Okay, this illo still needs work, but I feel I get a better “view” once I post it live for all to see. I think the hair needs to be tauter, among other things. Once I get it to a better place, I’ll color it in.
In the meantime–and this is completely off-topic–does anyone else besides me find themselves “thinking” in a British accent after watching Downton Abbey?
(Okay then. It IS just me. ) 🙂
I’ve finally started character sketches this week for my manuscript that’s currently out on submission. This book has been a work-in-progress for almost one year!
Here are a couple of iterations. I like the second one more because it’s more whimsical (much like the character), but she does look a bit older than I had intended. ( The girl’s supposed to be 7-8, but feedback is telling me she looks more like 10!) So back to the drawing board, so to speak!
The other one reminds me of a doll. Or a Colorforms character. (Remember those?)
This girl’s getting her gemstones on… her hair, that is. Hence the “BLING!”
I feel like every time I start a new blog post, I’m leading with the words, “It’s been eons since I’ve posted…”
And although, yes, it HAS been a long time, I’m bound and determined NOT to start this post that way here! As always (and as it is with MOST of you), life is just full right now. That, combined with the fact that the older I get, the faster days fly by, makes for getting less done in longer amounts of time. After all, a day now compared to a day when I was 20… well, there’s no comparison. I only wish I knew the things then that I know now–I would have been quite the prolific kid lit writer!
However, I have to say I’m not doing too badly. When I look at my “WIPS” (Works in Progress) file folder on m desktop, I currently have several versions of ten different “current” manuscripts. Two, maybe three, of those are pretty much done. And one has been submitted to about eighteen agents, four of whom have actually expressed interest in it and would like to see other things I’ve written. (This is why I have been busy revising and rewriting a couple of other stories I feel are close.) I have to give a big shout-out to my critique group (we call ourselves “Trail Mix”) here–best critique group EVER! 
In case you don’t know what makes a great critique group, here’s my short list: 1) Always encouraging, 2) Honest (though kind), 3) Fun to hang out with. This also applies to my friend and picture book author Linda Lodding (who just signed a two-book deal with Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky for her latest work, which I was lucky enough to see–and LOVE–before she even submitted it!) I am blessed that she has always been there to give me fantastic and helpful feedback on everything I’ve sent her. How lucky am I?
In between it all, I’m also on an editing contract with Kaplan Education’s IT Learning center, and I write freelance articles and marketing pieces for a forensics biotech company. (That’s right– from kid lit to technology and DNA. Talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous!)
I’m also taking illustration courses through Will Terry’s Folio Academy the School of Visual Storytelling, and, of course, Mark Mitchell’s Make Your Splashes – Make Your Marks. It’s all good. And I’ve joined 12 x 12 this year–my first time ever. (I got it done in January–I revised a manuscript and wrote a brand new one. This is what we have to do each and every month!)
Next month, I return to my regional SCBWI chapter’s spring conference, where I’ll get one of my books critiqued. I hope to have completed a dummy of one of my WIPs by then. I also hope to attend a Highlights workshop this summer.
This is not a post to say how busy I am… it’s really meant to be more of a “hey, you aren’t doing too badly” motivational pep talk to myself. Not that I really need much motivation. I love, love, LOVE kid lit and, especially, picture books. I always have and I expect I always will. I feel for the first time ever that I am doing what I have always been meant to do. (I only wish I knew this twenty years ago!)
Ah well. I DO feel that I am right on the cusp, the verge, of some kind of a breakthrough. Not necessarily that I’ll get published or get an agent anytime soon… but something related to all of this. It feels like some things are just falling into place. So I hope to be able to post an update here very soon to let you know that I was right!
“She’s BA-ACK…”
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen… after a long (LONG) hiatus, I am back and better than ever. Well, not necessarily better. But I’ll tell you that, anyway. Makes ME feel better. (And this blog is really all about me, isn’t it?)
Ye-GADs, it’s been a while, but, as before with previous hiatuses (is that a word?), I have good reason(s). I have been:
1) Working ferociously on my favorite work-in-progress since spring. And I finally finished it… yippee!! (Disclaimer: I may not be able to keep my tiny little editing fingers away from it forever. Lord knows I have a hard time with just “letting things be.”) But I am in “submit” mode. I’ve already researched several agents and have submitted to four thus far (since yesterday so no word yet, obviously). BTW, this is the WIP that was critiqued, edited and sanctioned by none other than Deborah Halverson of DearEditor.com. She really likes this book. (Did I tell you she’s a genius?) 🙂
2) Self-educating (through online courses, videos, books, etc.) to improve my illustration skills. (Side note: I almost wrote “Self-educating myself“… but that would be redundant, wouldn’t it?) And I call myself a writer. HA!
3) Keeping (or trying to keep) my 9-year old fed, watered and generally entertained throughout the summer. (But school is back in session as of last week– YEE-HA!!)
4) Playing tennis. Not as much as in past years, but more than I have in past months. That is, a LOT… and it’s messin’ with my time! (But I play mostly singles and it is great cardio… so there is that. A girl’s gotta exercise.)
And speaking of tennis, I’ve brought this up before but tennis really does have SO many pieces to it that are truly analogous to life. As in that favorite topic that I’ve discussed here before– i.e. this idea that with looseness comes brilliance. Well, maybe not Stephen Hawking-like brilliance… but a kind of brilliance nonetheless. 
So I’ve been working on getting looser with my tennis game. I actually tell my limbs to relax and I do a mini-meditation before every point. And you know what? It works. (So much so that I’ve actually gotten to the semi-finals for this one singles league I’m in… whittled down from an overall playoff bracket of 32 that was whittled down from a couple of hundred initial players in early divisions. If I win, I go to City Finals on Saturday!) But I digress… this blog really is about KidLit!
That same looseness has been translating to my writing (and drawing), too. I’ve been training myself to relax and just let the ideas flow… and they’ve been a-flowin’. I’ve written a total of six picture book manuscripts in months past, and have a pipeline of close to 20 ideas, complete with synopses for each. And this summer, during this effort to be loose, I’ve come up with a few more… with no synopses yet, but I do need to polish up the ideas before I do that.
On the illustration front, I’ve fallen in love with the sketchy line. I’m trying to stay away from hard, sharp lines and am discovering illustrators that do that well present such a wonderful emotional quality to their drawings. These artists really make my heart sing. (By the way, for those of you that know that I grew up drawing and started out college as a wannabe artist, I’ve truly come full circle after so many decades and have reignited my passion for drawing. As I told someone recently, I’ve written (books, ads, articles) most of my adult life… but drew the first 20 years of my life. I realize that while I love “having written” (but not necessarily the process of writing), it’s different with drawing, where I love the whole thing– that is, the process as well as the “having drawn.” That’s the difference.
Anyway, this whole terribly long post is just to say that I am back and I do plan on blogging regularly again.
In posts to come, I plan on reviewing more kidlit, showing off my favorite writers and illustrators, and writing about other works-in-progress and the general nonsense of every day life.
Including tennis, most likely. And whether or not I made it to (and won!) City Finals!
I haven’t reviewed a picture book in a while– I’ve been too busy READING (not to mention WRITING) them. In my quest to read more “episodic” (and less narrative) picture books, I’ve been on a library tear lately. Well, don’t you know one of those books is a CLASSIC of the highest degree. Yes, you can see the name in the headline here– it’s Eloise, which was first introduced waaaaay before I was born in 1955. (The scary thing is it was only a handful of years before I was born. Well, a handful plus one, that is. 😉 ) Funny how the ’50’s seemed like ancient times when I was a little kid. Ha!
Anyway, after thoroughly enjoying this VERY lengthy picture book (compared to the current picture book standard, that is), I thought I’d like to review it… but then thought, “Nah, it’s been done before for Perfect Picture Book Friday.” Well, imagine my surprise when I tried to look it up on the PPBF page on Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing website and… didn’t find it. Yay!
So here is my long overdue review of a classic 58-year old, 3,445 word picture book. I never read it as a kid as far as I can recall, but it really is a timeless book. Not really a story as much as it is a pitch-perfect character study of a feisty, mischievous and hilarious little girl. A must-read!
ELOISE
Written by: Kay Thompson
Illustrated by: Hilary Knight
Simon and Schuster, 1955
Awards/Recognition:
I tried to find out if Eloise had won any awards, but couldn’t. This book is highly-acclaimed, however. It’s considered a classic in the true sense.
Themes/Topics: There’s no obvious built-in theme like there is with many of today’s books. If you were to try and label it with a theme, though, I suppose you can say that this is what happens when a little girl is left to her own devices in a posh hotel with only servants to look after her?
Suitable for: Ages 4 and up
Opening Lines:
I am a city child
I live at The Plaza
There is a lobby which is enormously large
with marble pillars and ladies in it and a revolving
door with “P” on it
Other Great Lines:
Nanny is my nurse
She wears tissue paper in her dress
and you can hear it
She is English and has 8 hairpins
made out of bones
She says that’s all she needs in
this life for Lord’s sake
Nanny says she would rawther I didn’t
talk talk talk all the time
She always says everything 3 times
like Eloise you cawn’t cawn’t cawn’t
Sometimes I hit her on the ankle with a tassel
She is my mostly companion
Brief Synopsis (from Amazon on an expanded edition and written in the editorial style of the book):
If you
love love love
Eloise
(who doesn’t?)
and you
cawn’t cawn’t cawn’t
get enough of her
(who can?)
then you simply
MUST
have this
Links to Resources: Eloise has a website! It’s here. Even though you never felt like Eloise was in danger (this WAS written in the ’50’s, after all– pretty much a time of innocence, at least it seemed that way), this story can spark some good safety discussion points with your children, such as, “Was it a good idea for Eloise to wander around that hotel every day? Do you think it was safe for her to go up and down the stairs and elevators all the time? Was she good about not talking to strangers? What would you do if you were Eloise?”
Why I Like This Book: I love that it feels like it’s written by a 6-year old. There is not one period (or any kind of punctuation mark, for that matter) in the entire book. And her language is hilarious… you really feel as if you’re seeing this little girl wax philosophic about her innocent (well, maybe not so much) and her exquisite, devil-may-care kind of life. I mean, this girl has no boundaries outside of an “occasional” nanny. She has free rein to run all over the entire hotel. I had no idea how big this book was at one time– the real Plaza still has an illustration of Eloise in their lobby, apparently. And she became a huge sensation with many follow-up books, merchandise, songs… the whole nine yards. She was probably the first “huge” character spawned from a picture book… and why so many publishers today are so character-focused. I don’t know what her sales are to date, but when the 50th anniversary edition of Eloise came out, that number was around 9 million sold. I see on Amazon that those who read it “back then” buy this book for their children and grandchildren even now, as seemingly outdated as it is. (The concepts within it are timeless; however, some of the other things, such as the fact that the nanny smokes and drinks beer in front of Eloise– yikes!– are soooooo 1950’s.) Can you imagine that in a picture book?
Anyway, unique book. Unique story. Unique word count (let me reiterate: over 3,000!). All in all, this is a fun read– don’t miss it if you can get your hands on it.
And don’t miss Perfect Picture Book Friday— see the latest and greatest on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website every Friday.
(Or one babe in particular.)
The following comes from a very special third-grader I know. He LOVES to write stories. This one is a “pourquoi” story– basically a fable intended to give a reason why something is the way it is. I think it’s pretty cute, so I just had to share. (Keep in mind he still has a lot of learning to do, grammatically-speaking… such as keeping punctuation WITHIN the quotes!)
Why Cats Have Fur
A long time ago cats had no fur. Dog and Raccoon made fun of Cat. Then Cat got sad and asked for another life with fur. He gave up one of nine lives.
All the other animals were jealous of this. “Why does Cat get 9 lives?!”, exclaimed Dog. “I don’t know.” But Cat didn’t get fur. Then Cat saw some dog fur and took it. Then Cat made it how Cat wanted. Cat told Cat’s friends how to make it. They made a den and they were happy.
But not for Dog. Dog growled so loud he woke everyone in town! The cats were happy to not be made fun of.
The End
THIS cat has NO fur!
Can you TELL which household pet this kid prefers? Pretty obvious, I guess. Well, he’s allergic to dogs, so that’s partly why.
It’s funny that he wrote this because I have a WIP entitled How Bull Lost His Feathers— not that bulls ever HAD feathers. (Well… maybe they did?)
Yes, I’ve been terribly remiss with this blog lately. But I have good reason(s):
1. I am editing my first book– a work of short stories– to be published by a small American publisher in June.
2. I am writing the second half of my picture book that started out as a rhyming book about a dinosaur dance… and after getting great character feedback from KidLit.com legend Mary Kole, it evolved into a rhyming book with a completely different story (and character)… AND,after receiving great feedback from my published picture book author friends Linda Lodding and Lori Degman, it has evolved into what it is BECOMING today– that is, a pure prose picture book that has been darned hard to write!
But it is *almost* there.
3. I have been taking a wonderful course entitled Making Picture Book Magic, created by none other than picture book phenom Susanna Leonard Hill, author of the top-selling Punxsutawney Phyllis, Can’t Sleep Without Sheep, and at least 10 other fantastic picture books. Susanna is also the founder of Perfect Picture Books, which I used to be good about participating in every Friday!
4. I started another picture book that was inspired by one of Susanna’s lessons. This one seems to be writing itself and the process is going blazing-ly fast.
5. In my pursuit of taking on more editorial roles (not in kid lit– I’m not worthy yet– but in adult fiction), I have been taking numerous (and lengthy) tests with publishers near and far. (For those of you who don’t know, the job of editing is not foreign to me. As a marketer and copywriter for numerous years, I’ve edited everything from a single paragraph ad to a 64-page magalog. The latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style perches primly on a prime position on my desk! (Sorry… couldn’t resist the alliteration.)
6. I just wrapped up chairing my son’s school Bingo Night, which (thankfully) happened this past Friday night.
7. I’m volunteering for my regional chapter of SCBWI– I’m producing its Published and Listed (PAL) kites for table displays, along with a partner presentation. (And if you don’t know what SCBWI kites are, don’t worry about it.)
8. I am now chairing my son’s school spring and fall Scholastic Book Fairs. SO excited about that, but they’re a lot of work!
9. I also will be chairing 4th grade book club next year, and am in training THIS year.
10. I volunteer once a month at my son’s school library, and my goal has been, for the past few months, to check out and read 25 picture books each week. I also try and read one middle grade or one young adult novel each week. (Future aspirations… don’t ask.)
11. Oh, and here’s a little thing… I have been helping my husband with our family business and will be taking on a much bigger role in the months to come as he sets his sights on starting a new business. Yes, there is that.
However, I will take on anything and everything having to do with reading and if I can actually make a little living– and give back– with books as my guide, I will be one happy camper (or, uh, reader/writer, as it were) for the rest of my life.
I HAVE to finish this picture book by February 22nd, though. It is due that day to go to a freelance editor who used to be an editor with one of the “big houses” for 10 years. I am thrilled to have her give my little manuscript a read. That’s the same weekend of our regional SCBWI conference (where my “kites” and presentation are due!). That’s also the same weekend my husband and I are hosting a little soiree. I’ve got a lot to do over the next (less than) two weeks!
Oh, and did I mention… this blog will be changing… evolving… very, very soon. When it does, it won’t be just about me anymore. Oh no… it will be a joint venture in what I hope will turn into a great resource for kid lit folks everywhere as a result.
“Kid Lit Dish”… Think about it. 😉
I can’t believe it’s been nearly a month since my last blog post! December flew by, and I can’t believe that Christmas is over… let alone New Year’s Day! It has been a fantastic winter break, though, and much to my 9-year-old’s chagrin, he goes back to school this Monday.
That means Mama needs to get back to work!
So I made my usual trip to the library to pick up a few (25!) great picture books to study story arc, theme, character and plot building, etc. And on this last trip, I found a little gem I had never heard of. Spare text, beautiful illustrations… and FUNNY! (Hey, you’ve gotta love funny sometimes…)
Written and Illustrated by: Marty Kelley
Tricycle Press (a now-defunct division of Random House), 2008
Awards/Recognition:
I’m not sure about awards for this book, but rave reviews:
“[Has] a wonderful sense of how kids sometimes feel the world treats them… turns the terrible into the terrific.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“Minimal text and detailed artwork combine to convey a macabre humor that is bound to ensnare even the most hesitant readers.” (School Library Journal)
Themes/Topics: Everyday (though scary) things that kids have to deal with as they go through childhood
Suitable for: Grades 1-4
Opening Lines (start on the endpapers and they are brilliant):
PLEASE READ THIS
I’m warning you. If you turn the page, you are going to see some terrible things. Some really terrible things. This book is full of them. Didn’t you read the title?
Just about everything in this book is terrible. You’re probably going to turn the page, anyway, aren’t you?
Okay.
Go ahead.
YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
Brief Synopsis (from Amazon): At last, a grown-up brings to light some of the awful, horrible things kids must endure. A brother’s smelly socks, a jump off the high-dive, or a sloppy kiss from a great-aunt–hey, childhood isn’t without peril. In-your-face graphic paintings paired with droll text will have readers chuckling and sympathizing. Reviews
“This is essentially Gary Greenberg’s Pop-Up Book of Phobias (1999) but with a wonderful sense of how kids sometimes feel the world treats them. Expect this book to be a hit with not just younger children but their older teenage siblings as well.”-Kirkus Reviews
Links to Resources: Marty Kelley has some neat things on his web site, including artwork that didn’t make it into the book. More than anything, though, the illustrations (and terrible things) can create some great discussions with your child… about the book AND about other terrible things that fill their everyday lives.
Why I Like (LOVE) This Book: This is a great find. The illustrations really do tell 90% of the “story” in each spread. It starts with the aforementioned warning, followed immediately by a beautiful shot of a plop of strawberry ice cream… that has just fallen out of its cone. The next spread deals with nighttime frights (as in the proverbial “monster under the bed.”)
Then we get to a nice close-up of a dentist… about to look in your mouth. Who doesn’t love the dentist? Kids don’t – that’s who!
There are more that follow (twelve total, of course)– and some funnier (and truer) than others. One of my favorites– SCARY CLOWN… aaarrrghhh! Another favorite– standing (actually, clinging) to the high dive at the community pool… with everyone yelling “Come on already… JUMP!” Been there, done that.
Classic.
I strongly recommend this book, for both little and big ones alike. My 9-year old loved it (of course, he’s in that phase where he really likes gross humor… not that the humor here is gross. Well, some of it is– like the lunch lady ladling gravy on… everything.)
Go get it– great fun!
Discover more “perfect” picture books on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s fantastic web site, located here.
I was volunteering at my 9-year-old’s (NINE this past Tuesday, by the way!) Scholastic Book Fair last month when I came across this truly wonderful book. When I saw it, I absolutely had to buy it– not for my son, but for me! It’s almost too beautiful to describe (but I’ll try)…
Written and Illustrated by: Allen Say
Scholastic (of course– see above!), 2011
Awards/Recognition:
I’m not sure if this book has actually won any awards, but Allen Say has been a Caldecott Medal winner, a Caldecott Honor winner, and has also won a Horn Book Award.
Themes/Topics: Individuality, Japanese culture, independence and courage
Suitable for: Grades 5 – 8 (according to Scholastic)
Opening Lines:
I was born in 1937 by the seashore in Yokohama, Japan. Our house stood near a fishing village. My playmates were the children of fishermen. Mother constantly worried that I might drown in the sea. She tried to keep me at home.
Brief Synopsis: This is not your typical PPBF offering. Yes, it’s a picture book in that it contains a multitude of beautiful illustrations and there’s a wonderful story attached; but it’s also a bit of a graphic novel… and an autobiographical one at that.
(From Amazon:) DRAWING FROM MEMORY is Allen Say’s own story of his path to becoming the renowned artist he is today. Shunned by his father, who didn’t understand his son’s artistic leanings, Allen was embraced by 
Noro Shinpei, Japan’s leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as his “spiritual father.” As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous drawing classes, studied, trained–and ultimately came to understand who he really is. With watercolor paintings, original cartoons, vintage photographs, and maps, Allen Say has created a book that will inspire the artist in all of us.
Links to Resources:
The book itself is a resource! Over and above the book, though, there are so many great things you can do with kids to follow this book. I think children in that older age group would enjoy creating a scrapbook, filled with drawings and writings and photographs chronicling their own lives so far. And this might be a good impetus to starting a new journal. Scholastic, of course, has plenty of learning resources on their site.
Why I Like This Book:
I don’t just like this book… I absolutely LOVE this book. After the book fair, I brought it home and devoured it from cover to cover. This is Allen Say’s own life… actually, the turning point in his life when he was just thirteen years old (around World War II) and his parents allowed him to live in his own apartment in Tokyo so that he could go to a very well-known private school. He didn’t love schoolwork, though… what he loved was art and drawing. So although he was very responsible, he didn’t get a lot of studying done. Instead, he found the studio of one of the premier cartoonists in Japan at the time, Noro Shinpei, and boldly asked if he could be his apprentice. The rest, as they say, is history… Shinpei took him on and taught him everything he knew. Allen Say grew up to be an incredible illustrator and as I mentioned above, has earned numerous awards for his art.
Allen Say and Noro Shinpei, 2000
I grew up loving art and drawing (and then didn’t pick up a drawing pencil for almost three decades!) so I can relate to that passion of expressing yourself with art. It’s what he lived for, what his parents fought with him about, and what he ultimately ended up doing (and doing very well)! I’d strongly recommend this book for any child who truly knows what he wants to do with his life… to help him follow his dreams.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve participated in Perfect Picture Book Friday (and I’ve missed it)– for those of you who aren’t familiar with it, visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog, here, to discover more about PPBF… and much, much more!
(I had to add one little footnote here– after I posted, I realized the coincidence here… that is, that today is Pearl Harbor Day and this book takes place in Japan during World War II. Kind of odd… and just had to come back to note this!)
Wow, what a great contest… to celebrate the release of Deborah Halverson’s (a.k.a. “The Editor”) new book, Letters to Santa, she is offering up a fantastic contest. And I am here to spread the word!
The Contest: Submit your name and the title of your picture book to The Editor, via the email form on her web site.
The Prize: Winner will be selected using Randomizer.org and will win a FREE full picture book edit from Deborah herself!
Details can be found on The Editor’s web site, located here.
For those who aren’t familiar with The Editor, she’s the real deal, folks. She was an editor at Harcourt Children’s Books for 10 years before becoming the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies, two teen novels (Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth with Delacorte/ Random House), the picture book Letters to Santa, and three books in Remix series for struggling readers. She has been working with authors—bestsellers, veterans, debut, and aspiring—for over fifteen years. The books she’s edited have garnered awards and rave reviews, and many of the aspiring writers she’s coached have landed agent representation and lucrative book deals.
Don’t miss this fabulous giveaway– follow the rules and enter now. Deadline is tonight at Midnight!
by Carter Higgins
Get it Write this Summer!
author ~ illustrator ~ teacher
A potluck of ideas from five children's book authors and illustrators
Tales of the funny, the sweet, and everything in between
Writing for the young and young at heart
Home of Kathy Ellen (entire first name) Davis, self appointed Happiness Ambassador and fan of creating anything and everything.
Kim's Magical Journey Into the World of Children's Picture Books
By Katie Doyle
Mark Mitchell's blog on children's book illustration and artists
Children's Book Writer/Illustrator
Kim's Magical Journey Into the World of Children's Picture Books
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Kim's Magical Journey Into the World of Children's Picture Books
draw. paint. cut. paste.
Kim's Magical Journey Into the World of Children's Picture Books
Kid Lit Dish 