It's Monday, less than two weeks 'til Christmas, and I haven't even started my holiday cards! But that is because I had something else very important to focus on over the weekend.
(It has nothing at ALL to do with the fact that I have totally lost temporarily misplaced my comprehensive mailing list in my oh-so-tidy office! My office is PRISTINE! Hahahahaha! Sorry! I couldn't even say that with a straight face. You guys have seen my office (here and here and here) and "tidy" "pristine" and "organized" are not words that apply :))
Anyhoo...
I don't know about you guys, but I spent a lot of the weekend working on my sample Holiday Contest story and guess what? Turns out it's really hard to fit it into 40 lines! I think I'm more cut out for an epic poem version - 'Twas The Night Before Christmas - The Odyssey Style :)
I'm having a lot of fun with it, though, and I hope you are too! I can't wait to read all your stories, so I'm really hoping there will be more than one (mine) to read!
But enough about the awesomeness that is the Holiday Contest. (Please scroll down that link to see contest rules.) I know you are all here today to learn from the fabulous Erin, whose thoughts on Dee's pitch you have been looking forward to all weekend.
This is me distracting you with cuteness so you won't notice the glitch :)
I was looking forward to that, too. But it's the holiday season. People are mucho busy. And Straight From The Editor notes have yet to land in my inbox. Even though I dawdled. Even though it's 9:45 AM and I'm just posting... (Great Scott! The day is practically over :)!) So I guess we'll be combining Straight From The Editor with Would You Read It on Wednesday - double the awesomeness!
So for a little fun and games today, I'll refer you back to a couple of holiday season posts I wrote last year, before anyone knew I had entered the blogosphere so I'm pretty sure no one's ever read them :) I hope you enjoy them, and please feel free to leave comments because they have an inferiority complex and you would really boost their self-esteem by reading and commenting :)
Hurray! It's Friday! Not only is the weekend nearly here, but it's time for Perfect Picture Books :) Today's story was a birthday gift which became a favorite:
Little Beaver And The Echo Written By: Amy MacDonald Illustrated By: Sarah Fox-Davies
Puffin, September 1998 (Original printing Putnam, 1990)
Fiction Suitable For: ages 4-8 Themes/Topics: Friendship, Loneliness, Animals, Echoes Opening And Brief Synopsis: Little Beaver lived all alone by the edge of a big pond. He didn't have any brothers. He didn't have any sisters. Worst of all, he didn't have any friends. Little Beaver cries out in his loneliness and hears that someone across the pond is lonely too. His kind heart doesn't want anyone to be sad, so he sets out to find this other lonely creature and solve both their problems.
Links To Resources: Little Beaver Activities Little Beaver will fit nicely into discussions of friendship, the natural world, animals, understanding echoes.
Why I Like This Book: Little Beaver And The Echo is a simple, sweet story about friendship. The story line is quiet. The illustrations are warm and engaging. To me, this is everything a picture book should be - pleasant, comforting, entertaining, and beautiful. It interests me that School Library Journal panned this book when it came out. They called it didactic, neither realistic nor convincing, confusing, flat, precious, and predictable. Ouch! And yet this book has been successfully in print for over 20 years, and is a story my children asked for again and again that I was happy to read. It just goes to show different people react to books in different ways!
Please click here to see the complete list of books with resources Perfect Picture Books.
I'd be interested, if any of you have read Little Beaver, to know what your take on it is!
Now I'm off to read everyone else's Perfect Picture Book. In only 4 weeks I have come to look forward to Fridays to see what books people choose. I am finding out about so many wonderful books. I hope you're all enjoying Perfect Picture Books, too, and finding lots of material to read to your kids, use in your classrooms, study your writing craft, or all of the above! Don't forget to add your link to the list below if you've posted a Perfect Picture Book! (And readers, the links to all the books are below the Holiday Contest!)
While you're enjoying your weekend, don't forget about the Holiday Contest - only one week away! Here's a refresher in case you haven't seen it:
Write your own version of Clement C. Moore's traditional poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas! Entries must be at least 12 lines/3 stanzas, not to exceed 40 lines/10 stanzas (although I realize the original is 56 lines/14 stanzas, but I'll have to read them all during the week before Christmas :)) Entries may refer to any winter holiday you celebrate (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) or to any combination of winter holidays, or no holiday - just a good winter-time story if you're not comfortable with a holiday. I chose a rhyming challenge because so many people seem keen on it, but if the idea of rhyme strikes fear and loathing into your heart, you may write a prose version not to exceed 350 words :)
Entries must be posted on your blogs, or copied and pasted into the comments on my blog between Monday December 19 and Thursday December 22.
3 finalists will be chosen for you to vote on Monday December 26. The winner will receive their choice of a $15 Amazon gift card (to buy themselves whatever book they really wanted and didn't get as a holiday gift :)) or the 2012 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market!
I know. The holidays are approaching. There are decorations to hang, guest rooms to freshen, meals to plan, travel arrangements to make, gifts to buy, the mall to survive, and your mother-in-law to avoid. It can be a bit stressful. Which is why you guys are totally going to love me. I have solved ALL your shopping dilemmas. Seriously! I have the answer to everything. Ready?
Take your time. I'll wait while you read it. It's so funny, and so TRUE! When you're done, be sure to tell me which is your favorite (and I apologize to Beth who saw this on my Face Book page yesterday - it was too fun not to share here, too!)
Then, when you're done with that list, buy books. See? I've just done all your shopping for you! You can thank me by sending large quantities of chocolate anything to Blueberry Hill :)
Now that you can breathe a sigh of relief because I've done your shopping, it's time to reveal the winner of the November Pitch Pick! Who will it be? Yikes! The anticipation is just killing me!
This month's race was the closest one yet. The contestants were neck and neck. First one looked like the winner, then another pulled ahead. Very exciting!
So exciting that perhaps we should calm ourselves down by discussing my mother-in-law's bunions...
Tee hee...
(I wouldn't really subject anyone to that!)
The winner of the November Pitch Pick, whose Pitch is flying through cyberspace to Erin Molta as we speak, is none other than the amazing DEE!!! Congratulations, Dee! I hope Erin will have lots of helpful things to say!
Now then. It's time for everybody's favorite show, Would You Read It! Today's participant is the lovely Christie from Write Wild. (BTW, for all you picture book writers, Christie's blog is terrific!) Christie, come on down!
Working Title: Draggin' My Tail
Age/Genre: PB
The Pitch: Orville the dragon loves to fly, but when he quits breathing fire, his wings fail him. Orville has to figure out how to get his fire back so he can lift off again.
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 Christie 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 the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. SIDE NOTE: Would You Read It is booked only through January, so there are lots of openings ahead. Please send pitches and spread the word to your writerly friends :)
Christie is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Please join us Friday for Perfect Picture Books, and I hope everyone is hard at work on their Holiday Contest entries! Congratulations again to Dee, and don't forget to let us know which of those gifts is your favorite :)
Good Morning Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend in which you did not get trampled by angry mobs stampeding through their holiday shopping at the mall or run over by those same angry mobs vying for parking spaces :)
In case you're wondering what I did, I had a very exciting weekend. I got to babysit for my granddaughter (oops, sorry - I'm physically unable to resist one tiny photo :))
... and I confess I was forced to go to the mall (a truly hair-raising experience - really, what happens to people?) but not because of holiday shopping. No. It was much more serious. We had to get basketball shoes. And not just ANY basketball shoes, the RIGHT basketball shoes. Because when you are on the court, playing hard, racing up and down against the other team, it is certainly not all about function. It is about fashion! I am happy to report that in spite of grave risk to life and limb, out mission was successful!
I also spent WAY too much time on our holiday card. I don't know about you folks, but somewhere along the line I got sucked into these holiday cards filled with family pictures and produced by a company whose name starts with S but I am not plugging anyone :) So this is what I do every year: I sort through the family photos. Usually I have virtually no decent ones and that is a huge challenge. This year I had so many good ones I had the opposite challenge - 2 graduations and a new baby in the family will do that to you :) Anyway, once I get the photos, I spend about 3 solid days messing around with card design until I'm completely cross-eyed. Then I usually end up choosing the first card I made. Do not say I could save a lot of time by just doing one and pressing order. Really. Do not say it.
So that was my exciting weekend. I know. It may take me days to recover :)
So now, on to today's excitement! The November Pitch Pick! One lucky Would You Read It participant from November is going to get her pitch read by the fabulous Erin Molta. So let's get right to it!
First, our pitch refresher:
#1 Christie
Working Title: The Tooth Fairy Star
Age/Genre: Picture Book
The Pitch: Tiffany Faye loves being the tooth fairy, but when all the other fairies complain about her terrible dancing, she has to find a way to dance without being clumsy or else give up her job as the tooth fairy.
#2 Dee
Title: Hating Ric
Age/Genre: YA Verse
The Pitch: On the day of his brother, Jason's funeral, 17 year-old Ric's anger explodes, and he races Jason's car through the streets, crashing and badly injuring jogger, Kate. Ric is sent to a juvenile justice centre, where survivor guilt and grief set him on a reckless destruction course. Help comes through his music and from an unexpected source in Kate who is struggling to put her own life back together.
#3 Halli
Working Title: SIMBIOTE
Age/Genre: YA Sci-Fi
The Pitch: Kal is a donor in the illegal bulb trade. He donates his own symbiotic bulbs to the humans on the multi-million dollar black market. Their addictions can cost them a pretty penny, but what does it cost Kal? What does he suffer every year at harvest time? When he gets caught he realizes the risks he has put upon himself, his potential girlfriend and his family are far worse than he ever imagined.
#4 Ashley
Working Title: Prelude To An Apocalypse
Age/Genre: YA Literature
The Pitch: Jack wakes up in the hospital to find a mysterious man offering to take her in, to teach her everything she needs to know about being a Wizard, but something deep inside tells her she can't trust him.
Please place your vote now! Poll will be open until Tuesday December 6 at 11:59PM EST so I can announce the winner on Wednesday!
Have a great Monday :) And P.S. I hope everyone is hard at work on their Holiday Contest entries (please scroll down that link for the rules) so they'll be all ready before the mad holiday rush - you wouldn't want to miss your chance at a great prize! :)
Today's Perfect Picture Book is one I would have chosen myself anyway, but it comes to us courtesy of talented author/illustrator Lisa Thiesing who wanted to participate but doesn't have a blog to post on. If anyone else out there is in a similar position, please feel free to email me your Perfect Picture Book and I'll post it and credit you as I am doing here for Lisa! (You can use the handy Email Me button on the right hand side of the blog.)
It's especially timely as Penny, the winner of our Thanksgiving Contest, chose Balloons Over Broadway as her prize! So without further ado:
Balloons Over Broadway
Written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Houghton Mifflin Books For Children, November, 2011, Non-Fiction Biography/History Suitable For: ages 4-8 Themes/Topics: art, puppeteering, pursuing a dream Opening and brief synopsis: "From the time he was a little boy, Tony Sarg loved to figure out how to make things move. He once said he became a marionette man when he was only six years old." Melissa Sweet tells the true story of Tony Sarg, inventor of the huge balloons that are the trademark and centerpiece of the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade in New York City. Links to resources: this story is perfect for a curriculum section that covers art, history, biography, or Thanksgiving, or just as a good story for children interested in where things come from and how they work. Balloons Over Broadway Activity Kit. (Please be patient - the activity kit loads slowly because of all the art but it's well worth the wait!) There is also a spread of interesting and helpful back matter at the end of the book to expand your lesson.
Why I like this book: this book is interesting, entertaining and educational. Tony Sarg is an inspiration because he had little or no formal art education and yet he went on to pursue his dreams and become world-renowned for his work. One of his apprentices, Bil Baird, created the "Lonely Goatherd" marionettes for The Sound Of Music, and one of Bil Baird's apprentices was Jim Henson who invented The Muppets!
For more books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books!
I can't wait to read everyone else's Perfect Picture Books for this Friday! Don't forget to place your link in the list below so everyone can find you easily!
Have a great weekend, everyone! November Pitch Pick coming Monday! And I hope you'll all find a few minutes to work on your Holiday Contest entries (please scroll down that link for contest description and rules.) A great prize could be yours :)
P.S. I almost forgot! The randomly selected winner of the November Perfect Picture Book contributor draw is Stacy! Congratulations, Stacy! You will receive your choice of a $10 Amazon gift card or a signed copy of Airplane Flight: A Lift-The-Flap-Adventure by yours truly :)
You stayed up all night watching the minutes tick past, waiting for this post to be up so you could find out who won the Thanksgiving Contest and share your thoughts on this week's Would You Read It pitch since skipping last week sent you into withdrawal :)
And we'll get to both of those things in one second...
First, I have to say that I am such a complete space cadet that I forgot to mention Monday that I was being interviewed on Julie Hedlund's blog for her How I Got My Agent series. I know many of you are Julie's devoted followers and have already read it, but if you haven't please pop over and visit. Julie writes an awesome blog at Write Up My Life and I think you'll find her How I Got My Agent series (although not necessarily my part in it :)) very illuminating and helpful! Thanks, Julie, for inviting me to take part and sorry I forgot to mention it Monday!
Second, I have just realized that tomorrow marks my first blogiversary. I can't believe it's been a year! I should probably be doing something wildly and crazily amazing to celebrate, but I'm fresh out of ideas at the moment. If any of you have suggestions, feel free to share! :) But I want to thank everyone for being so wonderfully supportive. I have so enjoyed getting to know so many people who are both talented and nice! :) I think, at the very least, this calls for some celebratory cake! Please help yourself to a slice, because cake definitely counts as a healthy breakfast - milk (calcium), eggs (protein), wheat (grains)... need I say more?
google images
Now on to all that excitement you stayed up all night waiting for!
I want to thank each and every person who submitted an entry to the Thanksgiving Contest as well as everyone who took time to read and vote. I think I speak for all of us when I say we so enjoyed reading everyone's stories and they were all so wonderful. As you know, my assistant judge and I had a terrible time narrowing down the finalists, but we did at last and now your votes have spoken.
The winner of the Thanksgiving Contest, with a delightful, creative, and original story, is
Penny!
(That's entry #2!) Congratulations, Penny! You have officially knocked our socks off :) Please email me (susanna [at] susannahill [dot] com) or use the handy Email Me button on the right hand side of the blog and let me know if you'd prefer the $15 Amazon Gift Card or the hardcover copy of Balloons Over Broadway!
And now, on to Would You Read It!
This week's pitch comes to us from the lovely Ashley who, until October of last year, considered herself a person who didn't like to write but has now discovered she loves it!
Working Title: Prelude To An Apocalypse
Age/Genre: YA Literature
The Pitch: Jack wakes up in the hospital to find a mysterious man offering to take her in, to teach her everything she needs to know about being a Wizard, but something deep inside tells her she can't trust him.
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 Ashley 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 the Would You Read It tab in the bar above.
Ashley is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!
Please join us Friday for Perfect Picture Books, and I hope everyone is hard at work on their Holiday Contest entries! Who knew practicing our craft could be so companionable and fun with such great prizes? :)
Happy Monday everyone! We've got all kinds of fun in store today, but first I have to share something totally off topic that made my day :)
Isn't that just the nicest thing? :)
OK. Now on to today's important business!
I had no idea what I was letting myself in for when I started the Thanksgiving Contest.
Seriously.
To begin with, there were more than twice as many entries as for the Halloweensie Contest - 19 all together in case you were wondering (the 20th was in there just for fun, but because the author is related to the judges it could not in fairness be considered :))
To top that off, you are all so creative and talented! I could have found a reason to make any of the entries a finalist. My assistant judge and I couldn't even come to a consensus on which 3 it should be, so in the end, as senior judge, I made the call. I just want you all to know it was really hard, and I wish I could give everyone the prize!
Entries were judged on appropriateness as a children's story, originality, and Thanksgiving-ness (that is too a word!)
So without further ado, here are the 4 finalists because I just couldn't decide between 2 of them and make it 3, so I'm cheating and leaving it up to you guys :) They will be identified by number only. Please vote for your favorite!
#1
They were set to go to Grandma’s
For their big Thanksgiving feast,
But the blizzard came in fast
Growling, howling like a beast –
Hurled itself around the house
Rattling windows, banging doors.
They laid a fire in the hearth
Against the blizzard’s wicked roars.
They couldn’t roast a turkey.
Electricity went out.
They ate tuna for their meat,
For their veggie – sauerkraut.
They wrapped themselves in blankets
Lit some candles, played some gin.
Dessert was pumpkin out of cans
With some cinnamon stirred in.
They started telling stories
Scary, funny, tried and true
Til the fire turned to embers
And the clock struck half past two.
They stoked the fire to blazing,
Snuggled close and rested heads.
That fire was so darned cozy
That they did not miss their beds.
They formed a sleeping circle
With the dog curled up inside.
Slept so soundly through the night,
They did not hear the storm subside.
They woke up the next morning
To a dazzling, blinding light.
Snow had piled up to the rafters,
And the world was frosted white.
They threw on coats and snowsuits
Raced out straight into the snow.
Threw some snowballs, built a snowman
Came back in with cheeks aglow.
They sat sipping some hot chocolate
When they heard the doorbell ring.
Behind the door was Grandma
With a giant turkey wing!
That Thanksgiving sure was different.
Many folks would call it lame.
But they made the most of family
And were thankful just the same.
#2
"They were supposed to go to Grandma's for Thanksgiving, but the blizzard came in fast.
The weatherman said, "It's best to stay inside until this storm is past...
In fact don't heat the oven. Make sandwiches instead
With pumpkin flavored jelly spread on a piece of bread."
That's when I said with a look of great suspicion,
"That funny looking weatherman knows nothing of tradition."
And what is that he's wearing? A faux-feather suit!
And that…That's a waddle dangling down from his snoot!
"DAD! Call the station! Quick! This guy is a fraud!
The whole blizzard thing...it’s just a big facade."
So, as they snatched Mr. Gobble right off the TV station,
We loaded up and headed out for Thanksgiving vacation.
“Grandma we’re coming. There’s really not a blizzard.
But you can’t blame a turkey when he tries to save his gizzard.”
#3
They were supposed to go to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving, but the blizzard came in fast. The wind howled. The tree creaked.
Papa stockpiled wood inside the burrow. He stomped his feet and bolted the door.
Papa looked at his shivering brood of three. “I know you are disappointed, but we are safer in our burrow.”
“What about Grandma’s acorn pie, ” asked Sammy. His pudgy cheeks quivered and is large glossy eyes brimmed with tears.
“We have plenty of nuts, berries, fruit, seeds and grains to feast upon,” said Mama. “Why don’t you do your chores. Be thankful that we’re together.”
Sammy, Teddy and Rose tidied up their nests and swept the burrow. Sammy wondered what they could do to make Thanksgiving special.
Then Sammy spied a twig resting against the wall inside the burrow.
“Hey Teddy and Rose, I have an idea,” said Sammy. The three siblings huddled and whispered. Rose jumped up and down. The rest of the morning they worked in a corner of the burrow on their idea.
Mama worked all morning preparing their feast. Papa tended to the fire so that the burrow remained warm.
Sammy carefully placed their centerpiece on the table.
“It’s beautiful!” Mama gasped.
“It’s our thankful tree,” beamed Sammy. Tied to the branches were acorns, pine cones, and dried leaves bearing the names, Mama, Papa, Grandma, Sammy, Teddy and Rose.
They heard a rustle in the tunnel and a voice called out, “Acorn pie anyone?”
“Grandma,” they chirped. “We’re thankful you’re here!”
#4
We should have gone to Grandma’s but the blizzard came in fast.
The snow banks drifted deeper and we knew that they would last.
We thought of Grandma’s turkey and prize winning pumpkin pie.
Could we miss her fancy feast? Oh no! We had to try!
Dad shook his head. “Our tire tread won’t get us out of here.
We need some transportation with snow blizzard traction gear.”
From the barn we pulled an old toboggan, bent and beat.
We lashed some rope onto the front and pulled it to the street.
The horse, the cow, the dog, the cat – we tied them to the sled.
Then gooped their feet with peanut butter, honey and some bread.
We hopped aboard and held on tight when Dad shouted, “Now, MUSH!”
Whoosh! We sailed across the snow and slid along the slush.
The icy snow was blinding, but we thought we headed east.
Our rag-tag team was working hard to get us to our feast.
On and on we traveled, til our teeth were blue with frost.
Finally little Suzie cried, “Oh Dad, I think we’re lost!”
Then up ahead we saw a twinkling light among the trees.
It wasn’t Grandma’s house but we must stop or else we’d freeze.
We would have gone to Grandma’s but the blizzard came in quick.
Who knew that was the year we’d have Thanksgiving with St. Nick!
With seriously honorable mention to runners-up Erik and Abby who nearly caused some heated hot chocolate slinging between the judges over whether to include or not!
See how hard this is? I can't wait to see what you vote for! Polls close Tuesday November 29 at 11:59PM EST so I can announce the winner on Wednesday, so please vote ASAP!
Now, on to that surprise I promised :)
The response to the Thanksgiving Contest was so enthusiastic, and I think we all had such a good time, writing our stories and reading everyone else's, and there was such a sense of fun and community, that I have decided to hold a Holiday Contest! YES! IT'S TRUE! I'm announcing it now to give you all plenty of time to get your stories written before the holiday rush. Here are the entry requirements:
Write your own version of Clement C. Moore's traditional poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas! Entries must be at least 12 lines/3 stanzas, not to exceed 40 lines/10 stanzas (although I realize the original is 56 lines/14 stanzas, but I'll have to read them all during the week before Christmas :)) Entries may refer to any winter holiday you celebrate (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.) or to any combination of winter holidays, or no holiday - just a good winter-time story if you're not comfortable with a holiday. I chose a rhyming challenge because so many people seem keen on it, but if the idea of rhyme strikes fear and loathing into your heart, you may write a prose version not to exceed 350 words :)
Entries must be posted on your blogs, or copied and pasted into the comments on my blog between Monday December 19 and Thursday December 22.
3 finalists will be chosen (hopefully really 3 next time :)) for you to vote on Monday December 26. The winner will receive their choice of a $15 Amazon gift card (to buy themselves whatever book they really wanted and didn't get as a holiday gift :)) or the 2012 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market!
I hope you're all as excited as I am about the Holiday Contest! And please, don't forget to vote for your favorite Thanksgiving entry by tomorrow night!
The Thanksgiving Contest is now officially closed. We got WAY more entries than for the Halloweensie Contest, and they're all so imaginative and fun that my assistant judge and I are going to have our work cut out for us selecting three finalists. But never fear - we will do it even if we have to print them out, throw them on the living room floor and see which three the dogs step on first :) The finalists will be up for you to vote on Monday. And now for Perfect Picture Books (and I'm obviously behind this morning because I see at least three people have already posted theirs :))
Mole Music
written and illustrated by David McPhail
Henry Holt & Co, March 1999, Fiction
Suitable for: Preschool - Grade 2 (ages 4-8)
Themes/Topics: how music makes us feel, power of music to harmonize and heal, practice makes perfect, sometimes we don't even realize how our actions may effect others.
Opening and brief synopsis: "Mole lived all alone underground. He spent his days digging tunnels. At night he ate his supper in front of the TV and then went to bed. Mole liked his life, but lately he had begun to feel there was something missing." Mole longs to create beautiful music, but little does he know the effect his music will have on others.
Links to resources: This story is perfect for a discussion of how music makes us feel, the power of music to harmonize and heal, as well as the idea that it takes practice to become good at something. Activity Guide, Discussion questions, Supplemental Lesson Plan (Film)
Why I Like This Book: One story is told in words, but there is a whole other story shown in the illustrations. Mole works hard learning to play the violin. He does it for himself, with no thought of trying to impress anyone. He achieves his goal - and so much more without ever being aware of it. His simple goodness and desire to make something beautiful bring more beauty to the world than he knows.
For more books with resources please visit Perfect Picture Books!
And now, so that you don't all go into a depression because Uncle Spike finished ALL the pumpkin pie and little Jimmy made the most awful grape juice stain on your favorite table cloth and how will you ever get it out and it's Black Friday and you have so much shopping to do and the mall is a horror at this time of year etc, I will lift your spirits by telling you that on Monday - yes, only a couple days away! - I will have a fun little surprise for you. I hope you'll like it! So keep your chin up as you jockey for parking spaces and plow through the crowds - more fun is coming :)
Have a happy weekend!
(Please add you Perfect Picture Books to the link list below.)
The Thanksgiving Contest is officially open! Post your 250 (or fewer) word kids' Thanksgiving story, beginning with "They were supposed to go to Grandma's for Thanksgiving, but the blizzard came in fast..." (poetry or prose is fine, and the opening phrase counts toward the total word count) and add your link to the link list. We'll all have a great time visiting and reading your stories! (Note that if you choose to write in poetry/rhyme, you have permission to tweak the opening sentence to fit your meter/rhyme scheme, or you can begin with that sentence and then continue in rhyme. And if you'd like to participate but don't have a blog, just copy and paste your story into the comments and make sure I have a way to contact you!)
The contest is open from now until the end of Thanksgiving Day, and this post with the link list will remain up during that time. (You will recall that the powers that be (me) decided not to run Would You Read It this week because we will all be too busy cooking, traveling and visiting to give it the attention it deserves, so there will not be a new post on Wednesday.) Once the link list closes, my assistant judge and I will select three finalists, who will be posted next Monday Nov. 28 for you to vote on. The winner of the contest will receive their choice of a $15 Amazon gift card or a hardcover copy of Melissa Sweet's new picture book, Balloons Over Broadway in time for the holidays!
Here's my totally wacky just for fun sample (250 on the nose!) :) You'll just have to imagine the pictures... :)
The Bloopers Thanksgiving
They were supposed to go to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving, but the blizzard came in fast.
“Our bicycle built for five won’t make it through this snow,” said Dad. “It’s time for Plan B.”
“Thanksgiving won’t be the same without Grandma and Grandpa,” cried Bridget, Babs, and Ben.
“Now, now,” said Mom. “We’ll still have fun. Go and suit up for our happy day.”
Bridget, Babs, and Ben raced off to don their favorite finery.
“Bikini, tankini, and trunks!” said Dad. “How festive!”
“Your bunny suit looks great, too, Dad,” said Bridget, Babs, and Ben.
Bridget, Babs, and Ben put their colored eggs under the Thanksgiving Tree and hung their American flags by the coat rack with care. They made cookies in the shape of four-leaf clovers. They helped Mom carve a scary face into a giant rutabaga and they stuck it on top of the June Pole in their living room and danced around it to welcome spring, which was just 5 short months away.
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! I'm off to a school visit this morning and....!
Welcome to the new feature - Perfect Picture Book Fridays! I'm so excited about this! I'm hoping it will become a really great resource for parents, teachers, homeschoolers, writers, and gift-givers :) Here and on all the linked blogs, you will find highly recommended picture books along with fantastic ideas for how you can use them at home and in the classroom, often including links to classroom guides and activity pages, hopefully making life easier for parents and teachers and giving writers great examples of craft to study. The books will be archived in the Perfect Picture Books tab above, organized alphabetically by age and subject, making it easy to find an age-appropriate book on a given topic for home, classroom, or gift.
(For those of you posting your own Perfect Picture Book, please add your link to the link list at the bottom so people can come over and find your recommendations and the resources you're offering! For details on how to post, please click here.)
Without further ado, let's jump into our very first entry :) There are so many wonderful books out there it was hard to choose, but we've got to start somewhere :)
Llama Llama Misses Mama
written and illustrated by Anna Dewdney
Viking Juvenile, March 2009, Fiction Suitable for: Preschool - Kindergarten (ages 3-6) Themes/Topics: first day of school, separation, missing a loved one. Opening and brief synopsis: "Llama Llama, warm in bed. Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead! Llama school begins today! Time to learn and time to play!" Llama Llama is excited for his first day of school, but when it's time for Mama to leave, Llama Llama doesn't feel so sure. Links to resources: Activity Kit, Llama Llama in the classroom, Same and Different Activity (click on "assets" then pdf) Why I Like This Book: Llama Llama's uncertainty and sadness over Mama leaving him at school are portrayed genuinely, and the story is told with such warmth and reassurance that children experiencing separation anxiety of their own are sure to feel comforted. School is shown to be happy, engaging place.
For more books with resources please visit Perfect Picture Books!
I'm excited for Monday, the opening day of our Thanksgiving week contest! I hope you've all got your stories ready to go (or will have them ready after the weekend :)) I can't wait to read them!!!
Before we go, here's our Farewell Fun Friday Foto. Our final theme is THANKSGIVING, so here's mine:
my Thanksgiving :)
Now, whether you're looking for something fun to read with your child, a great book to add into a lesson plan, the perfect gift for your niece, or a shining example of picture book writing craft, click on the links below for some Perfect Picture Books! I'm off to visit PK-3s! Have a great weekend :)
