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Once there were crowds, and clinging jockeys, and horses to ride against in the razor-fine seconds it took to be first across the finish line.

As an aspiring author, I’ve been told countless times about the importance of a first line. Never before has a picture book opening reined me in so tightly, so swiftly as Deborah Blumenthal’s Black Diamond and Blake, the story of a racehorse saved by friendship.

Black Diamond, a beloved racehorse, hero of the grandstand crowds, wins race after race. His jockey and owner feed him sweet apples, warm him with a red velvet blanket, and wrap him with such kindness that the horse only wants to win and make them proud.

But no athlete can dominate forever. Black Diamond grows sore, tired and eventually becomes injured. His fans boo instead of celebrate, ripping their losing tickets and tossing them to the ground. The sweet apples and sweet attention disappear.

A gruff, cigar-smoking man purchases Black Diamond and takes the horse to a prison rehabilitation program. The author was inspired by a New York Times article about inmates who cared for retired racehorses. “I read of the deep emotional connections that some inmates made with the animals, so that in the end, men saved horses and horses saved men,” Blumenthal explains.

At the prison, Black Diamond meets Blake, a soft-spoken man who feeds the horse cinnamon candies and takes him on long walks. The two bond in friendship. And then, one day, Blake is released and Black Diamond becomes despondent and difficult, longing for his caretaker, his best friend.

As usual, I never reveal a book’s ending, but the book is titled Black Diamond and Blake for a reason.

The Art-Deco-inspired illustrations by Miles Hyman render bold forms with a soft pastel stroke, a visual juxtaposition befitting this tale of a strong yet sensitive racehorse. The book is gorgeous in all respects—from the language, to the theme, to the green hills of the final spread.

Parents may appreciate Blumenthal’s beautiful words more than children (“in a minute that grew heavy with time”) and those younger than five may not be able to sit for the entire tale, although my horse-lovers, aged three and six, were mesmerized. While the publisher claims it’s appropriate for children up to age eight, I foresee this book being enjoyed by children as old as ten or twelve, especially if they love animals.

Black Diamond and Blake never gets too sappy or sentimental, but instead tells a story of friendship and second chances from the thrill of the races to the gentleness of a rolling countryside.

Want it? Sure you do!

Black Diamond and Blake
Story by Deborah Blumenthal
Illustrations by Miles Hyman
Alfred A. Knopf, February 2009

4 Comments on Picture Book Review: Black Diamond and Blake, last added: 12/11/2009

If you’re a picture book writer, you’ve read hundreds of picture books. Maybe even thousands. (And if you haven’t, I’m sending you to bed without supper!)

I know you have favorites. But have you ever stopped to analyze why a picture book has earned your top rank? Is it the premise? The voice? The twist on the final page? Does the book’s heartfelt sentiment or cheeky sense of humor hook you? Is it all of the above?

Timothy Knapman’s Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood stands out among recent reads. Why? When I began Knapman’s story, I assumed it had a been-there-done-that premise: boy discovers a creature in the forest. But on the third page, I was thrown.

This is no ordinary boy-meets-dragon story. It’s dragon-meets-boy.

Told from the dragon’s point of view, Dragon Wood turns a common premise upside down. When the young dragon finds a boy “called a Benjamin,” he brings it home and asks his mom if he can keep it. Slowly the dragon uncovers strange facts about the human world—the Benjamin’s striped boots aren’t his feet, his eyes leak when he’s sad, and he loves a game involving a black and white ball. But the dragons have a tough time learning soccer. They just want to burn down the goalposts and eat the ball.

In Dragon Wood, young readers know more than the main character. And kids love that. Think about it—all day long they’re in school, being told how much they don’t know. When they can be smarter than a picture book character, it’s a fun feeling. (Just like when we adults are smarter than a fifth grader.)

Knapman’s book has several things going for it: surprise, humor, a unique voice, kid sensibilities and adult appeal. Let’s not forget that a picture book should keep the grown-up—the one with the wallet who’s reading—entertained as well.

When I boil this dragon tale down, it’s a story about friendship. I could also argue that it’s a book about the importance of family and finding one’s true place in the world. These are universal themes that will never go out of style.

As I come up with ideas this month, I think about the theme at its heart. Will my theme stand the test of time? Can I write this theme with humor and an element of surprise? What have I learned from Dragon Wood that I could apply to my own unique story?

Other favorites:

In Cressida Cowell’s That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, the relationship between a little girl and her favorite toy is magic, a love that everyone can understand because they’ve experienced it, too.

In The Louds Move In by Carolyn Crimi, the author balances seven distinct characters—an entire family of Louds plus three quiet neighbors. Even the names are brilliant: Earmuffle Avenue, Miss Shushermush, Mr. Pitterpatter.

In Laurie Keller’s 0 Comments on PiBoIdMo Day 22: Playing Favorites as of 1/1/1900

Hush little baby, don’t say a word.
Mama’s found a book that beats the herd.

It’s got a little dragon and his mum.
She’s finding food for him, and not just crumbs.

A knight, a queen and a magician.
Yes, those folks are good nutrition.

Set to the tune of a sweet lullaby,
That author Boni Ashburn is really sly.

Please excuse my forced rhyme here,
Boni’s verse is better, don’t you fear.

In fact, that couplet with “nutrition”
Is the author’s, not my addition.

My three year-old just loves this book,
Hush Little Dragon boasts quite the hook.

So rush right out and grab this title,
Sorry I have nothing to rhyme with title.

Let me repeat just one more time,
Boni’s verses are better than mine.

Hush little baby, don’t say a word.
There’s a Hush sequel and maybe a third?

If Boni keeps writing books like this,
Kids everywhere will have reading bliss.

Hush, Little Dragon
Story by Boni Ashburn
Illustrations by Kelly Murphy
Abrams Books for Young Readers, March 2008
Want it? Sure you do!

What makes you pluck a picture book off the shelf? A clever title? The author’s name? What about a charming little girl on the cover, stirring a delicious pot of noodles? That’s what got to me with Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore.

Maybe it’s because I love to cook. Maybe the bright little dot that said “Recipe Included!” spoke to me. (And, by the way, the recipe is delicious!)

But more than anything, vibrant primary colors and Cora’s smiling eyes drew me in. Illustrator Kristi Valiant’s paintings evoke a warm feeling as Cora cooks a traditional Filipino dish with her mama for the first time.

Cora is the youngest of many children and always gets the kiddie kitchen tasks, like licking the spoon clean. Valiant’s opening scene shows the family from Cora’s point of view, as she sits on the floor with the family dog. We see her family from the waist down, spread along the kitchen counter, performing their duties. It’s amazing how Valiant can make the poses so varied and expressive, only working with half a body. Some of the pencil lines remain, creating an illusion of movement–the bustle of the family kitchen.

Valiant’s image presents the conflict immediately: little Cora is not involved with family meal preparation. We feel Cora’s longing to be a “real cook.”

One day when her siblings leave the house, Cora asks to cook with Mama. Mama lets Cora choose the dish. Cora wants pancit.

Mama tells the story of how her own father taught her to make pancit, and Cora feels proud when she gets to wear her Lolo’s red apron.

What follows is a delightful, heart-warming exchange between mother/teacher and daughter/student. Valiant’s illustrations are spot-on, from facial expressions to body language. She gets every detail just right. Even Cora’s feet, slightly off-balance, reveal her trepidation as she prepares the noodles. Sunlight streams in through the kitchen window, framing Cora and Mama in a scene that highlights the special bond created with family tradition.

As usual, I won’t reveal the story’s ending. There’s an oopsie along the way, but there’s also a beaming Cora.

I was so impressed with this book’s illustrations, I asked Kristi Valiant for an interview. Luckily, she agreed to talk to me about the making of Cora and other fun illustration stuff. Watch for it tomorrow!

Cora Cooks Pancit
Text by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore
Illustrations by Kristi Valiant
Shen’s Books, Spring 2009
Want it? Sure you do!

Remember those embarrassing dance moves your Aunt Myrna unveiled at Cousin Frannie’s wedding? She flapped her arms, wiggled her tush and tumbled onto the parquet floor?

Well, that’s not this chicken dance.

No siree, this Chicken Dance is a brilliant barnyard romp featuring two hilarious hens and their idol Elvis Poultry, thank you. (Thankyouverymuch.)

Author Tammi Sauer proves her rural farm upbringing of tending cows at dawn was worth it, ‘cause this little lady knows how to milk the humor.

According to henhouse pals Marge and Lola, Elvis Poultry is a hunk of bawking love. When the barnyard talent show is announced, the two find out the grand prize is two tickets to see Elvis’ Final Doodle Doo concert. They must win!

But the ducks waddle by and wave a wing at the hopeful hens. “Don’t bother, drumsticks.” Seems ducks are top dog at this farm.

Marge and Lola test out their talents but the ducks quack at every failed attempt. When Marge and Lola finally hit the stage–following solid goat, pig and cow acts–they stammer and gulp. A duck heckles, “What’s the matter? Are you chicken?” so they begin to flap, shake and bawk. Just regular chicken stuff. But the crowd loves it and crows for more.

The next spread features Marge and Lola performing dance moves that would make Aunt Myrna shake in her boots. They vogue, point like John Travolta, domo arigato misuta robotto, and walk like an Egyptian. Illustrator Dan Santat makes chickens boogie better than So You Think You Can Dance finalists.

I can’t reveal the contest results, as that would spoil all the feathery fun. But I will tell you that Elvis is in the building. Err, I mean barnyard.

The jokes even extend beyond the story, with end pages that provide step-by-step “Disco Chicken” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo” dance moves. Funky album covers replace the typical staid author and illustrator photos.

Yes, just one look at the blinged-out, white-caped Elvis Poultry on the front cover, and you know this ain’t your Aunt Myrna’s paltry poultry impersonation.

Can’t get enough of the silliness?

Publisher Sterling Kids is holding a video contest now through October 31. Just shake your tail feathers along to the official music and post it on YouTube.

And tell them Elvis Poultry sent ya.

Chicken Dance
Written by Tammi Sauer
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Sterling Kids, August 2009
Want it? Sure you do!

Benjamin wanders too far from home one day and stumbles into Dragon Wood. In this tale of boy meets dragon, the unexpected happens–dragon meets boy.

The cover art by Gwen Millward drew me into Timothy Knapman’s quirky little tale. Her forest reminded me of the Truffula Trees in The Lorax, albeit on a smaller scale (and perhaps not as poofy). They frame Benjamin and the Dragon on a clever, die-cut cover.

I admit that I goofed while reading the story for the first time. I got confused. I had to flip back to the beginning to understand Knapman’s brilliant twist on a familiar theme. When editors tell aspiring authors they want to see fresh ideas in picture books, Guess What I Found serves as a perfect example.

“What kind of review is this?” I hear you asking. “She’s not telling me anything about the book!” Oh yeah, sorry ’bout that. If I tell you too much about the Benjamin’s quest, I’ll ruin the surprise.

“Wait a second, did she just call him ‘the Benjamin?’ Must be a typo. What a sorry excuse for a blogger.” Um, I must inform you, that was no typo.

So okay, calm down. I’ll tell you that I loved the striped boots, the whirly wee-woo boxes and the soccer goalposts. And I can’t forget the volcano-sitting lessons! If you want to know more than that, you’ll have to stumble into Dragon Wood yourself.

Don’t get lost!

Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood
Story by Timothy Knapman
Illustrations by Gwen Millward
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, December 2007

Want it? Sure you do!

Got a favorite children’s book? Write a review! Today is “Write a Review Wednesday.” Help support kidlit!

Ruth Spiro is my hero. She’s the only children’s book author I know who invented her own holiday. And what could be more fun than Bubble Gum Day? Celebrations are “popping up” all over the place!

Bubble Gum Day participants raise money to support schools by blowing bubbles. And, of course, they read Ruth’s hilarious picture book Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist.

Never heard of a bubble gum artist? Lester comes from a long line of artsy ancestors, but he hasn’t inherited traditional talent. One day Lester visits his Uncle Edgar, whose inspiration has waned. When Lester’s bubble bursts, Edgar’s statue gets covered in pink, donning her with a lovely tutu. Hmmm, where have I seen that ballerina before? Sure, Lester helps his uncle out, but he still hasn’t found his fine art calling.

Lester might create drab doodles and pitiful paintings, but he soon discovers his unique talent for blowing beautiful bubble art. Spiro’s clever tale offers tons of fun for kids, but it also winks at parents with spoofs of Picasso, Seurat and other masters sprinkled on its pages. Lester’s theme is about finding your place in the world, despite what others think. In fact, it serves as a wonderful lesson for aspiring authors. Write from the heart. Find your voice. Keep writing no matter what anyone else says.

Ruth Spiro’s journey to publication was a pretty sweet ride. Lester was her first picture book manuscript and her first sale. The story was also a winner in the 72nd Annual Writer’s Digest competition. But how did she start writing?

Ahh, glad you asked. I knew I liked Ruth’s work for a reason. In 2000, she took a class from one of my favorite picture book authors, Carolyn Crimi (The Louds Move In, Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies). She gained a firm writing foundation and then found inspiration from her family.

One day her daughter said, “What if I could blow bubbles like that guy at the birthday party who made animals out of balloons? Wouldn’t it be cool if I could blow a bubble shaped like a dog?” With that, Lester’s story was born. And Ruth’s career took another turn.

“Once I sold my book and started selling articles to magazines, I also started receiving calls and emails from ‘friends of friends’ who were looking for advice on breaking into print. It seemed everyone had a drawer full of poems or a children’s book manuscript, but they didn’t know what steps to take next.

“I realized I was spending a lot of time putting together resources and reading other peoples’ work, so why not make it official and get paid for it?”

Ruth created the Writing for Moms program to help other women develop their craft and sell their work. Several of her students are now published authors, too.

And now the burning question: what kind of bubble gum does Ruth prefer?

“I was actually a Bazooka gal until Bubble Yum came out–so soft and sweet! While I don’t like to state a preference for a particular brand, I find Dubble Bubble is a good all-around bubblegum, and I usually have a big pink bowl filled with it at my events and signings!”

As if I needed another reason to attend her signing! Oh Ruth, you had me at Bazooka.

Lester Fizz, Bubble-gum Artist
Story by Ruth Spiro
Illustrations by Thor Wickstrom
Dutton Juvenile, August 2008

Want it? Sure you do!

If you love children’s books, please participate in a new weekly blog meme:

Write a Review Wednesday!

Parents, teachers and librarians are relying on online reviews more than ever to help them decide upon book purchases. Your opinion counts! Praise a picture book. Marvel over a middle grade novel. Tell everyone that young adult isn’t just for young adults!

On Wednesdays, write an online book review for a book that you love. The review could be posted on your blog,  Amazon, B&N, GoodReads, or you could tweet your book bravos on Twitter. It doesn’t matter WHERE you do it. The goal is to get more people who are passionate about kidlit talking about their recent, fabulous reads.

Don’t forget to link to information on where the book can be purchased–the publisher’s site, the author/illustrator’s site, Indiebound.org or a retailer.

If you’re participating via Twitter, link to your online review and use the hashtag #warw, which I’ve defined on Tagalus.

And if you don’t have the time to write a review, simply link to a review that you appreciated. There are many prolific book bloggers (like Maw Books and Write for a Reader), so let’s give them our thanks.

Ideas for “Write a Review Wednesday”? Please leave a comment!

Now let the reviewing begin!

It’s Children’s Book Week! So what does that mean? It’s time to celebrate children’s books across all genres.

Read to children. Inspire their creativity. Write a story together. Draw pictures. Enter Carin Berger’s Contest. Do whatever you want to make reading a priority in your family’s life! (Although I’m sure it’s already a priority.)

To help you along on this salute to Silverstein, this festival of Fox, this jubilee of Jeffers, here are some links:

• Read story starters by children’s authors and finish what they started.
• Visit the Write For a Reader blog. Shelly will have author interviews and give-aways all week.
• Check out IlluStory and Create Your Own Pop-up Book, fun ways for your child to publish their own book.
• Review the Top 10 Summer Reading Lists from various organizations and the children’s choice reading list from the Children’s Book Council.
• Share your favorite children’s book with us. Comment below so others can discover great books.

And here are some marvelous picture books being released this week! Enjoy!

Carin Berger never deliberately set out to become an author/illustrator, but she found her true calling in picture books. She was awarded the Society of Illustrators Founder’s Award in 2006, the NY Times named The Little Yellow Leaf one of the top ten picture books of 2008, and Publishers Weekly called her “one to watch.”

And now’s a great time to watch.

Her latest title OK Go, a playful book about making greener choices, releases in bookstores today.

I had the opportunity to talk with Carin about her journey to publication (somewhat serendipitous) and her plans for the future (deliberately delightful). I shall follow PW’s lead and not only watch her, but predict the Caldecott will soon be calling.

Carin, how did you start on the path to becoming a children’s book illustrator?

I’ve always loved reading, writing, old paper stuff, children’s books, type and making things. I studied graphic design and spent almost 20 years working in the field. I worked my way down the (pay) food chain towards what I really loved: from very high-end annual reports and brochures to eventually designing book jackets for all the major publishers. I did jackets for poetry, fiction and non-fiction. I still do this and love it. I get to read manuscripts and can often use my own illustration or photography.

Anyhow, I had a daughter, and it turned out she was a sleepless wonder. (When she was little. Now she sleeps like a baby!) I spent much of most evenings hanging with her, waiting for her to fall asleep. I wrote the poems for Not So True Stories and Unreasonable Rhymes in those long hours, mostly to amuse myself.

How did you first get involved in collage?

As for collage, that was kind of serendipity. I thought I would do paintings and was experimenting with different painting styles, some which included collage, and then my friend gave me a magic box full of old letters and documents and ephemera that she picked up at a flea market, knowing I had a thing for that kind of stuff. And that was the beginning.

Once I had pulled together some sample illustrations and manuscript, a friend-of-a-friend agreed to rep it; and she, amazingly, ushered it into the world.

And was Not So True Stories and Unreasonable Rhymes your first manuscript?

Yes, it was my first manuscript, though I’d written a bit, for myself, before.

Wow. That’s a rare accomplishment and speaks volumes about your talent. Where did you go from that first success?

Not So True Stories was a quirky little book that got good reviews but sold…well, like a quirky little book. Chronicle Books graciously published my second book, All Mixed Up, another quirky and very little book. (It can fit in your pocket.)

I was then called by Greenwillow Books and asked to illustrate Jack Prelutsky’s book. A real honor. And, because it was the amazing Master Jack’s book, it received lots of nice attention. He was named the first ever Children’s Poet Laureate right when the book came out which meant that there was a shiny golden sticker that went on the front of the book, too. I’ve been working with Greenwillow Books for the last couple of projects.

How has your illustration style evolved from one book to the next?

As for the collage style, it has sort of evolved in a few directions.

All Mixed Up, a mix and match book where the heads, middles and legs (as well as the alliterative poems) combine in various ways to make new characters, was born out of the idea of collaging the collaged illustration. I had originally conceived it as a game, but Chronicle preferred to do it as a book. The illustrations are similar, yet somewhat simpler than Not so True Stories, so that the mixing worked.

For Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, I wanted to do a slightly different style than the books that I had authored, and also, because the poems are about a conglomeration of animals and objects (such as Ballpoint Penguins), I thought it would be fun to play that up and make it really obvious.

I collect old dictionaries and army/navy catalogues that have engraved images, and so I used those images and integrated them into the collage. To do this I actually scanned engravings from the book, played with them in Photoshop, printed out pieces and used them to cut and paste with.

The Little Yellow Leaf felt like a really simple, nostalgic story and I ended up introducing a bit of paint (stenciling) to the collage to add another layer and also, at times, to age the paper.

Ok Go has a zillion funny little characters carousing throughout the book and feels much more like the art in the end papers of Not so True Stories and also in All Mixed Up. It was fun to change things up a bit and to do such playful art.

My next book, due out late next winter, is called Forever Friends and the art is much more similar to the art in The Little Yellow Leaf. I see it as a companion book to The Little Yellow Leaf because the bunny on the front cover and the bird on the back cover of Leaf are the characters in Forever Friends.

Your newest picture book OK Go is a playful book for the wee set, all about making greener choices. How did the concept for this book come together?

As best I can recall, it all sort of came as a whole piece. I liked the idea of introducing taking care of the environment to really young kids. I remember growing up in the 70s when “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute” was around and feeling very empowered to help make the world a better place. Here are some early sketches:

One of the biggest things I needed to figure out was how to emphasize the message in a powerful yet playful way. The gatefold came about because I wanted it to feel like a huge gathering or movement.

How do you choose which paper to cut for certain images? Does the paper speak to you?

I have files of papers sorted by color—yellows/oranges, reds/pinks, blues/purples—and I also have files for some of my passions: polka dots, plaids, wood grain, buttons…

I actually cut a vellum stencil of the shape I need and hold it over the paper to find a good section. Something with good gradations for example, that help the piece, say a car, look more dimensional. Clothing catalogs are great for plaids and buttons. And then I use a variety of old stuff, both really old ephemera like letters and receipts with great calligraphy on them and also bits and pieces that I find around: ticket stubs, laundry tags, etc.

Do the words on the paper hold any significance?

I do think about the paper I use, where it comes from and what it says. Not in a huge way, but in a quiet, just-to-amuse-myself sort of way. And in almost every book I make sure to include, somewhere, my daughter’s name, Thea. In The Little Yellow Leaf it appears on the page with the giant sun, and in OK Go I use her name and the names and initials of lots of friends to decorate the cars.

Speaking of the glorious sun in The Little Yellow Leaf, do you have any idea how many pieces of paper you used? Or how long it took to create that page?

I always knew what I wanted to do with that illustration, but it took a little longer (well, w-a-y longer) than I thought it would. I spent probably close to a week on it. Actually, part of the reason it took so long is that I started from the outside and was working my way towards the center and I got pretty far before I realized that, because the sun is asymmetrical, it wasn’t going to work. I had to add another layer working from the center out. Ugh!

I have absolutely no idea how many pieces there are, and I can’t imagine anyone who would be nuts enough to count (though I’d be curious to know that)!

Circling back to your newest book, what kind of impact do you hope OK Go will have on green thinking among parents and young children?

There are some very simple things that kids can do to be more green and they are listed in the back of the book.

I think if you plant the idea early, children will live more careful, aware lives, and remind their parents to do so as well. Plus, what is more motivating than our kids to get us to take care of this planet and the environment?

But mostly I want kids to have fun with the book, and to be introduced these ideas in a playful, engaging way.

One last thought: all of my art is made with found and recycled materials, so maybe this will prove inspiring and enabling, too.

Indeed it is, Carin! So let’s use that inspiration for a contest!

Kids age 10 and under, create a collage with a green theme–reduce, reuse, recycle or whatever you can dream up! Email your illustration to tarawrites at yahoo (you know the rest, dot com) and include child’s first name and age.

With the help of Random.org, we’ll randomly select three winners.

The grand prize winner gets an autographed copy of  OK Go. The second and third winners will receive an All Mixed Up promotional mini-book. And all three illustrations will be featured on Carin Berger’s website and/or blog.

In your email, be sure to grant your permission for sharing the illustration and the child’s first name/age online.

One illustration per child. Enter now through midnight E.S.T., Tuesday, May 12.

Carin, thank you for giving us a glimpse into your beautiful world! I bet everyone is going to GO! GO! GO! get your book today!

Take a peek inside OK Go or
Find OK Go at your local bookstore!

OK Go by Carin Berger
April 2009
Greenwillow Books

I had the pleasure of meeting author Jeannine Norris at a recent NJ-SCBWI mentoring workshop. One of the organizers, Kathy Temean, held up a copy of Tonight You Are My Baby and pointed to Jeannine, the author, sitting right behind me. Kathy told us that Jeannine had met her editor at a previous NJ-SCBWI event. Amazing! I immediately knew I had to talk to Jeannine about her path to publication.

Jeannine, how long have you been writing?

I have been writing for about four years. I dabbled in writing when our children were babies, as I missed the creative stimulation of my former job. I really started to write when our youngest went to pre-K.

Where did the inspiration for Tonight You Are My Baby come from?

The inspiration came when our daughter, Quinn, who was four years old at the time, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As a mother, I needed the strength to help our daughter get through this difficult journey. I started to think about Mary, as the mother of Jesus, and her incredible strength. I decided to write about the Nativity, from a mother’s perspective, and, if the book was published, donate part of the proceeds to helping kids with brain tumors. Quinn’s tumor was benign, and next year will be her five-year celebration! We started a foundation, At Least Kids, that contributes to pediatric brain tumor research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and supports families struggling financially. A portion of each book sold is donated directly to At Least Kids.

What a scary time for you as a parent, but what a blessed outcome—a healthy child, a beautiful book and a charitable foundation.

You met your editor at a writer’s event here in New Jersey. Can you tell us how the deal transpired?

I met my lovely editor, Catherine Onder, at a NJ-SCBWI mentoring workshop. Catherine heard Tonight You Are My Baby during the first page session. Another editor asked to see the rest of the manuscript, but it was eventually declined. Several months later, I met Catherine at another NJ-SCBWI workshop (with another manuscript) and she remembered the first page of Tonight You Are My Baby. She asked to see the rest of the manuscript and several months later it was acquired. I couldn’t have been happier! The right time, the right place, a great editor. I’m a huge cheerleader for SCBWI events. Opportunities abound!

I love NJ-SCBWI, too!

After your book was acquired, what was the editing process like?

The editing process was fascinating! I needed to add a few stanzas, when Tim Ladwig, the illustrator, started working on the book. Catherine helped me with the revisions as well. I have to say, I love revising, as my book became so much better! Revisions and rhyme are always a challenge—often it means changing the entire line, instead of just a word. Catherine pointed out that I had used the word “quiet” several times in my manuscript. Not a good idea when you are only dealing with 400-500 words! I hadn’t even noticed. When I do my school visits, I always tell the students about my revisions. A good editor is like a good teacher—encouraging, has a vision, and wants your work to be its best. Kids are always surprised that even authors make many revisions.

Interesting–how many times had you repeated “quiet”?

I think I had repeated “quiet” three times!

I suspect that many writers have a “crutch” word or phrase in a manuscript that we just don’t notice. Yours was “quiet.” Mine is “just.” (See?) It takes a good editor to point that out!

Why the need to add the stanzas? Was it because of the illustration spread count? Or did Tim add a drawing you hadn’t envisioned?

We added three stanzas because when Tim started to draw the story arc, we wanted Mary first traveling to Bethlehem and meeting Jesus several pages in. Naturally, the book is about a mother and her baby, but we needed additional stanzas to add other images: the angels trumpeting, the sheep/cows/donkey in the stable, the wise men bringing gifts. All those stanzas were added during revisions. As it happens, the angels trumpeting is my favorite illustration! It’s not what I imagined, and I love it! Tim was so creative. The rest of the illustrations are what I saw in my mind’s eye when I was writing. Tim really “got it”—Mary is very young, completely accessible and a joyous mother.

What has surprised you most about being a published author?

My big surprise was—I didn’t really have any big suprises! The tremendous benefit of using the SCBWI and Verla Kay discussion boards is using the experiences of other authors to make the path easier. I am hugely indebted to those who have traveled this literary path before me! Through the discussion boards and workshops, I felt really well-prepared. Any of my questions were answered: simple questions such as “How do I make postcards?” to more complicated questions dealing with contracts. One pleasant surprise was that all of my school visits were wonderful. Each one was gracious, organized, prepared AND I sold a lot of books! Again, I learned how to prepare pre-order forms, write school contracts and even develop a PowerPoint presentation through the experiences of others. There is much to be learned, but a wealth of information is readily available.

What other advice do you have for aspiring children’s authors?

I would urge writers to join a critique group—or start one of their own! I belong to an online group and a local group. I met both of these groups through SCBWI conferences. Critique groups have so much to add! My groups provide me with valuable, honest comments and help prepare my manuscript for an editor’s eyes. I would also suggest aspiring authors gain writing credits through magazine articles, local publications and online sites. The extra income is nice, too! Attend every SCBWI workshop/conference you can afford. I’ve had an SCBWI workshop on my birthday list for the past several years! If your manuscript is acquired, be prepared to market yourself–heavily. The debut author MUST knock on doors, visit schools, call the bookstores, have a website, ask for interviews. This is your opportunity! Finally, have fun. Write what will bring you to your desk each day with a smile on your face.

That’s excellent advice, thank you, Jeannine.

Although Tonight You Are My Baby is about the birth of baby Jesus, a celebration of Christmas, what makes it a relevant read throughout the entire year?

Tonight You Are My Baby is really a celebration of a mother’s love. It’s about the boundless joy that every new mom experiences. The knowledge that a baby’s birth is truly a miracle—a gift unto itself. Tonight You Are My Baby is a celebration of Christmas, but it’s also a celebration of a mother’s heart. The book is certainly most popular at Christmas, but I find many people buying it for other occasions: new baby presents, baby showers, birthdays, etc. Mothers and little ones snuggle as they read of the love story that took place long ago.

Extra cuddle time: a wonderful reason for everyone to pick up this glorious book. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your journey to publication with us!

Tonight You Are My Baby
Story by Jeannine Norris
Illustrations by Tim Ladwig
HarperCollins, September 2008
Check it out!