Category: picture book

Would You Read It Wednesday #99 – Karina The Dancer (PB)

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So anyway, whose idea was it to let children drive cars?

I’m just asking.

(Oops, sorry – are my white knuckles showing?)

Because really I think it would be preferable if they had to wait until I was in a nursing home…where I will probably be shortly due to the anxiety said driving causes me daily!

First, you have to sit helpless (the very definition of a sitting duck!) in the passenger seat and teach them how to drive, a process during which it is important to stay alert and keep your eyes peeled for danger even though you’d give $1000 to hide under a blanket on the back seat… or better yet, coach them via satellite from the safety of your living room couch 🙂

But that is far better than what comes next, when they are licensed to drive, and you have to wave from the porch as the taillights disappear out the driveway and hope and pray that your baby returns safe and sound (having also not caused undue damage to persons and property in the great state of New York or nearby Connecticut.)

And then bam, bam, bam – they’re all learning one right after another, so we don’t even get a breather between kids.

I tell you.  My crop of gray hairs is multiplying at an alarming rate.  This whole kids driving thing is not good for my peace of mind.

You know what IS good for peace of mind?  CHOCOLATE 🙂  (Do you like how smoothly I segued into that? :))

Just WAIT until you see the chocolate delight I have for you today!  It has been baked specially for you by Teresa – her fabulous French Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Glaze! (and if you follow that link and scroll down to the July 29 post you can get the recipe 🙂 – sorry, for some reason I couldn’t get the post-specific link… maybe because of the deterioration of mental function caused by all the driving anxiety :))

photograph copyright Teresa Robeson 2013 used with permission

Doesn’t that look YUMMY?!  And it’s especially appropriate because Teresa is friends with today’s pitcher, so it’s kind of like she baked this cake especially for the occasion 🙂

Today’s pitch comes to us from Darshana.  Darshana’s special talents by day are solving engineering problems, creating activities for her kids, and concocting ways to spend time with her husband. By night she reads and writes picture books, so one day she can realize her dream of becoming a published author. Check out her book reviews at Flowering Minds, and keep up to date on the latest in the kidlit world by “Liking” her on FaceBook or “Following” her on Twitter.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: Karina The Dancer
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
The Pitch: Wanting to be a dancing star like her older sister, free-spirited Karina signs up for Indian classical dance, a structured art form, only to realize her true talents lie in a different dance style.

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 Darshana 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 September so we’re about ready for some new pitches!  Send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Darshana is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to when all my children are excellent, experienced, accomplished drivers and I don’t have to worry anymore… (yeah, I heard it.  I know it comes with parenthood that I will always worry about them :))  So that’s not realistic.  Okay then.  I am looking forward to Friday when we are going to have a very fun Short & Sweet!  Sharpen your pencils and get ready for something special!  And that’s the truth! 🙂

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!  Happy reading and writing!

(And if you should happen to hear a shriek from the direction of the east coast, don’t worry – it’s probably just me in the passenger seat while #5 takes her place behind the wheel :))

Would You Read It Wednesday #98 – The Tomato Turner Gets A Job (PB)

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I was going to post on Monday.  Really, I was.  But then we got invited out to dinner Sunday evening (which was lovely) and by the time I got home it was late and, well, you know how these things go…  So lucky you – you got another day off 🙂

It is high summer here on Blueberry Hill.  The bear passes by occasionally on his way from one patch of blueberry bushes to another.  The hummingbirds are hard at work raising their families, which requires a lot of calories…

… the twin fawns are growing…

this one is nursing…
and here they both are (sorry about photo quality – I was a little far away for the iPhone 🙂

…and if we could get more than one consecutive minute without rain, my flowers might stop looking like they drowned 🙂  Or they might not because, let’s face it, I AM the Black Thumb of Poughquag 🙂

So now that you’ve seen summer on Blueberry Hill, I think it’s time for Something Chocolate.  What should we have today?  How about…

Triple Chocolate Cookies???  YUM!

Okay.

Enough chit-chat 🙂  It’s time to get down to Would You Read It business!  Vivian is being very patient 🙂

Today’s pitch comes to us from Vivian whom you may remember from previous pitches for other PBs in the Tomato Turner series – The Tomato Turner and Confessions Of The Tomato Turner).  Vivian is passionate about picture books – her mission is to help children become lovers of books and reading. She’s a former kindergarten teacher and a current grandmother of four. Although she always thought of herself as a timid sort of person, she’s had some really BIG adventures. Two years ago, she went skydiving with her son. This May, she stepped out of her comfort zone again and took her first international flight to the 2013 Asian Festival of Children  Content/SCBWI Conference in Singapore. In one of her presentations, shared her book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking,and spoke to parents and teachers about the importance of reading picture books to young children. Her goal is to write a picture book story that will have kids saying, “Read it again, please!” Last this year, she and her husband will be leaving the Colorado Rockies and returning to the East Coast to be closer to family. She blogs at Picture Books Help Kids Soar and you can connect with her on Twitter andFacebook. 

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Tomato Turner Gets A Job
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4 and up)
The Pitch: No matter how many times Peter counts the money in his piggy-bank, it’s still not enough to buy the new bike he needs. The six-year old must find a quick way to earn some real money – summer vacation is only two weeks away and Peter wants to join his best friends’ team when they compete in the annual bike relay race.

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 Vivian 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 August so we’re about ready for some new pitches!  Send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Vivian is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to teaching my August picture book class (which starts tomorrow :)) and to seeing if I can scrounge up enough time to read Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi and Reached by Ally Condie which I’ve been wanting to read for ages!  Anyone else love YA dystopian? 🙂

Happy Wednesday, everyone! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #95 – That Tommy Thompson (PB) PLUS a Short Blog Hop

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Okay.  I know I failed on the chocolate front last WYRI when I was away on vacation, so let’s just start right out with that, shall we?  I won’t keep you waiting a second longer!

I have the perfect chocolate delight for the summer heat which also happens to be perfect for breakfast because it’s a legitimate breakfast item!  Are you ready?

FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE!!!  YUM 🙂

Ah!  How refweshing! 🙂

Now, let’s get right to WYRI!

Today’s pitch comes to us from Lisa who says: A little about me.  I’m a former elementary school social worker, mom of two, and have recently made writing my full time job.  Two years ago I wrote my first picture book and just this past fall I  decided it wasn’t going to do any good sitting on my computer. I began taking classes, reading craft books, attending conferences and workshops and just writing, everyday, writing.   The original story is long gone but at last count I’ve got 42 other drafts and ideas jotted down.  Oh yeah, and about four or five ready to go manuscripts. I have worked with kids my entire adult life and I feel strongly that this is the avenue in which I am meant to reach those little hearts and minds at this time in my life.  On a random note, I’m a big fan of chocolate covered gummy bears. 😉

(Chocolate-covered gummy bears?  She’d my kind of gal :))

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: That Tommy Thompson
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 5 and up)
The Pitch: Just a girl???? Abigail Richmond was not about to let “that” Tommy Thompson ruin her day. In fact, she has just enough confidence combined with a dash of sass that allows her to prove she can do anything she puts her mind to, just like some other famous women in history. Luckily, she also has the smarts to know what she shouldn’t do. 

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 Lisa 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 August (GULP!) so we could really use some new pitches!  Send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Lisa is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing who wins the 4th of July Secret Mystery Contest!!!  If you haven’t voted, please go HERE.  It’s a very tight race so we need all the votes we can get!

Now, before I let you go, I have a quick little blog hop item.  My friend and fellow horse lover, Robyn, who blogs over at Robyn Campbell, just asked me to participate in this “blog hop interview.”  Naturally I said yes, since Robyn is my pal 🙂  The idea is, she sends me a bunch of questions of which I can answer as few as 4 or as many as all of them (don’t worry, I’m going with Option A – short and sweet for the time-challenged!).  At the end, I tag three other writers, who will in turn answer their choice of the same interview questions on their blogs next week.

Here are las preguntas (I hope you’re admiring my splendid accent :)):

1. What are you working on right now?
2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?
3. What experiences have influenced you?
4. Why do you write what you do?
5. How does your writing process work?
6. What is the hardest part about writing?
7. What would you like to try as a writer that you haven’t yet?
8. Who are the authors you most admire?
9. What scares you?

Alrighty then.  I shall proceed with the answering.  Skipping right over the first 5… 🙂

6.  What is the hardest part about writing?
For me, there are two hardest parts: finding enough time and shutting up my inner editor.  Time is an issue because I always seem to want to do more things than actually fit into a day.  The inner editor problem has to do with perfection.  Sometimes I’m so afraid to write something that isn’t good enough and thereby ruin a potentially great idea that I can’t seem to write anything at all.  Other times, I spend so much time on page 1 that I never get to page 2! 🙂

7.  What would you like to try as a writer that you haven’t yet?
Well, this is a little bit cheating because I have tried it (very unsuccessfully!) but I would like to try writing a YA novel.  I would also like to try my hand at some non-fiction.

8.  Who are the authors you most admire?
Why did I pick this one?  What was I thinking?  This is an impossible question because there are so many.  But I love Joyce Sidman’s way with words.  I love Oliver Jeffers’s ability to tell wonderful picture book stories with humor and also equally successfully to tell ones that are sweet.  I love anything Sarah Dessen.  And I think Patrick Ness knows how to tell a riveting story.  I could go on indefinitely, but I’ll stop 🙂

9. What scares you?
Not being good enough.
Also competitive eaters who can eat 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes.  That is VERY scary!

Thanks for reading!  And please check out Robyn’s answers.  Feel free to leave her a comment (read pleasepleaseplease leave her a comment because she is tons of fun:)) and let her know you hopped over from my blog.

I am tagging

Stacy Jensen
Alison Hertz
Julie Rowan-Zoch

Feel free to stop by their blogs today if you don’t already know them, and definitely next week when they post!

Oh and one more thing:  I just found out my guest post with Sarah Forrest at Easy Read went up today.  It’s about helping kids who struggle with reading find the fun in it (I have a M.A. and M.Ed in Counseling Psychology and Special Education of Children With Learning Disabilities, and before I wrote full time I helped kids with dyslexia learn to read.)  Sarah would love some visits, and perhaps if you have a child who struggles with reading or know someone who does the post could be useful and you could share the word of her blog.

And now, after that detour :), please leave your comments for Lisa below and cast your vote for your favorite story in the 4th of July Contest!

Have a lovely day, everyone!

Would You Read It Wednesday #94 – Granola Bars For Dinner (PB) AND Straight From The Editor

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You don’t have to tell me.

I know my blog has gone to the dogs this week 🙂  Skipping regular posting days – quel horror! 🙂  And (I realize this borders on treason) no chocolate today because I don’t have any.

But that’s because I’m here…

…staying here…

yes, that is Princess Blue Kitty herself! 🙂

…among the beach plum blossoms….

…with the likes of this little guy in the front yard…

… and my crew of miscreants :)…

…technically on vacation and hanging out with the fam.  (Which means limited work time, so I apologize for any disruption you may be experiencing.  One person reported having to resort to a calendar without my blog posts to remind them what day it was – so very sorry! – things will be back to normal soon :))

Meanwhile, so that you won’t have too much blog withdrawal, we have a regular WYRI Wednesday starting with Straight From The Editor for the May Pitch Winner.

You will remember that Sian won the May Pitch Pick with this pitch for Thirsty For Words (PB ages 4-8):

Benedict the Vampire likes nothing more than snacking on a tasty noun.  He’s on a rampage, gobbling up ‘words, whispers, songs and shouts’ until the city is silent.  Who can stop him?  Something furry lurking in the sewer could have the answer….

Here are editor Erin Molta’s comments:

This sounds intriguing.
But in order to really snag an editor’s interest you might consider expanding just a tad on the furry creature. Is it a battle of the parts of speech? Does the furry creature relish verbs and likes nothing more than impaling and spearing and stabbing hungry vampires . . . That would provide an hook that is somewhat unique for an editor.
As always, I find Erin’s insight very helpful and I hope you do too!
Now, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Alicia.  Alicia is a writer new to children’s books, mom of two, who wishes she were a little craftier. You can follow her at aliciafinnnoack.com, where she blogs about books and writing, and on pinterest, where she keeps tabs on fun kid activities: http://pinterest.com/carmilla222/

Working Title: Granola Bars For Dinner
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch: Quentin is a kid who loves granola bars and wishes he could eat them all the time, even for dinner! But when Quentin discovers he is tired of all the regular granola bars at the store, he decides there is just one thing to do: make a new kind of granola bar. A kid-friendly recipe (for pizza granola bars) will be included.

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 Alicia 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 August so we’re about ready for some new pitches!  Send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Alicia is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to the 4th of July Secret Mystery Writing Contest which will be starting on Monday!!!  So exciting!  I hope I get an idea and write my sample by then 🙂 and I can’t wait to read all of yours!  In case you somehow missed the details and would like to join the fun for a chance at fabulous prizes, hop over HERE and check it out!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!!! 🙂

Would You Read It Wednesday #92 – The Cat Who Lived In The Flowerpot (PB) AND The May Pitch Pick!

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Happy Wednesday, Everyone!  I hope you are all having an excellent week so far!

We’ve got two things on the agenda today – the May Pitch Pick and today’s Would You Read It.  Luckily, we’ve got something delicious and chocolatey to fortify us 🙂

Yum!  Chocolate Cream Pie! 🙂

Please help yourselves to as many slices as necessary to fuel you for the morning 🙂

Now then.  Let’s start with the May Pitch Pick.  We had 5 terrific pitches.  The pitchers all took your generous counsel to heart and have revised their original offerings.  Please read the pitches below and then vote for the one you feel deserves a read by editor Erin Molta!

#1. Jesse
Daydreamer (YA/Sci-Fi)
Dr. Edwin Wallace has found the answer to one of science’s great mysteries – deja vu, revealing a clue to his visions. But as they fade with age, could the exceptionally gifted 17 year old Jackson Cooper unlock the answer to harness their premonitions for the good of mankind? When Jackson is taken by a secret military agency, he will need to rely on the bond of new found friends to help him fight his way back home.

#2. James
Story Bored (MG)

The narrator has a problem. Too many of the stories on his bookshelf have changed. Humpty Dumpty is not on his wall but in a recipe for chocolate cake. The old lady who lives in a shoe is now the old lady who lives in nice cozy house with a big screen TV. And the tortoise is missing. The hare has nobody to race against. But those problems are not as important as the narrator’s major concern. Where is the 8 year old writer who made all those story changes?
The narrator sighed ‘why are books so complicated?’


#3. Rita
Nobody Loves Roberto A. Tailbottom (PB)

Robbie Tailbottom is concerned only about his next meal, but when he finds out that other animals are in trouble this rat becomes a hero.

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

#5. Sian
The Word Thief (PB)
Benedict the Vampire likes nothing more than snacking on a tasty noun.  He’s on a rampage, gobbling up ‘words, whispers, songs and shouts’ until the city is silent.  Who can stop him?  Something furry lurking in the sewer could have the answer….

Please cast your vote for your favorite pitch by Saturday June 15 at 11:59PM EDT.


Now, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from the lovely Heather who says, “When people used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I answered, “A children’s book author and illustrator.”  As I grew older I thought that was too unrealistic so I majored in sociology and started working for a small business.  However, I recently decided to chase that childhood dream, and started writing!  Hopefully this dream comes true!”  

(And I just have to sneak in with my 2 cents and say I think she’s well on her way 🙂  She wrote a terrific entry for the In Just Spring Contest, and if you go to her blog you’ll get to see some of her fabulous art… including a picture of the cat who lived in the flowerpot :))

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Cat Who Lived In The Flowerpot
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-7)
The Pitch: Tristan the cat lives in the flowerpot between apartments 7 and 8.  He loves his human neighbors and they love him.  There was just one problem.  NO PETS ALLOWED!  One day the strict landlady swings by for a surprise visit and discovers Tristan.  He finds himself in danger of losing his flowerpot home and the neighbors he loves.

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

Heather is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to seeing who wins the May Pitch Pick.  I have a feeling it’s going to be another tight race!

Have a wonderful day, everyone! 🙂

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

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

I know!

Quel horreur!

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

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

Yummyummyum!!!  ‘Sheverymnone mreadymmfor mwouldmyoureadit numnum?

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

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

Here is her pitch:

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

So what do you think?  Would You Read It?  YES, MAYBE or NO?

If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest.  If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Andrea improve her pitch.  Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome.  (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful.  I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks!  For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read It or on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.  There are openings in July so we’re about ready for some new pitches!  Send yours in for great feedback from your peers and your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

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

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

Have a wonderful Wednesday! 🙂