Friday, February 28, 2014

89 Examples of Craft in Picture Books



PB 14:14 in 2014: THE LIST (and a few winners)
We made it!!! So here are the winners...

Week 1 - PB critique by Kristy Dempsey ... Jackie Wellington 
Week 1 - PB (Dinosailors) by Deb Lund ... Kimberly Callard
Week 2 - PB critique by Alayne Kay Christian ... Damon Dean
Week 2 - PB (April Fool, Phyllis!) by Susanna Leonard Hill ... Lauri Fortino

 *** GRAND PRIZE ***
PB critique by Lori Degman
Writer's First Aid and More Writer's First Aid by Kristi Holl
2013 Book Markets for Children's Writers from me (Christie Wild)
and 30-minute phone consult with Julie Hedlund
 *** WINNER: CECELIA CLARK ***

CONGRATULATIONS, everybody. I'll e-mail the winners tonight to verify your choices. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you to all the followers of the event for visiting our blogs and leaving comments. Hope to see you next year!


And here is THE LIST of the Top 10 Story Elements for Picture Books with all the books we have featured during the last 2 weeks. All books on this list have been published within the last 10 years, from 2004 to 2014. Only one book was reviewed twice and both times it was for character, so that's why it's listed twice (two separate links). Enjoy and visit often!

#1: CHARACTER
#2: CONFLICT
#3: PLOT
#4: DIALOGUE
#5: THEME
#6: PACING
#7: WORD PLAY
#8: PATTERNS
#9: RHYME
#10: BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS
And that's the monster list of mentor texts we all came up with together for studying the top 10 story elements of picture books for 2014. Enjoy! And continue to share the love. I'll be doing a Top 10 Element each month on the 14th from here on out.

Keep on keepin' on...

Thursday, February 27, 2014

PB 14:14 Day 14: BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS with "Wolf Camp"


We made it to Day 14! And we're still alive! You guys are amazing!

I bought this book for my son for Christmas because he loves wolves. And he's 9 and a half. And yes, he loves it, though I wouldn't call it his favorite. That would likely be Pokemon. This is such a fun little book.

Today's focus is Story Element #10, BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS. Isn't it fitting that today is the last day of the blog hop and I'm talking about endings? Yes, I did plan it that way. And sorry, but there will be a spoiler, or else how could we learn about beginnings and endings.

All picture books must have good beginnings and endings, but this one is a great example. Actually many of the books I've featured also have great beginning and endings, such as The Monstore, Too Many Turkeys, Shark vs. Train, Cock-a-Doodle Dance!, and Faucet Fish. So if you're struggling with a beginning or an ending, I would advise checking out those other seven books I just listed.

TitleWolf Camp
Author: Katie McKy
Illustrator: Bonnie Leick
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing, Inc.
Year: 2009
Words: 472

The Beginning
Spread 1:
Maddie showed her mother the flyer.
"Wolf Camp," it said. "Put your child in the wilds."
Maddie was gone for two weeks.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

PB 14:14 Day 13: CHARACTER with "Too Many Turkeys"

Source
I know, I know, I did CHARACTER several days back. It's all good, though. This book is just as awesome. I actually had a hard time deciding on which element to feature. Character? Conflict? Plot? Dialogue? Theme? They're all in here! But character took the prize because of the turkeys! There are just too many turkeys, and I hope you don't think that 14 days of blogging about picture books is too many days. Only one day left.

TitleToo Many Turkeys
Author: Linda Arms White
Illustrator: Megan Lloyd
Publisher: Holiday House
Year: 2010
Words: 1000?

I find that I buy more of someone's books if I have met the author. I actually met Linda Arms White and Laura Backes when they teamed up and did a Bootcamp course in Charlotte, NC in 2010. Side note: want to sell more books? SPEAK!!! Anywhere for any purpose - as long as it's related to writing and literacy.

So, who's the main character in this fun little tale? The turkeys, of course! No, really. Okay, it's either Fred or his wife, Belle, or their uninvited pet turkey, Buford. If you go by who leaves more of a lasting impression, it's definitely not Belle. She's absent for most of the story. Some people might argue that her garden could possibly be another character. It does seem to take on a life of its own throughout the story.

Summary: Belle has the best garden and the best yard in the neighborhood. When it's time for her to go away to her annual birdhouse convention, Fred is left behind to tend the garden.

But one day,

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