Cheryl and Corey) in the Lucky 7 Meme, and one of these days maybe I’ll manage to squeeze that in somewhere… but not today!

Second, I’m happy to announce that my little story, Jac And The Beanstalk, (also, coincidentally, about a resourceful girl! :)) is now available from A Story Before Bed!

And third, a World Tour update from Phyllis – she has arrived at Julie’s in Colorado, so we can expect some news from there soon!  She has left Georgia for New Jersey, so I’m guessing we’ll hear something from those quarters soon as well!  Sorry to keep you all hanging, but everyone’s pretty busy this month!

PPB bloggers, please add your post-specific links to the list below, and everyone have a GREAT weekend!!!  🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday – The 35th Pitch

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Greetings, fellow Phyllis followers!  (Try saying “fellow Phyllis followers” three times fast before coffee… or even after!)

And while we’re doing tongue twisters, try saying “red bulb blue bulb”, “toy boat toy boat”, or “purple paper people” three times fast 🙂  I love tongue twisters, even though I’m not very facile with them, so if you know any good ones, please share! 🙂

Where was I?  Oh, yes.  Phyllis.

Due to the idiosyncrasies of the postal service, Phyllis has been beneath the radar for a few days, but she had a lovely Easter visit with Kerie in Pennsylvania, and I think we’ll be hearing from Georgia, Colorado, England, Australia, and Vermont any time now!  Posts from Prince Edward Island, and somewhere in Italy are expected somewhere around April 24 and 25, and there are quite a few in between.  The fun never stops around here! 🙂

Later today, Woolliam (also known as Baahb) and I will be wending our way to a local library for a pajama reading of Can’t Sleep Without Sheep.  There will be farm animal noises and singing and reading and coloring and all manner of fun and games because that is how we operate.  Phyllis will be coming too because she can’t stand being left behind, but she has promised to try not to steal Woolliam’s show.  We will see….!  She’s liable to push the boundaries since she still has 20,813 likes to accumulate before she ties with Punxsutawney Phil on Face Book!  Feel free to make my day easier by liking her new page 🙂

But enough about our agenda!  Let’s get right on to Would You Read It, shall we?

Today’s pitch comes to us from the delightful Rebecca C (not the same as Rebecca H whose YA pitch we had last month!).  Before writing for children, Rebecca inspected pantyhose, taught English in Taiwan, worked for a Russian comedian and traveled the world as a tour director. Born in America, she now lives in England. Rebecca writes picture books and poetry, and her fractured fairy tale ‘Monsterella’ won the 2011 SCBWI Barbara Karlin grant.

Here’s her pitch:

Working Title:  Broomstick Rodeo
Age/Genre:  Picture Book (4-7)
The Pitch:  The Thistlegulch Sisters have thirteen trophies between them and they’re determined to win another. They practice for the rodeo until they’re chapped under their chaps and have calluses on their warts. But when a buckin’ broomstick charges towards their youngest sister, Myrna, they realize there are more important things in life than winning trophies.

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 Rebecca 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 early June – not that far away! – so go ahead and send your pitch for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Rebecca is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
See you Friday for PPBs, and hopefully with more updates from Phyllis, and maybe this month’s Straight From The Editor!

Oh Susanna – What Should A New Author Look For/Watch Out For In A Contract?

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I am so full of happy announcements today!  I like to think I’ll be spreading joy and cheer like sunshine 🙂

I assume you all have plenty of Easter candy left over, so feel free to snack while I spread cheer 🙂

First off, I would like to announce the winner of the March Pitch Pick!  As always, all the entries were terrific, and all the entrants were so brave to put their work out there for everyone to comment on.  Thanks to you, we all learn something new each week.  It would be lovely if everyone could win, but since we have to pick one each month, the polls have spoken and this month’s winner is………

Miranda, with Reef Stew!

Congratulations, Miranda!  Your pitch has already been sent to editor Erin Molta for critique, and we will all look forward to her comments!

Next, as you may or may not remember :), I so appreciate all the work the devoted Perfect Picture Book bloggers do each week that I like to spread a little thank-you cheer by randomly selecting one person each month to win a little prize.  Bloggers get one entry for every Perfect Picture Book they post that month, so in March quite a few people got 5 entries!  In case you are wondering, this month 33 bloggers posted anywhere from 1-5 books each, resulting in 128 new books being added to the list!  I didn’t do an exact count, but we now have upwards of 450 books on the list all together.  It’s getting to be quite an impressive resource!  Hopefully, parents and teachers out there are beginning to discover it and put it to good use 🙂

But I digress… 🙂  I was announcing the March gift winner which is

… dddrrruuummm rrrooollllll…

Thank you so much, Kirsten, for your wonderful additions to the list this month, and thank you to EVERYONE who participates in PPBFs – you are all wonderful!!!

So, hmm… let me rummage around in my goody bag and see what I come up with for this month’s prize…  Kirsten, you may email me to receive your choice of one of the following:  The Giblin Guide To Writing Children’s Books, An Egg Is Quiet, or Little Bunny Foo Foo: The Real Story.

My next happy announcement is that you folks seem to like the writing contests over here – thank you so much!  Quite a lot of people voted, and the general sentiment seems to be that we should have the birthday story contest in May because April is just a little too busy.  I am happy to oblige.  I want it to be fun for everyone, not stressful :), so if more people will enter and everyone will enjoy it more in May, than May it shall be!

Next on the happy announcement list is that we should have 5 or so new Tour Posts coming from Phyllis in the upcoming week from Vermont, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Australia, and 2 from the UK… if all goes according to plan… which it doesn’t always 🙂  But do stay tuned 🙂

Also, for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, Phyllis now has her very own Punxsutawney Phyllis Face Book Page for anyone who wants to like her!  She’s very excited and hoping to become more popular than Punxsutawney Phil, who currently has 20,885 “likes”.  Phyllis currently has 48 “likes” so she has a ways to go, but she is very optimistic 🙂  Phyllis’s page is still evolving, but she will certainly be featuring a Fun Fact Friday!

Finally, my last happy announcement for the day is that I get to babysit for my granddaughter today… which also means I will not be online much as she is 8 months old and crawling 🙂  So please forgive me if I get a little behind in blog post commenting!

Now that you are all hopefully feeling very cheerful, we shall move on to today’s Oh Susanna question.  Donna has a good one.  She asks:

What are some of the key things a new author should find in a “good” contract? The flip side to that would be what are some of “bad” things in a contract that should set off warning alarms for a new author to run for the hills?

Donna, my experience is that contracts are not all that different from publishing house to publishing house. I have dealt with 5 different houses, and they all seem to cover the same basic, standard things.  These include (but may not be limited to):

  • where the publisher has the right to publish your book (USA only, or foreign?)
  • your assurance that your work is original
  • when your manuscript is due in final form
  • the time frame the publisher agrees to publish the book in and at whose expense
  • when galleys and/or proofs will be delivered by the publisher and how much time you have to review them and make any corrections, as well as how much you can change the work without incurring cost to yourself
  • the amount of your advance and when and how it will be paid (full amount on signing, or half on signing, half on delivery of ms, etc.)
  • subsidiary rights (such as book clubs, audio, film rights etc.)
  • how many free copies the publisher will supply the author
  • when statements of account and royalties if they are due will be delivered (usually semi annually, and the publisher will supply the dates)
  • author’s right to examine publisher’s accounts
  • agreement by author not to publish competing work
  • reversion of rights and termination

I don’t think any reputable publishing house would try to hoodwink or cheat an author, but there’s no doubt that publishing is a business. The publisher is laying out the money to produce your book and they want to make sure it’s worth their while, so the contract will likely be written in their favor.  You as an author, especially a first-time author, may have to consider how hard you want to push for things.  Do you really need a bigger advance/higher royalties/to keep the audio rights etc. if by insisting on such things you may cause the publisher to withdraw their offer?  Many people do push.  Other’s (like me) tend to be more complacent.  This is a reason many authors like having an agent – it is the agent’s job to negotiate higher advances, better royalties etc.

I’m generalizing here to give you an idea of what to expect, but I think a typical advance to a new picture book author can be anywhere from $1000 – $5000 (depending on the book and the size of the publishing house and other factors), royalties of 5% on hardcover, 6% on paperback are common, publication in 12-24 months (but it can be shorter or longer), and 10-15 free copies of your book are typical.  I don’t know how frequently you can expect to get audio rights, or foreign rights, or things like that – sometimes I get them, sometimes the publisher does and I don’t have enough data to make a guess.

I’m not really sure what to tell you to be wary of –  certainly any situation where the publisher asks you to pay for things.  Many vanity publishers will do this, but it’s not something that should show up in a traditional publishing contract.  And I guess a contract that varied hugely from the generalities above might be something you’d want to look at pretty carefully.

I would recommend having someone look over your contract if you’re not familiar with publishing contracts.  I believe there are even resources in SCBWI for this, although I’m not sure.

So I hope that answers your questions somewhat, Donna, and I would be most appreciative of any readers who have knowledge or expertise in this area who would be willing to chime in in the comments!

Have a great Monday, everyone.  See you Wednesday for the next pitch – this one a picture book from Rebecca C!

Perfect Picture Book Friday – The Day The Goose Got Loose

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!  Grab a fortifying snack (perhaps a potpourri of Robin’s Eggs, jelly beans, chocolate eggs, and marshmallow peeps to get us in the mood for this weekend :)) and let’s dive into today’s wonderful selection of picture books!

My book today is actually one I’ve never read!  I’m posting a PPB from Cheryl Ashley, the children’s librarian at Verona Public Library in New Jersey.  This is one of her favorites, and I don’t know of a much better resource for recommendations than a children’s librarian so I, for one, am going to hustle on out and read this!  And what better for Easter weekend than a spring farm story?

The Day The Goose Got Loose
Written By:  Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrated By:  Steven Kellogg
Puffin, April 1, 1995, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 4-8
Themes/Topics: farm animals, chaos, mischief, humor
Opening:  “When the goose got loose
she caused a riot.
Nobody ever thought she’d try it!
There wasn’t any more peace and quiet.
The day the goose got loose.”

Brief Synopsis:  (From Scholastic website) “Just how much havoc can one goose cause? Take a gander at the chaos that results when a long-necked mischief-maker flies the coop. Soon the bull’s broken through the fence, and cows and horses are galloping all over town. The stampede will go on until dawn — and the laughter will last even longer. Full color.”


Links To Resources:  Fun At The Farm Teachers Guide

Why I Like This Book: (from Cheryl):  This longtime favorite was written in 1990 and is available in paperback today.  The story of the dreadful day the goose got loose is told in near perfect rhyming that will have youngsters bopping their heads keeping time.  The text almost needs to be sung, it is that rhythmic.  Among other mischievous deeds, goose ate the hens grain, frightened the sheep, enraged the ram,inspired the horses to get up to no good, made the cows tense, provoked the bull named Spence, annoyed Dad and upset Mom.  The pictures are a riot.  This silly story is a feast for the eyes, ears and funny bone.

Thank you so much for sharing your recommendation with us, Cheryl!

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

Still got some jelly beans left?  Good.  Because we have a few more items of interest.

If you haven’t had a chance to vote on the March Pitch Pick, please hop over HERE and vote for which pitch should get a read and critique from editor Erin Molta.

In World Tour News, Phyllis had a delightful visit to Debbie in South Dakota where she made friends with a bison and was interviewed by a very cute dog named Sherlock!  She is currently with Melissa in Australia and on her way to Alison in Georgia.  She is also lost in the UK somewhere between Rebecca and Clare… I have no idea…!  She has also been to Vermont, and that post will be up sometime this weekend from Kathy!  Be sure to check back here to the Tour Page, and I will also post any new links on Face Book as soon as I get them!

In contest news, I’m still on the fence, so I’m going to let you decide with the click of a button!


<a href=”http://polldaddy.com/poll/6112976/”>Contest?</a>

I’m very democratic around here 🙂  You can vote until 5 PM EDT on Easter Sunday, April 8.

(Oh, and this just in at the eleventh hour!  Goodies have arrived from Saskatchewan and New Zealand!!!  A package!  And a box!  Par Avion!  Also a postcard from Rebecca in the UK!!!  I will share… but not now because as I am writing this it is past my bedtime :))

Now, off you go to enjoy everyone’s picture book recommendations!  For those of you who celebrate, have a wonderful Easter, and everyone have a great weekend!  PPB bloggers, please add your post-specific link to the list below 🙂