4- and 5-Year Olds Share Their Favorite Books

As I’ve stated before, one of the most magical things about teaching young children is the new perspective one gets from the authentic point of view of a child when that child allows you in for a peek.  As both a kidlit author and a teacher, I wondered what my 4- and 5-year-old students would say if I asked them, “What is your favorite book?” I was curious about how their insights were different than my own adult point of view.  So, in a true Reggio-Inspired teaching approach I documented verbatim what they said (as I do every day).  

I wanted to  hear from the age group I often write for. I wanted to understand how they truly connect with the literature that is read to them since most are not yet independent readers. I wanted to know what engaged them and stayed in their memories and why. 

It started very simply.  I asked them, “What is your favorite book?” I wasn’t even sure if they would be able to name any. I wasn’t sure if they had the context to name titles like adults do, having had a much broader experience reading. 

I started by modeling what I meant. I picked a book that has been my favorite for years.  It’s not a current title so I wondered if any of my students had ever had it read to them.  It’s a much longer book than the current 500 -700 word stories. It was written during a different time.

“My favorite book is The Velveteen Rabbit,” I stated, reminding them not to pick mine and to pick their own.  

Here are the delightful recommendations from the Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten students.

Lydia – I like the silver one with the golden.  It’s about…don’t touch the golden one.  The name of the story…You Have To Do The Page.  God is inside. Heaven and God is inside the book.

Hazel – I like the book that’s not for reading. (What’s the name of it?) I don’t know. (What’s it about?) Animals finding things.

Emma – I brought a chameleon book that I really like.

Archer – I like a book at my house that’s called, My Heart Is My Love Feelings.

Lilly – My favorite book at my house is called, Bible. And I read it at night with my bear and my mom. And then, it’s called Two Bibles In Love.

Arianna – My favorite book is Water Protectors.  I like it so much that I want to look at it right now.

Abe – My favorite book is your book, Hello, Little One. But first, my baby brother got that book. But today, I’m going to get that book after school.

Vivian – I have four favorites.  One of them is Zeena’s book.  I like your book. The second one is Olive the Other Reindeer.  When I went to Wendy’s for Thanksgiving, she had it.  She’s not a kid.  She’s a grown up.  My third one is We Are Water Protectors. And the fourth one is No Voice Too Small.

Jacob – My favorite book is Find Spot cause one of them are a lion.

Rowan – I have a favorite book at my house called, Octopus Alone.  So, it’s two seahorses trying to think that the octopus is having fun and wants to play.  And the seahorses play along with the octopus, but the octopus wants alone time.  And then, it went into the dark, dark sea.  And then it changed, camouflage. And the seahorses tried to find it. And that’s it.

Isaac – The Red Book because it’s my dad’s favorite book and he wants me to read it to our class.

Patrick – It’s my Number Blocks book.  Lift the flaps book and the book that…it’s called Number Blocks Big Numbers.  And that’s not all. The last thing I need to tell you is that I have two new ones coming out. And also, I still have work on the second one.  The first one is done.  But the first one wasn’t done today.  I think that it was done a year or two ago. And that’s all.

Mari – The Room On The Broom because it has witches and I like witches.

Alexa – The Bunny.  It always hop around.

Olivia – I have two.  I like all dinosaur books.  I love all dinosaur books.  And, I also like Wing Of Fire.  I have two books of them.  One is about a Black Fire Dragon and the other one is about an Orange Fire Dragon.

Willie – My favorite is No Voice Too Small because the author that we met named Keila, wrote that book.  I like Water Protectors because they protect the water and they don’t want the water to get higher because the Black Snake will suck up the water and poison the land.

As I read over the documentation, I was struck by a theme that emerged. The books that held meaning for many of my students were those with relational connections.  Books that were read with parents. Books that were owned by friends. Books that came from home. Books that were read with their first teacher. Books that were written by authors that the students had personal connections with. The books had meaning because the context in which they were introduced had specific meaning for these young children.

After exploring this theme and engaging in discourse with my friend and longtime critique partner, Andrea J. Loney, I discovered that I too had a relationship with my favorite children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit. Not only was I touched by the story.  I had directed the play years ago for the Burbank Civic Light Opera.  Of all the picture books that I have read in my lifetime (hundreds I’m sure), it is the one that has lodged in my memory and stands out as my favorite.  My relationship to the story goes well beyond the random reading of a book I read long ago. It is a story that is grounded for me in warm personal memories and relationships with members of the Burbank Civic Light Opera.

From our conversation, Andrea thoughtfully posed this question: “How is the story you’re writing, reinforcing and fostering those social emotional bonds between the adult reader and the child audience?”

As an author I will carry this question with me as I continue to write picture books as the evidence is strong that this is the secret sauce that makes picture books memorable for young children.  Maybe you will too!

By Zeena M. Pliska

Author of Hello, Little One: A Monarch Butterfly Story  Illustrated by Fiona Halliday

and  Coming April 18, 2023  Egyptian Lullaby  Illustrated by Hatem Aly

you can find me here

www.zeenamar.com

@zeenamar Instagram

@zeenamar1013  Twitter

@Zeena M. Pliska on Facebook

Andrea J. Loney is an award-winning author of picture books including CURVE & FLOW: THE ELEGANT VISION OF LA ARCHITECT PAUL R WILLIAMS, DOUBLE BASS BLUES, and BUNNYBEAR, as well as the new futuristic chapter book series ABBY IN ORBIT.

andreajloney.com

@andreajloney on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest

@author.andreajloney on Facebook

out now

CURVE AND FLOW: THE ELEGANT VISION OF LA ARCHITECT PAUL R WILLIAMS (illus. Keith Mallett, Penguin Random House Knopf )

ABBY IN ORBIT: BLAST OFF! (illus. Fuuji Takashi, Albert Whitman & Company)

ABBY IN ORBIT: SPACE RACE (illus. Fuuji Takashi, Albert Whitman & Company)

VIP: STACEY ABRAMS VOTING VISIONARY (illus. Shellene Rodney, HarperCollins)

DOUBLE BASS BLUES (illus. Rudy Gutierrez — Caldecott Honor Title, Penguin Random House Knopf)

BUNNYBEAR (illus. Carmen Saldana — ALA Rainbow List, Albert Whitman & Company)

TAKE A PICTURE OF ME, JAMES VAN DER ZEE! (illus. Keith Mallett -- 2014 New Voices Award Winner, NAACP Image Award Nominee, Lee & Low)

NO VOICE TOO SMALL: FOURTEEN YOUNG AMERICANS MAKING HISTORY Picture Book Anthology (illus. Jeanette Bradley, ed. Keila V. Dawson & Lindsay H. Metcalf, Charlesbridge)

coming soon— PRE ORDER

ABBY IN ORBIT: ALL SYSTEMS WHOA! (illus. Fuuji Takashi, Albert Whitman & Company April 1, 2023)

And the Nile flows from Poem to Picture Book...Coming to you from Cairo

Because I am in Cairo in this minute and because it is Poetry Month and Poetry Friday, it seems appropriate to flow into a poem by an Egyptian poet...

River Nile

behold how the River Nile generously flows

and hugs the banks with its gentile waves

it flows and smiles to the sun above

it flows as the blood inside a body

it flows as the breaths inside the lungs

it flows to greet farms and gardens

it flows and waters thirsty throats

it flows and waters flowers and trees

it flows and offers fish for food

it flows and floods the dry soil

it flows through a valley of its creation

it flows beside great pyramids and temples

it flows to crown a heavenly land

it says: ''take my waters and grow''

it says: ''let my immortal waters flow''

it says: ''within my surge life awakens''

omar ibrahim

(To go to the website that features this poem click here)

...and then flow into a preview of my upcoming picture book, Egyptian Lullaby. (If you're unable to see the video below, you can watch it online here.)

During my first visit to Cairo, my Aunt Zina said, "Once you drink from the Nile, you will always return."  She was right. over the past 40 years, I have returned over and over to visit my father and family.  Cairo is a part of my heart.  Her words were the inspiration for my upcoming picture book, Egyptian Lullaby, due out in April 2023 by Roaring Brook Press.  It is my love letter to Cairo and captures my own longings when I am away for too long from my family's homeland. (You can watch the following video here.)

It is a reminder to my daughter that she too has drunk from the Nile and maybe throughout her time, Egypt will beckon her back as well.

Time was lost during the pandemic lockdowns. We all lost something.  For me, I was robbed of the time I would have spent with my father and my aunt.  We were not able to return for those two years. They have both passed now.  My aunt in June and my father four weeks ago today. He passed before I could get back. 

But the mighty Nile reminds me that Cairo will always contain their hearts and spirits.  They will never be truly gone as long as the Nile continues to flow.

(You can also watch the above video here.)

Time is measured by humans, a human construct if you will.  From where I stand...here...overlooking the Nile...time is in the moment...in the present...fleeting like the wind that billows in the sails of the boat that floats down the river. 

Through the city, is the street that leads to my father's apartment. My father, who passed away three weeks before I arrived here. A human lifetime. His was long by human standards but relatively short by other measures.  

And in the distance, are the Pyramids of Giza.  They have stood unchanged by time over many, many lifetimes...much like the Nile.  Time is relative. A construct of humans to measure our existence. It flows.

By Zeena M. Pliska

Author of 

Hello, Little One: A Monarch Butterfly Story illustrated by Fiona Halliday

Published May 12, 2020 Page Street Kids

Egyptian Lullaby illustrated by Hatem Aly

Published by Roaring Brook Press Due out April 2023

For more info about me click here

If you are unable to view the videos:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHyXRmhRmd1vRqVsnPvz9dA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1qQbj3XWBY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH4wXcE5c6I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikDKmB6lxgs

THIS VERY BOOK, THIS VERY YEAR…

“Children’s books do important work,” I emphatically remind my students and writers throughout my classes, workshops and meet-ups. “They help young readers make sense of their world.”

But some children’s books - for instance Sean Rubin’s beautiful and important This Very Tree (Henry Holt, 2021), help readers of all ages, especially when their world experiences a traumatizing hurt. Think: the events of September 11, 2001.

The book’s subtitle, though written above the title, says it all: A STORY OF 9/11, RESILIENCE, AND REGROWTH. 

The story is that of a Callery pear tree planted in New York City in the 1970’s.  Every year it ushered in the spring until September 11, 2001, when everything changed. Workmen uncovered one branch of the pear tree amidst the rubble in October.  One limb remarkably offering up leaves! A fighter tree if ever there was one, because, once moved to be nurtured, fed and cared for, nurserymen returned the tree to Vanquillen Park where it thrives today. This Very Tree tells the tree’s triumphant story, and how our nation continues to recover from this tragedy.

Two other children’s picture books published this summer paid tribute to the 20^th Anniversary of 9/11: Charlesbridge’s Branches of Hope, written by Ann Maggee and illustrated by Nicole Wong, and Little Brown’s The Survivor Tree, written by Marcie Colleen and illustrated by Aaron Becker.

In This Very Tree, the pear tree tells her story.  Her voice grabbed me from the get-go.

 On a personal note, I began teaching my very first Picture Book Workshop at the Newberry Library, Wednesday, September 26, 2001, 15 days after that unforgettable Tuesday. Sadly, I was one of many who experienced a personal and indescribable loss that day, that of my young nephew, our family’s first-born grandchild – a much-loved husband, father, son, son-in-law, grandson, brother, cousin, friend, colleague, a loss that still tears at my heart. I was wobbly, to say the least. I remain forever grateful to my students that first year for blanketing me with their kindness that Fall.

This past September, the 20^th Anniversary of my Newberry Library Picture Book Workshop, how could I not choose This Very Tree as my featured picture book for the semester?

• In pure Show, Don’t Tell fashion, writers could see the important work children’s books do.
• They could see me, Living Proof that, in time, healing happens.
• By sharing other picture books that told the same story, they could see the infinite possibilities available when telling a story. Indeed, each successive week, I presented three picture books that came at the same story three different ways.
• And what Writer, as well as Human Being, doesn’t need to know about Resilience and Regrowth?

The Callory pear tree, the first tree to blossom in Vanquillen Park, continues to inspire.

         “… everyone who sees my flowers knows that spring will come.”

FYI: you can learn more about this Life-affirming pear tree here.

You can also click on this YouTube video.

Each year three communities that endured tragedy in recent years receive seedlings from the Survivor Tree, thanks to the Survivor Tree Seedling Program.

I offer sincere thanks to my fellow TeachingAuthors – and you, our TeachingAuthors readers – for helping me make it through yet another CrazyCrazy Year…with the knowledge, of course, that Spring will come again.

Let’s keep keepin’ on!

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.

Thanks to Jone at Jone Rush Macculloch for hosting today’s Poetry Friday.

Gwen Neiman Levy’s Student/Writer Success Story + Book Giveaway!

 Oh, how Time flies when we’re realizing our Dreams!

You first met Gwen Neiman Levy, the star of today’s Student Success Story, here, in my March, 2020 post, when I lauded her determination for pursuing her Dream to write and publish a picture book about 2 BFFFs – 2 Best Feathered Friends Forever.

The true story of two unlikely friends, a Duck and a Turkey, had been living inside her head, her heart and her computer for more years than she could count.

Fast-forward 2 ½ years to today’s post celebrating the September release of Gwen’s timely picture book What the Cluck? (SimonSawyerPublishers), beautifully illustrated by Anna Curry.

Gwen knew: she was publishing this story!  There was truly no stopping her!

Throughout the time Gwen and I worked together, first in class, then next independently, her steadfastness to her Dream, no matter the obstacles, kept me leaping and keepin’ on.

I’m certain reading her Writer’s story will inspire you to do the same.

As for the story she wrote and published? Just enter our Book Giveaway at the end of this post to win your very own copy of What the Cluck?

Though it might sound tongue-in-cheek, I applaud Gwen’s pluck pursuing her Dream to publish a story about two feathered friends.

We all know how stultifying it is to begin at Step One in pursuit of any endeavor, artistic or not.

Yet Gwen continued forward, first learning her craft, honing her craft, fine-tuning her story, readying her story for readers, only to then need to learn  - as well as - conquer the ins and out of independent book publishing.

Again, and fortunately, there was truly no stopping her.

Take heart from Gwen’s story, as well as that of Myles’ and Sophie’s.  Then be sure to enter our Book Giveaway of Gwen’s debut picture book What the Cluck?

Oh, and thanks to our former TeachingAuthor Laura Purdie Salas for hosting today’s Poetry Friday at Small Readers for Brighter Days.  

Happy Dream Pursuing!

Esther Hershenhorn

. . . . . . . . . .

Readers will be happy to learn: there's a REAL Sophie and Myles! Please share how this story came to be.

The inspiration for What the Cluck? began with my fascination watching a friendship grow between a duck and a turkey on a small farm in Sawyer, Michigan.  My children and I visited the farm on weekends so they could come to know life on the farm.  Isobella, Myles and Sophie are the names of my beloved grandchildren.

Why do you think this "unlikely friendship" story is especially relevant today?

What the Cluck? tells a story about inclusion, acceptance, befriending those who are different - all necessary mind-sets for today's children in a world filled with uncertainty and prejudices.  I personally know that lessons of inclusion can begin at an early age.  Rogers and Hammerstein wrote "South Pacific" in 1949.  Both the song "You Have to Be Carefully Taught" and the musical received scrutiny for addressing the subject of relationships between difference races and ethnic groups.  I was 10 years old when I first heard the song. I am now 82 and certainly not enough progress has been made in the last 72 years.  However, we must not lose hope.  I know we will have peace and harmony some day.

YOU are new to writing for children. Yet you chose one of the most challenging formats to master - the Picture Book. What were some of your biggest challenges in telling this story to young readers?

When I began seriously working on the story that had sat unfinished in my computer for several years, I knew absolutely not one single thing about the world of authors, illustrators, publishers, book designers, website designers, public relations - and - writing.  All I knew was: I needed help!

Then...Esther Hershenhorn came into my life! I took her one-night-only class at the University of Chicago's Graham School's Writer's Studio and realized I'd found the person to help me finish my story.

Once the manuscript was ready for publication, I faced the challenge of putting together a team to help me independently publish the book.  When Anna finished her illustrations, TLC Book Design helped me put the book together so it was ready for printing.

Though a picture book is 50% words + 50% illustrations, the two elements miraculously total 150%. Please share how you discovered Anna Curry and how you worked with her as she brought Myles and Sophie and your story to the page.

Midway through the process I decided to change illustrators. I spent hours on the computer surfing the net. I must have looked at the portfolios of a thousand illustrators.  Finally, I narrowed my choice to two, then decided on Anna, who is represented by Shannon and Associates in New York.

Anna grew up on a farm in northern England and still resides on a farm.  She was the perfect illustrator to capture the essence and spirit of my characters.  She does not computer-generate her images.  All of her work is original and hand painted.  Each character is unique and expressive.

The long distance between us created delays and many emails suggesting additions and corrections.  But we worked well together, sharing ZOOM calls with my TLC team.

The final paintings are just wonderful.  They bring life to my words.

You worked non-stop, 24/7 to realize your Dream of bringing What the Cluck? to the hands and hearts of readers.  What Joys have you experienced, both expected and unexpected?

I feel such joy because I made my Dream come true! I published my children's book! Being 82 was a challenge. I needed to learn additional computer skills to communicate with my team members.  But I did it!

I realize now that if you have an idea and you are determined to develop it, your age doesn't matter.  You can do it!  It takes patience, concentration, research, finances and the love for what you are creating, whatever that art form.

I've received unexpected joy from my family's and friends' compliments and support.  When they say they are proud of me and my accomplishment, I tell them I am proud of me too!

And now that I know how to write a picture book and publish it independently, I am ready to write and publish Book Number Two!

. . . . . . . 

YAY! It's time to enter our Book Giveaway drawing! Use the Rafflecopter widget below.  You may enter via 1, 2, or all 3 options. (Note: if the widget doesn't appear, click on the link at the end of this post that says "a Rafflecopter giveaway" to enter)

If you choose option 2, you MUST leave a comment on TODAY’S blog post or on our TeachingAuthors Facebook page.  If you haven’t already “liked” our Facebook page, please do so today!

If you prefer,, you may submit your comment via email to: teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.

Note: if you submit your comments via email or Facebook, YOU MUST STILL ENTER THE DRAWING VIA RAFFLECOPTER BELOW.  The giveaway ends October 1, 2021 and is open to US. Residents only.

If you’ve never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, here’s info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Take My Picture Book Class From Your Front Porch!

Howdy Campers!  

My fabulous 2019 class with some of their favorite picture books
helps me celebrate my 20th year teaching in UCLA Extension Writers' Program

My 10-week Beginning Picture Book class begins Wednesday, 9/30/20 to 12/9/20 from 3-6pm PST. I'd love to see you in one of those friendly squares. If you're interested, sign up SOON, enrollment's limited. More info at the very bottom of this post.

Welcome to another...

I've been feeling breathless about teaching virtually (see Margaret's wonderful One Word poem on this topic) and yesterday my generous UCLA Extension Writers' Program colleague, Adam McOmber, who also teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts, administered virtual oxygen to me. As so many of you know, the amount of stuff to learn can be freaking overwhelming. But with Adam's help (and the help of my wonderful Program Rep, Ashley Griggs) I'm finally getting it.

Deep breath.

Today's WWW comes from an exercise Adam uses in his novel writing class, which is also a great prompt for picture writers and for poets, with a little tweaking.

photo of Adam McOmber by Ryan Bakerink

He gives each student one chapter of a book. After they've read it, he asks: what are three inspirations you got from this book?

===================================

For picture writers:

1) Read a picture book.

2) Write down three things in this book that might inspire a new picture book or inspire you to rewrite an existing manuscript in a completely different way.

====================================

For poets:

1) Read a poem.

2) Write down three things the poet does that might inspire a new poem or inspire you to rewrite an existing poem.

Try this!  And please let me know how it goes. I really want to know. 

~ UCLA EXTENSION WRITERS' PROGRAM PRESENTS~
Writing the Children's Picture Book

photo of April Halprin Wayland (and Steve, the guy who took her on her first date) by Sonya Sones

when? 10 Wednesdays, 3pm to 6pm PST, 9/30 to 12/9 (no meeting 11/11)

where? Anywhere!

Designed for beginning picture book writers, this fun, fast-paced course surveys the genre's breathtaking possibilities, exploring its art, craft, and publishing practices (what are editors looking for?). You'll compare a wide variety of picture book structures, characters, and themes, and learn how to use voice, poetic and muscular language, point-of-view, repetition, and more. Through a balance of lecture, writing assignments, feedback, and the 10 books you read each week, you'll gain a clear sense of your own writing strengths, the ability to give and receive valuable critiques, and knowledge of the submission process--all in a nurturing community of writers.
Instructor:
April Halprin Wayland is the author of seven picture books, including More Than Enough: A Passover Story (Dial), It’s Not My Turn to Look for Grandma! (Knopf), and New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story(Dial), named Best Jewish Picture Book and winner of the Sydney Taylor Gold Book Award. Ms. Wayland won the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Girl Coming In for a Landing: A Novel in Poems and has won seven poetry awards from the SCBWI. She is a recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Creative Writing.
Our Students Say it Best!
“Not only is April some kind of genius of rhyme and language, but she is a fabulous instructor—clear, endlessly inventive, and no-nonsense. I have learned more than I thought possible and had a great time doing it."

"Every class the three hours flew by.”

"She presented a great combination of whimsy, encouragement and discipline that I thought was the perfect tone for beginners like me."

37609: Picture Book I WRITING-X 441.1; 3 Credits; Writers' Program: (310) 825-941writers@uclaextension.edu
                                           https://tinyurl.com/y5esk2xk  Enrollment limited.

posted by April Halprin Wayland, with the help of Eli and Monkey ~

Five VITABOOKS to Keep Us Keepin’ On!

I’ve always considered tomorrow, June 15 – the middle day of the year’s sixth month, the date that marks the middle of my year.  
Though technically it doesn’t, I celebrate anyway.
It happens to be my Half Birthday. 😊
It’s also the day I realize I’ve kept on keepin’ on for the first 166 days of the year!
Phew and whew, I usually sigh, before declaring, loudly, “YAY me!”

To honor the occasion and to keep on keepin’ on, this year I’ve gifted myself with 5 picture books I’ve lovingly labeled VITABOOKS.
They might not strengthen my hair, nails, skin and bones or vitalize key organs to maximize their function but they sure do fortify my Spirit to ensure I carry on.
I share them today so they can do the same for you.
All are a part of my Summer TeachingAuthor Re-gifting Plan.

This past Wednesday evening, I read aloud Cheryl B. Klein’s WINGS (Atheneum, 2019), illustrated by Tomie dePaola, to inspire and encourage my Newberry Library Advanced Picture Book Workshop students to return to their stories, again and again, until those stories fly.  Cheryl’s text of but 12 rhyming words not only capture a baby bird’s journey to first flight. They shorthand the Hero’s Journey – including the requisite stings and dings we writers experience and the inevitable yet surprising triumphant and soaring resolution we in time come to know.

In four weeks I’ll be sharing Mo Willems’ BECAUSE (Hyperion, 2019), illustrated by Amber Ren, with my Manuscript Workshop writers in Landgrove, Vermont.  “This is how it happened:……..”  the title page declares.  The text and art that follow bring to the page a young musician’s story of how her quest to make music and magic began.  Each of us has a "because," that one person who…, or that one event or thing or circumstance that…, caused us to follow our dream to create.  Remembering and reflecting on that long-ago inspiration can be the perfect Rx to combat any thoughts of not moving forward.

Sudipta Bardhan-Qualien’s CHICKS RULE (Abrams, 2019), illustrated by Renee Kurilla, will be the first picture book I read aloud July 28 in my Picture Book Workshop to my Judson University Doctor of Education in Literacy candidates who happen to be all women.  The story’s Rocket Club’s “No Chicks Allowed” rule leads to chicks banding together, lifting each other up and finally soaring out of this world. How lucky we are to have a community of like-hearted children’s book creators, female and male, ready, willing and able to push us forward.

 

Midway through each of the above workshops, when my writers might be considering their options to continue (or not), I plan to read aloud Danielle Dufayet’s YOU ARE YOUR STRONG (Magination Press, 2019), illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin.  Conquering fear, anger, worry, rejection is possible when we utilize the treasure our strengths offer.

Finally, I’ve chosen Deborah Underwood’s Bearnard, the star of BEARNARD’S BOOK (Godwin Books/Henry Holt, 2019), illustrated by Misa Saburi, to send off any and all on their Writer’s Journeys.  As the flap copy states, “Bearnard discovers that to shine in his story, he just needs to be himself.  That’s just another way to share Dennis Palumbo’s brilliant insightful comforting advice from WRITING FROM THE INSIDE OUT (Wiley): we are enough!

Thanks to Laura Shoven for hosting today’s Poetry Friday.

Five and a half months down.  Six and half months to go.

Here’s hoping the above VITABOOKS keep you keepin’ on!

Esther Hershenhorn

   

5 Years Later, Still Writing the Same Way!

Hello, writers and teachers! It’s lovely to visit with you, and happy 10th anniversary to this wonderful blog!

For my blast from the past, I’ve decided to link to my Wednesday Writing Workout post on writing rhyming nonfiction. I chose this rhyming nonfiction poem exercise because, 5 years later, it still accurately reflects how I go about writing. This trial-and-error, exploratory way of writing nonfiction verse still feels like home to me. The content is king in a nonfiction book, but playing with rhyme can help shape the way and order in which I'm going to share information, and it can suggest various examples and metaphors that I might not have thought of without rhyme.


It’s basically the same way I’ve been writing my nonfiction verse books (though none have been about fences--ha!). After WATER CAN BE..., which I shared also in that post, came A ROCK CAN BE... (Millbrook, 2016), MEET MY FAMILY: ANIMAL BABIES AND THEIR FAMILIES (Millbrook, 2018), and, soon, SNACK, SNOOZE, SKEDADDLE: HOW ANIMALS GET READY FOR WINTER (Millbrook, 2019). I also have two rhyming nonfiction picture books coming out from Bloomsbury in the next few years!


This spring, though, is a Poetry-Palooza celebration, as I have three poetry picture books that have all come out in the past few months. One is nonfiction but not rhyming. One is rhyming poems, but they are pure imagination. And one is haiku riddles, nonrhyming. I have Padlets on each book’s page on my website, so if you feel like trying your hand at some different types of poetry, I hope you’ll jump in and contribute!


SNOWMAN-COLD=PUDDLE: SPRING EQUATIONS (Charlesbridge, ill. by Micha Archer)

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: POEMS FROM A WIDE-AWAKE HOUSE (Wordsong, ill. by Angela Matteson)

LION OF THE SKY: HAIKU FOR ALL SEASONS (Millbrook, ill. by Mercè López)

One other project I've been working on recently is getting some of my resources for children's writers gathered into one spot on my website.I hope you'll stop by to see if you find something useful, like my free Facebook Group or my in-depth articles on how I write a nonfiction picture book or how I research publishers and submit my manuscripts. And I've even joined Patreon, where I'm providing additional resources, like behind-the-scenes videos documenting how I'm writing my current picture book.

Besides all this good stuff, TeachingAuthors is running a giveaway of Cheryl Klein’s MAGIC WORDS. Just go back to Marti’s kickoff post to enter.

And, as it's Poetry Friday, be sure to check out the Roundup at Beyond LiteracyLink with the awesome Carol Varsalona!

Okay, that's it. Thanks for inviting me back! The depth of information shared here is really meaningful. I had fun reading a few of my old posts as well as other posts that caught my eye as I was browsing. You aren’t kidding when you call yourselves Teaching Authors!

xox,
Laura
---
Laura Purdie Salas

Show Don't Tell Me, Mentor Text

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Howdy, Campers ~ happy Poetry Friday!  (my poem and the link to P.F. and are below.)

And the winner of our latest give away--Laurie Wallmark's book, Hedy Lamarr's Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor--is....Katie G!  Katie, a loyal subscriber, also won a TeachingAuthors giveway in 2013. Moral: it pays to hang out in the TeachingAuthors' tree house!

And speaking of the TeachingAuthors' tree house, these days we're up here drinking hot cocoa and sharing how we use Mentor Texts.

Carmela starts us off by defining what mentor text is and more; Bobbi's post talks about what 54 TV years of Doctor Who can teach us; and Mary Ann shows us the ways in which she systematically studied picture books (and found love...sort of).

In all my classes I use mentor texts. Show, Don't Tell is the first thing I teach. Even if a student is a published novelist, a renown screenwriter, or a seasoned journalist, it never hurts to be reminded of what Anton Chekov means when he writes: "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."  

image from Pixabay.com by Dana Tentis

In one exercise (created by my son when he was in elementary school), volunteers act out something in silence and their classmates guess what they are trying to convey. We discuss: how did they know the dog was happy, the child was having a tantrum, or the woman was old?  They showed us, they didn't tell us, of course.

The first book I read to introduce Show, Don't Tell is Barbara Shook Hazen's masterful and moving picture book illustrated by the brilliant Trina Schart Hyman, TIGHT TIMES (Viking Press, 1979).

I wish I could put this book in your hands, but I can't, so I'll give you an example of how Hazen shows, rather than tells:

When the child narrator asks why he can't have a dog, his father explains,
"Because of tight times" and continues:

"He said tight times are when everything keep going up.

I had a balloon that did that once.

Daddy said tight times are why we all eat Mr. Bulk instead of cereals in little boxes.

I like little boxes better.

Daddy said tight times are why we went to the sprinkler last summer instead of the lake.

I like the lake better."

I just typed the text of this book. It's astonishing what Hazen does in just 694 words. This book was published at a time it was perfectly acceptable to turn in a picture book manuscript of 1200 words or more!

And having typed this text, I can feel in my fingers that one of the picture books I am working on needs more showing, less telling!

* * *

A month before my mother, a classical pianist, died, I couldn't tell you what I was already missing...I had to show it:

WHERE IS MY MOTHER?
by April Halprin Wayland

Quietly she cries,

“Mama, Mama…”

Eyes half-closed,

she lies blanketed in grief.

Where is my mother:

whirling dervish,

spark of light,

moving, always moving,

striking a match,

setting piano keys on fire?

poem (c)2019 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.

Okay, Campers...do you have favorite picture book that demonstrates Show, Don't Tell?  I'd love to know what it is!

Spread the word: on April 13, 2019 from 9:30 am-4:30 pm, author/illustrator Barney Saltzberg, fiction and nonfiction picture book author Alexis O'Neill and I are reprising our one day class at UCLA, Writing a Picture Book and Getting it Published. Join us!

Thank you, Catherine, for hosting Poetry Friday today at Reading to the Core ~

posted with love by April Halprin Wayland, with help from Mateo, our latest monarch butterfly caterpillar, who is currently looking for a place on our kitchen wall to build his chrysalis. 

Mateo, named after a character in this book

Did you know that monarch butterflies are endangered...and that you can help by raising them?  Just ask beloved TeachingAuthor emeritus, JoAnn Early Macken; click here  for the monarch resources on her website.

Picturebook Prompt ~ Dialogue is Sriracha Sauce

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Howdy, Campers, and welcome to another of our occasional Wednesday Writing Workouts!

 

Next Monday is the last class of this quarter for my Picture Book course...and on Saturday, January 26th, I begin my 20th year of teaching in UCLA Extension's Writers' Program. (HOW CAN THAT BE when I'm only 26 years old?)

We're trying something new next quarter: 10 Saturday classes beginning January 26th from 10am-1pm. (I'm already dreaming of less traffic on Saturdays! Please spread the word to your friends in the LA area: here's the link)

In last Monday's class, we talked about the use of dialogue in picture books and how much fun it is to read these books aloud. I learned early on that including dialogue is like pouring Sriracha sauce on oatmeal. 

image from Pixabay

My first book, To Rabbittown, written in free verse, contains no dialogue. But my second (The Night Horse), third (It's Not My Turn to Look for Grandma!), fourth, (Girl Coming in for a Landing ~ a novel in poems), and fifth books (New Year at the Pier) do.  

I needed a writing exercise to reinforce my lecture. Creating it was like putting together a two-piece puzzle.

image from Pixabay

Here's what inspired this exercise:

1) I heard an excellent presentation at SCBWI's conference in L.A. this August by the always wonderful Candace Fleming about how she wrote the multi-award winning book, The Giant Squid.  One of the things that struck me was that she chooses a word or phrase as her guiding light before she begins researching or writing any book. She calls it the Vital Idea. This isn't a new concept, but the way she presented it helped me understand how crucial this is. The Vital Idea she chose for The Giant Squid was Mystery. Every page, every verb reflects this idea.

2) My friend Ellen recently took an improv class. She reminded me that every idea in improv is answered with "Yes, and..." (For example, if someone is pantomiming and says, "I'm carrying my mother's alligator." the response must be, "Yes, and..."  It's never "No, but...").

So here's my DIALOGUE IS SRIRACHA SAUCE exercise:
1) come up with a Vital Idea (the guiding principle of the story).  

and

2) write a story completely in dialogue. 

A further suggestion, which you can take or leave, is to have one character always start by saying "Yes, and" or "No, but."

As my students settled down to write, I wrote, too. The Vital Idea I chose was: This world is not safe. (That was the first thought that came to my mind...which is just sad). Here's my very raw draft:

NEVER GO TO Z STREET
by April Halprin Wayland
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A: Never go to Z Street: there are tigers.

B: Yes, there are tigers and lobsters with ginormous claws on Z Street.

A: Lobsters with ginormous claws?

B: Yes and poisonous carrots!

A: Poisonous carrots?

B: Yes and they kill you after six bites!

A: Couldn't you just not eat the poisonous carrots?

B: No—poisonous carrots sing to you and you can't help but sit down and lean against them and then they encircle you and all is lost.

A: All is lost because they make you eat them?

B: Yes.

A: They want you to eat them?

B: Yes.

A: Okay. Never go to Z Street: there are tigers and lobsters and poisonous carrots.

B: Yes and also there is a little kid with dangerous and sticky fingers who takes your hand and is forever glued to you.

A: Forever?

B: Yes, except when you're eating a poisonous carrot.

A: Okay, so: never go to Z Street, for there are

B: tigers

A: and lobsters

B: and poisonous carrots

B and a little kid with sticky fingers

B: like mine

A: forever glued to mine.

poem (or whatever this is) © 2018 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved

so...

DIALOGUE IS SRIRACHA SAUCE
.

if you

just use a

teeny bit

or if you use

too much
of it

poem © 2018 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved

Try this exercise, and if you have any suggestions on how to make it better, please let me know! 

April Halprin Wayland