Happy Wednesday, my friends!

You’ve probably all noticed that today is February 1!  So exciting, isn’t it?  Not only is tomorrow GROUNDHOG  DAY, when Phyllis shall inform us all whether or not we can expect an early spring, but the days are getting steadily longer, each one a little lighter than the one before.  In my neck of the woods there are just about 9 hours of daylight on the shortest day of the year, but we are now happily up to 10 hours and 4 minutes!  I call that progress 🙂

In a shocking display of organization (mostly thanks to Julia sending me her pitch revision without prompting and thus reminding me to contact everyone else – thank you, Julia 🙂 ) I have the January Pitch Pick all ready to go today!

I know!

Unheard of! 🙂

But perfect, because most of this short month is going to be dedicated to the Valentiny Writing Contest so it’s just as well to get the Pitch Pick done now. (Haven’t checked out the contest yet? Click the link!  Awesome prizes!!!)

Here are the revised pitches for your thoughtful evaluation:

#1 – Julia – Tooth Fairy In Training (PB ages 4-7)

Flossie is determined to be the best Tooth Fairy at Molar Academy, but she has a serious case of odontophobia-the fear of teeth. Through perseverance, creativity and a little engineering she learns to work around her fear.

#2 – Robin – No More Turnips! (PB ages 4-8)

A new generation of wolves and pigs live in harmony around the turnip patch until Frank, the youngest grandwolf, determines to get a pork chop dinner. His plans are hog tied by the Three Little Grandpiglets who have just the cure for ham hock hankering.

Suffering Swine Snouts! Frank Wolf wants bacon on the table!

#3 – Michelle – The Stalking Seagulls (PB ages 5-8)

One boy. One sandwich. A flock of sneaky seagulls who have one mission. Alec must  foil their plan or be left with nothing toeat for lunch. Armed with his beastly beach balls, bucket and big enchilada Alec’s lunch should be out of harm’s way. It’s a day neither expect at the beach.

#4 – Costantia – Understanding George (PB ages 2+)

George has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and doesn’t behave or react like the other children in his class. When he is unable to play with them, the children are left upset, and struggle to understand what makes George so different. Seeing the world from his perspective helps them to empathize with the challenges that ASD children face daily, and to accept that everyone is unique.

Please vote in the poll below for the pitch you think is best and most deserving of a read and critique by editor Erin Molta by Sunday February 5 at 5PM EST.  Many thanks!!!

Phew!  That was a tough decision, I know!  All the pitches were so good, and so thoughtfully revised!  We should probably restore ourselves with Something Chocolate before tackling today’s pitch!  You know.  Just to bolster our mental faculties 🙂  How about some German Chocolate Cheesecake?  This recipe comes from a site called Life, Love and Sugar and its tagline is “Life’s better with cake”  Now that’s a sentiment I can get behind! 🙂

Mmmmm-hmmmm!  Scrumptious!  I’m not even going to pretend to find any health benefits in this one 🙂  Just enjoy, and by all means help yourselves to seconds… etc… 🙂

Now then, onto today’s pitch which comes to us from Kathryn who says, “Hi there! I’m Kathryn: master of the chocolate chip cookie, soon-to-be mother of two, and daily dance party enthusiast. Find me on Instagram @kathrynslibrary or at my blog kathrynrammell.blogspot.com”

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Troll Kingdom And Penelope Pickles

Age/Genre: MG Fantasy

The Pitch: Toadstool is a grumpy troll who is tasked with starting a plague to control the human population, but his plan goes amiss when he meets Penny, an 11 year-old with a contagious imagination.

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