The 4th Of July Secret Mystery Writing Contest!!!

FINALLY!  It's here!

The Fourth Of July Secret Mystery Writing Contest!

WHO ATE THE BLUEBERRIES???!!!

I am so excited about this!  I look forward to these contests so much because so many wonderful, talented writers contribute such fantastic stories!  I can't wait to read what you've all come up with this time!!!

The Contest:  Write a children's story, in poetry or prose, maximum 400 words about the 4th of July in which a secret is revealed or a mystery is solved!

You may choose any 4th of July setting you like: country, city or small town, sleepaway camp or vacation, with family or friends or all alone, at a parade, a picnic, a fireworks show or a bonfire, in the middle of the woods or in a country where the locals don't celebrate 4th of July.  Your secret or mystery doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering.  It could be who took Granny's award-winning Fourth of July cherry pie?  Or what did Robin tell Sarah who told Olivia who told Gracie about Anna in cabin 7?  Or where did the flags for the parade disappear to?  Or why doesn't Becky Sue want to go to the fireworks show? Or what Old Mrs. Hootenspiegal knows about the mayor!  Just as long as a secret or mystery of some kind is revealed or solved by the end.

Post:  Your entry should be posted on your blog between Monday July 1 at 12:01 AM EDT and Friday July 5 at 11:59 PM EDT, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Sunday July 7 (no Would You Read It on Wednesday July 3... and although the post will remain up through Sunday to give everyone plenty of time to read and enjoy, the entry list will be closed at midnight Friday so we have time to judge).  If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on this post by midnight Friday July 5th.  (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you!)

The Judging:  My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to five (or possibly a couple more :)) finalists which will be posted here on Monday July 8 for you to vote on for a winner.  The vote will be closed at 6 PM EDT on Thursday July 11 and the winner will be announced on Friday July 12.

The Prizes!:  The first place winner will receive (I am not making this up!) a picture book manuscript critique from Simone Kaplan!!!!!  Yes, THE Simone Kaplan!!!  I wish I knew how to put that up in lights and make it all sparkly! :)  Simone Kaplan has been editing children's books and magazines for over 20 years.  She was an editor at Henry Holt and Company, and then a Senior Editor at HarperCollins.  More recently she has worked as a consultant to various authors, illustrators, and publishing houses.  She also runs a wonderful website called Picture Book People (where you can sign up for her free newsletter among other things.)  A prize like this makes me wish I could compete in my own contest! :)

If we get more than 15 entries, we will place through 3rd.  If we get more than 25 entires we will place through 5th.  Additional prizes will include:
 - a $50 Amazon gift certificate
 - a picture book manuscript critique from yours truly (a $75 value)
 - the writing craft book of your choice (up to $30 value)
 - a place in Making Picture Book Magic (my online PB writing course) (a $99 value)

Here is my sample (and I will admit this was a REAL challenge for me!  I've never tried writing a mystery before (as I'm sure you'll be able to tell!), so that was hard enough, but fitting it into 400 words nearly killed me!  In fact, I didn't quite manage, but it was past my bedtime.  I had to cut so much out to get it near the word count that I'm not sure it even makes sense anymore :)  Be forewarned this may qualify as the worst story I've ever written - that's what happens when you over-schedule and write at the last minute! :)

The 4th Of July Parade

Lola longed to lead the Crumb Creek 4^th of July Parade.

But Granny crashed her motorcycle and broke her arm, and it looked like there would be no 4^th of July Pie this year.

“Never mind the parade,” said Lola.  “I’ll help you bake.”

“Fiddlesticks!” said Granny.  “I can bake pie with one hand tied behind my back!”

Lola gave her a hug.  “I’ll be your other hand right after tryouts.”

“Knock their socks off, Sugar-Pie!” said Granny.

At tryouts, the boys hopped on YankeeDoodlePony one after another. Lola hated to admit it, but they were pretty good riders.

When it was her turn, Lola rode her best.

Afterwards George said, “You won’t win.”

“I have just as much chance as you,” said Lola.

Henry said, “You’re too small.”

“I’m the right size for YankeeDoodlePony,” said Lola.

Billy said, “You’re not a boy.  Yankee Doodle was a boy.”

Lola had nothing to say to that.

“This year, the leader will be Lola!” announced Mayor Fluffbottom.

Billy had nothing to say to that.

George stuck his tongue out at Lola, but she was too happy to care.

“They picked me, Granny!” Lola sang, rolling piecrust while Granny picked one-handed through seventeen quarts of blueberries.

“I knew they would!” said Granny.

By bedtime, fifty pies cooled on the counters.

“How will you get these to the Village Green without your motorcycle?” worried Lola.

“I’ll figure a way,” said Granny.  “Sweet dreams, Sugar-Pie.  Big day tomorrow!”

In the morning Lola raced to the barn.

“Hey!” said Billy.  “YankeeDoodlePony is gone!”

“What?” Lola gasped.

George and Henry smirked.

“What did you do with him?” demanded Lola.

“Nothing!” the boys insisted.

The parade started in thirty minutes!

Lola had to find YankeeDoodlePony!

“Help me look for him!” she begged.

They searched high and low, but YankeeDoodlePony was nowhere to be found.

Lola discovered hoofprints and wheel tracks on the driveway.

“It looks like someone drove a pony out here, but he’s long gone.  I guess I won’t be leader after all,” Lola said miserably.

Clip-clop-rattle-rattle.

YankeeDoodlePony came down the road at a smart trot pulling a little cart.  Granny drove one-handed!

“Sorry I’m late, Sugar-Pie!  Had to deliver the pies!”

Lola turned to Billy, Henry and George.  “I’m sorry I thought you hid YankeeDoodlePony,” she said.

“That’s okay,” said Billy.

Lola hopped aboard YankeeDoodlePony

George handed her the flag.

Then Lola rode out to lead the 4^th of July Parade.

She sat tall and straight and proud.

YankeeDoodlePony pricked his ears and pranced.

The American flag waved its stars and stripes in the hot breeze.

The crowd along the sidewalk cheered.

And afterwards, there was 4^th of July Pie for everyone!

Now then!  That was quite spectacularly awful!  So I hope it will fill you all with confidence, because I know you can all do better than that!

CAN'T WAIT to read your stories!!!  Don't forget to add your post-specific links below, or copy and paste to the comment section!  Look for Sidney, Sian, Pam, Michele, and Brianna's stories in the comments.

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

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 #93 - The Chase (PB) PLUS Straight From The Editor and The May Pitch Pick Winner!

We've got a busy day, so I hope you ate your Wheaties!

Except, when you think about it, Wheaties aren't chocolate, so they are really not an appropriate choice for Wednesday.

I know!  How about some chocolate cereal?

Okay, no.

That will simply not do at all.

I'm sorry.  It looks like dog kibble.  And much as I love my dogs I do not wish to share their breakfast.  Not to mention, that doesn't look anything like real chocolate should look.

I tried to go the truly healthy route with cereal, but I just can't do it.

Put that away and let's break out the Snickers :)

Ah!  That's MUCH better.  Now we're ready to get down to business!

First, Straight From The Editor for our April winner, Pam.

You will recall her pitch:

Flood Dogs (Picture Book ages 5-8)Based on a true story, FLOOD DOGS tells of a girl, her two dogs, and the flood that comes between them. As Cadence fears the fate of her dogs, she must also face the devastation of her town and home.  When she finally reconnects with her beloved pups, Cadence is overjoyed to discover just how much she still has.

And here are editor Erin Molta's comments:

I am intrigued by the pitch for your story.

I offer just a few minor tweaks and I suggest thinking about a pithier title. Since Katrina and the Hurricane Sandy flooding, there are a lot of stories such as this coming in and something a tad catchier might help pull this one up from the pile. Also the last sentence would probably work better if you were more specific. Instead of how much she has—what about something like how much love, how much XXX she still has . . .

I wish you the best of luck with this!

As always, I find her insight very helpful!

Next, I am happy to announce the winner of the May Pitch Pick.

And the winner is...

... SIAN with her pitch for Thirsty For Words (which was originally The Word Thief.)

Congratulations, Sian!!!  Your pitch has already been sent to Erin for her thoughts.  And congratulations to all our other pitchers for great story ideas, wonderful pitches, and thoughtful improvements based on reader feedback.  You all did an excellent job.  Good luck with your stories!

Now, onto today's Would You Read It.  Phew!  Anyone need another Snickers?

Today's pitch comes to us from the lovely Elaine, who we met in April with her pitch for  Giant At The Gym.  In case you don't remember her, Elaine is a Mom of two, wife of one, mom to three furry kids and second grade school teacher.

Here is her pitch:

Working Title: The Chase
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-7)
The Pitch:  A bored little boy stares at the moon, moaning about being bored while missing the stunning excitement that’s unfolding around him – pirate cows, zombie ice skaters, mummy librarians… If only he’d look down instead of UP. THE CHASE is a humorous picture book that explores the common childhood experience of what appears like the moon is following them, and turns it on its head.

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 Elaine 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 which isn't that far away, so we're about ready for some new pitches!  Send yours for your chance to be read by editor Erin Molta!

Elaine is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch!  I am looking forward to being able to take my daughter to the airport at the crack of dawn on Friday without feeling guilty for not paying attention to Perfect Picture Books, since we are now on summer hiatus.  I will also take this opportunity to let you know that I will be mostly away from my computer next week, so don't be shocked if the blog is a little bare and I'm not around visiting you all.  But don't worry!  Would You Read It will still be up next Wednesday... assuming I write the post before I leave :)

Have a lovely Wednesday, everyone! :)

Monday Catch Up

I just flew in from New Paltz...

...and boy are my arms tired!

No seriously :)  I spent the weekend at the inaugural 21st Century Children's Non-Fiction Conference.  It was fantastic and I highly recommend it.  (And Joanna - I got to meet Bo Zaunders who created The Artist Mortimer!  Everyone see Joanna's post HERE)  (Oh, and I also got to meet the lovely and talented Laura Purdie Salas and she signed my copy of A Leaf Can Be for me!)  (Oh, and I also got to meet Karen Robertson who is starting a course in how to create apps.  She was a wonderful speaker and very nice, and if any of you are interested, go check it out HERE... but here I go digressing.)  The POINT is that I find I'm very behind with work and family after abandoning both for nearly three days... shocking :)

So today, instead of a proper blog post, I give you this little gem.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

Kurt Vonnegut, Author of Fiction and Satire, Explains Story Shape

What's your favorite story shape?  Classic, circular, cumulative, parallel, time-line, question and answer etc... or one of Kurt's? :)

Have a magical Monday  everyone, whilst I try like mad to catch up! :)

P.S.  I hope you're all working on your July 4th stories for the upcoming Writing Contest - I of course have not even started thinking about mine!

P.P.S.  I hope you are all noticing with jaw-dropping amazedness the incredible brevity of this post!  Apparently getting way behind is what it's takes to make me short-winded :)

Perfect Picture Book Friday - Baby Bear Discovers The World

I just want you all to know that whilst you're going about your business like normal people, I am babysitting the Wild Kingdom.  Just look what's been in our yard this week!

First, an enterprising Snapping Turtle came to the foot of our back porch steps, made her nest, and laid her eggs!

So of course now I'm guarding the nest from raccoons and skunks... and my dogs!  I want those baby turtles to hatch!  Then I think I'll have to escort them down to the water... which is not very near at all... I don't know what their mama was thinking!... because I don't want them to get picked off by predators on their journey, and apparently everything thinks baby snapping turtle is tasty!  Approximately 9 weeks 'til Hatchday according to some site we googled :)

Then, our friend the bear came strolling by to see if perhaps we had carelessly left the bird feeder hanging around (we had not! because although it's lovely to see him from inside the house, we don't really like to encourage him to hang around.)

Yes, that is our back porch railing.  Sorry the picture is a little blurry - I took it through the glass because the dogs were barking their heads off and hurling themselves at the French door and I thought it best if they didn't tangle with Blackie :)

So given the theme of the week, I decided to celebrate the last day of Perfect Picture Books before summer with an appropriate title.  I was torn between 2 books, both by Marion Dane Bauer.  I chose Baby Bear Discovers The World for obvious reasons, but The Cutest Critter is equally good if you care to check it out!

Title: Baby Bear Discovers The World
Written By: Marion Dane Bauer
Photography By: Stan Tekiela
Adventure Publications Inc, 2006, Factual Fiction with great photos

Suitable For Ages: 3 and up

Themes/Topics: wild animals, growing up, independence, nature

Opening: One fine spring morning Baby Bear said to his mama, "Mama, I'm a big bear now.  It's time for me to go out and discover the world.  Then he kissed his mama so she would know he meant business."

Brief Synopsis: From the jacket: "Follow Baby Bear's excursion into the big world as he tries to prove his independence, wandering closer and closer to places he doesn't belong.  Using twin cubs and the assistance of a handler, Stan [the photographer] succeeded in getting all the photos for this book from the cubs' natural reactions to their surroundings.  His ability to capture everything from their inquisitive faces to actually tumbling from a log is delightfully documented."

Links To Resources:  Everything you need is right here!  The back of the book has a section on bear facts - characteristics, activity, diet, cubs, and hibernation.  It also has a section on how the book was photographed, and another section of "outtakes and bloopers" photos - SO CUTE! :)  You can also go for a walk and look for signs of animals - paw prints, nests, etc.  City or country, you're likely to discover some fun things, just like Baby Bear :)

Why I Like This Book:  I just absolutely adore wildlife photography.  This book combines a fun story about learning independence with exquisite photography of lots of animals besides the bears along with the surrounding flora.  It's fun just to look at the pictures :)  The outtakes and bloopers photos are also tons of fun and make the experience of the book even better.  Wait until you see the picture of Baby Bear licking a mouse :)

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

I'm sad that this is our last week of PPBF for the summer, but I think we can all use a little break to refresh and refuel and come back better than ever in the fall.  I haven't yet decided what I might put in in place of PPBF... I may not put anything.  I could use a little more writing time, so perhaps for the summer I will blog twice a week... I don't know - we'll see :)

Meanwhile, if anyone is looking at any spare time this weekend, let me remind you all of the upcoming 4th Of July Secret Mystery Writing Contest!  First prize is a picture book manuscript critique from the one and only Simone Kaplan, so start knocking those ideas around! :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!  PPBF bloggers, please leave your last *sniff* post-specific link for the summer *sniff* so we can all round out our summer reading lists!  (Here's hoping the Simply Linked List will work this week! :))

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

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!"  

Blog: http://heatherdentstudio.blogspot.com/

(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! :)