Lincoln Clears A Path: A Picture Book Biography

Congratulations to Kathleen Burkinshaw and Carolyn Frazier who won autographed copies of Halli Gomez's book, LIST OF TEN from last week's blog.

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In Lincoln Clears A Path (Calkins Creek, 2021) a new picture book by talented picture book author Peggy Thomas, our 16th president's accomplishments are presented from a different perspective. Although he is known for his stance against slavery, how many students know about his agricultural legacy?  In a book well-suited for home and classroom libraries, readers from 7-10 years of age are introduced to the many other paths which Lincoln cleared.

The book opens with seven-year old Abe arriving in the middle of the Indiana wilderness. This was not a farm. Not yet.

His family got to work.

Along with his father, Abe felled trees, cleared brush, pulled stumps and plowed fields. At night he studied stars, math and poetry...Abe marveled at how the founding fathers--Thwack! Swish! Thwump Yah!--cleared a path for folks like him.

In New Orleans Abe saw how slaves were auctioned off and he wondered, Could anyone clear a path for them?

Back home in Illinois, his friends urged their talented friend to run for office. He was poor and uneducated. But his friends provided books to read, tutoring in math, and even a suit to wear.

In the Illinois legislature he cleared paths for better schools and more roads. He stood against slavery. "There is no reason in this world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

But soon after he was elected president, South Carolina seceded and the Civil War began (see this timeline for more information.)

In the middle of the war, Lincoln did something that was seemingly unrelated to the North-South conflict. He created the United States Department of Agriculture to support the farmers who were supporting the troops.

But that was not all.

With a stroke of his pen, he signed the Homestead Act and cleared a path west. "New free States are the places for poor people to go to and better their condition," he wrote.

Then he signed the Pacific Railway Act and cleared a path across the nation.

In addition, Lincoln created land-grant colleges which cleared a path for students to learn more about agriculture.

He cleared a final path when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation and created a path to freedom for slaves. 

By Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 - http://www.wdl.org/media/2714/service/thumbnail/6000x6000/1/1.jpgGallery: http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2714/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31578413 

"'Liberty to all'....clears the path for all--gives hope to all." 

The onomatopoeia of the four words--Thwack! Swish! Thwump! and Yah! which repeat throughout the story will keep even younger readers engaged. The simple, yet profound message of what Abraham Lincoln accomplished is communicated through the text, his quotes, and interesting facts distributed throughout the book. 

Nine pages of back matter include highlights from Abraham's childhood and adult years; how the Civil War affected U.S. agriculture; and a bibliography. There is additional information about the four acts; the author made sure to show how Native Americans were unfairly impacted by these acts. 

I was particularly impressed with how Thomas discovered the theme by noticing Lincoln's phrase "clearing the path" in his writing. She writes, "Sometimes he was referring to the removal of rocks and stumps so a wagon could pass, but other times he was thinking about ways to remove much bigger obstacles like poverty, racism, and ignorance so that all Americans could lead a better life." She challenges readers by asking, "How could you clear a path?" 

Illustrator Stacy Innerst's sepia watercolors evoke an "old-timey" feel which lends a distinct flavor to this historical picture book biography. 

No giveaway this week! I'm saving this book for my grandchildren. 

Here is a short video by Carolyn Yoder, Peggy Thomas's editor at Calkins Creek.

Three Picture Books for the Youngest Readers (and their Parents) from Sleeping Bear Press + Two Giveaways!

 Congratulations to Danielle Hammelef who won the ARC of Between Sam and Me. Stay tuned! You'll have another chance to win an ARC in October.

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The holidays will be here before you know it and my shelves are overflowing with Sleeping Bear Press Books to review and give away. Win them now and stash them for presents later. I'll do my best to get them into as many hands as possible!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD

Helen Foster James is no stranger to my blog. Her series of "Love and Family" books (my title, not hers!) feature animal characters who adore their little ones. Welcome to the World is no exception.

Mommy and Daddy Squirrel welcome their new arrival into their lives with nicknames such as sunshine, smiley, and cutie. 

I love the soft, pastel illustrations by Petra Brown that almost beg you to touch them. I particularly like how she showed where baby squirrel sleeps. 

Little squirrel plays with toys that readers will recognize are just like their own; and sings and dances with her parents --just like people do! 

And at the end of the day, little squirrel is surrounded by those who love her.

This book would make a lovely baby present (or new parent or grandparent gift); the spot in the front of the book for a photo of Baby's First Days waits for the perfect picture. 

UNICORN YOGA

In this unique first book on yoga, little ones will learn eleven poses as modeled by three unicorns--an instructor and two "assistants" who can more or less accomplish the poses. 

Yoga is for everybody...and for every body. Big, small, young, old. The practice makes us strong and graceful.

Cow Pose instructions are to the point:  Roll up onto your hands and knees and take a deep breath in through your nose. Drop your belly, lift your tail, and look up. What child won't love lifting his tail??

Forward-Fold Pose provides interesting challenges for unicorns and kids.

And then of course, afterward, everyone gets to rest in Relaxation Pose.

The back matter includes information and definitions. Unicorn Yoga is written by the mother and daughter team, Gina Cascone and Bryony Williams Sheppard. I wondered about their choice of subject material, and found the answer on their website:

Because yoga provides so many benefits, it seems only logical to introduce the practice to children as early as possible.  So, we approached our editor with a picture book to do just that. She shared it with the wonderfully creative team at Sleeping Bear Press and came back to us with the idea that unicorns might encourage children to become engaged.

The concept was not as far-fetched as our editor feared we might find it. After all, both yogis and unicorns are joyful, playful, and magical. There is an even more concrete correlation. In the Indus River Valley, in India, five-thousand-year-old bronze seals have been found; some depicting yogis and some depicting unicorns.

The fun illustrations are by Jennifer Sattler, another fine illustrator whom I have featured on my blog before. 

SING SOME MORE

This humorous book is about four bird friends who love to sing. Their "voices" not only are filled with musical vocabulary (that is defined in the back matter) but are also brimming with a desire to Sing Some More.

Written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Howard Gray, each page feels the birds' poetic rhythm. Toddlers will quickly learn to chime in on the "chorus."

We're the birds that make the music 

that you hear up in the trees,

And we vocalize with gusto 

as we hit the notes with ease.

The birds wake a family up and follow them to their picnic.

We perform our songs for others

And we hope they'll sing along.

We have tunes for all occasions,

And our harmonies are strong.

We create new music daily.

And it never comes out wrong.

The birds leave each page with the refrain of, "And when we're DONE?" that is answered on the next page with, "We sing some more!"

After a busy day of "singing from their hearts," the birds FINALLY admit they are tired. 

Well actually...

I think we're really done." (says the Robin).

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired." (says the Cardinal).

"Time to call it a day." (says the Wren).

"Good night!" (says the Blue Jay).

But in the end, they're not done because they promise that tomorrow, 

GIVEAWAY

I am giving away Unicorn Yoga and Sing Some More. In your comment please indicate your preference. Leave me your email address if you are new to my blog. Speaking of which--if you're visiting my blog for the first time, sign up to follow my blog and I'll enter your name twice! (If you're uncomfortable leaving your email address, you can contact me here.) Giveaway ends on September 25. 

"Small With Big Dreams" at SCBWI-C 2019 Conference

On a spur of the moment I decided to attend a panel discussion with Lisa Kline, Robin Kirk, and Katie Pryle; I was glad that I did! Lisa and Robin are both authors who have been published by Blue Crow Publishing, a traditional small press which Katie co-founded with Lauren Faulkenberry.

Katie Pryal, Lisa Kline, Robin Kirk

LISA KLINE

My blog readers are no strangers to Lisa's work. I was privileged to host her cover reveal of her most recent book, One Week of You, wrote about Summer of the Wolves, and blogged about her first book, Eleanor Hill.

Lisa has published ten books with publishers of varying sizes including Carus Publishing, Delacorte Press, Zondervan, and now Blue Crow. Her books have been both agented and non-agented. She submitted to Blue Crow without an agent and was impressed with their prompt response; an offer of publication followed within weeks of her requested revisions. This was very different than the long wait she had sometimes experienced with the larger publishing houses. 

Lisa said she has enjoyed her personal connection with Katie and Lauren. "Publishers who are writers know what it’s like to write and publish a book. Katie and Lauren’s comments inspired me to make my book better.” 

Lisa acknowledged that when your book is with a smaller publisher it may be more challenging to get reviews. Although all the publishers have given her marketing assistance and submitted her books for awards, the downside of a large publisher is that after six months the publisher sometimes must turn to the next book they need to promote. 

Blue Crow continues to promote One Week of You on their site and at conferences. In addition, they promote whatever she does. Lisa finds that she has to do a good deal of her own marketing, but all authors in today’s publishing atmosphere must market. Lisa received a larger royalty than most publishers offer, but not an advance. 

ROBIN KIRK

Robin Kirk's debut novel The Bond, is a young adult post-apocalyptic story that is much different than the nonfiction titles she has previously published. 

In her presentation, Robin recommended researching all publishing options. Her nonfiction books have been published by Duke University Press, The University of Massachusetts Press, and others. She suggested I consider contacting the Charlotte Historical Society as a potential publisher for HALF-TRUTHS.

She discussed the pros and cons of hybrid publishing which often demands a large investment of time and money. Robin recommended reading what Lyn Miller-Lachmann had to say on the topic if you are interested in pursuing it. Forming a co-op with other authors who publish similar books is another option. Here is an article by Jane Friedman on that. Authors can create a website, form imprints, share resources and even purchase ISBN numbers this way. Here is a link to Jane Friedman's popular chart on different publishing paths. 

Robin also recommended joining the Authors Guild as well as a Facebook group in your writing genre. Finally, she also recommended Zotero, which is a free online bibliography manager that is awesome. Thanks to Robin, my next WIP already has a budding bibliography!

KATIE PRYAL

Katie Rose Guest Pryal is the co-publisher of Blue Crow Publishing. Here were some of her observations:

• She has yet to hear positive experience about hybrid publishing by which she means publishers that require you to pay to get your book published while also requiring you to surrender your rights. On the other hand, she strongly supports self-publishing and author co-op groups.
• Traditional publishing thrives on keeping authors in the dark. She and Lauren founded Blue Crow with the intention of being transparent, honest, and available to their authors. (Check out their mission statement.)
• Blue Crow receives unagented submissions and publishes about five books a year. 
• Referral via one of their authors is the best way to connect with her. 
• The landscape of trade reviews is changing. It is hard for small presses to get picked up by the trades. At the same time, however, book bloggers are becoming more and more important, even more important than trade reviews, when it comes to marketing a book to a wide audience. 

That final note was music to my ears! It reminded me of my experience at Highlights Summer Camp in 2016 when assistant editor, Cherie Matthews, announced that Carol Baldwin's blog was one that she followed--without knowing I was in the audience! Both times I felt validated--all my blogging work is paying off!

Speaking of small with big dreams, I think my friend's son was the smallest attendee at the fall conference. He has been "reading" for months!