As a young child, I played "nurse" to my Raggedy Ann doll, giving her "stitches" that still hold today. You can even see the pink Mercurochrome! My wonderment with the way in which the human body works eventually led me to become a registered nurse, as well as an American Red Cross disaster volunteer. With Easy-to-Read Science Plays: The HUMAN BODY, I'm pleased to provide a fun and lively introduction for children to the way the amazing human body works---from how the brain sends and receives messages, to why we need blood and how it is pumped through the body.

My book is published by Scholastic Teaching Resources and can be purchased on amazon.com These short plays require NO PROPS. That's right---no fuss, no muss! They're perfect for Readers Theater and designed for flexible grouping. Many are easily adaptable to include the whole-class! Fun and easy extension activities as well as amazing facts about the body are provided for each short play.

Designed for beginning readers, this collection of 20 short reproducible play scripts features large, easy-to-read print, predictable language, and informative illustrations. The plays provide a lively and engaging way to introduce children to key concepts about their own body, while expanding vocabulary and building reading fluency.

Topics include the brain, heart lungs, muscles, skeleton, five senses, the immune system, organs, teeth, nutrition, fitness, safety, and more! The easy-to-read text includes rhyme, repetition, songs, and predictable language to build reading confidence.

Do your children love to sing? They'll learn by reading and even singing about what different parts of the body look like, what they are named, where they are located, and what they do. For example, "Livin' in Skin", a poem with a great beat, helps children learn about the versatility of the body's largest organ---how skin protects them and how they can protect their skin.

In "Everywhere a Move, Move" (sung to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"), children learn how their muscles help them stretch, smile, and play.
In "My Nose Knows," kids will giggle as they sing about their sense of smell to the song "B-I-N-G-O."

Special emphasis on proper nutrition, exercise, and safety, helps children build a foundation for health, growth and development, and learn good habits they can carry with them throughout their lives."

I think my book is perfect for homeschoolers, moms, dads, grandparents, and caregivers who want to have some FUN learning time with kids! Check it out and watch children get excited about their AMAZING body!


Sheryl Ann Crawford, RN

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When I was in my late twenties I heard a Chinese Proverb that crazy-glued itself into my brain the moment I heard it. I've thought about it hundreds of times throughout my life. This Proverb is so wise you'd almost think King Solomon wrote it. Here's it is:

I envision a flamingo standing on one scrawny pink leg, never moving and never getting a muscle cramp---like those plastic lawn "flamingos" people put in their front yards. Yikes! Did you know a flamingo can stand that way for hours at a time? How (you may ask) does this apply to writing? Here's the application---

As a writer have you ever felt as though you were standing on one leg in your career? You've got one leg poised in the air---FOREVER, and you're too afraid to put it down and take a step forward.

I'm a Christian, so I pray for God to open writing doors. Then I march forward even
if the writing territory is new or extremely challenging. If a door is slammed in my face (SMACK! Ouch!) I'll know it's for a reason (at least for that time.) I just turn around and look for another door.

Sometimes I'm tempted to do the "flamingo" and not move forward. Then I snap out of it! In the early years of my writing career I probably had any plastic lawn-flamingo beat for the longest standing time. Thankfully, I rarely do the "flamingo" now.
Ask yourself these questions:

* Do I spend most of my time reading blog after blog after infinite blog about writing, but never write or submit something myself?

* Do I read every book that comes out on the how-to's, but don't put into practice what I'm learning?

* Am I afraid to show my work to a critique group?

* Does fear of rejection keep me from sending out regular submissions to magazine or book publishers?

* Do I give up after my third, tenth, or 20th rewrite? I know a recognized, and successful author who says she does 50 or more rewrites per picture book before it's just right!

If you found yourself saying "yes" to some or most of these, then it's time to put that leg down and move forward!

Don't be afraid of trying new things like:

* Writing for another genre (I'm doing that)

* Rewriting your chapter book in a better point-of-view (I'm doing that. Wow! What a difference!)

* Speaking or teaching a class about what you know. (You DON'T have to know EVERYTHING!) I   LOVE doing this!

* Developing a writers blog. 

* Networking with other writers through email and on-line writing groups.

* Write for magazines (puzzles, poems, stories, short biographies, fact pages, etc) while you continue to work in your book(s). These things will tighten your writing, fatten your bio with needed writing credits, create some income, build confidence, and it's FUN!

Here's the bottom line---
Don't deliberate so long that writing opportunities are missed!
So, I say to myself, the writer, "Don't just stand there with one leg in the air, Sherri! It looks ridiculous and you're not a flamingo!"
c 2009, Sheryl Ann Crawford

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I will NEVER forget what "Anonymous" wrote to me on January 2, 2011.

Anonymous said...

"I was reading 'My Little Prayers'. I stopped because my dog needed an emergency bath. My 14 year old son volunteered to read to his 5 year old sister, as an exchange. When I returned she said there was a story like "us."

She turned to a prayer YOU wrote. It asked God for help remembering loved ones in Heaven. An auburn haired man was among those in a "thought bubble". "There's Gramps!", she said. My Dad died in November 2009. Now my Grandma, her "G.G." is near death. Your poem and the illustration made her feel 'Merry'. We shared a moment of hope and happiness. THANK YOU. I am sleepy, pecking at my mobile phone in the darkness. Know your prayer is with us. I thank our God we can share and have it. ( : Now I pray this makes it to you!"

This beautiful note did make it to me and it touched me DEEPLY. It sums up the reason I write. With God's help, to give a little HOPE and HAPPINESS to even just one child.

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As a young child, I played "nurse" to my Raggedy Ann doll, giving her "stitches" that still hold today. You can even see the Mercurochrome! My wonderment with the way in which the human body works eventually led me to become a registered nurse, as well as an American Red Cross disaster volunteer. With Easy-to-Read Science Plays: The HUMAN BODY, I'm pleased to provide a fun and lively introduction for children to the way the amazing human body works---from how the brain sends and receives messages, to why we need blood and how it is pumped through the body.

My book is published by Scholastic Teaching Resources and can be can be purchased on amazon.com These short plays require NO PROPS. That's right---no fuss, no muss! They're perfect for Readers Theater and designed for flexible grouping. Many are easily adaptable to include the whole-class! Fun and easy extension activities as well as amazing facts about the body are provided for each short play.

Designed for beginning readers, this collection of 20 reproducible play scripts features large, easy-to-read print, predictable language, and informative illustrations. The plays provide a lively and engaging way to introduce children to key concepts about the human body, while expanding vocabulary and building reading fluency.

Topics include the brain, heart lungs, muscles, skeleton, five senses, the immune system, organs, teeth, nutrition, fitness, safety, and more! The easy-to-read text includes rhyme, repetition, and predictable language to build reading confidence.

Do your children love to sing? They'll learn by reading and even singing about what different parts of the body look like, what they are named, where they are located, and what they do. For example, "Livin' in Skin" (page 34) helps children learn about the versatility of the body's largest organ---how skin protects them and how they can protect their skin. In "Everywhere a Move, Move" (page 32; sung to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"), children learn how their muscles help them stretch, smile, and play. And they'll be amazed to discover how their powerful immune system works in "Look Out, Germs! (page 57).

Special emphasis on proper nutrition, exercise, and safety helps children build a foundation for health, growth and development, and learn good habits they can carry with them throughout their lives."

I think my book is perfect for homeschoolers, or moms, dads, and grandparents who want to have some FUN learning time with kids! Check it out and watch children get excited about their AMAZING body---God's greatest creation!


Sheryl Ann Crawford, RN

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The theme is described as the underlying thread that runs throughout the entire story. It's the MESSAGE. The DOMINANT IDEA. It's what the reader will "take away" after reading your story. New writers often grapple with this problem of THEME. So do some of us who've been writing a while!

I like to write my theme (one sentence) on a 3 x 5 card and tape it to my computer. As I write, this reminder helps to keep me on the beaten path and not go off on "rabbit trails".

Here are some rules to remember about theme:

• Try not to hit the reader over the head with your message. Even fun, light-hearted books for kids have themes. They don't have to be "heavy".

• When writing for young children, it's best to stick with just one theme. Several themes will confuse the picture book age child about the message of your story.
  

• The theme must come through the action and reaction of the main character(s).
  

• The theme connects all events in your story.

• If you can tell someone what your story is about in a single sentence, you have expressed the theme. Example: The universal theme in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” is: Each individual’s life is significant and affects others. That is the DOMINANT IDEA developed in the story. The theme was developed through the plot. The PLOT: All that George Bailey goes through in order to see what life would have been like without him.

TRY THIS EXERCISE:

Can you figure out the themes in these excerpts from two of my magazine stories? I've listed the themes at the end of this article. Don't peek until you've finished the exercise (o:

From my magazine fiction story, The Learning Bug:

Gabe Grasshopper didn't want the next day to come.
"I don't want to go to school," he told his mom and dad.
"You'll learn lots of new things," his mom said.
"I don't want to learn new things," Gabe said with a frown. "That's too hard."
"You'll learn how to read your favorite books and write your name," his dad said.
"And you'll make new friends," his mom pointed out.
"You'll learn about nature and the earth," his dad continued.
"You'll learn so many new things at school!" Gabe's mom said enthusiastically.
"I don't want to learn new things!" Gabe insisted. "Learning is too hard. I want to stay home and play. Playing isn't hard."

From my magazine fiction story, Cookie Crazy:

Chatty Chipmunk hurried along, carrying a big basket. A most delicious smell trailed behind it. Chatty always welcomed a new neighbor with her award-winning cookies.
"Hello! Welcome to the neighborhood," said Chatty to Puff Bunny.
"How nice!" Puff said. "Please come in."
They sat and talked in Puff's kitchen. Right away they felt like good friends.
"These are the best cookies I've ever eaten," Puff said, munching her third one.
"Thank you," Chatty said. "They are my PRIZE-WINNING cookies. And these are my blue ribbons." She pulled open her sweater to show the ribbons, pinned right smack dab in the middle of her apron.
"Oooh! I sure would like to win a blue ribbon," Puff said. "Perhaps I'll enter the contest, too!"
"Well, I'm certain to win again at this years baking contest," Chatty said. "But you can come over anytime to look at my ribbons."

ANSWERS:

• Theme for The Learning Bug:
  0 Comments on Theme: How to Stay on Track When Writing for Children as of 1/1/1900
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Evelyn B. Christensen's book, Aba-Conundrums, is a Parents' Choice Award Winner! The Abacus is back, and for good reason! Aba-Conundrums gives logic and reasoning room to move, as kids slide their abacus beads up and down to solve 120 clever puzzle conundrums. They'll use their knowledge of numbers and a variety of mathematical skills while having FUN! Yes, FUN with math! The book includes an abacus along with the write-on/wipe-off book.

ABOUT EVELYN: She is one of six children of a minister and a teacher. Ev grew up in a lively family where puzzles, games, books, and questions were daily fare. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to jump up in the middle of a meal to consult the dictionary or Book of Knowledge to settle a question or argument. Game rules existed to be revised or expanded. Ev fondly remembers the 4-board Monopoly game (laid out cloverleaf-style) that occupied the living room floor much of one summer.

With such a background, along with having a passion for teaching, it’s not surprising that educational puzzles and games would be Ev’s forte as an author—she’s had over 45 of them published. She has a doctorate in math education and has taught at levels from kindergarten to graduate school. Currently she’s writing full-time.

Now, let's hear what Evelyn has to say (o;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, Evelyn! Thanks for allowing me to present this interview on SherriTales!

EV: I'm happy to be here!

SHERYL: Evelyn, how did you get your first educational book published?

EV: I was very blessed. Clip-Clue Puzzles was my first book. It’d been used for several years in a couple of different classrooms before I got up the courage to submit it for publication. The first publisher kept it about six months, which as a newbie I thought was way too long. He rejected it but said I should definitely try to get it published elsewhere. The second publisher accepted it almost immediately. My real break came several years later. MindWare had been carrying my Clip-Clue Puzzles, and I emailed them to ask if they’d be interested in carrying my Coin-Clue Puzzles. Fortunately (or by God’s grace, as I believe), MindWare at that very moment was looking for someone to write some puzzle books for them! I’ve written 24 books for them since then.

SHERYL: This next questions will interest those who want to break into writing for the educational market. What suggestions do you have for someone preparing a proposal for a puzzle or activity book?

EV: Other authors might disagree with me, but especially for a first proposal I think having your sample pages look as professional as possible can make a difference with editors. (I think that’s one of the reasons my first book sold so quickly.) Sure, the publisher’s design people will end up changing what you’ve done, but that first impression will let the editor know you’re serious about doing a good job. You’re also making it easy for the editor to visualize your work as a book.

For a first proposal it’s probably also important to try your ideas out with some kids in the intended age range for the book. What seems obvious to you may need more clarification with child

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Award winning author and puzzle creator has done it again! Evelyn B. Christensen updates and posts the most recent educational markets for children's writers. Why? Because she's not only a wonderful writer---she's a spectacular person!


Please visit her website at www.evelynchristensen.com

Thanks again, Evelyn (o;

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Several years ago I spoke with a teacher who changed a little girl's life---mine. It took me more than 20 years to track her down. I was never going to give up because I needed to thank her.

"Is this the Mrs. Hopfinger that taught at Fullbright Elementary School," I asked. When she said "Yes it is," I burst into tears. "I found you, Mrs. Hopfinger! I found you," I blubbered. She probably thought I was a telemarketer with some strange new technique to keep someone on the line. She didn't hang up. When I told her I was one of her students she said with delight, "Oh, darling---is it really?"

Mrs. Barbara Hopfinger was my early elementary grade teacher during a time when something life-shattering turned my world upside down. To me, Mrs. Hopfinger was bigger than life. She was the Statue of Liberty. The President of the United States. The Seven Wonders of the World. She was more fascinating, delightful, and full of life than Ms. Frizzle in the Magic School Bus could ever be! Barbara Hopfinger was a vibrant and committed educator. She absolutely loved teaching---but more than that, she loved the children she taught. I was one of those fortunate children.

I will never write about the dreadful circumstances of my past, but it is vital that I write about how God brought this wonderful, loving teacher who became a life-preserver, to a little girl drowning in a sea of emotional pain. I do this simply to honor her.

There were times when I stayed in class during recess. She knew what I was going through and tried her best to help me through it. I can still picture her bigger-than-life smile and that red lipstick I liked so well, as she held out her arms for me to come to her. I sat on her lap and she hugged me, much as a mother would. I felt safe. I felt loved. Mrs. Hopfinger spoke soothingly and with conviction as she spoke to me. I'm sure this beautiful teacher had no idea she was giving me a gift I would cherish for the rest of my life. She convinced me that I mattered.

When she told me I was smart, although I felt stupid---I believed her. When she told me I was special in so many ways, although I felt broken and worthless---I believed her. She even called me pretty. Now, that was a stretch! I had a space between my big front teeth, a home-perm gone bad (every time!), and freckles the size of Mars on my nose. Mrs. Hopfinger obviously saw past any imperfections in her children. Instead, she saw what they were capable of doing and becoming. She saw our potential and made us believe. Mrs. Hopfinger allowed me to believe that I was more than a broken little life, and she simply wouldn't allow me to stay there.

Do you find it strange that a teacher could have such a positive influence on someone so young, and in such a short time? I don't. I've experienced it. I carried the affirmations she gave me in my heart as I grew. They were like seeds that took root. At times when there was no one to talk to, I remembered my beautiful teacher and friend. In my mind I pictured a fragile little girl in the arms of a wise teacher---and I would say "If Mrs. Hopfinger believed it, then it's

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Horrible things happen every day and everywhere. The harsh reality is that at some point each child will become aware that life isn't all sunshine, hugs, and playgrounds.

Families are struggling to stay in their homes and put food on the table. The news tells of child abductions, murders, divorce, deadly tornadoes, earthquakes and flood's. Can we still offer hope to children in this kind of world? Of course we can, and we MUST!

My hairdresser tells me that in spite of the struggling economy, his business hasn't dwindled. In fact, it's UP. When I asked him why this was he replied, "Women want to feel good about themselves when they don't feel good about anything else. They may have to eat beans and rice to afford the hairdresser, but by making themselves look better they FEEL better."

Children need to feel better in difficult times. If some of our writing is for the secular market, can we offer any kind of hope when we write about days at the zoo, pets, friendship, love, family, or just plain silly books to make them laugh? Absolutely! Those wonderful, fun, precious, thoughtful, and even silly things exist even when horrible things exist right alongside them. HOPE is still there but you, the writer, may need to help them find it. Magnify the hope for children who cannot see it.

Because I'm a Christian, my hope is in the Son of God and His promise for eternal life. That is a hope that never fades. If you write for the Christian children's market it's obvious where your hopeful words will lead. What a privilege and calling it is to write words of God's hope for children!

Some books for children offer hope in Christ to those dealing with topics like divorce, death, moving and leaving a best friend, going to a new school, fears of all kinds, losing a pet, and other harsh realities of life.

These are some HOPEFUL Christian books on my bookshelves:

Someday Heaven by Larry Libby
Someone Awesome by Larry Libby
Someone I Loved Died by Christine Harder Tangvold
Someday We'll Play in Heaven by Shawn Alyne Strannigan
My Little Prayers (WORD Publishing. I was blessed to be a contributing author)
Psalms for a Child's Heart (my first book)

When you write for the secular or Christian market, write about good, wholesome topics for children---stories with values and messages to lift the heart. Write to help a child through emotional pain, loneliness, or fear in a frightening and unstable world.

Just imagine---God may use your book or even a simple magazine piece to give comfort and hope to a child whose heart is crying. Bless a child and MAGNIFY the HOPE!

c 2009 Sheryl Ann Crawford

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I'm sitting at the computer and my Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix is licking my left leg. I reach down to make him stop then give him a pat on the head. That made him happy so now he's licking my arm. "No lick, Buddy" I say ever so sweetly. Uh, oh. That did it. Look out! Wheeeeeeee! He's in the air and he just cleared the arm on my desk chair. This dog is spring-loaded. Now he's in my lap, panting in my face. "I'm writing Buddy---and your breath is bad!" He ignores me. Well, I was writing until the wiggly body of "Hyper-Dog" obliterates my computer screen. Oops! I think his thumping tail just sent an email! If you're the one who gets it and it was addressed, "Dear Grandma Gertrude," then I apologize. It was from my dog. I sigh. "You want to go out AGAIN? I'm trying to write, here." He cares not.

Now, when Buddy pants it means one thing. He wants to go outside. It's what he lives for. Chasing bugs, lizards, leaves, and going potty everywhere! Once his panting begins, my rescue chihuahua, Sugar, takes Buddy's panting as her cue to bark-bark-bark! They've formed a conspiracy. Buddy jumps and pants. Sugar just barks. She couldn't jump to clear a toothpick. I have no choice. "Let's go, kids," I say. They go nuts and I nearly trip over them as we head to the back door.

You may be asking yourself why I don't just send them out to backyard-bliss on their own. Don't lots of dogs spend their time enjoying the backyard then come in through the doggie-door when they're ready? If that were true for my dogs I could write at my computer and not be interrupted. No doggie doors where we live. No way. My babies would go out and I'd never see them again! Stealthy hawks are circling during the day and my dogs look like plump little rabbits from way up there. We've been sufficiently warned by our vet. So, I've spent a lot of time outside with the dog-kids while my brain is still at the computer in "write" mode.

I finally realized that bringing a pen and pad outside works just as well when that "Ah-ha!" moment happens. I cannot sit down on a lawn chair and write, however. Sitting and letting my dogs run unsupervised is exactly what the hawks are waiting for. I stay near my dogs and jot as I stand or walk, but I have to watch where I step! Yes, it's happened. O-;

Are you interrupted while you write? Occasionally? Often? Constantly? Of course you are. Life happens while we write. Interruptions like the phone, laundry that must be done, cooking, kid-noise, television, errands, appointments, DOGS that pant in your face, are all part of life. I believe that a true writer will find a way to write even if he or she is---[Please finish this sentence with something funny, then send it to me as a comment.

Okay, I want some comments from my writer friends on these two questions:
1) Where's the craziest place you've ever written?