TWO SPLENDID SEAFARING PICTURE BOOKS + 2 GIVEAWAYS

 If you're like me, you give books as presents. On today's blog, I have two fun books published by Sleeping Bear Press that will make great presents for a young pirate or sailor in your life. Both books use great wordplay which will tickle the ears of both kids and adults.

REVIEWS

PIRATES DON'T DANCE

What happens when a young man (who loves to dance) signs up to be a pirate? Author-illustrator Shawna J.C. Tenney answers that question in this action-packed picture book.

More than anything, Jack wanted to be a pirate. 

......

When Jack heard the 

slosh slosh slap of the waves,

the flip flip flap of the sails,

the creak creak crack of the ship,

he felt the rhythm in his soul

But, he quickly found out that,

Jack danced without knowing it. At sword-fighting practice, he saw the pirates-in-training stumble and fumble. Jack couldn't help himself.

He showed his fellow trainees how to grand jete' over gullies during a treasure hunt. But that got everybody in trouble.

Finally, a feared pirate came on board. Jack and his friends hid and watched.

Jack couldn't just stand by and do nothing--he had to dance! 

It was a fierce battle. In the end, the Captain conceded. "Blimey! Keep dancing, Jack! KEEP DANCING!"

Jack's amazing dancing steps won the battle, the Captain's heart, and the reward of becoming an official pirate. From then on, everyone put their best foot forward.

Parents, grandparents, and teachers will enjoy the pleasure of reading this story out loud and children will enjoy the onomatopoeia and how an unlikely hero wins the day.

To read about Shawna's backstory for writing and illustrating this book, please see this post on Kathy Temean's blog.

Back matter includes an author's note, explanations of dance movements, and pirate speak definitions.

MONSTERS IN THE BRINY

Lynn Becker's rhyming debut picturebook is about mythical sea creatures and the mayhem they cause when they meet up with a boat full of hardy, young sailors. Scott Brundage performs his magic with marvelous illustrations that are as funny and rollicking as the text. 

The first monster who appears even before the first page is a Kraken.

You would

Share some jokes and your best riddle,

Feed her cakes from Cookie's griddle,

Teach her how to bow the fiddle,

Kraken in the briny.

Just when the sailors successfully tame a surly, scruffly, sea goat, the ship gets a visit from a

The sailors 

Keep a bucket at the ready,

Mop his forehead if he's sweaty,

Tuck him into serpent beddy,

Serpent in the briny.

Next, the brave sailors meet a tearful turtle. They find innovative ways to cheer him up.

 Readers will be anxious to find out what sea monster is next. 

How about a hungry hydra?

"Yo! Ho! And up he's rising, Yo! Ho! He's quite surprising,

But wait. 

One of the sailors is sick of shipwrecking monsters.

So,

Yo! Ho! And up we're rising,

Yo! Ho! We're all surprising,

Yo! Ho! We're harmonizing,

Monsters in the briny.

The back matter includes two pages about sea monsters and the music to "Monsters in the Briny" which is based on an old sea shanty about a drunken sailor. 

If you're interested in reading about Lynn's book journey, you can find it on Kathy Temean's blog. 

I recently took a webinar with children's book author Pat Miller. She encouraged picture book writers to look at different frameworks for their story idea. Using a song was one of her suggestions. Now I see how that can work so well--particularly with the imaginative team of Lynn Becker and Scott Brundage. This week Lynn and Scott will share some of the inside scoops behind this sea-faring creation in the Talking Story Facebook group. Don't miss the childhood game that inspired Lynn and some of Scott's drafts! (P.S. If you're not a member yet, just click on the link and request to join it.)

GIVEAWAYS

Please leave a comment by November 23 and let me know which book you're interested in winning. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS IF YOU ARE NEW TO MY BLOG. If you follow my blog or sign up to follow it, I'll give you two chances. 

Congratulations to Theresa Milstein who won SUPERPOWER? from last week's blog. 

THE PEACH PIT PARADE: A World War I Story. An Historical Fiction Picture Book Review and Giveaway

North Carolina picture book author, Shana Keller, is no newcomer to my blog. Some of you may remember Bread for Words, Tick Tock Banneker's Clock, or Fly, Firefly--her three other engaging books published by Sleeping Bear Press.  Her fourth book, Peach Pit Parade is illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. The soft tones Ms. Lucas used speak of Polly's love for her soldier father. The characters' faces portray their emotions beautifully. 

REVIEW

"Polly felt everything change when the whole world got into a fight. A big fight."

The first page of the book shows the front page headline, "U.S. AT WAR!" The reader is brought into Polly's world in this second illustration:

Even though Polly missed her father terribly, she and her mother stayed busy planting a victory garden and thinking of ways to help with the war effort.

Polly's teacher encouraged her students to get involved.

Polly wondered what could she do?

Miss Jennings had a strange request. "The government needs our help to collect all types of fruit pits, especially peach pits."

Her teacher explained that the pits were needed in the gas masks which the soldiers wore. The pits helped absolve harmful gasses. 

A newspaper ad to encourage Americans to save fruit pits.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/570286058/1917-original-wwi-american-red-cross

Polly's next problem was to figure out how to collect enough peach pits to make a difference. She had participated in "send-off" parades when people gave soldiers extra blankets and books when they were leaving. What about a peach pit parade?

Polly shared her idea with her class and her Girl Scout troop. Neighbors, family, friends, and even the local newspaper got excited about the parade.

With Polly in the lead and flutes and cymbals playing, the parade wound through town. 

"In the end of the day, every wagon, bucket, basket, and barrel was filled with pits."

Polly's smile shone brighter than the sun. In that moment, she felt as if the cloud of war had cleared away. Polly finally felt like she was doing all she could, and she couldn't wait to write to her father about the Peach Pit Parade.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

Like Shana's previous books, The Peach Pit Parade is a great addition to the K-3rd grade classroom. You will find additional resources for each one of her books on her website; here is her page for The Peach Pit Parade. This inspiriting STEM book can prompt conversations about war, compassion, service, and how individuals can make a difference. 

Photo Courtesy The Girl Scout Museum at Cedar Hill

https://kdhnews.com/news/local/peaches-other-fruits-weapons-of-war-during-1917-conflict/article_d06830ec-470c-11e6-bbe0-a75370d619e6.html

https://texascooppower.com/patriotic-peach-pits/

BOOK JOURNEY

For an inside view of Shana's book journey and how she became interested in the role of peach pits and the Girl Scouts in WWI, see Kathy Temean's blog.

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment with your name and email address (if you are new to my blog) by July 18. If you prefer, you can email me. Let me know if you are an educator or librarian and I'll put your name in twice. U.S. addresses only. NOTE: If you don't see your comment immediately, don't worry. I screen all comments and then publish them. 

Congratulations to Michelle Tracey who won Footprints Across the Planet last week.

DINO PAJAMA PARTY: A Picture Book Review and Giveaway

It probably comes as no surprise to you, but not only do I enjoy giving books alway--I like winning them too! I was delighted to win Laurie Wallmark's new picture book, DINO PAJAMA PARTY (Running Press Kids, 2021) from Kathy Temean's wonderful blog. I recently featured Laurie with her other new book, Code Breaker, Spy Hunter. Which just goes to show--talented picture book authors can write in a variety of genres!) 

Move over Sandra Boynton (Dinosaur Dance)! DINO PAJAMA PARTY, featuring a cast of rollicking dinosaurs, is sure to be an equally asked for bedtime book. Illustrations by Michael Robertson provide humor which enhances the text. 

REVIEW

This opening stanza sets the stage:

Dinos rock, and dinos roll.

Dinos stomp and dinos stroll.

 

And what else do these pajama-dressed dinosaurs like to do?

They roar, they shriek, they boom, and squeak.

They sing, they dance; they plunk, and strum. "Dinos toot and dinos drum."

They even "come from all around just to play that rocking sound." (Note the band's name!)

Worn out from all that swinging and shaping, 

Dinos yawn,

and dinos drag.

Dinos droop,

and dinos sag.

Dinos toes are getting sore

All the dinos leave the floor.

Finally,

"Fast asleep, 

the dinos snore."

I've tried writing a rhyming picture book and Laurie Wallmark makes it look simple! The text is memorable and incorporates a great beat. Children will develop pre-reading skills as they chime in with the rhymes. 

For more information on the backstory behind this book, please see Laurie's description of her book journey on Kathy Temean's wonderful blog.

GIVEAWAY

To win a copy of this cute bedtime book, leave me a comment (with your email address if you are new to my blog) by noon on December 16th. If you decide to follow my blog or share on social media, I'll enter your name twice.  Continental U.S. addresses only. 

Congratulations to Antoinette Martin who won A FRIEND LIKE YOU from last week's blog. 

How Do I Find An Agent?

 Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won The Middle School Writing Toolkit from last week's blog.

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"May I ask, how do I even begin to find an agent?"

That was the question that Theresa Pierce, a two-time Rowan Salisbury Teacher of Year award winner asked me last week. Theresa has 35 years of experience teaching reading and history. In retirement, she has decided to pursue a new vocation--children's writer. 

I met Theresa through our mutual friend, Joyce Hostetter. Theresa is busy writing as well as learning about writing and publishing. That's a lot to cram in! But as her husband wisely told her, "You didn't get to be a teacher of the year overnight. This writing adventure is new for you. Give yourself time to learn."

My Response

This is a BIG question and it is a BIG learning curve. 

Let me say first of all, that even though I've been working on  Half-Truths for over ten years, I haven't submitted it to an agent because it wasn't ready. As Joyce told me many times, you only want to send a manuscript when you’re sure it’s ready. I thought it was ready several times and even sent it out once--but withdrew it after receiving feedback from Joyce that demanded to be incorporated into the manuscript.   

Agents are busy people. If you make a bad impression the first time, you probably won't get a second chance. Have critique partners, beta readers, and other writers told you that it was ready to go? I am glad that I have waited and kept working on my story. My characters have become more authentic and the storyline keeps getting stronger. It’s a lot of work. 

An agent will read my manuscript soon because I’m participating in a whole-novel workshop that included three beta readers.  I have incorporated these readers' insightful feedback into the manuscript, and now one agent will read the entire book and another will read the first 25 pages. I will receive feedback from both of them which I will evaluate and incorporate before I start my agent search. I have a folder in my inbox just about agents. I will cull through old blog posts and interviews to help me in this process.

By the way, I found this workshop on Kathy Temean’s Writing & Illustrating site. She often interviews agents and they’ll say what they are looking for. You should subscribe to this great blog. And while I'm thinking of it, one reason to join SCBWI is that agents like working with SCBWI members. They know that members are serious about their work.

People meet/find agents at conferences, through Twitter pitches (I have yet to master that—Twitter is pretty much a mystery to me), and through writing magazines. Writer’s Digest has an annual list of agents. I also subscribe to Query Tracker which I highly recommend. It’s a large database of agents and what they’re looking for. It only costs $25 per year and you get frequent updates. You can personalize a list of agents for multiple projects and keep track of your queries. Agent Query is another popular website.

Finding an agent takes time. You want to find an agent who wants what you have written (in my case that is a historical young adult) and then look at their website or wish list and see EXACTLY what they are looking for.  I zero in on agents who are interested in social justice and generational stories. That way when I write my query, I will connect my book to her interest. Writing query letters is an entirely different topic!

I hope this information helps. Yes, there’s a lot to learn about this business!! Writing a great book is only the first part! Be patient and diligent. 

Thank you, Theresa, for asking this question. If any of you are new to the writing-publishing business and want me to answer your question, leave it for me in the comments. I'm not an expert, but I have been in this business for over 30 years and would be happy to see if I can answer it, or at least point you to the appropriate resources. 

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Theresa Pierce's manuscript, Up Dunn's Mountain won first place for Young Adult Literature at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers 2020 Conference. She is a member of Word Weavers and the Daughters of the American Revolution.  

As a historic docent, she shares her volunteer time between the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer and the Rowan Museum in Salisbury. She is also a Toastmaster and speaks to historic groups, senior citizens, and of course, her favorite-- children.  

She is the newest member of the Write2Ignite blogger team and will be blogging about her writing/publishing journey. 

 

Enter Giveaways! Win Books! (And of course, a Giveaway)

 Congratulations to Joyce Hostetter who won For To See The Elephant from last week's blog.

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Book Winner Extraordinaire!

I haven't counted how many books I've given away since I started this blog over ten years ago. All I know is that I love doing it and appreciate the authors and publishers who supply me with books and the people who enter the giveaways. You don't know how fun it is for me to put your names into random.org (a long way off from writing names on slips of paper for my mother to draw out of a hat) and see whose name is chosen.

Margaret Federlin picks a winner of Lisa Kline's book, Summer of the Wolves, 2012

One of my frequent winners is Connie Saunders. I thought that she'd won about 10 books, in fact, it's over 25!  Here's what she had to say:

Shortly after I retired as a public librarian in 2015, I discovered Carol's blog dedicated to books and literacy. Many of the books she features are for children and young adults and I was especially eager to stay informed since my granddaughter Isabella was born shortly after my retirement. Carol often shares a giveaway for the books that she features and I've been very fortunate to win several of these books. My latest win was Just Between Sam and Me by Cat Michaels and Rosie Russell. 

In May, I won Through the Wardrobe by Lina Maslo. It's a great introduction to C.S. Lewis's books.

Here are some of the other books that I've won for Isabella:

I urge all of you to read Carol's blog. She features outstanding books and gives you a chance to win some of them. You can earn multiple entries by sharing on other social media so you need to Read--Enter--Share!

What are Your Favorite Giveaway Blogs?

I win children's books from Kathy Temean's blog, Writing and Illustrating, and from Rosi Hollenbeck's blog. How about you? Where do you win books?

Giveaway

This blog wouldn't be complete without a giveaway. Today I'm giving away The Middle School Writing Toolkit by Tim Clifford; it will be an asset in every middle school classroom. If you're homeschooling (and who isn't these days?) and feel stuck on writing instruction, this book will help you plan and execute lessons. 

Leave me a comment by January 15 and I'll enter your name. MAKE SURE you leave me your email address if you are new to my blog. I've had several "Unknowns" leave me comments and I can't enter you without a name and email address. If you follow my blog OR share this on social media, I'll enter your name twice. 

I Finished My Book, Now What? Some ABC's of Being Between Books

Congratulations to Theresa Milstein who won Tomorrow's Bread from last week's blog.

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One of the television shows my husband and I enjoy is Chopped. Besides watching the incredible creations the cooks come up with out of their mystery baskets, I like the final second when the cooks' time is up. They throw up their hands and step away from the plates. There is nothing more they can do.

That's how I felt last week when I typed "The End" on HALF-TRUTHS, tweaked it a few more times, and pressed SEND.

After over eleven years, my young adult historical novel was on its way to an agent. 

NOW WHAT?

I step back, but I'm not about to throw my hands up in the air.

Instead, here's a peak at what will keep me busy--and keep me from checking my email every minute of the day as I wait for an answer. 

A is for agents. I'll continue to work on my list of agents who I'll query next. I have a folder in my email box in which I've been saving agents I've read about who are interested in YA historical novels; most of them from Kathy Temean's excellent blog, Writing and Illustrating. (If you are serious about writing or illustrating for children or teens, you need to follow this blog.) I'll study each agent's wish list and if I think they're a good fit, I'll move their name and agency information to my list on Query Tracker. For $25.00/a year you get the premium membership with many benefits. 

B is for brochure. Mine is out of date and it'll probably take hours for me to come up with a new design template. Not my favorite thing to do. 

Old brochure.

C is for clean up my computer. I keep running out of room on my hard drive! Time to move photos and files. 

A little old-school, I know. But I still like them!

D is for dentist. Overdue.  

E is for EQUAL.  

Joyce Hostetter sent me the manuscript for her last book in the Baker Mountain Series several months ago. She has given me a tremendous amount of feedback and input into HALF-TRUTHS. Time to return the favor. 

F is for the Federlin files.

One of Henry Federlin's genealogy lists.

I inherited many things from my father, Henry Federlin, including his desire to document his life. I have two folders full of papers that he saved which I promised to copy for my brother and sister.  

I is for Instagram. 

Apparently Instagram (not Facebook!) is the way to connect with teen readers. I have an account, but have only a smidgen of knowledge how to use it. 

L is for lunch with friends.

via GIPHY

 (my friends are less furry but I couldn't resist this!)

M is for Marguerite Higgins.

While researching HALF-TRUTHS, I came across Marguerite Higgins, a journalist who covered WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. She becomes Kate's heroine and perhaps, my subject for a non-fiction picture book biography. 

M is also for Dr. Marie Maynard Daly.

I also discovered Dr. Marie Daly, who becomes Lillian's heroine. I think she would make an excellent subject for a non-fiction picture book biography. 

S is for Scrivener 3.  

See comment on Instagram above about learning something new. Except that I've begun my next book in both Scrivener 2 and 3. First off: figure out how to import one to the other.

T is for Talking Story.  Our fall issue is on Native Americans and First Nations. 

T is also for THREADS. The working title for my sequel to HALF-TRUTHS.  

Charlotte textile industry roots
Image courtesy Bank of America.
https://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/our-story/charlottes-textile-industry-roots.html#fbid=oK529mgLEX0

The textile mills are as much a part of Charlotte, NC's history as the Jim Crow laws. The story will take place in 1954, involve the textile mills, and revolve around Frank, Kate Dinsmore's younger brother, and Isaac, Lillian Harris's older brother who has just returned from his service in Korea. 

W is for Write2Ignite. Our annual conference is less than two weeks away and I need to finish getting ready. I'm giving three talks for teens and am excited to encourage these burgeoning authors. There's still time to register!

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How about you? What do you put off doing until you've completed a project? 

Which item on my "to do" list will I tackle first? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

Her Fearless Run: A Picture Book Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won Gayle Krause's Once Upon a Twisted Tale on last week's blog. As she's found out, it pays to enter twice!!

Not only do I give away books, but I enter giveaway contests myself. Recently I won Her Fearless Run (Page Books, 2019) by Kim Chafee and illustrated by Ellen Rooney from Kathy Temean's blog. (By the way, if you're interested in writing or illustrating for children, this is a blog you want to follow!) I'm pleased to share this book with you and the young runners in your life. 

REVIEW

Ever since she was a young girl, Kathrine Switzer loved to run. As a twelve-year-old, she would mark her laps with a piece of chalk on a tree along her route. 

The mailman stared. The milkman asked if she was okay. Because in 1959, it was strange to see a girl running.

Girls weren't supposed to sweat. Girls weren't supposed to compete. They were too weak, too fragile, for sports. That's what most people thought.

But not Kathrine.

Kathrine loved running so much that when she went to college and didn't find a women's running team, she joined the men's team. She learned about the Boston Marathon and decided she wanted to train for it. When she told the volunteer team manager and her coach, Arnie Briggs, her dream he replied, "Women can't do that kind of distance. They can't run that long."

"But I run six or even ten miles with you every night!" Kathrine shot back.

Determined to prove that she could complete the marathon, Kathrine ran despite bitter cold, snowbanks, and swollen toes. She even had to cut triangle wedges out of her sneakers to get them on her feet.

On April 19, 1967, 741 runners registered (a record!) and Kathrine was the only woman with an official number. Even though a race official attempted to push her out of the race, Kathrine ran on. 

For a moment, Kathrine wondered if she should quit. She still had twenty-four miles to go.

Suddenly, finishing wasn't just about her. If she quit now, no one would believe that a woman could run a marathon. People would still say women weren't supposed to sweat. Women weren't supposed to complete. They were too weak too fragile. They shouldn't be allowed to run.

When she rounded the final corner and crossed the finish line, reporters surrounded her and asked what made her run the Boston Marathon.

Her answer was simple. "I like to run. Women deserve to run too."

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away this inspirational picture book to one fortunate individual. Share this blog on social media or become a new follower of my blog and I'll enter your name twice. Make sure you tell me what you have done in the comments and leave me your email address if you are new to my blog.

Teachers: You can download a classroom guide for use in grades 1-6. 

Picture Book Bonanza!

As a book reviewer and blogger, I'm now in the happy position of receiving packages of books in the mail. How cool is that? Here's some of the books I received recently as well as two I won from Kathy Temean's blog. 

W is for Welcome: A Celebration of America's Diversity

(Sleeping Bear Press, April 2018)

From, 

A is for America, A dreamer's destination, made up of people who are here due to immigration.

To, 

Z is for Zeal On Independence Day, we all can celebrate how people of all stripes (and stars) have made this country great.

Author Brad Herzog, along with over 15 different artists, has created a sweeping mural celebrating America's diversity. Each letter of the alphabet includes a short poem for young readers and a longer exposition of the topic for older students. Every page teaches readers about famous as well as not so famous immigrants, why people emigrate from their homelands, and how immigrants built (and continue to build) America. This is a great classroom resource which Joyce Hostetter and I will give away in the spring issue of Talking Story on Prejudice.

Don't Forget Dexter
(Two Lions, 2018)

In this fun book by author-illustrator Lindsay Ward, Dexter, a stuffed dinosaur, has lost his best friend, Jack.  Dexter looks all over the place for Jack and tries his best to get him back. Asking the lady at the front desk doesn't help--she's busy talking on the phone. Singing loudly, swishing his dangerous tail, chopping with his big teeth--nothing works! His worries of being abandoned are only relieved when Jack finally finds him. Young children may not realize it--but their subtle fears of abandonment are playfully and sweetly addressed. This is the first book in Ward's new series about Dexter. The next one, It's Show and Tell, Dexter looks equally fun!

Roof Octopus
(Sleeping Bear Press, March 2018)

This is a book that you have to read and see to believe. Lucy Branam's debut picture book is a fanciful combination of a story that young children will be immersed in along with vivid and imaginative illustrations by Roge´rio Coelho. I read this book to a 3-year-old and she totally understood that an octopus could live on the top of an apartment building. No mistake about it, an octopus can help deliver mail, be a swing for three friends, or help walk a dog. This would make a great baby shower gift or simply a beautiful book to add to your family's collection. 

Sterling Children's Books
(2017)

Every child wants to be the star of the show. In fact, first-born children usually ARE the stars that are photographed, cuddled, and made to feel famous by relatives, grocery store attendants, and even ordinary people walking down the street. Everything was perfect for Phoebe until a co-star is born. Life suddenly goes downhill when Phoebe is more like a personal assistant, than a star. Until...Phoebe gets her big break, steals the show, and gets her baby sister to laugh for the first time. This delightful book by Lori Alexander, is a perfect present for a first child dealing with the birth of a sibling. That's why I'm saving it for my granddaughter when her baby brother is born!

GIVEAWAY

If you are interested in receiving W is for Welcome, leave me a comment and I'll add your name to the giveaway list. The drawing will occur at the end of April in conjunction with the next issue of Talking Story. PLEASE leave me your email address if you are new to my blog so I can contact you if you win!