New issues of ASK and ODYSSEY are on their way packed with new information about Mars. Do you wonder how people might survive a trip to the Red Planet? Hint: It might require drinking cleaned and recycled pee. Are you curious about whether life ever existed on Mars? If if did, it sure didn’t look like you and me. Check out my stories, “Adventures in Extreme Recycling” (ASK) and “Calling All Martians” (ODYSSEY).
Merry Christmas!
TITLE: Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library
AUTHOR: Barb Rosenstock
ILLUSTRATOR: John O’Brien
PUBLICATION INFO: Calkins Creek, Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59078-932-2
SOURCE: personal collection
INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 8 and up
GENRE: nonfiction
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“Thomas Jefferson learned to read. And then, he never stopped.”
From the Publisher’s Web site: Thomas Jefferson loved books, reading, and libraries, and he started accumulating books as a young man. This original and lyrical picture-book biography tells the story of how Jefferson’s vast book collections helped to create the world’s largest library, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Filled with excerpts from primary documents, including Jefferson’s thoughts on books, reading, and learning, this title also features John O’Brien’s whimsical and detailed illustrations. Rosenstock and O’Brien worked closely with experts to ensure the text and images are accurate. The book concludes with an author’s note, bibliography, and source notes.
THEMES/TOPICS: history
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Oh, where to start. I’m a big fan of both Thomas Jefferson and Barb Rosenstock. I attended Mr. Jefferson’s University (University of Virginia) and worked as an intern in Monticello’s research department. I adore Barb Rosenstock’s slice-of-life histories. She doesn’t try to tell Jefferson’s whole life story. Instead, she focuses on one particular aspect of his character — his passion for books — and uses that to illuminate a piece of history. And it’s clear that she has researched her topic thoroughly. I am using this book as a mentor text for a manuscript I’m working on.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.
Normally, I review nonfiction picture books, and I have a fantastic one on order. I hope I’ll have it in time for next week. In the meantime, the brightly colored cover of this historical fiction caught my eye at the library.
TITLE: A Good Trade
AUTHOR: Alma Fullteron
ILLUSTRATOR: Karen Patkau
PUBLICATION INFO: Pajama Press, March 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0986949593
SOURCE: library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 5 – 8
GENRE: historical fiction
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“In a small Ugandan garden, a single poppy blooms white in a sea of green.”
This quiet story follows a Ugandan boy as he pumps a day’s supply of water at the village well. Although the day starts ordinarily enough, this day is special. The aid workers’ truck has come with a gift.
THEMES/TOPICS: culture, gratitude, geographic
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Patkau’s bright illustrations originally caught my eye. I grabbed this lyrical book to teach my children about a corner of the world they have no other way to experience. Fullerton shows life in this war-torn part of the world in an age-appropriate way.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.
I’m a big fan of theme-based children’s magazines like ASK, BOYS’ QUEST, DIG, and APPLESEEDS. These publications devote an entire magazine to one subject, like sushi, Germany, wheels, or Mars.
As a reader, I find it fascinating to learn about so many facets of one subject. As a writer, I appreciate the challenge of coming up with a interesting theme-based article.
I like to focus my work on theme-based magazines for a couple of reasons. First, I think most writers want to write what they want to write. They don’t want to be constrained by a theme. I would guess — and this is totally a guess — there is generally less competition when it comes to getting stories into theme-based publications.
Second, if a theme-based magazine rejects an article, it’s easier to pitch the same article to a general interest magazine like SPIDER or HIGHLIGHTS. I find it harder to do the opposite. For example, if you write an article about women sportscasters in the NFL, and a general interest magazine rejects it, it may be harder to shoehorn it into a theme at another publication.
Finding story ideas for theme-based issues can be tough. I would encourage you to go back to your expertise, which we discussed in the first part of this series. Think about how your areas of expertise might relate to the theme. If you volunteer at an animal rescue and the theme is wheels, how might pets use wheels? Oh, right, you’ve seen stories about disabled dogs in special wheelchairs. There’s a story that might captivate kids and be relevant to the theme. If you’ve lived in Germany where speed rules the Autobahn, how might you parlay that into a wheels story?
I can wholeheartedly recommend BOYS’ QUEST and its sister publications FUN FOR KIDZ and HOPSCOTCH as great markets for new writers. You write the entire article, allowing you to build your file of writing samples, and you write to theme.
What kind of experience have you had with theme-based publications?
This is the second in my series about breaking into magazines with children’s nonfiction. Last time, I discussed picking a subject in which you are an “expert” to boost your chances of getting published. Today, I want to encourage you to choose a magazine that asks you to write and submit the whole article.
This may sound silly. Of course you have to write the whole article! But some magazines require only query. A query is typically a sample first paragraph, a brief outline, and a bibliography. Most magazines require new writers to send a resumé and writing samples as well. If the editor likes the query and has confidence in the writer, the editor will assign the article.
Queries are great. They take less time up front. If the editor doesn’t go for your idea, you haven’t wasted hours agonizing over each and every word. But here’s the challenge: where are you going to get those writing samples to attach to your query?
You may be tempted to send a picture book manuscript or a chapter from your latest middle grade. I’ve done that. But the voice and approach might not be appropriate for the magazine.
Sure, you could write up a mock magazine article to send as part of a query. But if you’re going to do that, you might as well send the piece to a magazine and get your first acceptance.
So pick a magazine that asks you to write the whole article. Once you’ve had that first acceptance, you can add that magazine article to your stack of writing samples you submit as part of a query. And now you’ll have confidence in the strength of your writing samples. An editor loved them enough to publish them!
In my next post, I’ll discuss some of the advantages of themed publications, and why I think they might be easier to break into.
Hop on over to Marcie Colleen’s blog for a list of picture books that are better when read together — just like kid-favorite peanut butter and jelly. I added a couple of nonfiction pairings to Marcie’s list. Bon Appetit!
It’s officially back to school time in our house. For the kids, it means back to the classroom. For me, it means back to writing.
Yes, I did some writing this summer, keeping up with my work-for-hire science articles, writing a book proposal and several magazine queries, even completing a couple of magazine articles.
But now it’s time to put a few fresh picture book ideas down on paper and get my work in front of educational publishers.
What does back to school mean for you?
It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday! Here’s a quick writing update before I start the review:
Unrelated: The kids are out of school for Good Friday and Easter Monday, and I’ve planned lots of fun. Today we’re headed to the Natural History Museum of LA to see the dinosaur exhibit.
Now, on to today’s review.
TITLE: The Edible Pyramid: Good Eating Every Day
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Loreen Leedy
PUBLICATION INFO: Holiday House, 1994 (reprinted 2007)
ISBN: 978-0-08234-2074-2
SOURCE: Library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: 5 and up
GENRE: fiction
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“On the day of the grand opening of The Edible Pyramid restaurant, customers lined up to get inside.”
From the book jacket:
“Soup’s on at the Edible Pyramid. The feline host is serving everything a kid needs to eat for a healthy, balanced diet. There are yummy items from every group in the food pyramid and advice on getting plenty of exercise too!”
THEMES/TOPICS: healthy eating, food, exercise, science, nature
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Loreen Leedy is a favorite. She blends factual information with comedic characters and great plots to make highly readable books. I can’t think of a better way to teach kids about healthy eating. One note: the USDA has forgone the “Food Pyramid” in favor of the “My Plate” analogy. However, the information in this book continues to be valid.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.
TITLE: THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT ENERGY
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Loreen Leedy
PUBLICATION INFO: Holiday House, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2220-3
SOURCE: Library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: grades 1 – 3 (publisher)
GENRE: picture book (fact-tion, a nonfiction, fiction blend)
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“Hi there! My name is Erg, and I’m pure energy! Everybody loves a powerhouse like me.”
Join Erg and his friends as they learn about energy, its different forms and how its made. Leedy’s comic-book style book includes hints on how to save energy and resources for learning more about energy.
THEMES/TOPICS: science, energy
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Leedy is one of my favorites. She makes learning lots of fun with her comic-book style art. She has a knack for explaining complex concepts simply.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.
TITLE: DREAM SOMETHING BIG
AUTHOR: Dianna Hutts Aston
ILLUSTRATOR: Susan L. Roth
PUBLICATION INFO: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3245-2
SOURCE: Library
INTENDED AUDIENCE: age 4 – 8 (Kirkus)
GENRE: picture book (nonfiction, I think)
OPENING and SYNOPSIS:
“One chip of tile. Uncle Sam held it in his hand, studying it, his imagination turning like a kaleidoscope. He put it in his pocket. ‘I’m gonna do something big,’ I heard him say.”
Dianna Hutts Aston tells the tale of how a reclusive Italian immigrant spent 34 years building the Watts Towers — now a National Landmark — out of rebar, mesh, broken glass and tile. Then he gave a neighbor the deed to the property and walked away.
THEMES/TOPICS: history, folk art
WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Roth’s collages are the perfect accompaniment to this little-known story, evoking the towers’ mosaics. Aston’s story is a fascinating look at a little-known folk artist told simply for the youngest readers. It sends the message that anyone can be an artist.
RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:
Every Friday bloggers review “Perfect Picture Books.” Find a complete list of book reviews organized by topic, genre and blogger at author Susanna Leonard Hill’s site.
