Hanging on to Hope...

In 1973, a man named Mr. Nadeau wrote beloved children’s  book 

author E.B. White requesting inspiration about humanity’s future. 

Mr. Nadeau’s world view was bleak and hopeless.

As Maria Popova wrote in her Marginalian blog’s introduction to 

the letter, which follows, Mr. White’s response “endures as a 

spectacular celebration of the human spirit.”

North Brookline, Maine

30 March, 1973

 Dear Mr. Nadeau:

 As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one 

compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the

scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in 

a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the 

clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the 

weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our 

human society — things can look dark, then a break shows 

in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather 

suddenly. 

It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer 

mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably 

harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time 

waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s 

curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity 

have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that 

these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind 

the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,

E. B. White

                        

Alas, hanging on to Hope is easier said than done, in our Real 

World as well as in our Children’s Book World.

A group effort is oft required.

With that truth in mind, I invited five children’s book writers I’ve 

had the honor and Good Fortune to coach and teach to share 

One Golden Nugget that kept them keepin’ on… until they 

secured this past year representation by a literary agent.

Look for each of their names on an upcoming children’s book 

cover!

 ·    Becky Hohensee, represented by Essie White of the

     Storm Literary Agency, lives in Houma, Louisiana and 

     writes picture books. 

            Becky wishes she’d spent less time revising one manuscript 

            for several years, even though it was the one story she needed

            to tell.  “It zapped my creativity for a long time. Write a story,” 

            she advises, “share it when you believe it’s ready and let it go. 

            Work on something new. Exercise your writing muscles. And 

            don’t forget to reward yourself every now and then.”

·       ·   Chicago-area picture book writer and middle grade novelist        

            Sonya Kenkare signed with the 75th agent she queried,  

           Jackie Kruzie of Focused Artists.

            “Never give up,” she shares, “and keep batting at the fences.  

            All the rejections should be worn as a Badge of Honor. 😊”

 ·      ·   Sara Crowe of Sara Crowe Literary represents Christal Presley 

           of Abingdon, Virginia, and her bounty of picture books.

     “Whatever genre you’re writing in,” Christal shares, “spend 

     equal time READING in. For reading in the same genre shows 

     you all the possibilities!” 

·    Melanie Uteg lives in Lake Forest, Illinois, writing chapter 

     books, plotting a middle grade book and reviewing bi-monthly 

     on her blog picture books, chapter books and middle grade 

     books that feature the best of science, humans, nature and 

     communities. She recently signed with Tina Schwartz who 

     founded The Purcell Agency.  

     “I believe all children matter,” Melanie responded. “Their 

     hearts. Their minds. Their voices. I believe getting to that core 

     is important as you pursue your path towards publishing. Get 

     out there and meet people – share your story and share your 

     purpose.” 

·    Fiona Wong of Los Angeles, represented by Ellen Goff at 

    HG Literary writes picture books, chapter books and middle 

    grade. 

    “Be curious,” she shared.  “Take opportunities to learn from 

    industry professionals, even if they’re discussing genres, craft 

    topics or age categories outside your focus. Hearing diverse 

    opinions and experiences can enrich your understanding of your 

    own craft, purpose and journey as a writer.” 

·   And how could I not invite my fellow TeachingAuthor blogger 

   and writer of fiction and nonfiction, Carmela Martino, to 

   share her Golden Nugget?! She, too, secured literary 

   representation this past year with Anjanette Barr of Dunham, 

   Literary, Inc.

         Carmela admitted it was “a stubborn belief that the stories I was 

         working on were worth sharing, and that they deserved to be in 

         the world, one way or another.”

         She confessed she was “so relieved and heartened to finally find 

         an agent who agreed with her!”

 

fe    I offer buckets of Hoorays! and Hurrahs! to our fellow 

       children’s book creators for both keepin’ on AND sharing a 

       Golden Nugget to keep US keepin’ on.

       Hoorays! and Hurrahs! hasten Hope.

   I  IMHO: Second Chances help us hang on to that Hope.

       And GOOD NEWS! The Andrea Brown Literary Agency is 

      offering such an opportunity – the ABLA Second Chance!

    “At ABLA we take pride in our collaborative approach to 

     agenting and we often share queries internally when we 

     believe a colleague is a better fit for the material.

     However, if a creator would like another opportunity to have 

     their project considered by ABLA after their first choice agent 

     passes, we invite you to submit your work to the 

     Second Chance Inbox. All our agents have access to this 

     inbox and will regularly look through it to discover new 

     material! If an agent finds something they are interested in, 

     they will reach out to that  creator directly.”

 Click here to learn the details so you can grab this Do Over. 

 

Thanks to former fellow TeachingAuthor blogger Laura Purdie 

Salas for hosting today’s Poetry Friday at Poems forTeachers. 

Laura, too, deserves an Hooray! and Hurrah! for her newest 

picture book– Line Leads the Way (Capstone, 2024).

Here’s to Hope and our hanging on! 

Esther Hershenhorn

THE YOUNG AND DETERMINED: OUR STORY BEGINS

I’ve been eagerly waiting since February, when I first read in Publishers Weekly about OUR STORY BEGINS (Atheneum) and its most appropriate July 4, 2017 release, to share this book with our TeachingAuthors readers.

Today’s the day, with thanks to Bobbi and JoAnn who opened our TeachingAuthors series about our Story Beginnings in appreciation of all this inspiring book offers.

The book’s subtitle understandably drew me in:  Your Favorite Authors and Illustrators Share Fun, Inspiring, And Occasionally Ridiculous Things They Wrote And Drew As Kids.
The book’s dedication by the collection’s editor, the award-winning children’s book author Elissa Brent Weissman, grabbed my heart: “To every kid with a story inside, and to all the grown-ups who give them a pencil and encourage them to begin.”
/
Twenty-six well-known authors and illustrators return to their childhoods to answer the questions hurled at them during School Visits.

Did you always want to write?
How old were you when you drew your first picture?
Was your teacher the one who told you you’d be famous?

Kwame Alexander.  Kathi Appelt, Marla Frazee, Gordon Korman, Thanhha Lai, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Linda Sue Park - just to mention a few, let their readers know: we were kids once, too, determined to tell our stories!
They share school photos, family album favorites, hand-written poems, typed chapter pages, sketches, diagrams, journal entries, marked-up essays, teacher responses, plus parent reactions, letters and momentos.

Each creator affirms every Young Writer and Illustrator via the SHOW-AND-TELL details of his or her first creative efforts.
And by celebrating the beginnings of what became a successful career, each storyteller celebrates the beginnings of every Young Writer and Illustrator - as well as -those Not-So-Much.

Dan Santat opens the collection by sharing his five-year-old self’s awe of Norman Rockwell.
R.J. Palacio elaborates on the horse images that filled her notebook’s pages.
Marla Frazee graciously offers up the words and pictures of her very first chapter book about June and John.
There’s Linda Sue Park's serious limerick, “Fog By The Ocean.”
And Gail Carson Levine’s Scribble Scrabble Club Adventurous Girls chapter.
And Tim Federle’s “Farewell Island Lake” Camp Diary written when he was 12.
Ashely Bryan, who began his career copying comics and art from magazines, closes the collection with his high school drawings and love.

Copyright considerations prevent me from reproducing the delicious original words and arts that marked the starts of the collection’s twenty-six contributors.
However,
click here to see the trailer; click here to see photos and images for which the LA Times did receive permission.

The book’s last page begins with a post-it note:
The next story is yours.  How will it begin?
The editor provides a solid list of tips gleaned from the collection, from READ, READ, READ to DRAW, DRAW, DRAW to LISTEN TO STORIES to DAYDREAM, DOODLE AND LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN WILD.
There’s even a dedicated space where the reader can place his photo.

ALL writers and illustrators start out on the same page, so to speak – i.e. determined to tell their stories.

The bounty of inspiration, insights and encouragement, not to mention heart and hope, makes OUR STORY BEGINS must-reading, especially for determined Young Writers.

Here’s to our stories and their beginnings!

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.
Please keep your story beginnings coming as each of my fellow bloggers shares hers.