READ-4-LUCK: Sing, Sophie! by Dayle Ann Dodds

READ-4-LUCK is the weekly feature that acts as a book recommendation, book review, teaching tip, and writing lesson for children, parents, teachers, and writers.

 = Not bad. Might read twice.
 = Fun read first few times. Would get from library again.
 = Very enjoyable. Wouldn't mind owning a copy.
 = Awesome! Never tiresome for children, parents, teachers, or writers. May just have to buy this book.

This week's pick is Sing, Sophie! by Dayle Ann Dodds, illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger.

Although no one else in her family likes her loud voice,
Sophie's singing may be the only thing to soothe her baby brother during a thunderstorm.

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Year: 1997

Word Count: 660
Book Level: 2.7

Age: 4-8

Topic: Singing, Family

Theme: Perseverance

First Page: 

     Little Sophie Adams had a voice so big folks claimed they could hear her from Corn County clear to the Oklahoma border. "I looooooove to sing!" said Sophie, strumming her guitar.

RATINGS
CHILDREN:  Children love to hear the words of Sophie's songs. They're hilarious. And if you actually sing it to your children, they'll love hearing Sophie's songs even more. They can totally identify with being turned away because somebody doesn't like what they're doing.

PARENTS:  If you love music and don't mind singing to your kids, then this one's a winner. The word play is so much fun.

TEACHERS:  Perfect for an intro to a music unit. Could use to talk about rhyme, family relations, or country western life. Simple story pattern to teach writing.

WRITERS:  Can you say "VOICE!" Sophie's is spot on! A real cowgirl! "Yippee-ky-yee! Yippee-ky-yuu!" Try writing your own "song" book in the voice of an astronaut, or paleontologist, or teacher, or mother, or plumber, or carpenter...

Be sure to visit other "perfect picture books" at Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

Keep on keepin' on...

Inspiration vs. Willpower

Can't write? Not feeling the MUSE? I know we all feel like there's never enough time, but do you ever feel like you have to be inspired before you can actually write? I know many of us feel this way from time to time. My theory is that the flow, the muse, the inspiration FOLLOWS the WILLPOWER. It's not really a matter of X vs. Y.

Here's a few analogies to help you fight the urge to procrastinate.

1. PARENTING - Dr. James Lehman is a master at helping parents learn how to parent children with bad or difficult behaviors. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." He likes to say that you can lead a horse to water and you can't make him drink, but you CAN make him THIRSTY. The idea is that you can make a child behave through giving effective consequences. With writing, the thirst is the act of writing. The drink is the muse. It seems backwards, I know, but hear me out...
2. PRAYER - Brigham Young once said, "If you don't feel like praying, pray until you do." Another quote: "It matters not whether you or I feels like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray. If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do." With writing, simply substitute the word 'write' for 'pray.'
3. RUNNING - In Chris Crowley's Younger Next Year, he says it's imperative to our health to exercise six days a week. His motto is "Just show up!" I find that I often do not feel like running, but I know if I just show up to the water trough and start walking, I'll get thirsty for the euphoric RUN. Same with writing, if we just sit down to write, even if we're "thinking" for 15 minutes, we'll eventually start writing. OR - if we just start writing (walking), we'll soon start to feel inspired. The story will click and everything will make sense and we'll feel like we're getting some good writing accomplished. We'll be drinking the water, feeling the spirit, and running the race.

If you want to read more about finding the balance of willpower vs. inspiration, read Kristi Holl's post about Writing in the Flow.

Now, go WRITE! And keep on keepin' on...

HIGH FIVE #13: Julie Fulton Talks About a "Greedy" Picture Book

Today, I have with me Julie Fulton, author of Mrs. MacCready Was Ever So Greedy. Here’s a big HIGH FIVE congratulations to you!

Title:  Mrs MacCready Was Ever So Greedy

Author:  Julie Fulton

Illustrator:  Jona Jung

Publisher:  Maverick Books

Release Date:  May 2011

Word count:  364

Summary:  A humorous story written in limerick-like rhyme. In the small town of Hamilton Shady there is rather a large problem: Mrs MacCready won’t stop eating. The silliness of the situations carry an underlying message in a very funny way.

"Mrs MacCready is ever so greedy.Her neighbours do what they can,       But she gets bigger and bigger       Till nothing will fit her.Then everything ends with a bang."

Question ONE: What are five of your favorite picture books? Just five mind you…

Just five? I’ll try!

I could pick any of Julia Donaldson’s rhyming stories. The way she handles the rhythm and rhyme is amazing, but my all time favourite has to be Room on the Broom.  We have all the recognised elements of a good picture book - repetition, pace, structure, focused theme and an important life lesson. Most of all, it’s a great story that captivates children!

My next two come from my own childhood.  P. D. Eastman’s  Are You My Mother? and One Fish, Two Fish by Dr. Seuss. I love all his nonsense verse, which is probably why Mrs. MacCready sprang into my head one day!

Fourth, I’ll settle on The Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French. This works on so many levels and could be for adults or children.  It nearly ended up in my husband’s Christmas stocking! As an ex-teacher I can see so much in it that could be used in the classroom, but it’s such a joyous, simple read too.

Finally I would have to choose Not Now, Bernard by David McKee. So few words, so much content. A real cautionary tale that shows no topic need be taboo for children - it’s all about how you handle the material.

Room on the Broom is definitely a fun one! That’s one that begs to be memorized just for the sake of FUN-ness!

Question TWO:  How often did you read to your children when they were younger?

Perhaps surprisingly, for a children’s author, I don’t have any children of my own. I think the reason I’m drawn to writing for younger age groups and enjoy it so much is because I’ve never really grown up myself!

I do remember my mother reading to me at bedtime - Lear, A. A. Milne, Dr. Seuss, and the like - which has obviously left a huge impression. My father also used to make up stories for me at night time. Is that where my desire to create stems from? I know those moments spent together were very special and, although other childhood events have faded from memory, these remain strongly imprinted.

I was wondering how that question might be answered be someone who doesn’t have children of their own. Your answer was delightful and insightful. Lucky for you, you have children all over the world!

Question THREE: How might teachers use your book in the classroom?

Mrs. MacCready eats and eats and eats. It’s a modern day cautionary tale I suppose, though that didn’t cross my mind when I was writing it. It just appeared as a silly rhyme on the page!

I’ve been in several schools and worked with different age groups. The most obvious theme is food and eating well. It fits in to topics on health and well being for younger pupils.

I’ve also used it as a starting point for rhyme and poetry. The verses are similar to a limerick, which children always love to try and create for themselves.

I can imagine a classroom full of children writing healthy food limericks. What fun!

Question FOUR:  What was your road to publication like?

a)   How many revisions did your manuscript undergo, if you kept count? A couple of words and phrases had to be changed, but otherwise the manuscript is pretty much as it was when I first wrote it down!

b)   What kind of illustrator notes did you use, if any? None! I had no idea about picture books when I submitted and honestly thought I’d really written a children’s poem. My writing class tutor and fellow members were the ones who said I should send it off to publishers because they saw it as a picture book.  I was lucky in that I had a free say in what I did and didn’t like about the illustrations once we got the first sketches. There was hardly anything I thought should change though. Jona did a fantastic job of bringing Mrs. M to life!

c)   Do you have an agent? No. I am beginning to look now, as I have a middle grade manuscript almost ready for submission. Maverick is a fantastic publisher to work with and they have asked me for a mini-series about different characters who live in the town of Hamilton Shady.

d)   How many publishers/agents did you submit to before getting an acceptance letter? Maverick was only the second publisher I tried. I could not believe it when they contacted to say they wanted to meet me! It all happened so quickly, it was surreal. It wasn’t until I spotted my book on the local library shelves that I really accepted the copies on the bookstore shelves were official and hadn’t just been planted there!

Sounds like it was pretty smooth-sailing for you. Unfortunately, not all of us will be that lucky. Good luck finding an agent!

Question FIVE: What are some writing tips you can offer to writers seeking publication?

Never give up!

Know your market. Be certain who you are writing for and what age group. Go to your library and read as many of the books that match your style and genre as possible. Talk to the librarian. They know what’s popular and what’s already been done.

Join a writing group. Feedback from like-minded peers is invaluable. See if there are any critique groups near you. The best thing I did was join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. The support, feedback and information you receive is limitless!

Research! There are books out there that can help you hone your craft. For picture books I’ve found Ann Whitford Paul’s Writing Picture Books very useful. Look through the Children’s Writers and Artists Yearbook to see which agents/publishers are open to submissions and how you should be submitting to them. Attend workshops given by editors/ agents - making that contact is a start. The SCBWI hosts regular events.

And finally, take that chance.  I saw a tiny paragraph in The Writers’ Forum magazine about a picture book publisher called Maverick Books who were actively looking for new authors. I summoned up the courage to send a couple of texts off - and now Mrs. MacCready is being read by children all over the globe!

Congratations again, Julie! Thanks so much for taking the time to be with us today. It was a pleasure to hear your story. Anyone have any additional questions for our guest today? Leave a comment… 


Interested in reading more interviews with debut picture book authors? Just visit my HIGH FIVE page. Keep on keepin' on...

READ-4-LUCK: The Rooster's Gift by Pam Conrad

READ-4-LUCK is the weekly feature that acts as a book recommendation, book review, teaching tip, and writing lesson for children, parents, teachers, and writers.


 = Not bad. Might read twice.
 = Fun read first few times. Would get from library again.
 = Very enjoyable. Would like to own a copy.
 = So glad I read it. Just gotta have my own! Never tiresome for children, parents, teachers, or writers.


This week's pick is The Rooster's Gift by Pam Conrad, illustrated by Eric Beddows.

"Young Rooster thinks his gift is making the sun rise, until one morning when the sun rises without him."

Publisher: HarperCollins

Year: 1996

Word Count: 1950
Book Level: 3.7

Age: 4-8

Topic: Animals (Roosters)

Theme: Character and Values, Friendship, Self-worth

First Page: 

     "Once upon a hill, in a brand-new chicken coop, there were ten tiny chicks who had just broken out of their eggs, dried off, fluffed themselves up and looked around. 

     An old farmer and his wife looked down on them and the chicks heard the woman say, 'Sure hope one of them's a rooster.'

     Then the old couple left the chicks to wonder."

RATINGS
CHILDREN:  Children love crowing with the rooster. It's a bit long, but they really do love it. So sweet.

PARENTS:  The lessons of friendship and understanding are great. The word play in the beginning is lots of fun. Favorite line: "Well I'll be plucked! The sun came up anyway!" The illustrations toward the end are spectacular.

TEACHERS:  Great introduction in 2nd grade for animals, especially if you're going to hatch a few hens of your own. (However, I'm not sure every single word is scientifically accurate...about the eggs?) The lesson of believing in yourself and helping others is a wonderful way to teach character development. Just awesome. Have children write down what they want to be when they grow up. How can they achieve their dreams? What can they do to help someone else realize theirs?

WRITERS:  I give this a three because the challenge is in re-writing this book in your own words, just for kicks mind you, you know, like a lesson and all. Shorten the word count, add more word play. Pick up the pace a bit. What a FUN exercise! Go ahead, try it, you just might like it!

Be sure to visit other "perfect picture books" at Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

Keep on keepin' on...