How to use this Page

In past PiBoIdMo posts, I’ve encouraged you to…

• celebrate the weird stuff in life,
• put a twist on the familiar, and
• use setting as a takeoff point.

This time around, I want to focus on structure.

Just like houses and dinosaurs, every story needs an underlying framework.

Most of my books follow the Classic Picture Book Structure:

• MC has a problem
• MC faces obstacles that escalate
• MC encounters a black moment in which things can’t possibly get any worse
• MC figures out how to solve the problem
• MC grows/changes by the book’s end

My latest book, PRINCESS IN TRAINING, is an example of this.

Behold!

Princess Viola is great at skateboarding and karate-chopping, but she’s lousy at the royal wave, walk, and waltz. The king and queen are not pleased. What’s a princess to do? Attend the skill-polishing Camp Princess, of course. In the end, it’s a good thing Viola is made of tougher stuff. Who else will save the day when a hungry dragon shows up?

This is how the Classic Picture Book Structure works with PRINCESS IN TRAINING:

• Princess Viola Louise Hassenfeffer has a royal problem. She is not an ordinary princess and the kingdom is unhappy about it.
• Princess Viola faces three obstacles at Camp Princess (she is unable to properly master the royal wave, royal fashions, and royal dancing).
• A hungry dragon shows up at Camp Princess.
• Princess Viola uses her unique skill set to save the day.
• Princess Viola may not be an ordinary princess, but she is deemed the darling of her kingdom anyway.

Although the Classic Picture Book Structure is my super-favorite way to frame a story, there are a variety of other options. Below are many of them along with some examples.

Circular:
The story’s ending leads back to the beginning
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie; When a Dragon Moves In

Concept:
The story focuses on a single topic or category
All the World; Kindergarten Rocks; Hello Baby!

Cumulative:
Each time a new event occurs, the previous events in the story are repeated
My Little Sister Ate One Hare; I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Mirror:
The second half of a story echoes what occurred in the first half of the story
Old Bear and His Cub; Boy + Bot; A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Parallel:
Two storylines are taking place at the same time
The Dog Who Belonged to No One; Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

Reversal:
Character and/or plot is portrayed in a way that is opposite from the norm
Bedtime for Mommy; Children Make Terrible Pets; Little Hoot

This month, I’m challenging myself to come up with at least one story idea for each of those frameworks. C’mon, groovy PiBoIdMo people. Who’s with me?

Tammi Sauer has five picture books debuting in 2012: Me Want Pet!, illustrated by Bob Shea (Paula Wiseman/S&S); Bawk & Roll, illustrated by Dan Santat (Sterling); Oh, Nuts!, illustrated by Dan Krall (Bloomsbury); Princess in Training, illustrated by Joe Berger (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); The Twelve Days of Christmas in Oklahoma, illustrated by Victoria Hutto (Sterling). She recently sold two books at auction to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The idea for one of those books—The Farm that Mac Built—sprang from her 2011 PiBoIdMo Idea List. It has a cumulative structure. Ooh.

And another “ooh” for you: there’s a PRINCESS IN TRAINING prize pack waiting for a lucky PiBoIdMo’er who completes the  30-ideas-in-30-days challenge. Comment on this post AND complete the challenge to be entered (you’ll be asked to take the “PiBo Pledge” on December 1st to verify you have 30 ideas). A winner will be randomly selected in early December. Good luck!

Me happy. Me like seeing ME WANT PET! on TV.

http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/morning_news/videos/vid_1086.shtml

Remember this post about the pet rocks I was giving out to libraries in celebration of Me Want Pet!?

http://tamarak.livejournal.com/330098.html



Well, it led to this post from an incredible elementary school in Iowa.

Behold the awesomeness. :)

http://vanmeterelementarylibraryvoice.blogspot.com/2012/04/our-new-pet-rocky-visits-lots-of.html

When I do school visits, I always like to give the library media specialist a little something to show my appreciation for all of the time and energy he/she puts forth to orchestrate a successful event. That little something always ties into one of my books.

My latest little thank you goes along with my book Me Want Pet!, illustrated by Bob Shea.

I think every library needs the perfect pet. These pets are not woolly mammoths or saber tooth tigers or dodo birds. But they are prehistoric.

Best of all, these pets require little care. No food or water necessary!

Pet Rocks Looking for a Good Home:


Good Homes:


Pet Rocks in Homes:


Each pet rock comes with a letter that the libary media specialist can share with his/her students:

Hi! My name is Rocky.

Please read to me a lot. I loooove to listen to stories.

Also, would you please draw some pictures for me? Your pictures can take me on all sorts of adventures! Draw a beach, then plop me onto the paper for a swim in the ocean. Draw a picture of outer space, then plop me onto the paper so I can hang out with an alien friend. I’d love to visit a castle or a jungle or whatever place you feel like drawing. Surprise me! If you want, you can even write a story about my new adventure.

Please ask your librarian or teacher to take a picture of me on one of these adventures and email it to Tammi Sauer. She will add it to her Rocky Rocks! collection. She might even include it on her blog or web site! This is her email address: [email protected].

Your friend,
Rocky

Pet Rocks Awaiting to be Delivered:


Rocky Rocks!: Rocky Visits a Fish Bowl


Rocky Rocks!: Rocky Visits Another Planet


Not only can these pet rocks encourage students to use their imaginations as they draw scenes and possibly write accompanying stories, but they serve as nice reminders of my author visit as well.

Rock on.

Ooga!

Know Tammi Sauer? She write new book. She write good book. Bob Shea draw picture. It ME WANT PET!

Cave Boy star. Cave Boy want pet.

He find pet. Mama say no. Gah!

He find new pet. Papa say no. Gah, ug!

He get new new pet. Gran say no.

Cave Boy sad. Me sad. You sad!

What Cave Boy do?

Me no tell.

You read book. Ooga!

So…

Daughters want draw. I ask, “What pet you want Cave Boy have?”

Daughter Eight draw dinosaur. Me say no. Too stompy.

Daughter Five draw giraffe. Me say no. Too tall. No fit cave.

You have kid? Kid draw Cave Boy and new pet. Send to tarawrites (at) yahoo (dot) com by March 13. Me post here. Me pick pet. Kid win book.

OOGA!

Tammi Sauer author. She write many, many kid book. Book like CHICKEN DANCE and MOSTLY MONSTERLY and MR. DUCK MEANS BUSINESS. You visit her: TammiSauer.com. OOGA! (Ooga not book. Me like say OOGA!)

To celebrate the release of Me Want Pet!, I am having a giveway that will go down in prehistory!

To enter:

In the comment section of this post (or in the comment section of my facebook page), simply state what kind of pet you have or what kind of pet you want. Please include your email address formatted like this: tksauer at aol dot com or send me an email with your contact information. This way I can get in touch with you if you are one of the winners.

If you include a picture of your pet or a link to a picture of your pet, you get an extra entry.
(Bonus points for woolly mammoths!)



If you mention this contest on facebook, Twitter, or your blog, let me know. I will give you an extra entry for each mention.

PRIZES:
1st prize: signed first edition copy of Me Want Pet! and your very own pet rock



2nd prize: your very own pet Sea-Monkeys®



3rd prize: your very own pet rock

(requires little care; looks great in any cave; comes with its own home; loves naps, a good scratch above the eyeballs, and bedtime stories)






Deadline: March 10. Author sponsored. U.S. entries only.

Winners will be announced on March 12, 2012.

OOGA!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Click here to visit the caves on the Me Want Pet! Blog Tour Extravaganza:

http://jamarattigan.com/2012/03/02/coming-soon-to-a-cave-near-you-me-want-pet-blog-tour/
These bloggers good. Me like them. Me think they cute.

Is it just me or does Mama resemble Tina Turner, circa the '80's? :)