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Dino-Boarding Written by Lisa Wheeler Illustrated by Barry Gott Carolrhoda Books          9/01/2014 978-1-4677-0213-3 32 pages       Age 4—8 A Junior Library Guild Selection “Team Green Machine battles the Shredding Crew for dino-boarding domination! Allo and Diplo thrill the surfing crowd, while Compy comes up short on a short board. …

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In 2013, I was fortunate to receive a critique from the lovely and ever-encouraging YA author Cynthia Leitich Smith. After reviewing the opening chapter of my second middle grade novel, Cyn told me humor was my super power. Me? I have a SUPER power? Well, if I have one, I know for certain you do too.

Maybe your super power is . . .

• Writing realistic dialogue
• Riding that fine line between sweet and sentimental
• Creating rich, other-worldly settings
• Weaving intricate, suspenseful plots
• Concocting quirky, but believable characters
• Being just plain funny
• None of the above–it’s your own proprietary blend

It’s always easier to pinpoint someone else’s super power, isn’t it. My friend Lisa Wheeler is a whiz with rhyme. Catherine Bieberich and Kelly Barson are able to strike a perfect balance between heart and humor. Jennifer Whistler crafts novels with a highly visual, cinematic quality. Others, like Monica Harris, are grand researchers who cull little-known tidbits from old texts to make even snoresville non-fiction topics intriguing.

What’s the point in knowing your super power? Well, as with a lot of things, it’s empowering to have a “go to”—like that perfected dish you can always whip without worry or that compliment-winning outfit in your closet. You can’t make lemon chicken piccata or wear that same suede jacket every day, but when the time is right, it’s confidence-building to know it’s there when you need it.

You can’t lean on your superpower for everything. (Even Superman had his day job as Clark Kent.) That’s why it’s important to read widely, request critiques, participate in workshops and stretch yourself by writing outside your comfort genre. Because my super power is humor, it’s easy for me to write in silly sound bites and let my characters make clever asides. While being funny can be engaging and amusing, overuse of humor can lapse into what I call “snarkasm.” Chronic quipping distances readers and makes otherwise 3-D characters seem shallow. A clever boy can become what political consultant David Alexrod described as a “congenital smart aleck.” There’s nothing super about that.

So, how about you? What’s your super power? (You may even have more than one!)

Spot Your Super Power Quiz

1. When someone critique’s my work, the first positive thing I most often hear is:
   1. You’re so ___________________________.
   2. Your writing is ________________________.
2. I feel most at ease writing ____________________.
3. If I had to compare my work to someone else’s, it’d have to be:_____________________ and his/her work is known for ____________________________.
4. Three words I’d use to describe my work:
   1. ___________________________
   2. ___________________________
   3. ___________________________
5.  Text/call a fellow writer and ask for three words to describe your work:
   1. ___________________________
   2. ___________________________
   3. ___________________________
6. Is there an overlap between the answers to questions 4 and 5? If so:_______________________.

My super power is:__________________________.

Super! Please use your super powers for good. And remember to pick up your cape from the dry cleaners.

We must be careful with our words – we’re like superheroes and words are like our super powers. Super powers should always be used to help others. ~ Dianna Hardy

 

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   10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston & illustrated by Rich Deas “Looky!” says a silly turkey swinging from a vine. Gobble gobble wibble wobble. Whoops! Now there are nine.” Girls and boys will gobble up this hilarious counting story about ten goofy turkeys roller-skating on a fence, doing a noodle dance, and more! Give …

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Lisa Wheeler is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five books, including DINO-BASEBALL, DINO-SOCCER, DINO-HOCKEY, and DINO-BASKETBALL, all illustrated by Barry Gott (who also illustrated Cyn's HOLLER LOUDLY); and MAMMOTHS ON THE MOVE, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus.  Originally from Pennsylvania, she now lives in Michigan.

Below, Lisa poses with a mammoth femur cast at the Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, South Dakota.

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Gum chewers, thieves, liars, cheats, some children are too naughty for Mother Goose to handle. So she ships these troublemakers off to her sister's school for wayward brats. Spinster Goose runs a tight ship and doesn't tolerate misbehavior.

The pinchers get pinched,
and the pokers get poked.
The biters get bit,
and the smokers get smoked.
The takers get taken.
The sordid get sore.
The shakers get shaken
right down to their core.

Lisa Wheeler has taken familiar rhymes from Mother Goose and subverted them. Readers will delight in finding their favorite characters in new guises. Mary still brings her lamb to school, but the young lady is a big fibber and claims her pet is a horse. Jack and Jill ditch class to climb that hill, and Little Miss Muffet dines on chalk, not curds and whey. All get their comeuppance. Sophie Blackall's sublime illustrations are worth the price of admission alone. She must have been channeling Edward Gorey when she drew her cast of ghastly characters. Great fun!


Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children
by Lisa Wheeler
illustrations by Sophie Blackall
Atheneum, 48 pages
Published: 2011

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I've been having so much fun using all the new info on my picture books!  Before the intensive, my mentor (Joyce Sweeney) said that almost all writers are strongest in one genre, and that I was primarily a middle grade writer.  After seeing several manuscripts I've revised since the intensive, Joyce said that I am definitely a middle grade AND picture book writer.  Wahoo!  Hard work, always looking for new techniques, reading and analyzing zillions of picture books, and belonging to several amazing critique groups really does pay off!

Lisa gave us great questions to ask when revising. I can’t include all of them, but here are a couple important ones to think about:
• Does the main character solve his or her problem? (I think this is one of the most important things to keep in mind!)
• Does a secondary character hijack your story?

Naughty main characters
Even if they’re naughty, they still should have something likeable about them. Word choices can help…like The Recess Queen. Other great ones to check out are: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Wolf’s Chicken Stew, Elinor and Violet, A Visitor for Bear.

There are so many stories with animals who stand in for humans, because they’re universal. Animals can represent every sex, race, and it’s often hard to tell if they’re rich or poor. It blurs those lines and allows the character to do more. It’s hard to tell what age most animals are, so they can often represent both a child and an adult. It also allows a character to be naughty. Kids aren’t very forgiving of other children, which could make them dislike a naughty main character…but they usually don’t have a problem with a fuzzy, adorable troublemaker like Peter Rabbit. Maybe that’s why he’s here a hundred years later!

Don’t use personification unless it’s really needed and you can do it well. It’s very hard to do! Some great examples are: The Very Small Pea and the Princess to Be, Giant Meatball, and When Moon Fell Down.

If you use an adult as the main character, there must be something very childlike about him or her. Some fantastic books that do this well are: The Old Woman Who Names Things, Saving Sweetness, Mrs. Toggles Zipper, Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom.

Watch for redundancy in your manuscripts…but remember that it isn’t all bad. Repetition for emphasis is okay. Learn to spot the difference!
Read it out loud and see how it flows. Page turns are scene separators. They’re almost like time travel devices!
See if you can work in the rule of threes…it can be in sentences, scenes, or maybe even the big picture. Also look for places to use alliteration and other kinds of word play.
Go back to the beginning to bookend the end of the manuscript. You can make it go full circle, or have a shocking surprise ending.


Alexandra Penfold likes humorous picture books with quirky bits parents appreciate. She often doesn’t love gross humor or manuscripts that are overly sentimental. She doesn’t seek rhyme—it needs to be exceptional.

She spoke about favorite first lines. Some favorites mentioned by the participants or authors and agents who let Alexandra know ahead of time were: The Big Red Barn, Th

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I've been a conference addict for years, and am in awe of how much this intensive has helped my writing. I'm sending a huge thank you to Linda Bernfeld and Marcea Ustler for bringing Alexandra Penfold and Lisa Wheeler to Orlando this summer.  If any RAs are reading this--see if you can book them for a future event.  They make a fantastic team!

I have so many incredible things to share about the Picture Book Intensive, I'll have to split it into two posts.  I should have the second one up on Friday!

Alexandra Penfold talked about creating characters that live on past the page that parents and children will want to read over and over. Two that she loves are Dinosaur vs. Bedtime and There are Cats in this Book.

Another great example is Mr. Duck Means Business, by Tammi Sauer. Alexandra read the book to us, and it was easy to see why the fun language and characters make this a book that kids and parents love to read it again and again…like:

Mr. Duck sputtered. He muttered. He tail-a-fluttered.

Calling duck Mr. Duck while the other characters are simply called Pig, Cow, etc.

Alexandra gave us a handout with questions to interview our picture book characters that I absolutely LOVE! I’ve used it in four manuscripts so far, and am in awe of how much I’ve learned from it. So far, my critique groups have heard three of them and love the changes—wahoo! It really brought my writing up several levels, because the questions help me think about what my characters are like outside of the book, and really help give them more motivation and focus. I blogged about it soon after the conference, and wish I could share all of the questions with you…but don’t want to take away part of her presentation. I’ll share two with you though…what is your character’s deepest secret? What do they want everyone to know?


The best advice she can give is that there are no set rules.

The first line is a promise to the reader. It can:

1. Introduce the character
2. Flirt with the character (like Julius Baby of the World).
3. Set the mood or tone (like Boris and Bella). A story about the death of a loved one shouldn’t be in bouncy rhyme.
4. An air of mystery (like Martha Speaks)—an intriguing opening that makes readers want to know more.
5. Give location (like Mrs. Biddlebox).
6. Can be a fresh, original opening line (like Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones).
7. Can be a mixed bag (that covers more than one of these). I think Arnie the Donut is the one she suggested for this.

Here are some picture books that have a great promise (sometimes, it’s in the opening paragraph instead of just the first line): Baron Von Baddie, Dear Tabby, Clink.

When writing a picture book, make sure you start in the right place!

The character’s name can say a lot about the character, but shouldn’t be the only memorable thing (an example of a great name is Mrs. Biddlebox). **Don’t give a fun character a generic name!

Description—leave a lot open for the illustrator, but when there is something important to the story or characterization, it can give readers a better feel.

I'll write more on Friday!

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*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Bear as main character
*Rating: Ugly Pie is the ideal picture book–cute story, wonderful illustrations and a takeaway activity.

Short, short summary:

Ol’ Bear is hankerin’ for Ugly Pie, but he doesn’t have all the ingredients. All he has is some molasses. So, he goes out looking for Ugly Pie. As he comes to each of his friends, they offer him a kind of pie, but Ol’ Bear really wants that Ugly Pie. They do give him some ingredients each time; and by the time he gets home, he can make his Ugly Pie. He sings a cute rhyme each time, too: “My-oh-my! But I’m still itchin’ for some Ugly Pie.” The very end of the book is a recipe for all the little cubs out there who are hankerin’ for Ugly Pie.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Obviously, kids will want to make the recipe just like Ol’ Bear, but bring some math instruction into it. For advanced students, you can ask them to double or half the recipe. For some students, they just need practice with reading a recipe or even following directions. Look over your objectives you need to teach (at home schools, too) and use this as a fun activity and lesson!

2. Ask students to write about a time they were “hankerin’” for something and what they did to get it!

3. Word choice (one of the six plus one traits of writing) is very strong in Lisa Wheeler’s Ugly Pie from the playful use of language on the first page to the little rhyme Bear sings throughout. Ask students to pick a “favorite” word to tell you when they hear you read it aloud. Make a list on chart paper of these favorite words. Hang in the room for students to use in their own writing. (Personally, my favorite word is “hankerin’”.)

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Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler (Author), R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator); Harcourt, 2007

Ages 4-8

Alright, Jack. Let me break it down for ya'. Wheeler lays down some crazy jive with the catchy rhythm of words in this fun to read celebration of music.


"Brother's hand tap. Sister's hands snap. Itt-bitty Baby's hands Clap-Clap-Clap!"

R. Gregory Christie is hip to the jive and provides wonderful illustrations that will you have finger snappin' and toe tappin'.

Flip your lid and get down with Jazz Baby!

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