Just a quick note: this is the second to last week of Perfect Picture Books before the annual summer hiatus! Next week will be our last Perfect Picture Book until September. We all need a little break… and maybe this will be the summer I catch up on updating. You never know… it COULD happen! 🙂
As I’m sure you remember from Wednesday’s S’mores, I’ve got summer on the brain! 🙂
I don’t know about you, but when we were kids, summer was a time for wading in the brook (which was always surprisingly cold even when the weather was scorching!) trying (unsuccessfully!) to catch minnows, darting along the edge of the lawn at twilight trying (slightly less unsuccessfully!) to catch fireflies, and squidging through mud at the edge of ponds trying (mostly unsuccessfully!) to catch frogs!
Today’s Perfect Picture Book is all about frogs, although I confess I don’t think I ever saw any of these beauties near any pond I ever frequented! 🙂
Title: Frog Song
Written By: Brenda Z. Guiberson
Illustrated By: Gennady Spirin
Henry Holt & Co, 2013, Nonfiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: nonfiction, nature, frogs, language fun (onomatopoeia), environmental protection
Opening: “Frogs have a song for trees, bogs, burrows, and logs. When frogs have enough moisture to keep gooey eggs, squirmy tadpoles, and hoppity adults from drying out, they can sing almost anywhere. Croak! Ribbit! Bzzzt! Plonk! Brack! Thrum-rum!”
Brief Synopsis: From the jacket: “Since the time of the dinosaurs, frogs have added their ribbits and bellows to the music of the earth. Frogs are astonishing in their variety and are crucial to ecosystems from Chile to Borneo to Australia. This onomatopoeic text, accompanied by stunning illustrations, introduces young readers to these fascinating creatures.”
Links To Resources: the back of the book contains a bibliography of useful resources, a discussion of “frogs in trouble” (endangered frogs and the ecosystems they depend on), a list of online sources for frog facts, and a beautiful pictorial and informational two-page spread about frogs of the world.
Why I Like This Book: Usually I choose picture books for the story or the language. This one I chose first and foremost for the illustrations. They are absolutely beyond description – unbelievably gorgeous! But in addition, the text is poetic and beautiful, filled with fun onomatopoetic words that kids will enjoy chiming in with and repeating, and the book is full of interesting information about all kinds of frogs all over the world. A great choice for the budding herpetologist in your house or for a classroom or library.
Text copyright Brenda Z. Guiberson 2013, Illustration copyright Gennady Spirin 2013
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
I have to confess, it’s turning out to be one of those weeks… so no dilly-dallying today! Let’s get right to the good stuff, shall we?
First (of course first!) Something Chocolate!
I don’t know about you, but here in my neck of the woods, even though it is not yet June 21, it is technically summer since Memorial Day has come and gone. Summer means S’mores… and one of our kids was out making them last night, so obviously I have S’mores on the brain 🙂 Therefore, you can guess what’s coming… 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Susan whom you may remember from last month with her pitch for Room For Olives. Susan Schade is a writer from Gilbert, AZ where she lives with her husband, three young sons and their corgy/jack Russell rescue dog, Jedi. Originally from Madison, WI, she cheers on the Packers and the Badgers, loves movie nights with her family, and enjoys reading as much as writing.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Bossy Bird
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-8 )
The Pitch: Bossy Bird is the largest, loudest and bossiest bird of the bunch. When the fed up flock sends him away, they lose their lookout and leave themselves open to the hungry neighborhood cat. With danger crouching around the corner, Bossy Bird will discover that being the boss is not as important as being a friend and the others will learn that getting along is part of being a team.
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 Susan 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 Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in June (YES JUNE – you heard that correctly!!!), so you could get your pitch up for some helpful feedback practically next week, and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!
Susan is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to Saturday when I will get to go to a writing conference where, in addition to all the amazing and wonderful things about writing conferences, Gail Carson Levine ( you know, Ella Enchanted?!!) will be speaking! How awesome is that?
My friend Nancie has the most beautiful garden! Nine neat beds constructed of railroad ties, filled with a dark, rich mixture of soil and compost. Tidy rows of sturdy plants, green and healthy-looking against the dark earth. Lettuces and beans, peas and tomatoes, squash and eggplant, not a weed in sight. And the whole kit and kaboodle surrounded by a fence to keep the deer out. It’s a sight to behold and I totally covet it. It makes me long for a garden!
But.
As you all know, I am the Black Thumb of Poughquag. Little plants tremble at my approach, and their lives are at risk whenever I’m in charge! Not intentionally, of course! It’s just an inborn curse or something.
My daughter is pretty good with plants, but she no longer lives at home and is thus unable to provide the kind of supervision I need to be allowed around plants (i.e. constant! 🙂 )
So we have come up with a solution. (Hopefully! 🙂 )
Small scale gardening.
Four tiny planters with one plant each on the back deck where the deer (hopefully) can’t reach them and where (hopefully) they will catch my eye often enough that I’ll remember to water them in between her visits.
Have you noticed how many times the word “hopefully” has appeared already? I’m afraid this does not bode well for my gardening experiment…!
But for better or worse, I have a tomato plant, green beans, mint, and by this weekend I’ll (hopefully – oops, there I go again) have a pea plant.
Think good thoughts and send positive energy to my tiny garden which will undoubtedly need all the help it can get! 🙂
And for today’s Perfect Picture Book, wild gardening that works in spite of black thumbs!
Title: Planting The Wild Garden
Written By: Kathryn O. Galbraith
Illustrated By: Wendy Anderson Halperin
PeachtreePublishers, 2011, Nonfiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: nonfiction, nature, seeds, how things grow
Opening: “The farmer and her boy plant their garden. They drop seeds – tiny, fat, round, and oval – into the earth. From these seeds, pumpkins and peas, carrots and cabbages will grow. In the wild meadow garden, many seeds are planted too, but not by farmers’ hands.”
Brief Synopsis: From the publisher: “A farmer and her son plant vegetables in their garden, and the wind carries a few seeds away. Birds and animals may carry some along with them on their travels. Sometimes the rain washes them away to a new and unexpected location. And sometimes something more extraordinary occurs, as in when the pods of the Scotch Broom plant open explosively in the summer heat, scattering seed everywhere like popcorn. Year-round, we all play a role in the dispersal of seeds throughout our landscape, planting the wild garden together.”
Links To Resources: the back of the book contains a bibliography of useful resources; make your own garden: plant seeds in a paper cup or a small pot on the windowsill – flowers or herbs grow quickly and well. If you have space for more, plant some vegetables! See what you can grow. Explore outdoors and see what kind of seeds you find. Dandelions with their delightful cottony fluff that you can make a wish on and blow? Winged maple seeds that you can peel back and stick on your nose? Acorns that you can collect in a bucket and build little houses out of?
Why I Like This Book: In simple language with beautiful illustrations, the author and illustrator team up to share verbal and visual information on how seeds in nature are spread about to propagate. There are plenty of onomatopoetic and action words to make reading the text interesting, lively, and fun. Detailed illustrations show close-ups of different kinds of seeds, nuts and pods along with many species of birds and animals who help spread them around. There is something for everyone in this delightful and informative book. A great choice for the budding gardener in your house or for a classroom or library.
Text Copyright Kathryn Galbraith 2011, Illustration Copyright Wendy Halperin 2011
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what picture book gems you’ve chosen this week!
First off, the hotly contested April Pitch Pick was won by Sam with her pitch for The School Supplies Intensive Care Unit!
Congratulations, Sam! Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for her comments and I’m sure you’ll hear from her shortly!
And congratulations to all our other brave and talented pitchers. You all did an awesome job, and I hope that even though you didn’t win the pitch pick you feel that your pitches have benefited from the experience!
Next, there was the gosling parade.
Yes, there was! Look!
I’ve been watching these little guys, driving by them on my way to and from the barn every morning since they hatched. There are five of them. They used to hang out at the edge of the pond, sunning themselves and keeping to a small safe area. Now that they’re gawky adolescents, their parents have decided to take them a little further afield – away from the very edge of the pond and up the stream bed to a place where (apparently) there are good things for geese to eat. I’m not sure I approve of their choice of route (even so carefully shepherded by mom and dad) – I worry about geese vs. motor vehicles – but their family outing sure makes a fine sight! 🙂
As if the pitch pick and gosling parade weren’t excitement enough, we have discovered the location of the Largest Desserts On Earth. I know! I couldn’t believe it either! To think it was so close all this time! I have pictures to prove the sheer enormity, and they will be your Something Chocolate for today. Check them out!
Exhibit A: Brownie Sandwich Sundae
This is the Brownie Sandwich Sundae – 2 large (warm!) brownies, 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and whipped cream – and if you can’t tell from this photo, it’s bigger than your head! 🙂
Exhibit B: Oreo Cake
This one is Oreo Cake – it’s about 10 inches high – I kid you not! We realized belatedly we should have put something in the photo for scale!
We were caught unawares by the size of these desserts and found ourselves unable to finish (I know – we are STILL hanging our heads in shame). But now we have learned. Next time we go out to this establishment, we won’t order dinner… we’ll skip straight to the good part 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Shaelyn. By day, Shaelyn Berg writes and edits educational content for a nonprofit organization. By night, she writes picture books while simultaneously snuggling her dog, Dixie (who basically rules her life). Shae enjoys running half marathons, eating Chunky Monkey ice cream, and reading any kidlit she gets her hands on. You can follow her picture book blog at www.shaelynberg.wordpress.com.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Avocado Desperado
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8 )
The Pitch: Avocado Desperado rolls solo, even when a woman scoops him and his hermanos into the kitchen. It’s guacamole time and he flees, desperado style. But when he pushes a sister toward the blade of the sharp cuchillo for nearly spoiling his escape plan, his pit feels heavy. Can Avocado Desperado save her from becoming a fiesta snack?
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 Shaelyn 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 Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in June, so you could get your pitch up for some helpful feedback pretty soon, and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!
Shaelyn is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to going hiking with a friend today… although it’s supposed to be 86 degrees… out of nowhere…so we may end up as puddles and have to be resurrected with vast quantities of iced tea 🙂
So there I was, being uber-organized. My post was written and scheduled not just on time, but AHEAD of time! And what should happen?
No idea!
But somehow my entire post disappeared – down to the last comma! – so I had to rewrite the whole thing from scratch this morning after barn chores (which was when I realized wordpress had swallowed it whole and my post had never gone up!) My sincere apologies for the tardiness of this post!
So let’s try again…
It’s May, and on Blueberry Hill, that means the bears are up!
Our bears are black bears – lumbering, relatively peaceful creatures who would just as soon not tangle with people or dogs, but who are more than happy to raid the trash cans in the garage or the bird feeder at every possible opportunity!
We have two regularly-visiting bears in our neck of the woods. One is young, glossy-coated, and healthy-looking – we have watched him saunter across the yard and help himself to ripe apples from our tree in September. The other one is an old curmudgeon, scarred and a little thin and scruffy-looking. His life is much more challenging. He suffered an injury at some point – caught in a trap? 😦 – and as a result is missing a forefoot. He has learned to compensate and gets around all right, but I forgive him for raiding the trash cans if I’m foolish enough to leave the garage door open 🙂 Did you know he loves to lick the chocolate residue from inside the foil chocolate easter egg wrappers? Clearly we are twins separated at birth 🙂
Since I have bears on the brain, today’s Perfect Picture Book is about bears – not black bears, but the threatened brown/grizzly bear that roams the wilds of Alaska and the Rockies and such. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Opening: “Can you eat like a bear? Awake in April. Find food. But where?
Drink like a bear — from a stream. Leaping trout? None about. Bushes? Bare. No berries there. It’s been four long months since fall, when you were full.”
Brief Synopsis: From the jacket: “Can you eat like a bear? Be a grizzly bear, waking up in spring. What is there to eat in April? In May? Sniff, listen, and look. Paw, claw, and pull. Catch fish, munch berries, and nibble seed-filled pine cones. But be sure to fill up for the long winter ahead…”
Links To Resources: the back matter in the book is a resource in itself, filled with information on brown/grizzly bears, their habits, habitats, diet, threatened status, and current scientific studies.
Why I Like This Book: the text is interesting, simple and accessible, yet written in engaging language that is fun to read aloud, including little repeated patterns like “paw, claw, pull” that young listeners will learn to anticipate and join in on. The information presented is age-appropriate and not overwhelming. The art is a perfect complement for the text – very appealing, making the potentially-scary grizzly bear fairly warm and friendly-looking. My knowledge of artistic technique is virtually non-existent, but Booklist described it thus: “Jenkins fixes the action in the Rocky Mountains with his trademark cut- and torn-paper collage. Using a variety of materials, including handmade Mexican bark paper for the bears, he achieves a remarkable variety of line and texture, as crisp leaves and flowers contrast with fuzzy fur” which I think gives a pretty good idea of what it looks like 🙂 This is a great title for the nonfiction lover in your life, or for a classroom or library!
I hope you like it as much as I do 🙂
Text copyright April Pulley Sayre 2013, Illustration copyright Steve Jenkins 2013
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what you chose for this week!
If you’ve spent any time at all around this blog, you are familiar with Princess Blue Kitty (and if you’re new here, Princess Blue is my 2012 Subaru Outback – the trusty companion with whom I have traveled thither and yon on many a long journey through rain, sleet, snow and dark of night 🙂 )
Well, Princess Blue is currently doing a stint as my daughter’s trusty companion.
Lest you worry that I am trapped on Blueberry Hill, let me assure you I’m not… quite… Whilst Princess Blue is off in search of the elusive endangered bog turtle (and some plant that those wildlife biologist types are also investigating… I forgot the name), I have the horror honor of driving my dad’s spare car.
Let me tell you about this car.
First, since it rarely gets driven, its battery has a disconcerting habit of dying on a whim. Keeps life interesting 🙂 Second, although it has relatively low mileage for its age, it looks like it spent quality time as a jungle gym in a preschool – I’m a little afraid to actually sit in it because dirt, damage, and suspicious sticky patches cover the interior. It also has a huge round air freshener (as old as the car so “fresh” is a misnomer) stuck smack dab in the middle of the dashboard where it does nothing positive for the air quality in the car but does reflect off the windshield in a dangerous and distracting way. Third, just a few weeks ago it got left running all night and ran out of gas so that it now sports an orange “requires maintenance” light which really fills me with confidence 🙂
Poor old thing.
So here’s the situation. It needs a name. Princess Blue is making fun of him (yes, it’s definitely a “him” not a “her” – you can just tell) for not being loved enough to have a name. All that comes to my mind is Sir Shakes-a-lot (well, he does) or Too Many Beans (because he makes a disturbing grumbly sound that I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know the cause of 🙂 ) and neither of those is terribly complimentary. Princess Blue is likely to tease him even more.
This is where you come in. A name. Something good! In our writing, naming is critically important. We spend hours trying on names, searching for just the right one, because it has to fit perfectly! So who better to turn to for a name than a bunch of writers? 🙂
To help you out, I’ll tell you he’s a Toyota Highlander of some ancient vintage – big and square with a powerful engine and four wheel drive – and if he were clean he’d be silver-ish. So fire away. He needs all the help he can get 🙂
Now then, shall we Pitch Pick?
Here are the entrants in the April Pitch Pick:
#1 Sam – The School Supplies Intensive Care Unit (PB ages 5-8)
When a marker is left uncapped, a pencil gets cracked, or a glue stick dries out, there is only one place they can turn; The School Supplies Intensive Care Unit. After a sudden spike in cases at The SSIC-U, it’s up to Nurse Patchet to track down the culprit and reform the classroom’s worst offender.
#2 Ingrid – The Grumps (PB ages 3-6)
When one friend wakes up in a spectacularly cranky mood, the other knows there’s only one thing to do- join in! Armed with a plan to hog the swings and block the slide The Grumps head to the playground to spread their gloomy mood to every kid in sight. Come along with The Grumps to find out what could possibly go wrong when the plan IS for everything to go wrong and how such a bad day can turn out to be so good.
#3 Karah – Tails Of Witches And Wolves (MG)
Young wolf Nata bargains with Baba Yaga for a spell that opens the door to her dream: a human life away from the dirty and dangerous forest. But when a wolf attack leads to the hunting of wolves across the tsardom, Nata must choose between living as a human and saving the wolf family she left behind.
#4 Tracy – My Name Is Sonny And I Am Special (PB ages 4-8)
Surprise, it’s a…girl, yes, another baby girl. Sonny is the 5th baby girl born into her family. Dad affectionately calls all his girls, Lovees! But Lovee #5 is different from all the other Lovees. She walks differently, she talks differently, and she even thinks her thoughts differently. Everyone always calls her special, and she doesn’t like that. One day, Lovees # 1, 2, 3 and 4 hatch a sticky plan that transforms Sonny’s white bedroom walls into a rainbow of specialness. The room wasn’t the only thing transformed that day. Sonny now knows just how special she is and exactly what special means. “My name is Sonny and I am SPECIAL,” she proudly announces to everyone she meets.
Please choose the pitch you think is best and most deserves a read and comments from editor Erin Molta and select it in the poll below by Sunday May 22 at 5 PM. Good lord willing and the creek don’t rise I’ll announce the winner next Wednesday on Would You Read It 🙂
And now, after all that talk about cars and pitches, I think we’re more than ready for Something Chocolate, don’t you? Hmmm…. how about
Cheesecake-Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake from Handle The Heat!
Not sure who thought this up – Handle The Heat or someone they learned it from – but it’s genius, I tell you, sheer GENIUS!
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Melissa who says, “From former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, to former assistant to a comedic author, to New York City designer, I now currently reside in New Jersey and spend much of my time traveling, creative writing, and advocating for animals. As a rescue volunteer and certified animal trainer graduate, I aspire to tell one real dog’s heartwarming and inspirational story of rediscovering the good life. Readers of all ages can learn more about this lucky dog, Memphis, through his Instagram and web address (below).”
Working Title: Walking With Memphis: Inspired By A Real Dog
Age/Genre: Nonfiction Picture Book (ages 3-8 with crossover appeal to animal lovers of all ages, as well as anyone living with a disability)
The Pitch: When Memphis becomes paralyzed and loses his wag, he must learn to walk with a wheelchair. Rather than waiting for someone to throw him a bone, he dares to dig up his bark for life in an adventurous discovery of what it means to be a lucky dog.
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 Melissa 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 Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in June, so you could get your pitch up for some helpful feedback pretty soon, and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!
Melissa is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward (with fervent hope!) to any names you might think up for poor old High-Ho Silver 🙂
Perfect Picture Books! What could be better than a whole list of terrific books just in time for the weekend? (Especially today because it’s raining and a perfect time to curl up with a good book!)
I get to go fetch our youngest home from college for the summer 🙂 ❤
There’s nothing like getting one of your children home to make you think of when they were babies… and there’s nothing like May showers bringing June flowers to make you think spring… and there’s nothing like babies and spring to make you think of things hatching…
So you can see how I came up with this book for today 🙂
I LOVE this book! If you haven’t read it, please go out and rectify that as soon as you can – it’s SO cute 🙂
Title: I Hatched!
Written By: Jill Esbaum
Illustrated By: Jen Corace
Dial Books For Young Readers, January 2014, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: 2-4 (according to publisher) – I think kids a little older would still like it.
Themes/Topics: being yourself, wonder, learning new things
Opening: “A patch of light!
One final peck.
I give a shove and s-t-r-e-t-c-h my neck.
Then – CRACK!”
Brief Synopsis: A baby killdeer chick comes out of his egg and sees himself and the world around him for the first time. Goofy and sweet and filled with awe, his energy and enthusiasm are delightful to behold.
Links To Resources: HERE are lots of activities related to hatching chicks without having to actually hatch them at home or in the classroom! HERE are a whole bunch of chick crafts (not killdeers but still cute :)) Talk about what baby chicks can do when they’re born? How does that compare with baby cats and dogs? How about with baby horses? And how about with baby humans?
Why I Like This Book: So full of energy and delight I think it’s impossible not to like this book! The newly hatched chick’s boundless joy at seeing the brand new world around him is so contagious. As he learns about himself, he’s so pleased with everything: how fast he can run! how handsome his stripe is! And I don’t think there’s a child who won’t chuckle over the page where he says, “I stop because… look out below!/Something’s falling from my… oh./Here’s a shocker. Please don’t stare,/but take a peek… I’m ORANGE down there!” 🙂 Everyone should have as much confidence and self-esteem as this little guy. And the end of the story has a lovely surprise for him 🙂
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see your favorite picks for this week!
Raise your hand if you thought the sky was always gray and pouring down water!
Local authorities of all kinds including meteorologists claim this turn of events is a perfectly normal occurrence. They assure us there’s nothing to worry about. A giant ball of burning gas in the sky is No Problem! But it’s been so long since anyone saw such a thing that there’s a great deal of distrust and speculation… And seriously, can you ever really believe a meteorologist? 🙂
Nevertheless, I think we should celebrate the sunshine with Something Chocolate! (Because let’s be honest – any excuse for chocolate will do 🙂 ) How about Chocolate Brownie and Mousse Trifle? 🙂
And it’s practically in a cereal bowl, which makes it breakfast by my definition 🙂
Go get a napkin. You’re drooling on your keyboard.
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Sherry. Sherry Howard lives with her children and two crazy dogs in Middletown, Kentucky, a stone’s throw from the beautiful horse farms Kentucky is always bragging about. During her career in education, she served as principal in one of the largest middle schools in the US; she and cat-herders share many common skills. Sherry loves to read, write, cook, and sit in the sand watching the waves when she can! That, of course, requires a trip out of state.
Find her on the web at Facebook, Sherry Hyberger Howard, and Twitter, @SherLHoward
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Squirrelly Curly
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Squirrelly Curly and his brothers need a winter home, but Curly prefers snowboarding to home building. Brothers Larry and Mo work frantically to build more nests while Curly pelts them with acorns and acts squirrelly. Nest after nest is destroyed until it’s up to Curly to provide shelter before they all become Squirrelsicles.
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 Sherry 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 Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in June, so you could get your pitch up for some helpful feedback pretty soon, and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!
Sherry is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to spending some quality time outside with that giant ball of burning gas 🙂
Before we get to our Perfect Picture Book today, I’d like to take a quick second to announce the winner of a signed copy of Sylvia Liu’s Perfect Picture Book from last week – A Morning With Grandpa! Many thanks to all of you who visited and commented, sharing your favorite exercise and/or way to relax. Your names were all randomly randomized in the randomizer, and the winner is:
(drum roll please…!!!)
LESLIE GOODMAN!!!
Congratulations, Leslie! Please email me (susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com) so I can organize with Sylvia to get your book to you!
Now then. I confess life got the better of me this week, so I’m sharing a book today that I’ve shared before… but it’s very appropriate for spring and May and the emerald green all around 🙂
Title: A Leaf Can Be
Written By: Laura Purdie Salas
Illustrated By: Violetta Dabija
Millbrook Press, February 2012, Fiction based on fact
Suitable For: ages 3-8
Themes/Topics: nature, seasons, poetry
Opening: “A leaf is a leaf
It bursts out each spring
when sunny days linger
and orioles sing.
A leaf can be a…
soft cradle
water ladle
Sun taker
Food maker…”
Brief Synopsis: a simple rhyming story that shows all the many things a leaf can be.
Links To Resources: the back of the book has lots of facts about leaves, showing how they can be all the things mentioned in the book. There is also a small glossary. Take a walk and see how many different kinds of leaves you can find. What could your leaves be used for? Leaf Activities. What else can you look at in different ways?
Why I Like This Book: The quietness of this book encourages children to really think about all the different things leaves can be and in turn encourages children to stretch their imaginations about how other everyday objects might be used in different ways. The poetry is gentle with pretty images. The information in the back adds a lot to the learning potential of the book. And the art in this book is absolutely luminous. It just glows. It is the perfect art for the text making for an altogether magical reading experience.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see your inspiring picks for this week!
I don’t know about where you live, but here on Blueberry Hill the whole entire weather system has gone topsy-turvy. We had snow in April instead of January and February. We had 80 degree days in March and April but now that it’s May we’re back to the 40s. And those April showers? Well, we had more of a drought in April… but now that May is here it’s done nothing but pour… and the Weather People (they’re like the Village People but not as much fun to dance to 🙂 ) are making dour predictions that the rain will continue today, tomorrow, Friday, Saturday… you get the idea.
So how timely is it that today, May 4, is the 201st anniversary of Frenchman Jean Marius inventing the first folding umbrella? Such a clever lad, he was. The rich (who liked to maintain their superiority by keeping their skin lily-white) had used parasols against the sun for ages, but apparently it never occurred to anyone to come up with a version to keep the rain off. Enter our boy Jean and his genius creativity and voila! (which we can say in complete fairness because he was French! 🙂 ) everyone was suddenly free to go march about in the rain. Too bad for them that rubber rain boots didn’t come on the scene until 1853. I would not be at all surprised if there was a lot of grumpiness prior to 1853 due to wet feet 🙂
Meanwhile, here in the rain belt, we’re in a bit of a pickle because a) anytime we get heavy rain there is danger that the basement will flood and b) tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and it really should be sunny for that!
I can’t make sunshine (I know. I have amazing magical powers, but I still can’t manage to pull that off!) But I can make Something Chocolate! So let’s put some cheer in Cinco de Mayo by having some Churro Pancakes With Spicy Chocolate Sauce!
Yum! Aren’t they delicious? Think of them as cinnamon-sugary chocolate sunshine 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Susan who is a writer from Gilbert, AZ where she lives with her husband, three young sons and their corgy/jack Russell rescue dog, Jedi. Originally from Madison, WI, she cheers on the Packers and the Badgers, loves movie nights with her family, and enjoys reading as much as writing.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Room For Olives
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-8)
The Pitch: Little Olive has always been happy with her life in the jar until she discovers the fancy world outside of the fridge. When adventure leads to danger, the real journey begins.
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 Susan 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 Would You Read It in the dropdown under For Writers in the bar above. There are openings in June, so you could get your pitch up for some helpful feedback pretty soon, and have a chance to have it read by editor Erin Molta!
Susan is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! I am looking forward to paddling around the basement in my canoe rescuing salamanders 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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