When I went to the SCBWI LA conference (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) in 2011, one of the first people I met was a tall, friendly man named Ed Raarup. I was immediately impressed by his warmth and his enthusiasm for his writing project, which he was working on with my friend and …
Turning the Spotlight on “Fireflies and Shooting Stars” Read More »
Yes, you’re in the right place! This is By Word of Beth, despite the rather different appearance. At the beginning of the year, Joanna Marple of Miss Marple’s Musings suggested we choose a word to guide us through the new year. The word I chose was/is DYNAMIC. As I said in my comment on her …
Title: The Very Fairy Princess Follows Her Heart Authors: Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton Illustrator: Christine Davenier Publisher: New York: Little, Brown, 2013 Genre: Picture book, fiction Audience Age: 3 to 8 years
Every now and then, much to her readers’ delight, Susanna Leonard Hill holds a writing contest on her blog. The entries are always a joy to read, and the prizes are pretty much amazing (this time it’s picture book manuscript critiques!). This is the first time I’ve entered one of these contests… and I want …
Susanna Leonard Hill’s Pretty Much World Famous 2nd Annual Holiday Writing Contest Read More »
“Bonjour, mes amis!” Those were the words that greeted our Grade Seven classroom that early September day in 1968 when Monsieur Pugh strode into our first French class. Little did I know, the first time I encountered the sandy-haired recent arrival from England that he would have an impact on my life that continues to …
Picture book manuscripts galore! Picture book manuscripts as far as the eye can see. When I signed up for 12×12 in 2012, hoping to write 12 picture book first drafts in 12 months, I really had no idea if I’d be able to do it. It seemed unbelievable to write that many unique drafts, while …
12 x 12 in 2012 on 12/12/12 — an End of Year Celebration! Read More »
This isn’t the post I’d planned for today, but my friend Jan shared an idea with me that I am enjoying so much that I pre-empted my own schedule to share it with you. Many people — especially families — enjoy Advent calendars at this time of year, whether ones that have pictures or lines …
Counting Down the Days to the Holidays — In Poetry Read More »
Sometimes that question seems almost as hard to answer as the dreaded “where do babies come from?” This is especially true when you’re searching for inspiration and it just isn’t appearing. Those of us who are participating in Picture Book Idea Month right now may sometimes ask the question in despair, wondering if we’ll be …