Secrets of a Christmas Box: Part 3

Secrets of Christmas Box
Written by Steven Hornby
Color Illustration by Justin Gerard
Chapter Illustration by Gabriel Hordos


Published by Ecky Thump Books, Inc 2009
248 pages / 56 illustrations / for ages 8 and up



The Synopsis
Enter the magical, festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers' , as Larry, a Christmas Snowman, wakes up after a long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing. Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues. Away from the safety of the tree and in the unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'.

The Review
This is a sparkling tale that is a magical adventure! I particularly enjoyed the fact that it had a "Honey, I shrunk the kids" feel. This gives the audience a fresh perspective from the ornaments point of view. I could just picture the characters on a journey across the living room floor.

I liked Steven's writing style. The text had a terrific flow which made it easily and effortlessly read. Steven gives you point by point in his story telling leaving nothing to chance. He paints a beautiful picture of a family's anticipation of Christmas. Sitting in the family room with a warm cup of wine or cider, enjoying the twinkling lights, aroma of food, and the total ambiance, makes me want Christmas to come early!

The book was written for children, however it was written to appeal to either the young or old. I felt there was something in for everyone. The ending was left wide open leaving room for a fantastic new sequel.

From an Illustrators Point of View
The cover art is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I feel like I am looking right onto a branch from my own tree right now! The media chosen has been handled in quite a delightful way. The brightness of the lights on the tree capture the ambiance of Christmas perfectly! The personalities of the characters come blazing through on the cover as well. I love it!!

The chapter illustrations are spontaneous and very active little graphite sketches. I think they are perfect for the book. I love illustrated novels! In fact, I can't figure out why all novels aren't illustrated. The drawings were truly dazzling and supported the text seamlessly!

Overall, the book exudes those kind of magical Christmas feelings that you only get that time of year. I loved the book and I am looking forward to reading the sequel. (I can only hope they make a motion picture film!)

Secrets of a Christmas Box: Part 2

Steven Hornby Biography

Steven Hornby is a multi award winning animator and has been storytelling for over 15 years in visual effects and animated movies. He was born in Preston, England and attended Lancaster University for Design Communication. After working on a set of commerials in Europe and Australasia and his own short film, "Zzz Night", Steven joined the animation crew in 2000, on the Academy Award winning "The Lord of the Rings" film in New Zealand.

He is best known for his award winning animation, bringing to life J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional character, Gollum, on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

He has since worked as a lead animator on "I, Robot" (2004), "King Kong" (2005), Disney's "Meet the Robinson's" (2007) and "Glago's Guest" (2008), and more recently Dreamwork's "Kung Fu Panda" (2008), and "How to Train Your Dragon" (In Theaters 2010).

In 2009, Steven finished his children's fantasy novel, "Secrets of a Christmas Box" to be released September 1, 2009. He initially planned 'Secrets of a Christmas Box' as a screenplay after spending several years having the story running around in his head, but instead turned it into his first children's novel.

Steven is currently working on the sequel to his Christmas novel. He lives in Burbank, California with his family.

Secrets of a Christmas Box: Part1

This is the first of a few posts in light of a new, FANTASTIC book being released! I had the joy of reading the book early in order to prepare this review series. Today's post is information I received in the publicity packet.

The Synopsis
Enter the magical, festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers' , as Larry, a Christmas Snowman, wakes up after a long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing.

Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues.

Away from the safety of the tree and in the unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'?


About the Author
Steven Hornby grew up near Preston in the north of England and has been in the entertainment industry for nearly 15 years, working on heartwarming animated and award-winning visual effects films. After years of bring classic stories to life on screen, Hornby has written his own Christmas novel destined to be a family classic.

"Growing out of my childhood, I remember trying to hold onto those magical feelings only I got a Christmas time, the warm fuzziness in my stomach and the giddy excitement of knowing Santa Claus would soon be arriving. But those feeling faded and in their place completely new developed; equally as good mind you, just different. So I wanted to create a world that captured those magical feelings I had as a child, but also include a sense of what Christmas means to me today, every time I open up that wonderful Christmas box." - Steven Hornby

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My Reaction

I wrote my last post to "The Graveyard Book" without completely finishing the book, I have to admit! So now, I can properly comment! I cried at the end! I loved it! What a beautiful, spooky, yearning, funny, creepy, adventurous, perfect book!!! As I read my way through the book, I really began to identify with the main character, Bod (short for Nobody Owens). There was something special about Bod that made him so different from anyone else -- he lived in a graveyard since he was about a year and a half and was raised by spirits. Many souls in the community taught him about many different aspects from the time periods they lived. I thought this was a very unique point of view!

In the last chapter, I was truly touched by how the spirit world began to fade away and everything was changing for Bod. In a sense, life was gently tell him that it was time to move on and experience the world for what it is. Live freely and experience everything you can.

The last line of the book: "But between now and then, there was life; and Bod walked into it with his eyes and his heart wide open." -Neil Gaiman

John Newbery Award

I always wondered what criteria some books had to possess to win awards the following year. I did a little research and found some answers. I'll be happy to pass these on to you!

The Medal is awarded to the person with the most distinguished contribution to literature in the United States the year previous. There are no limits to the book, but it is required that it be original work. Honor books are also named and those are also quite distinguished.

The award is solely given to American authors or residents of the United States.

The committee considers all types of writing: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. However, reprints and compilations are not considered.

2009 Winner of the John Newbery Medal

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, and published by HarperCollins Children's Books.

This book was produced as an illustrated young adult novel. It is 307 pages long and is sure to enthrall people of all ages.

Neil paints a fantastic point of view of a child growing up in a very unlikely place. Nobody Owens manages to escape the murderer and find refuge in the old graveyard. The spirits take on the responsibility of raising the child. The story possesses all the parts of a great book: humor, fantasy, human desire, and full of surprises.

I would recommend this book to anyone who desires a haunting new perspective.

What makes a "Classic," a classic?

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to travel to my grandmother's 100th birthday party. After the festivities, I wandered to the basement and came across a box full of my books from when I was a child. Memories came flooding back as I paged through the endless stack. I consider them all classics in my eyes because of the memories they hold for me. However, I got wondering what really makes a book a classic.

Some things in life are fleeting while others stand the test of time. Books are no different. The books that stand the test of time are the classics. They speak to all walks of life, cultures, and eras. Classics also contain an element of novelty. The first time an author discusses an important theme. Maybe it's the way the author describes the setting and the time period by pulling you into the time period. Whatever the reason, the book has the staying-power to stand the test of time.

That said, Where the Wild Things Are springs to mind. The book is flawless in my opinion. The writing is simple -- no more, no less! The illustrations and layout of the book are supreme! Did you notice the illustration frames start out small and gradually get larger as the story swells in intensity? At the height of the story the illustrations are at full bleed. At the close of the "wild rumpus" the illustrations shrink back to their original size.

WOW!! This is definitely on my favorites list.

The Giver

I recently read the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. The book is a Newbery Medal winner, which is what caught my eye when perusing the book section on a monthly shopping trip to Sam's. Truthfully, I picked the book up to read because I was interested in experiencing the quality of a Newbury Medal book for early teens. The book was published by Dell Laurel-Leaf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books in 1993.

Here's the teaser from the back of the book: "Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. It's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Lois did a great job "painting a picture" with words to describe the community and way of life Jonas has grown up in. The book gave me the idea that it was almost a cult on a plot of land in the middle of nowhere. It would have been interesting to see black and white illustrations for the book if it had been an illustrated novel.

I thought the story started out slow, however my interested grew steadily as Jonas' life unfolded. As the story progressed, I was increasingly more interested in the story until I couldn't put the book down! I was just more curious than anything! As an adult reading the book, I personally was looking for something a little deeper in the storyline, however, I think it would be great for children the age it was intended.

Would I recommend it? YES!! I was thrilled at the outcome of the book which kept me guessing clear to the last page!

David Wiesner

On Friday, I posted that I had been doing some research and ran into more of David Wiesner's books.

David Wiesner was born and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration. He has illustrated several books including The Loathsome Dragon, which he retold with his wife Kim Kahng. He is the author / illustrator of several books published by Clarion Books.

June 29, 1999, is a story about a girl named Holly, who has great expectations for her science project when she sent seedlings into the ionosphere, she never expected the results she received on such an enormous scale. Holly has trouble imagining that she was responsible for the events of June 29, 1999. She just might be right!

http://www.amazon.com/June-29-1999-David-Wiesner/dp/0395727677/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Tuesday, is a story about a group of frogs that go out on the town. The events that happen this particular Tuesday evening are verified by an undisclosed source to have happened somewhere in the USA, on a particular Tuesday.

http://www.amazon.com/Tuesday-David-Wiesner/dp/0395870828/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Flotsam, is a story about found objects on a beach. The definition of Flotsam is: something that floats. If it floats in the ocean, it may wash up on the beach. A boy finds these objects and shares his discovery with someone else.

http://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-Caldecott-Medal-David-Wiesner/dp/0618194576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248121641&sr=1-1

These are a few of the books of David Wiesner that particularly enjoy! I love the fact that the stories are so imaginative. They take a modern, normal event and the outcome is an exploration of the improbable. A lot of times, I think "why did I not think of this?" It's brilliant!

As I have come to know David's work, I have always related him to a Caldecott Medal. Tuesday and Flotsam are Caldecott Medal winners and probably my favorite of his books. This has been inspiring for me in my own work as David has successfully planted a seed within me, to reach for the gold and someday be awarded the Caldecott Medal.

He uses Arches watercolor paper for his pieces. I have a strong feeling that it is hot press paper, usually a little more smoother and less textured paper than cold press. This would allow him to get a beautiful, smooth wash without many "bumps" and extra un-invited texture!

As I build my collection of children's picture books, these will be among them:
Flotsam, Tuesday, The Three Pigs, Hurricane, Free Fall, Sector 7, hopefully the list will go on!

My Apologies

My apologies for the quiet stint! I have been ball & chained to my drafting table as I am preparing my portfolio for the SCBWI Denver Conference 2009 in September. My pieces are coming along well and I look forward to having all of this work finished about mid-September. My dirty dishes are nearing 10 feet high and the house plants are gasping for water.

This hiatus has given me a few things to ponder. I have been a regular at the local library lately and stumbled upon a few Caldacott Medal books -- happens to be by the same illustrator. Have you ever read anything by David Weisner -- WOW!! I am a fan! I love his illustrations. They are precise and quite representational. I will be posting a few posts about the books I have of his. They are definately worth a look. Really wish I could post pics, but I don't have the rights!

I will do my best to get back to posting semi-regular posts. They may be short for a while.

The opportunity still exists: Looking for a few people who want a regular "soap box" about writing and illustrating for children! Even if you are on the fence, let me know. I am searching for people who want an opportunity to do some self promotion. The posts don't have to be long and they can be about anything related to the subject! Please pass along the news.
Email: info@shaundra.com for more information.

Call for Writers and Illustration Entries

Welcome to Children's Picture Book Review!

**** A Call for Writers & Illustrators ****

I have chosen to restructure the posts by giving them a schedule!

Monday - a Featured Artist
Tuesday - a Book Review
Wednesday - an Article about Writing or Illustrating - open opportunity to submit articles
Thursday - "Guest Blog Posting" - open opportunity to submit articles or writings
Friday - Artist Tip / Writing Tip - open opportunity to submit tips

I need:

• Writers who want to contribute articles & tips to a blog about Children's Picture Books.
• Illustrators to submit color and black & white illustrations (jpgs) to pretty up the place!

All entries should be entered in final writing draft form and will be read before posted. As you are writing / illustrating on the topic of children's picture books, please make sure nothing is INAPPROPRIATE!!

All writers and illustrators will retain the rights to their own work. Writers - please limit posts to approx 400 words or less per post. You may submit a "part 1 and part 2". Artists - please put your own name and copyrights on the images you submit. Please submit images no larger than 300 pixels in width or height.

Contributors are encouraged to spread the word about the blog - as we are looking for other contributors as well as followers!

Thank You for your following!

Book Review: Raindrop, Plop

Raindrop, Plop!
Written by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Illustrated by Pam Paparone
Published by Viking / Penguin Young Readers Group 2004

Raindrop, Plop! is a fantasticly written book for young readers. A young girl and her dog finds many things to count as they play outside on a rainy day. As the storm developes into a downpour, they venture inside and find more objects to count as they dry off in a warm house.

The bright colors used in the illustrations is what drew my attention to the book. I love the way that Pam used a bright, orange red and juxtaposed it along a kelly green on the rain boots. A lot of times, I think the illustrations are what sells a book. At least for someone that is taking a quick glance trying to make a decision. I know for myself, I buy books for the pictures. I'm an illustrator, what can you expect, right?

I wonder what percentage of people, meaning parents, librarians, teachers, etc. would buy books based on the illustrations.

I should take a poll. Here's what I would ask: "If you had to make a decision between 2 books, and couldn't read the text, what would you base your decision on?" I think the answers would be interesting!

Eric Carle

Highlights of the Biography of Eric Carle

Eric Carle is the beloved creator of brilliantly colored illustrations that appear in some of the most popular children's books. The Very Hungry Caterpiller has eaten it's way into millions of hearts all over the world. This book has been translated into more than 47 languages and has sold over 29 million copies. Since The Very Hungry Caterpiller was first published in 1969, Carle has illustrated more than 70 titles and many of them have appeared on the best seller list. Most of these books, he has written and illustrated and more than 88 million copies have sold worldwide.

Eric was born in Syracuse, New York in 1929. He moved with his parent to Germany w hen he was 6 years old. In Germany, Carle was educated at a fine art school and in 1952, returned to America with a portfolio in hand. He went to work for the promotions department for the New York Times as a graphic designer. Later, he became the art director.

After some time, Bill Martin, Jr. approached Eric Carle about illustrating a book for him. Bill Martin had been facinated with a picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was the result of their collaboration. This was the true beginning of Eric's career. Soon, he was also writing. His first written and illustrated book was 1,2,3 to the Zoo, and soon followed The Hungry Caterpillar.

Eric Carle has a distinct and recognizable style. His artwork is created using the collage technique. Carle hand paints his papers using a rainbow of different colors and textures. He then cuts out shapes and begins to lay them down to form his objects. Many of his books have added dimension, like die-cut pages and twinkling lights to help bring life to his illustrations. This gives the books a life-like quality-- a toy that can be read and played with.

The secret to Carle's books appeal with children, is his understanding and mutual respect of children.

Creative Flow

Entering and Optimizing the Creative Flow State

I always wondered about the creative flow state. I subconsciously knew it existed, but felt it was very illusive and never felt like I could harness it. I always thought if someone could bottle it, they could make a fortune. I’m talking about the creative flow state where you lose track of all time and you become one with the project in front of you.

There are 7 steps for optimizing the highly creative flow state:

1. Have a clear purpose.
To crank up the flow state, you need a goal. Decide what you want to create and why. Start with a clear intention like, “I am going to draw a black and white illustration for my portfolio.”

If you are working on a larger project with a broader scale, state your purpose for this single creative session. What will you accomplish right now? Do you need a character design? Will you need to paint the background for an illustration?

Don’t box yourself in – leave yourself enough clarity that it will be a general direction. Let it simply be enough to get you working.

2. Have a motive.
Why do you need to be creative? Does the task affect you personally? Why do you care about the project?

If I don’t care about the project I’m working on, no matter how hard I try, the creative will not flow! I have got to care about the project I am working on, otherwise time will pass slowly and chances are good that it will not be my best work.

3. Let there be a worthy challenge.
To awaken your true and worthy potential, let the challenge rate on a scale of 1-10, 1 being remedial and 10 being rocket-science, around a 7-8. You want a task that will keep your attention, but not something that is so ridiculously easy or difficult that you lose interest.

4. Provide yourself a conducive environment.
You will find certain conditions are better for entering the creative flow state than others, and other conditions will make it completely impossible. The optimum environment varies from person to person, so you will need to experiment to see what works best for you.

I work best when I am completely alone and have music on in the background. I have to have complete “heads down” time with absolutely no interruptions. I suggest experimenting with different music to see what has an effect on your ability to maintain the creative flow state.

5. Schedule a committed block of time.
It normally takes me about 15 minutes before I begin to enter the flow state. After about 30-45 minutes, I’m totally consumed and flowing. After the first hour, I tend to hit the state of deep concentration and the only time I stop working is for snack breaks or fatigue.

I think a work block of 3 hours should be minimum for a serious creative task, maybe even closer to 5-6 hours. Once you are cranking away in the flow, time passes differently. You will barely notice the time passing.

6. Prevent distractions
If you can’t keep yourself away from emails, phone calls, and the like, you won’t consistently achieve and maintain the creative flow state. You need to do whatever it takes to prevent interruptions during your creative work time. Make arrangements with whomever to ensure that you will only be interrupted with fire or blood.

I like to tidy my desk as a ritual to getting to work. I turn off the email, phone, and unnecessary computer programs.

If you have a creative job, and your boss makes it impossible to tune out distractions, this can severely hinder your earnings potential since your income is a function of your ability to produce creative value.

7. Become the master of your tools.
You must achieve a basic understanding of the tools you use in order to achieve subconscious competence and allow your creative mind to operate at the flow state.
When you are in the flow state, you won’t be thinking about which buttons to push because that will happen automatically. Your subconscious will handle all those details for you so you can stay focused on the task at hand.

After you turf out the first draft, you can go back and work out edits later. Work on the creative right-brain material first, then go back and preform a left-brain pass to make necessary adjustments and correct any problems.

Entering the creative flow state takes practice and is most certainly a skill. By putting these steps into practice, you will be able to enter and maintain the creative flow state more often and for longer periods of time.

Book Review: The Tale of Pip and Squeak

The Tale of Pip and Squeak
Written & Illustrated by Kate Duke
Published by Dutton Children's Books / A division of Penguin Books 2007

Two mouse brothers try to out do each other every year at their annual party. One brother is a musician and the other an artist. They mutual agree to stay at opposite ends of the house except for one day out of every year. The day before the big party, a mishap occurs that brings the brothers together to reconcile their differences.

I fully enjoyed the book because it reminded me of the relationship I have with my sister as she is a musician and I am an artist. I will admit that we did have our differences growing up and now as adults, we have ironed out our issues. The writing is clean and tight. A terrific read-aloud!

The words just seem to flow as easy as the watercolor onto the page; combined with acrylic, ink and gouache the little pleasant mouse neighborhood springs to life. The mice have made an attic their home with an old suitcase as the movie theater, a tricycle becomes a ferris wheel. The fine detail in the pictures will keep young and old captivated for hours. You will always see something different everytime you pick up the book. A fantastic pictoral read as well.

Book Review: The Grouchy Ladybug

The Grouchy Ladybug
Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle
Published by Harper Collins Publishers 1999

The Grouchy Ladybug is about just that - a grouchy ladybug. He tries to pick fights with all sorts of animals and thinks that he is bigger than everyone else. He continues on his journey throughout the day to meet bigger and bigger "friends." By the end of the day, he meets his match and learns to be a better bug!

This story is great because it is fast moving and it invites children to learn the concepts of time, size, shape, and manners!

I love this story because it is written very repetitive and children catch on to that concept quickly. This invites them to want to read because they already know a part of the story.

Here is a small excerpt:
At six o'clock
it met a yellow jacket.
"Hey you," said
the grouchy ladybug.
"Want to fight?"
"If you insist," said
the yellow jacket,
showing its stinger.
"Oh, you're not
big enough," said
the grouchy ladybug
and flew off.

Children will love it!! I love it!

Sometime soon I will do a posting about how Eric Carle executes his illustrations. Stay tuned!
I will be highlighting other illustrators whom I think are worthy. If you find someone you think should be given the spotlight, please let me know! I will be open to your nomination!

Working in Home Studio with Children

A Day in the Life of an Illustrator

Five years ago I decided to "officially" work full time from my home studio as an artist. I had many previous jobs that allowed me to get the experience needed to handle most anything that a client would need. My plan was to start a family after work started to pick up and the money-flow was even. For the most part, all of this has happened just the way I imagined it.

Throwing children in the mix of working in the studio has been an eye opener! My daughter was born in August of 2006 (Yes, she's sneaking up on her 3rd birthday and very excited about it). In December of that year, I was offered a "guaranteed print" picture book for children. The time frame was disgustingly quick with a fast turn around. When I started the project, Hannah was 4 1/2 months old. This was relatively easy to manage because she was still sleeping quite a bit and needed bottles. The swing provided sufficient entertainment as I worked my hands to the bone one room away! After the project was finished, I had some brief time where I was able to get Hannah down for naps which provided me a good chunk of time to be productive. By the time she turned 2, naps were history. I never saw it coming! Suddenly my quiet work time had been ripped away and I was looking for anything to entertain my child so I could work! I spent about 8 months in utter frustration "trying to work" while Hannah was crawling all over me and needed stories, juice, diaper changes, walks, you name it! My freelance jobs were slipping away and I felt like I was drowning in stress and straining to see the pin-hole light at the end of the tunnel. What in the world was I thinking? All of a sudden, I became jealous of the people that went to an office to work because it meant they were uninterupted and could get their job done in fewer hours. Hmmm. Obviously, I needed the same thing.

About the time I made the decision to transition to children's illustration, instead of graphic design, my husband and I had a talk about how to get this mess to iron out. What was going to happen if I got a big book deal like the one before? A long story short - we decided that I needed to hold morning and night office hours and take afternoon off to get errands run, the house cleaned, etc. It seems to be working better, however it has taken some time to make the transition.

So far, I have learned this: No matter how hard things get in your life, if you make a few adjustments, there will be a way to make it work a little better. AND - just when you get into a nice, comfortable routine, it's all going to change and you have to adjust AGAIN!!

Un-Brella

Un-Brella
Illustrated by Scott E. Franson
Published by Roaring Brook Press

Just imagine if you had a magic umbrella that could change the weather outside to whatever you wanted it to be, wherever you went. Open this book to find out how one little girl changes uses her un-brella to change the world she lives in.

I think the book is exquisite. It was created by Scott Franson, a graphic designer who developed the illustrations digitally on the computer. I’m guessing the large part of the work was made in Illustrator and Photoshop. The color scheme is very nice as it is not too bold, however, it matches the tone for the book beautifully. I like wordless books for young children because they don’t need words to tell them the story. The child will make up the story as they look through the pages. Lastly, of course, the illustrator does not need to leave room for the text! The illustrator has the whole page as their playground. I love that!

I think it is a book that children will enjoy for a long time to come.

Reading Wordless Children’s Books

What? How do you read a wordless picture book?

David Weisner is one of the greats for illustrating wordless children’s picture books. A Caldacott Medal winner for Flotsam and Tuesday and Caldacott Honor Award winner for Free Fall and Sector 7. David’s illustration is very detailed and tight representational. I love his illustration, personally.

Wordless picture books are pictures on their own, waiting to connect with a reader who will give words to their story. Successful wordless picture books have to draw the viewer in right away and draw out the child’s imagination.

When sharing a picture book with an audience, tell them you need help re-telling the story. Allow a member of the audience to name the main character. Any name, it doesn’t matter what it is. Ask the viewer what the main character is thinking or feeling. Use adjectives when possible. Ask the viewer how the main character is feeling based on the facial expression. What is the main character thinking? Use narrative based on the viewers to move the story along. Engage the viewer by having them tell you where their imaginations are going as they read the pictures in the book. What do they see happening in the story?

Some stories don’t need to be explained to be enjoyed. Without words, the reader is forced to look more closely at the pictures – looking for clues for the narrative. Words provide cues for how to look at the illustrations. Without them, you have to interpret.
As the narrator, calling attention to the details is key. I like to pour over the illustrations and point out all of the small details. Many illustrators enjoy hiding objects or characters in different places throughout the book challenging the viewer to find them. It’s up to the viewer to accept the challenge.

However, reading without words is both challenging and rewarding. The more you do it, the more you get out of wordless picture books. The gift is the creativity that inspires in the viewer.

Pirate Treasure

Pirate Treasure
Written & Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski
Published by Dutton Children’s Books 2006

“Some are weatherwise, some are otherwise.” – Benjamin Franklin

When a raging storm drives the pirate ship upstream, Captain Oliver and his first mate, Rosie decide to settle in a little town named Mousam. Their new surroundings bring them to change their clothes to a rural, farmer style. After they discover learning to grow grain is easier than living upon a ship and making friends, a huge storm blows up and the Captain’s talent for maneuvering a ship and ability to predict the weather helps to uncover the greatest treasure for the Captain, Rosie, and the people of Mousam.

Loretta Krupinski has painted rich and very detailed illustrations for the book. These illustrations truly made my jaw drop and gave the motivation I need to get back in the studio. They inspired me to try some extra detail in my color work. The color is strong, bold and beautiful.

Gouache is an amazing medium. It goes on like watercolor, by dries and is “permanent” like acrylics. Permanent meaning, “after it dries, that’s it. You can’t rewet it and move it around like watercolor.” This makes it a perfect medium for highly detailed illustrations.

With 9 spreads and 14 single pages illustrated, the book is beautifully laid out and planned. The breaks in spreads and single pages add enough diversity to be interesting. ­

Books from Birth

Books from Birth of Middle Tennessee

This is a worth while program I think it deserves a spotlight.

In 2004, Governor Phil Bredesen established a non-profit Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation as a resource to Tennesseans establishing and maintaining county Imagination Libraries. Over the years, the program has grown by leaps and bounds.

Tennessee’s statewide Imagination Library provides new, age-appropriate, hardcover books to children that are registered in the program. Children receive these books at no cost to the family regardless of income. More than 7.7 million Imagination Library books have been delivered to Tennessee children since October 2004.

Today, nearly 210,000 Tennessee children throughout 95 counties will receive a free book in the mail.

All of Tennessee’s 370,000 children under age 5 has access to the Imagination Library.

More than 101,763 5-year olds have “graduated” from the program. This means that the statewide program has served over 308,627 since the beginning in 2004.

The Imagination Library
The cost of providing books to children for an entire year is $28 dollars per child. The cost is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in each county and the Governor’s Book from Birth Foundation.

A committee of childhood education experts selects the books for the Imagination Library. These include classics such as, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Little Engine That Could, The Snowy Day and famous others.

Up to 10 bilingual books are featured throughout the birth-to-age-five program. These feature Spanish and English text on the same page.

In many hospitals, nurses register the babies the very day they are born. Pediatricians and family physicians give parents a prescription to read.

My Two Hands, My Two Feet

My Two Hands, My Two Feet
Written by Rick Walton and Illustrated by Julia Gorton
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2000

My Two Hands, My Two Feet is a double delight. It has two books in one. On one side of the book, it is My Two Hands and then you turn the book over and the story is My Two Feet. Each book reads to the very middle of the book.

“When I wake up
My two feet wiggle
Like little kids
Who laugh and giggle.”

I think the manuscript is delightful. I love the rhythm and rhyme. The book talks about all the different things hands and feet can do during the day. A perfect book aimed at the toddler learning about hands and feet.

The illustration is creative and fun. It boasts a technique called cut paper illustration. Shapes were cut out of paper and then arranged on the board. In this case, this paper was airbrushed to add necessary modeling. This is truly a fresh style - you don’t see this everyday in children’s books. (Which is probably why is works so well!)

I Love It When You Smile

I Love It When You Smile
Written by Sam McBratney and Illustrated by Charles Fuge
Published by HarperCollins Publishers 2005

From the bestselling author of Guess How Much I Love You, comes a masterpiece guaranteed to make you smile! Charles Fuge is the illustrator of Sometimes I Like To Curl Up In A Ball by Vicki Churchill.

Little Roo woke up and feeling grumpy. His mother tried everything to make him smile, but nothing she did would perk up little Roo. On the way to breakfast, the couple comes across a deep muddy hole and there is found a smile.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the story was quite true to life. Every word made the story progress to the end. The story clearly communicated that the funniest little things that tend to go wrong can be funny. The watercolor / colored pencil illustrations are truly beautiful. The kangaroos look so silky you just want to reach out and touch them! Their eyes are so expressive and warm. I love how the illustrations switch back and forth between full spreads and partial spreads. What I mean is the sky in the landscape is not always rendered in. Sometimes there is sky and sometimes it is just white space. It would be an insult to the viewer to always paint in the sky. Instead, this is a perfect place to put the text in the white space.

The Mine-O-Saur

(Note: I would really like to post pictures of the books, however, that would be a break in copyright permissions. The only way I can post those images is if they come directly from the book publisher.)

The Mine-O-Saur
By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by David Clark
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons / Penguin Group 2007

Mine-O-Saur is written with beautiful rhythm and rhyme to tell a story of the Mine-O-Saur. He learns a very important lesson in sharing his toys with other kids at school and ultimately gets the thing he wants most of all.

I love to read this story to my daughter. There is enough dialog in the story that you can play with different voices and make the story come alive. The text is easy to read and flows well. The illustration is a loose, spontaneous watercolor technique with black ink to define edges and add more definition.

It’s fun to study the book layout. Some pages have full spreads and others have spot illustrations. I guess I should define spreads and spots. Spreads are illustrations / pages that cover both the left and the right pages when the book is lying open. Usually the illustration bleeds, or runs off the page. Spot illustrations are usually self contained on the page and do not run to the edge. I love when the title and copyright pages has illustration. I think this is a good place to “set the stage” for the story. Illustrate the surroundings of where the story takes place, or sometimes put a small spot illustration of one of the characters above or below the copyright / title page text.

Simultaneous Submissions: Part 2

Choose Your Publishers Carefully
Dispite the long waits for publishing, writers should keep in mind that in the children's industry for books, the manuscipts will be read. It is very possible that an unknown author can be found. Target your work to the right publisher in the first place. Editors prefer this too!

Follow these tips:

Send multiple submissions to publishers that invite them.

Send queries on a multiple basis.

Watch for publishers with single-submission policies. Request a decision within a certain amount of time.

As a result, if an acceptance letter greets you at the mailbox, please notify other companies that have your manuscript that the work has left the market. Just imagine you were the editor that has spent time reading a piece no longer for sale.

Simultaneous Submissions: Part 1

Simultaneous submissions means sending something to more than one publisher at one time. Many writers feel like this is common sense. Writers may think they are in a hurry to get published. They know that publishers can tie up work for a long time. I've heard from 9 months to 2 years. This long wait to be rejected in the end.

Yes: Send Multiple Submissions
Almost every publisher for children's writing is willing to look at simultaneous submissions. Editors definitely will want to to know if you ever sent it out to others. It is just in good keeping with professional guidelines. Unfortunately, "simultaneous submission" does not mean "Act now - others might win the script!" If a story is strong, editors might act a little quicker. Perhaps, the script might earn an accelerated trip to the editorial director a little quicker, but the editors say most stories are not that strong.

No: Don't Send Multiple Submissions
Maybe writers are hoping for a bidding war over their manuscript if a publisher makes an offer. It probably won't happen. Most editors will step out of the deal if they find that someone else has put an offer on the table. Then where does that leave you?

Some publishers will switch to an exclusive-submissions policy if the submissions are inappropriate. Writers were primarily submitting fiction manuscripts to a non-fiction publisher. Make sure you research the publishers and what they want to receive. It's a waste of your time and the editors. The exclusive submissions comes when they still want to leave the door open for unsolicited manuscripts, which is the lifeblood of children's publishing. These new policies are put into place to improve the overall quality of work sent.

Over-confident or humble?

Just a thought ...
TALKING ABOUT THE SLUSH PILE: Looking for a needle in a field of haystacks, and having to tell each stalk that it's not the needle you're looking for. --Unknown

When an agent decides to represent a writer, they are signing up for a long-term relationship. People show that they are hard to work with when they sound over confident in the cover letter. This shows that they have unrealistic expectations. It is far better to be humble and allow the editor or agent to discover your greatness.

When approaching publishers with a manuscript, be careful not to oversell it. Choose your words so the editor notices the book's potential on their own. There’s no substitute to finding a gem all on their own. Choose your words for the query carefully. SHOW the editor or agent the greatness of your work, don't try to TELL them how great it is. It’s a much more effective approach.

PB Review: Llama Llama Red Pajama

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
Published by Viking / Penguin Group 2005

“Llama Llama
Red Pajama
Reads a story
With his mama.

Mama kisses
Baby’s hair.
Mama Llama
Goes downstairs.”

This delightful story tells about mama llama putting her little llama to bed for the night. Baby learns a lesson in patience after displaying outrageous llama drama!

The words have a terrific flow and rhythm. This makes the story easy and enjoyable to read. The illustrations are full of deep, brilliant color. The story is truly told through the illustrations; you almost don’t need the words to re-tell the story. Many children will be able to identify with the story of Llama Llama Red Pajama!

Self Editing

I recently attended a roundtable talk with Carol Rahme, a writer and freelance editor here in Fort Collins, CO at our bi-monthly SCBWI Schmooze meeting. I wanted to share some points that she made because I thought that it was worth hearing.

The important reasons for editing are many. They range from saving your credibility, being taken seriously, challenge you to be a better writer, the better you edit you materials, the better and more control you have over your manuscript. That’s a good point right there, have you ever thought that maybe an editor will get a hold of your manuscript and completely change your voice due to all the changes they make in your manuscript? Basically, the more you edit yourself, the better your get at writing!

I know that your writing is “your baby!” Don’t completely delete the orphans. Cut and paste those to an “orphan document.” You just might be able to recycle those phrases into another writing piece.

Get some good updated dictionaries and writing tools like a thesaurus. Also own some good grammar guides. Visit any writing section of your favorite bookstore and you will be able to find what you need.

The Easy Fixes:
Find the Echo Words. These are the same words used over and over. Read your piece aloud and if you have echo words, it will be apparent. Change a few out or find another way of saying the phrase.

Listen to the rhythm. Have someone else read it aloud to you. Is it smooth and easy to listen to, or is the script bumpy and hard to read?

Avoid modifiers: watch the word, THAT and –ly words. Take these out!! They weaken your writing and indicate passive writing. Instead, use good strong verbs. If you can remove the word and the sentence will still make sense, leave it out. This will easily affect your word count. Helpful if you wrote too much.
THAT refers to people or things.
WHICH refers to things.
WHO refers to people.

Watch excessive taglines. For example: “… he said” or “… she said.” Perhaps make it an action. Choose something to move the story forward.

Be careful of Adverb Phrases: (As…, While…, etc) Your audience is better at envisioning action if it comes one action at a time.

Look for Double Prepositions. For example: “… out of”, “… over by”, “… down under.”

Be aware of Qualifiers: “Just, very, simple, some, much…” These tend to minimize what you should be maximizing.

Watch for plurals and singulars.

The word THEN tells instead of shows. Omit this and your writing just got stronger!

When all else fails, get away from it for a day or two. Let it marinate. You will gain fresh eyes and be able to make the necessary edits.

Happy editing!

Why self-publish your children's book?

A few reasons to self-publish your children's book:

Kids really enjoy reading books and have quite an appetite for them. As a result, the children’s book industry continues to grow every year.

The children’s book industry is highly competitive, and publishers are experiencing huge “slush piles” of author queries to get through. Only a small percentage of manuscripts will get published.

It is possible for self published children’s books to be successful. After selling 10,000 copies of Time Stops For No Mouse in 2000, the author Michael Hoeye sold the book and sequel rights to Putnam for b$1.8 million.

Publishers are looking for children’s books with mass market appeal. If you happen to have a highly narrow and targeted subject, you will receive resistance from the mass market publishers.

When you self-publish, you have complete control over all aspects of the book. You have the final say about the illustrations, editing, and cover design. You also retain all rights to your book. This is not the case if you get traditionally published. The publisher will have the final say over every aspect of the book. (This is because they are footing the money for the whole production.)

You also have the potential to make more money self-publishing than being published. In a traditional arrangement, you are paid by royalties (generally about 7-9%) on each book sold, based on the retail price of the book. Sometimes the author ends up sharing the royalties with the illustrator. For example, your could make $1.50 per book if your book is being sold for $19.95. On the flipside, if you self publish, you could potentially earn 100% of the profits.

Before you self-publish, your time would be well spent if you educate yourself on the industry and the risks and rewards of both. Then, make an educated decision based on the facts. Do whatever is best for you.

What do art buyers look for?

I know it must seem basic to say good drawing, good color and good composition. But -- It’s true!

Present AMAZING samples!! It’s difficult to get any illustration job if looks that you are not consistent. You must show them plenty of good pieces. Have 10-12 really strong samples on your portfolio. For children’s work, art buyers are looking for character development, interaction and reaction. The characters are “acting” in their space on the page.

I’ve talked about promoting yourself in previous posts. These might be a few other ideas for you. Arrange an 8.5x11 sheet of paper with several illustration pieces in the same style you want to present to an AD (art director). Same as the postcards, put your name and email, possibly web address on the front and send to interested art directors and editors. Another idea would be to take out an ad in a promotional directory and order the extra tearsheets to send to publishers / buyers.

Constantly study the market. Keep an eye on what publishers are buying. What makes those illustrations work? How do they flow? Look for styles close to yours and notice who publishes them. Call the publishing houses and ask for a recent catalogue. Always stay current on what is coming out.

Trends can be tricky! Timing seems to be everything when hitting a publisher with your material. Be different, dramatic and memorable. This will help your to stay on top of the buyer’s mind so that they call when they need your style. Something else that helps to stay at the top of mind awareness is the frequency of sending your promotional materials. Four times a year is good, more is better!

In closing, develop your own personal style, do it very well, practice, get criticism, study the market, and keep sending samples in the mail to art buyers. Remember to show these essential elements that buyers are looking for: Good drawing, good composition and good color!

Agent or Not to Agent: Part3

What would I pay my agent?
Most literary agents receive a commission of about 15% on your actual earnings. Artist reps make a little more money – in the 20-35% range. Agents usually take their cut out of your check they receive from the publishers and they pass the rest on to you. The agent earns their cut for the life of the book. If at any time you should leave an agent, they will continue to receive royalty payments on your behalf for the books they handled, and pass the rest on to you.

Many times there are other minor fees due to the agent, however reputable agents have those spelled out in their contracts. Be sure you know what expenses will be passed through to you at the time of signing the agreement.

What doesn’t an agent do?
Agents are not crystal ball readers, they do not work directly for you, and they will not completely manage your career. They will present your work to publishers and represent you when a publisher makes an offer. You are not the only person they represent, so they will have a limited time to talk with you. You might only hear from them now and then.

They gain access to editors that you might have only dreamed about, but that means they have invested a great amount of time in maintaining good relationships this those editors. You must stay involved in the process, let them know if you have issues with the contract of publishers. It is their job to go to bat for you!

Agent or Not to Agent: Part 2

What does an agent do?
There three primary things that an agent will for you:

1) Agents submit material to publishers. Agents are allowed to submit to all publishers without being concerned over which ones don't accept unsolicited material. Also agents know the business and have dealt with the editors before. Research is not an issue.

2) Agents negotiate contracts. Most agents have contracts that are better than what unagented people receive from the publisher.

3) Agents collect money and distribute it. Agents review the royalty statements, which are complicated, point out any mistakes and get the publisher to pay, which is hard for an individual to do.

This information just lists the basics. An agent will help with any problem that arises, can give good advice and will manage your career. It's nice for an author or illustrator who deals with more than one publisher to get one 1099 at the end of the year from his or her agent stating all earnings, commissions, expenses, etc.

To Agent or Not to Agent: Part 1

Do I really need an agent?

Agents are not always needed to land a book deal. However, the “big 6” publishing houses (HarperCollins, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, Penguin Putnam and Disney / Hyperion) say they will only consider manuscripts from published authors or agents. These houses are also difficult to break into even with an agent. It is recommended that beginning writers begin working with smaller imprints. Use this opportunity to gain personal contacts and keep up with them. Editors are always moving from house to house. They are always trying to move up as well. Establishing these relationships early will only help you move up with them.
First time authors submitting manuscripts, would use their time more wisely submitting directly to a publisher by means of a query letter. Editors are more likely to sign a new author before an agent is to sign up someone to represent.

For children's book illustrators the situation is a little different. More artists work with agents, known as artist’s representatives, and unpublished illustrators do become clients for agents. For artists, having a rep helps them get more jobs then they ever would have been able to find on their own.

Portfolio Content

Children’s publishing is a wonderful market for new artists. Children between the ages of 3-7 can’t read yet, or their skills are bare minimum. These rich stories can’t be illustrated with stock art or photographs because the story is particular to its own needs. The story requires its own creative and colorful visuals that tell the particular story along side the minimal words. This creates a dilemma for the art buyer. They can not see the actual art that will go into the book, therefore they have to take a “leap of faith” when assigning the project. How do art buyers chose and assign an artist to a project?

The answer lies in the portfolio by the artist. Several pages of an illustrated story must be shown in succession within the portfolio. This shows how an artist “visualizes” the series of events within the story. The artist shows character development by showing the same characters in different situations, scenes and emotions. The art directors can see consistency in character, color, compositional abilities and creativity.

Always present 1-2 stories in your portfolio. This will take up 4-6 of the required 10-15 pieces and really make your portfolio work for you. The stories can be made up or classical. It only takes a few images to show off what the buyer needs to see. The remaining 9-10 images can be of anything you desire.

Manuscript Tips

Before sending your manuscript off to your chosen publisher, it is good to send an email or letter with a query. Ask if they will read your manuscript. If the answer is “yes,” then mark the envelope with the manuscript with “Requested Material.” This marking on the outside of the envelope separates you from the rest of the unsolicited manuscripts sitting on their desk. In any circumstance, always give the editor the name of the person who referred you. That is one way to work the conversation from a warm lead.

Manuscript Formatting

In the upper right corner, place the copyright notice and year the manuscript was written, genre, and approximate word count all single spaced.

(then 3 lines)

First American Serial Rights, or Print Rights, Electronic Rights
(then 2 lines)

By (your name)

(2 lines)

Chapter 1

(2 lines)

Start your story double spaced

Note: If you have written a picture book, start your manuscript on the “Chapter 1” line.

Beneficial Sites for Illustrators

http://www.illustrationfriday.com
Illustration Friday is a site where artists illustrate / create a work around a particular topic. Then you can post your piece for others to see during that week. Every Friday is a new topic. This is great to get yourself out there and get some exposure.

http://www.childrensillustrators.com and http://www.picture-book.com
Children’s Illustrators.com and PictureBook.com are online portfolios of artist that are compiled into one easy-to-see web site. This site is accessed daily by art buyers from leading publishing houses, advertising agencies and design groups from around the world.

http://www.sendoutcards.com and http://www.premiumpostcards.com
Send Out Cards and Premium Postcards is a great way to keep in touch with publishers, agents, teachers, etc. You have the option to upload your own artwork and design the postcard online. You pay a small portion for the printing and then for postage. The company sends it out for you and everything has been taken care of within minutes at the tip of your fingers.

Query Lettters

A query letter asks for something. More importantly, asks whether they would like to read your manuscript.

Include a summary of your book and the first 3 chapters if this is a chapter book. They like to be able to get a feel of your writing style in order to make a decision. Make sure there is NO MISSPELLINGS & GOOD GRAMMAR. This is your shot. You’ve got to shine like no other. There is a lot of competition sitting on the desk with you!

In the body of the letter, introduce yourself. Platform a promotional plan to sell the potential book. Tell about what you have written in the past and what you have done to promote those writings (or illustrations). Are you a speaker? Do you twitter? Are you on Facebook? How many followers do you have? What is your “pool of influence?” They want to know how hard it will be to market your material and how much you are willing to help promote your book. (Pause – think about this for a minute! Let’s let this sink in!) Book publishers are a business and they are interested in making money from your material. I include this because I don’t think people think about this way!

Tell why the manuscript would be beneficial as a book, article, etc.

Tell what you have published in the past. This is just a quick brief resume.

I know I’ve said this before, if you are a member of SCBWI, list it.

Let the agent or editor know that you know them! This makes it a little more personal and warm. If you heard them speak at a conference, or was referred from a mutual acquaintance, let them know!

Cover Letter Elements

When writing your cover letter, be sure to list the word count for your manuscript. This is something that is important to editors as certain types of books and stories require different word counts.

List the ages that the manuscript was written for.

Talk briefly about why you wrote it. Did you have a similar experience? Do you really know the material you are writing about?

Be sure to include a short biography about yourself. If you get published, they could potentially use this to promote you.

Be polite -- this is important! You are sending them your manuscript to potentially publish.
AND – if you ever want to re-submit something in the future, that editor might remember if they did not have a favorable experience with you previously.

Remember to enclose a SASE and your manuscript.

Mailers & Postcards

I would recommend getting a copy of Children’s Writers & Illustrators Market (CWIM) and go through and choose a highly focused and selective list of about 40-50 publishers. Choose publishers that publish materials that look like your illustrations or read like your writing. Now, I realize that this is going to take some time to research. Go online and become familiar with the publishers books. Go to the bookstore and look at them in person.

After you have a solid list, design a postcard. If you are an illustrator, showcase some of your work. I would recommend one piece on the cover with your name, email and web address.

On the back, put your name again with a relevant title, like Children’s Book Illustrator, etc. List any books you have illustrated with publishers name and accolades the book has received. List your web address with something like, “to see more work…” go here. If you have an agent, list the agent and maybe their logo and contact info. If you are a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), list that. Often times, editors will give preferential treatment to members over some who is not a member. If you are a member, it just communicates that you are very serious about your work. If you happen to have another small piece of art related to the front piece, or a small portion of it, you might want to add that.

Be diligent in mailing out a postcard 3-4 times per year. Book publishers and editors enjoy getting mail with fun pictures to look at. I’ve heard that if they like your drawing and illustration style, they will pin up your postcard in their office!! That generally means you are staying on the top of their minds as they look for a project to assign you!

Reading Carnival Bridges Reading Gap

Irish Elementary School in Fort Collins, Colorado has a new reading program called “The Reading Carnival” to make reading fun and motivate children to keep up their reading skills during the summer. Redeemer Lutheran Church partnered with Irish to provide food to launch the carnival. The event was held Thursday, May 14, 2009.

Another elementary school in town conducted a book drive to collect lightly used books for all ages of children from kindergarten to 6th grade. Parents and children came to enjoy a free meal and hear the librarian speak about the reading programs at the public library. In the gym, a local drama team acted out stories that had been written by the school children. This was most amusing!

At the end of the evening, all the food had been eaten and all of the books had been taken home by the children. It was truly a successful evening in getting books for reading into children’s hands.

It is a humbling experience to see how grateful for the books these children really are. Most of them come from impoverished and sometimes illiterate families. It was a fantastic experience to get to serve these people in such an enriching way.

Design process for Illustrating Children’s Books: Part 2

Storyboards, those are important! I presume that most illustrators use these. However, I like them for a variety of reasons. A thumbnail size storyboard for a 32 page picture book fits all on one side of an 8.5”x11” sheet of paper. This gives an “eagle-eye view” of the entire book at a glance. The pages are laid out in “spreads,” which means the left and right page together as the book is laying open. I can see the action movement throughout the pages. If there is something not right and needs to be adjusted, I will know it here in this stage.


A comp sized storyboard is just as effective. Again, it allows you to see the movement and make any changes with ease. I like to post these around the room and feel like I am inside the story. Pixar works this way. Watch the trailers on the DVD’s of how they make the movies. They will talk about this whole creative process.

If you took the storyboard in the comp sizing and put it into book format, it would be a dummy. A DUMMY is an idea for a book that needs to be finished out into final illustrations. When submitting an author/illustrator book idea, you would submit a manuscript along with a dummy. Use pencils or ink to sketch all the pages to the 32 page book. Fully render the cover and 2-3 of the interior spreads. Don’t make it anything too finished. Leave the door open for the editors and art directors to make adjustments. Otherwise, they may reject it quicker, feeling like there is no room for changes or improvements. Make sure the art makes your eyes move across the page and begs your to turn the page. Don’t forget to plan for the text. Don’t send the only dummy. Make Xerox copies and reserve a few for yourself. You never know, you might not get it back or simple need another one.

After you have the final signatures from the editors or author (self-publishing) for the comps you provided, you start on the final illustrations. Take care to do your very best work because this is your image in the public eye. People will know the illustrator by the work in the books they have at home. You may even get to go out and help promote the book. With this comes autographing and meeting children and parents eye to eye.

Design process for Illustrating Children’s Books: Part 1

Everything has a developmental process and children’s books are no different! I want to talk about the design process that I go through as an illustrator to design my books.

If I happen to be the writer and illustrator for a book, I would write my manuscript first and arrive at a “final draft,” or I would receive a final draft from a writer. After reading it and digesting it for a bit, I would start by producing a thumbnail sketch.

Thumbnail sketches are a series of small drawings to visualize an idea quickly. They can range in size from ¾” to 2” or more. It should not be very fancy or detailed. This drawing should only take about 30 seconds or less to produce. This is where it would be beneficial to sketch several for each page. That way you have a few compositions to choose from. Once you have an idea of the page design, the next step is to produce a comp.

Comps are a bigger more detailed sketch (5”x7” to 8.5”x11”, or bigger) of the chosen thumbnail. Where thumbnails are usually drawn in graphite or ink, comps are usually sketched out and then finished in color if needed. This gives the best idea of the final page. If you happen to be illustrating for a publishing house, this is the stage that editors and art directors become interested in seeing sketches. Any problems can easily be caught here and changed without any issue. At any rate, it is much better than redoing a final drawing.

Marketing Yourself for Writer and Illustrators

I am going to talk about how I market myself as an illustrator, however writers can do the same. Just adapt the “recipe” to meet your needs.

I have a basic, black portfolio that showcases 10-15 of my best works. In the inside pocket, I keep tearsheets (8.5 X 11 sheets of printed examples of illustration), business cards and brochures. I might even put a few bookmarks in as “take aways” for the editors to remember me by.

My website acts as my online portfolio. It showcases more work that I would be able to in my portfolio. I like the website idea because it gives me a medium to tell a little bit about myself. This gives my viewers a chance to feel like they “already know me.” The site is designed to reflect my personal style and I have kept it clean, simple and easy to navigate.

Find something to Blog about. Give personal tips, review top websites on a particular topic, post samples of your art each week, Keep viewers coming back for more! Sometimes I participate in www.illustrationfriday.com. It is a site that gives you a particular topic from which to work from. Then you can post your piece for others to see during that week. Every Friday is a new topic. I used this to build my portfolio the first time around. I had a good time with it!

Design a brochure with samples of work from your portfolio. Not everyone will look at your website no matter how many times you tell them to. Much easier to hand them a flyer! Excellent leave behind for a portfolio.

Consider having some mailers designed. 3-4 mailings per year of new work to book publishers gives them a good idea of what you can do for them! They love getting samples of work. They will file your examples for future manuscripts that they think will fit.

Business cards and / or bookmarks are great leave-behinds and continue to work as TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness).

CHILDREN’S WRITERS & ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET is a resource that lists all publishers of books, magazines, etc., editors, contact information and submission info. You can find this at Barnes & Noble, at the library in the resource section, etc. The publication comes out yearly and is a must in marketing to publishers.

SOCIETY OF CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITERS & ILLUSTRATORS (SCBWI)
http://www.scbwi.org
A membership based society that is nationwide. “The SCBWI acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.” SCBWI puts on several big national conferences every year and also locally within your area. I would recommend looking into the society. Book publishers tend to give more consideration to members of the society for writing and illustrating before others who are not members.

Finding a Publisher

On the search for a publisher...

There are hundreds of publishers that produce children’s picture books. I recommend doing some research before sending your manuscript out. It will save you a lot of money and time in the long run. Plan a “field trip” to the closest book store and look at books in the same genre/style that you have written. Copy down the publisher and mailing information. Then go to the library and look through the current Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market (CWIM) for the addresses and names of the contact editors and art directors you would submit to. It would not be a bad idea to call the publisher to make sure that staffing has not changed since CWIM has came out. CWIM also lists the type of book that each publisher is looking for, so you can verify if your manuscript will fit in with the publisher’s needs.

Attach a brief cover letter to the manuscript and include a self-addressed stamped envelope with enough postage for the manuscripts return.

Once you have mailed your manuscript, start writing another. Please realize that getting a book accepted can take many years and many rejections. Do Not Quit, Do Not Lose Hope! I heard the Harry Potter series was declined by between six and eight publishers and got rejection after rejection. Well, you know the end of that story – the rest is history!

Submitting your Manuscript

Step 4: Submitting Your Manuscript

It’s now time to submit your manuscript!

If you are not an illustrator and do not plan on illustrating the book, I suggest that you do not try. Drawings that are not professional will give your manuscript an amateur appearance. This may detract from your writings and give the editor the wrong impression. Publishers have a “gallery” of professional illustrators that they like to work with. They will choose one of the artists and assign your manuscript upon acceptance.

Type your manuscript. Double space it with 1” margins on white paper. Center the title about a third of the way down the page. Put your name, address, email address and phone number in the upper left corner. Your name and title of the book should appear on subsequent pages, and all pages should be numbered in order. You may add a blank line where the page turns happen in the real book. Do not add art directions to your text. Your text should be strong enough to stand on its own. The words should evoke a pictoral story line in the editors mind without any prompting.

If you would like to illustrate the book:

Type your manuscript same as above. Include a dummy. Make a “paste up book” with the correct number of pages stapled (picture books are generally 32 pages with about 28 pages of art). Sketch out the pages. Paste up the text blocks on all the page spreads. Consider adding 3 or 4 of the final art pieces in the dummy. This will give the art director an idea of the finished style of art. NEVER send original art.

Step 3: Edit, Edit, Edit!

After you have a first draft of your manuscript, the first thing you need to do is cut part of what you have written. Most editors prefer that the word count does not go over 1000. You could plan to cut out about 10% of your writing right off the top. Any word that is not 100% necessary should go. Don’t waste your word count describing an object or a character, instead, leave a note to the illustrator if this is important. The illustrator will be able to convey the idea graphically if it is something like physical attributes. This falls under the “show, not tell” rule of storytelling, films, and book writing and illustrating.

A characters’ action should always advance the plot. Don’t waste your word count explaining that Bobby got up in the morning, brushed his teeth, and ate breakfast if he missed the school bus. Your readers will figure out that he got up and got ready if you start your story with him leaving the house on the way to school.

After you have trimmed the unnecessary material from your story. Take a look at your character. Is he or she developed? Will children care about him? A child should be able to describe several aspects about a characters personality. Take a look at the secondary characters. They should contribute to the story in some, less defined way.

Take a look at the dialogue. Each character should have their own unique voice; children should talk like children. Make sure that the dialogue is advancing the plot forward or give insight into someone’s personality. “Give me back my hat!” Jill stamped her foot and glared at Bobby.

It may take a few re-writes before the story is as tight as it can be. Authors find it helpful to put it away for several days between re-writes. This helps to give some fresh perspective on the piece and allows you to see the rough spots easier.

Writing Children's Picture Books

Part 2: First Draft Writing

“Picture book” refers to any children’s book that contains illustrations on every page and is not broken up by chapters. Generally, “picture books” will mean a story for children ages 3-7, who are beyond “board book” concepts (ie. Shapes, colors, numbers, animals, etc.)

The first step is to pick a topic for your book. The best books use everyday events and activities from a child’s life. These ideas can come from anywhere; an event from your own childhood, something that happened from your child at school, something that happened at home, etc.

Rather than bombarding children with lessons everyday of their lives, I would urge you to write to entertain. Any message from the story should be conveyed by the main characters’ actions.

Once you have your topic, you develop your main character. This character can be anything from real people to animals, monsters or aliens! No matter who your main character is, it is important that he or she embodies the child’s point of view. The story should be about a child’s concerns and how a child sees the world. If using an animal, it should be like a child in disguise, and live a very childlike existence. Have the animal dressed in clothes and using inanimate objects that people would use.

Start by writing 2-3 sentences summarizing your book. If this gives you trouble, your story is too complicated for a picture book. Texts in picture books run from 100-1500 words, with about 1000 words being the average. My suggestion would be to keep your story simple and to the point. AND – always end the story on a happy note.

Write your first draft. Tell the story from the main characters point of view. You can either use first person (I said) or third person (Jill said). Keep the number of secondary characters to a minimum because you don’t have enough space to develop these characters.

Tell your story in a series of actions with dialogue scattered throughout. Let the words convey concrete, visual images. Children between the ages of 3-7 only understand what they can see and feel. They don’t think abstractly. Emotions have to be described in sensory terms (chattering teeth to show being cold, etc).

Writing Children’s Picture Books

Part 1: The Overview

Of all the different mediums a writer could write for, children’s picture books are probably the most challenging. The text is usually short, therefore every word is very important and must “earn its own way to the table.” In a longer story, a flat paragraph can go undetected, however in a 32 page book, a few weak words can mean trouble for you plot.

Good picture books capture the essence of the story through the words. It’s up to the illustrator to tell the rest of the story. Picture books are meant to be read aloud to children, therefore the rhythm of the words are very important. The trick is to get the text to sounds like poetry. Choosing the words very carefully and rewriting as many times as it takes.

The average picture book is no longer than 1500 words. In this short space, a writer must develop a story with convincing characters. The writer must also set a mood and a scene from a child’s life. Every sentence contains a single, concrete idea and every two to three sentences should convey a different scene that can be illustrated and communicated visually.

After writing the first draft of the story, go back through the text again and delete every unnecessary word. Go through again and replace some of the ordinary words with a selection of deeper words.

After your story has been revised several times and the text is tightly written like a poem, then you are ready to send it to the editors.

Here We Go!

I am pleased to be starting this children’s picture book review blog. It has a scope of covering all different aspects of children’s picture books from self publishing, illustration, other illustrators and their work, book review for parents & teachers, tips & tricks, book production and publication.

You see, there is a wide variety of topics to talk about regarding children’s picture books. I hope to be able to cover it all here. If you are a parent or teacher of young children, you will be able to find reviews of new books set to be released. If you are a self publisher, I hope you will be able to find some helpful insights here.

I wanted to introduce myself briefly. My name is Shaundra Schultz and I am a children’s book illustrator. I primarily help self publishers get their book illustrated and then published. I have always loved children’s illustration and now I am pleased to be serving writers who want to see their dream become reality! I have 1 book published as an illustrator and I am eager to start on one of the two manuscripts I currently have on my desk.

Formerly, I had been in the graphic design field designing for small companies here in town. The work started to dry up and I made the decision to “go for the gusto” and do what I know I was called to do – Children’s Picture Book Illustration! So, here we are. Today, I visit elementary schools hoping to inspire kids all over to follow their dreams!