An awesome place to read Children's Books Online: We Give Books

I have recently discovered a wonderful resource for children's books online called "We Give Books," a relatively new digital initiative that allows anyone with internet access the ability to read a large, quality selection of children's book titles. Check out there video below to find out more.

So far I have read and loved the following stories:

1. Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd - A witty, modern day parody of a classic picture book.
2. Start Saving, Henry  by Nancy Carlson - A fun tale that illustrates the benefits of saving vs. spending. 
3. Dog Wants to Play  by Christine McDonnell - Sparse with words, but fun and slightly rhyming. Follows dog on a search for a 'today' playmate.

 It's a great way to help me research picture books to grow my writing skills as well as search for new, fun, or even classic titles that the children I work would enjoy.

Library Days: Laguna Beach Library

Today, the hubby and I spent the day in Laguna Beach. A cozy breakfast at Heidelburg Cafe followed by a casual stroll and a breezy ride on the free shuttle. I took many deep breaths of salty, fresh-sea air. And then do you know where I wanted to go? The library, of course!

We both brought our laptops and found comfy chairs to lounge in. We had a lovely ocean view. The sunscreeny smell throughout constantly reminded me that the beach was only yards away. We stayed for hours.

I explored the children's book section and found so many amazing picture books to read.

Like these ones.

All the new picture books were displayed here.

There was even a vacant orange couch for me to relax and savor each page. I love exploring libraries in different communities. 1 part research + 1 part writing + 1 part relaxation = One very happy writer.

Leaving Room

When writing picture book texts have you ever heard the following advice?  

'You must leave room for the illustrations.'

I know I have.  As a largely intuitive person, I have soaked in the knowledge from classes, conferences, workshops, and reading slowly over time. I can compare my picture book texts from two years ago to texts from today and see a difference -- more room.

So how can you achieve this in your own writing? Here's a few things that have worked for me.

1) Reading at least 30-40+ classic & new picture books.

     I don't just mean flip through the pages, get the general gist of the story, and the add it to your 'read' pile.  I mean really read the story.  Put yourselves in a child's shoes.  Read each page aloud, and then stop to enjoy the illustrations on each page.  How are those illustrations adding to the story? Do they make you feel happy or sad? Do they make you laugh?  Do they make you want to turn the page and find out what happens next?  

2)  Break your picture book text up into scenes, and create a storyboard.

     I am not an Author//Illustrator, but I do like to break the story up into scenes and make a storyboard.  Granted, these are things the Author may not have much control of during the publishing process, but at this point that is not really what it's meant for.  This process gives you the ability to know if what you have written works as a picture book. Are there at least 12-16 distinctly different scenes?  Another added bonus is that it might help you envision changes in the text you may not have seen before.  Perhaps you've written something that is too wordy or has too many descriptions.  Or perhaps there may be an added emotional layer you didn't see before.

 

12 x 12 in 12

It's official! I've signed up to for the 12 x 12 in 2012 Challenge hosted by Julie Hedlund!

What is this challenge all about?
The premise is simple. Write 12 full picture books (with a beginning, middle, and end) in 2012. It's ok if they're not submission ready. The idea is just to put pen to page, while motivating yourself and other writers in the process.  You can even earn prizes!! How about that?

I know, I know -- writing 12 full length picture books sounds like a daunting task, but as long as you have the intention of completing them, it's worthwhile to sign up!  I have heard of so many writers' success stories from their PiBoIdMo ideas, including its founder, Tara Lazar.

So far I have have completed one story in 2012 for the 12x12in12 Challenge, and two from the PiBoIdMo 2011 Challenge.  Who knows? Maybe one of them may be my next published story...

Good luck to everyone, whatever your 2012 endeavors might be.  Enjoy the process!

Progress Report 3/12/12 -- 3 down 9 to go!

The joy of REAL books

One of my writer's group friends shared a wonderful video with me the other day called 'The Joy of Books'. Ahhh -- Nothing can compare to the feel of a real book in your hands, the gentle flipping of its pages, the cozy paper smell in your nose...

This is especially true with children's books and their gorgeous illustrations. I can still recall my own childhood days and how I envisioned the books in the bookstore coming alive, much like the ones featured in the video below. 

Enjoy!

So Long Summer...Hello September!

So long Summer! This will go down in my books as the first summer I spent seriously devoted to writing! If I were an apple farmer I would say I had an abundant harvest this summer.  Here is just a partial list of things I accomplished.

❦ I attended my first SCBWI Summer Conference.

❦ I joined a Peer Critique Group!

❦ I connected with another Children's Writer in my neighborhood!

❦ I read 30+ picture books.

❦ I took 2 online writing courses.

❦ I wrote 4 new short stories and made progress on my Middle Grade WIP.

❦ I learned how to use a "twitter hashtag."

❦ I received my first acceptance...more news to come soon on that front!

It was a beautiful summer.  It felt so right to surround myself with writing, reading, and learning about children's literature.

Hello September! I'm back to work. I'm ready!  Just like a great harvest leads to delicious apple pie, I'm hoping my summer will lead to a fruitful fall!

Library Picture Book Round-up: Week One

I have made it my mission this summer to visit the public library at least once a week.  My goal is to read and study picture books to better understand their construction, find out what kids like, and improve my writing.

This week I read:
Press Here by Hervé Tullet
Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
Epossumondas plays Possum by Coleen Sally
Father's Day by Anne Rockwell
Herbert, the True Story of a Brave Sea Dog by Robyn Belton
and Calvin Can't Fly by Jennifer Berne

What I saw with my writer eyes...
I was delighted to see the similarities in the structure of these books. I was able to identify right away which books followed a traditional "picture book" paradigm and which were "concept" books. I took notes on when the books were published, by what publisher, and their word counts -- all useful, valuable information for me.

This week's standouts were:
1) Press Here by Hervé Tullet
 I thought this book was wonderfully imaginative and interactive (the phrase "why didn't I think of that?" comes to mind.) I know I will be sharing this book with my kindergarten group in the Fall.



2) Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
I was in awe of this book. It made me laugh. It had lovable, relatable characters. And it had an awesome story. It hooked you in right away through the words and illustrations, all in approx. 100 words. That is not an easy feat! If you are looking for a fun, quick read, with the added bonus of teaching a bit of rhyme, I highly recommend this book.

I also quietly observed to see what kinds of books children, parents, and teens were drawn to.  The buzz this week: Princess Books, Star Wars, and Halo.