Oh Susanna - Is There A Difference Between Scholastic And Regular Editions Of Picture Books?

Happy Monday Everyone!

Where to start today?  Well, how about with the winner of the July Pitch Pick?

I really enjoyed the new format for the pitch pick.  I thought it was great to see how much everyone improved their pitches... although it did make it even harder to choose! :)  However, the votes have been cast and the winner is...

dunh duhn duhn duhn...

DANA!!!!! with her pitch for CJ's Tiger!

Congratulations, Dana!  Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for comments, and we will all be excited to see what she says :)

Wow!  That was a lot of excitement for first thing Monday morning.  If you're feeling a little peaked, feel free to take a short break for a sustaining snack.  I'm offering homemade banana bread this morning, but I'm not even going to try drawing that!

OK.  All refreshed?  Let's move on to two questions:

#1  A few people have mentioned they're having trouble commenting on my blog the past few days.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I tried updating to the new disqus and I'm hoping that will fix the problem.  Will you all kindly let me know if the problem is fixed or if you are still encountering difficulty?  I really want it to be as easy as possible for you to comment - I highly value everything you have to say - and I like disqus because it allows me to reply directly back to you so you know I've read your comments and they matter to me.  But if it continues to cause trouble I will axe it!  Thanks in advance for your help with this conundrum :)

#2  A few other people (who shall remain nameless but you know who you are! :)) have been plotting behind my back in hopes of getting Short & Sweets to continue past summer's end.  I am thrilled if it has been fun and helpful to anyone, and I would be happy to continue it in some form if there is sufficient interest.  The idea was to alternate Monday posts - Oh Susanna one week, Short & Sweets the next.  I would be grateful for anyone to leave their thoughts on this matter in the comments so I can get a sense of where people stand on this.  My blog is here for you.  I want to do whatever you most enjoy and find most helpful.  So speak now :)  Just be forewarned, I'm not sure I can continue coming up with fun new things you'll like... I may end up recycling with new twists to some degree...! :)

Alrighty!  Last but not least we have an Oh Susanna question for today.  The lovely Stacy says

I picked up some picture books at a weekend yard sale. Several were Scholastic editions. Is there a difference between a Scholastic edition and a regular edition? I'm wondering both as a parent/reader and a writer.

Great question, Stacy!  And one I can luckily answer from my own experience.  Scholastic editions, to my knowledge, have no change to original interior art or text.  The cover may be different from the original and so may the title.  As examples, Punxsutawney Phyllis was sold through Scholastic as Wake Up, Groundhog with a different cover illustration.

original Holiday House version

Scholastic version

Scholastic did a focus group and determined that "Punxsutawney" was a difficult and therefore potentially off-putting word, so they chose to go with an alternate.  Likewise, April Fool, Phyllis was sold through Scholastic as The April Fools' Treasure Hunt.

original Holiday House version

Scholastic version

There was discussion of changing the background color on the cover to blue, but in the end it stayed pink.  In both cases, however, all the interior illustrations are the same as in the original versions and there is no change to the text.  The only other difference is in the quality of paper and binding used.  Scholastic versions, in an effort to be affordable to as many kids as possible, are mostly (if not completely) produced in paperback and may sometimes be a little less sturdy.

If you're on a budget but still want to increase your library, Scholastic is a wonderful option!

I hope that answers your question, Stacy!  Please feel free to ask for clarification if you have further queries :)

And I will look forward to hearing from you all about whether the comments are working better/properly and what your thoughts are on attempting to continue Short & Sweets!

Have a lovely day :)