Title: Little Bitty Friends Author: Elizabeth McPike Illustrator: Patrice Barton Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for YOung Readers, February, 2016 Themes: spring, small animals, rhyme Ages: 0-2 Genre: concept picture book Opening: (first two spreads) Little bitty steps marching one, two, three, Little furry caterpillar, tickle, tickle, knee. Synopsis: Sharing strawberries with a wee mouse, stretching up skyward … Continue reading →

Patrice Barton’s artistic talents were discovered at age three when she was found creating a mural on the wall of her dining room with a pastry brush and a can of Crisco.

The Invisible Boy, a new book that deals with the isolation quiet children can feel, is the kind of book that serves multiple purposes in an elementary school classroom (e.g., interactive read aloud book, teaching demonstration text, mentor text for strategy lessons). Previews of the book and giveaway information come at the bottom of the post.

How perfect that award-winning children’s book artist Terry Widener has done the pictures for the new picture book by Jonah Winter (just released by Schwartz and Wade) about the greatest all around baseball player ever – Willie Mays. Terry brings a background of high level advertising and editorial illustration and something else to the many [...]

Erik Kuntz, Amy Rose Capetta and Nick Alter made this video of the Austin Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators 2012 Regional Conference, Something for Everybody.  I get a kick out of how the thumbnail on YouTube shows me in the crowd, getting a hug from illustrator Marsha Riti. So of course I had to include it here. Erik, [...]

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: April 17, 2012

The Cloud Spinner

By Michael Catchpool; Illustrated by Alison Jay

The Cloud Spinner is, as it’s title suggests, about a boy who makes fine clothes spun from clouds “just as his mother had taught him.” When the greedy King learns of the boy’s talents he demands many outfits be made. Using repetitive and cautionary words, the boy explains over-and-over: “It would not be wise … Your Majesty does not need them.” The clouds eventually disappear and action must be taken. Alison Jay’s signature paintings with the crackle varnish lend themselves well to this clever and fantastical, “green” fairy tale told by Michael Catchpool—the crackling provides an aged feeling of wisdom, while her bright pallet and fanciful placement of animals add a level of freshness that draws young readers in easily. When it comes to delivering a message of conserving resources for our future, a story driven by a child protagonist is the perfect antidote—as gentle as a floating cloud overhead, Catchpool’s tale gives power to the young people!

Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers | March 13, 2012

The Family Tree

By David McPhail

Reminiscent of Shel Silvertein’s The Giving Tree and Virginia Lee Burton’s The Little House, McPhail renders his own little slice of thoughtfulness with The Family Tree. This poignant story about a young boy, who takes a stand to protect one tree from the perils of a new highway ready to be built, reminds all of us that our trees have been here for a very long time, they have seen many things, and they need our protection. The text is direct and the illustrations, which were created using watercolor and ink on illustration board, are sophisticated—both offer the last word in urbanity … a quality fit for this environmental tale.

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Henry Holt for Young Readers | March 27, 2012

Green

Laura Vaccaro Seeger

This is a concept book about the color green in representation of all creation, by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (First the Egg—a Caldecott Honor Book and a Geisel Honor Book; One Boy—a Geisel Honor Book; and Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories—winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book award). The simple rhyming text begs to be read aloud and invites young listeners to sit and ponder or participate through conversation. Every brush stroke and slap of acrylic paint provides purposeful texture and definition to this wonderfu

Illustrators can now jump with both feet into digital publishing with the help of some free software and a contest launched by InteractBooks.com

“What better way to showcase all that our InteractBuilder e-book software can do on the iPad and iPhone than holding a contest to find the very best interactive book it can make?” asks the Interact Books website .

“And who better than you to produce this book by using your developer talent and our app software for the Mac and PC?”

A Youtube video doesn’t do the reading experience justice, but an actual iPad encounter with The Tortoise and the Hairpiece by Don Winn, illustrated by Toby Heflin and distributed on the Apple iTunes store demonstrates how the touch screen interactions and subtle animations of an interactive book (let’s call it an i-book) make for a whole new storytelling language.

I-books or interactive e-books aren’t quite the same as the e-books now making headlines for trouncing paperbacks in sales at Amazon.com.

They’re a new animal — maybe a new art form, and it may be months or even years before anyone knows where this fusion of interactivity and literacy is going, aesthetically or commercially speaking. Developers and a few publishers are delving into the format, but no leader for an interactive book-building engine or platform has emerged — yet.

In the meantime Austin, Texas based-InteractBooks wants to push the innovation timeline up a little by launching the first ever contest for an interactive children’s book. Entries must be built with their free InteractBuilder software.

First place prize – 16gb white or black WIFI iPad2, or $500.  lnteractBooks will  also publish your title and give you a three year membership in the InteractBuilder community (a $300 value)

• 2nd Place wins a 32gb iPodTouch or $200* and a two-year membership to the InteractBuilder community.
• 3rd Place yields a $100 Best Buy Gift Card and a one-year membership to the InteractBuilder community.

All runners up and anyone entering the contest with an InteractBuilder-approved book will have a free year’s membership in the InteractBooks builders community. 

The deadline is September 18 and the winner will be announced  October 1, which doesn’t give you much time.

That’s why the InteractBook folks are encouraging illustrators and authors to mull over the books they’ve already done, published or unpublished, with pictures and text ready to go — and see how they might adapt their story to this new media

And now it can be yours! Story by the wonderful Shutta Crum, pictures by Patrice Barton, published by Alfred A. Knopf. This was such a fun story to illustrate - toddlers, toys, troubles, triumphs and one puppy. Shutta also made this cute trailer. Yes, she's awesome.

My next book, due in June of this year, is a complete departure from the fantasy novel that came out last year, THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN (Knopf), and a return to picture book format. It’s titled: MINE!

And I thought you all might be interested in seeing the wonderful artwork of the illustrator, Patrice Barton.  It’s published by Knopf, and edited by the talented Michelle Frey.

MINE! is a simple tale of one-upmanship with a hero who is a VERY YOUNG child. This book is for sharing with any child who has ever laid claim to all the toys within reach. It was inspired by the Toddler’s Creed—something I always keep in mind when writing for this age group. 

Love it!

And I hope you will love MINE! when it gets here. I do know that many online ordering sites are doing preorders right now.

Happy National Reading Month to all of you!

Shutta

Layla Queen of Hearts
by Glenda Millard, pictures by Patrice Barton
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) April 2010

Today is my last post from the Austin SCBWI conference. It’s my seventh post about the conference and I’ve just given you a sampler from the presentations, so it shows how great these conferences can be.

Before I get into the post for today, here’s a quick recap of the other posts from the conference in case you missed any: agent Mark McVeigh on publishing, agent Andrea Cascardi on getting and working with an agent, editor Cheryl Klein on writing a great book, agent Nathan Bransford on finding the right agent for you, author/former editor Lisa Graff on writing and revising and advice from ALA winners.

The conference had plenty of other published writers, and here’s advice from them:

Kirby Larson (2007 Newbery Honor Book Hattie Big Sky): The secret of success is keeping your bum in your chair and working. No matter how bad you think it is, you have to get the first draft done and keep going.

Liz Garton Scanlon (2010 Caldecott Honor Book All the World): Find a community to help you, whether a critique group or writing partner, because it helps you live in the solitary environment of writing.

Shana Berg (A Thousand Never Evers): You should have an emotional reaction to your story when you read it.

Jennifer Ziegler (How Not to be Popular): Outlining can be an invaluable tool, but use it as a map.

Jessica Lee Anderson (Border Crossing): In dealing with rejection, rethink, revise and resend, inspire yourself with stories, nurture your creativity.

P.J. Hoover (The Emerald Tablet): Think outside of the box. Don’t settle for cliches and stereotypes. Write unique characters