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Summer is rapidly approaching and that means our New Voices Award Writing Contest is now open for submissions! Now in its fourteenth year, the New Voices Award was one of the first (and remains one of the only) writing contests specifically designed to help authors of color break into publishing, an industry in which they are still dramatically underrepresented.

Change requires more than just goodwill; it requires concrete action. We were heartened by First Book’s recent commitment to purchasing 10,000 copies of select books from “new and underrepresented voices.” Likewise, the New Voices Award is a concrete step towards evening the playing field by seeking out talented new authors of color who might otherwise remain under the radar of mainstream publishing.

Past New Voices titles include the award-winning picture books It Jes’ Happened, Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story, and Bird. Many winners of the New Voices Award have gone on to long, successful careers in publishing.

The contest is open to writers of color who are residents of the United States and who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. The Award winner receives a cash prize of $1000 and our standard publication contract, including the basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor Award winner will receive a cash prize of $500.

Manuscripts must be postmarked by September 30, 2014 to be eligible for this year’s award.

For more eligibility and submissions details, visit the New Voices Award page and read these FAQs. Spread the word to any authors you know who may be interested. Happy writing to you all and best of luck!

Further reading:

Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for the National Writing for Children Center

Title: Henry The Impatient Heron
Author: Donna Love
Illustrator:Christina Wald
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (February, 2009)
ISBN-13:978-1934359907
ISBN-10: 1934359904

Henry just cannot be still! He’s here, there, and everywhere, driving his parents and siblings crazy. And while other Great Blue Herons can stand still for hours, then strike out and catch a fish or salamander, Henry can only itch, twitch, scratch and flap. There’s just too much to do and too much to see to be still—at least until his tummy starts to grumble and rumble and he finds himself separated from his family and on his own. Then he quickly realizes that he must feed himself.

Henry has no luck as he wades, darts, twists, and bobs, frightening the fish away. Next, he tries to catch a salamander, then a frog, with comical results as he runs smack into a log. Poor Henry! Feeding himself is no easy task. However, the “log” he ran into is not a log at all. In fact, it’s the leg of The Great Blue Heron, the heron of all herons, and the true King of Camouflage.

Before he flies away, the kind older bird reveals to Henry his secret for staying still. The Great Blue Heron’s advice? The trick is to look like a stick! A fish is afraid of a heron, but not a stick. If Henry can stand very still, the fish will think his legs are sticks and he will have a chance to snag a meal.

Henry decides to give The Great Blue Heron’s suggestion a try. He finds an inlet and thinks to himself, I must think like a fish. I must look like a stick. Even though it’s getting dark and he’s cold and tired, he stands very still. And finally, just before daylight fades, a fish swims by. Quick as a flash, Henry strikes and catches his supper! Full, content, and proud of himself, he settles down to sleep. The impatient heron has learned a valuable life lesson. Sometimes we have to be patient and disciplined to get the result we desire!

Small children are wiggle worms as well! They are always on the move, and the word “patience” has yet to be added to their vocabulary. So they will certainly be able to identify with and be delighted by this wonderful tale about Henry, the Impatient Heron. And parents and teachers will also appreciate all the great educational information that is seamlessly interwoven into the captivating story—a trademark of all Sylvan Dell titles. Readers are exposed to interesting facts about herons and their habitats, yet entertained by the charming story in the process.

And as always, there is a section in the back of the book called ‘For Creative Minds’ that provides optional educational activities, facts, and information. The illustrations by Christina Wald are exceptional and add lots of interest to the book. Learning at its best!

About the Author:
Donna Love is an award-winning author who lives in Montana with her ranger husband in the Lolo National Forest. They have three children. Her book, Awesome Ospreys, became a Skipping Stones Press Honor Award Winner in 2006 for promoting ecological understanding and cooperation around the world. In addition to the gift of writing, Donna has a background in art education and enjoys substitute teaching at the elementary and high school level.

About the Illustrator:
Christina Wald has illustrated for a wide variety of toys, games, books, and magazines. She enjoys research, and she says each new book is a fascinating new learning experience. In addition to illustrating, she enjoys movies, travel and reading. She and her husband live in Cincinnati. Henry the Impatient Heron is Christina’s first book with Sylvan Dell.

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Visit Amy at amyoquinn.com or www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.

by Dorit Sasson, contributing editor

Creating an engaging read-aloud experience is essential for vocabulary building, early reading skills, and stimulating the imagination. In this article, you’ll find seven easy tips on how you can create a successful read-aloud experience your students and children will love.

Tip 1: Use Your Body Language To Create an Engaging Read-Aloud Experience

As readers, we have tools for creating an engaging read-aloud experience:

We can deepen or soften our voices as we take on various characters especially those we know are our child’s favorites.

We also can use our voices to slow down rhythms for dramatizing the story sequences.

We can use body language to accentuate new vocabulary in context which are key to understanding the story. For example, they can use a variety of facial and body expression by lifting hands or raising eyebrows.

Finally, we can also recreate uplifting experiences that reinforce a feeling of love and connection by hugging our child, or providing opportunities for children to learn language kinesthetically using action verbs. In the read aloud Pete’s a Pizza, (HarperCollins, 1998) by the late William Steig, Pete’s loving parents try to cheer their son Pete by turning him into a pizza. The father and son interaction is hilarious and touching since both are so serious at playing this game. By the time the blues are gone, the giggles have come out. The best kinds of read-alouds where the experiences are identifiable and the vocabulary is naturally presented in the tender and loving interactions between a father and his son.

A caregiver can easily act out with a child the movements of “kneading and stretching the dough” as well as “twirling the dough in the air” in order to accentuate the vocabulary experiences while creating a fun pretend play experience between a caregiver and a child.

Tip 2: Choose Books With Positive Role Models

What we do with a story is just as important as just as important as how we do it. The process of building literacy involves focusing on new words, raising points for discussion and asking developmentally appropriate questions. More often than not, this can come naturally with books which have positive role model experiences and expressive pictures, which leave children with feel-good experiences.

Role models in a story are the best and most effective way to work with literacy experiences. Are some role models words more salient than others? What aspects of the read-aloud would naturally perk your child? Here are a few suggestions to help guide you as you plan your next read-aloud.

Tip 3: Get To Know The “Theme” Of A Read-Aloud

Always try and preread the story before you take it “live.” This technique guarantees that you are ready and prepared to do something on a level of literacy that will open the doors for your child.

Books that have the good and evil concept can almost often be used explicitly for reinforcing a child’s understanding. “Why is he a bad character?” or as a prediction exercise: “Do you think he is going to help him/her?” As children mature in their reading experience, try adding a “why element” to complement the factual information they already know. You’ll be surprised at how many responses you receive each time!

Tip 4: Tie Vocabulary Learning With A Read-Aloud Experience

In a read-aloud experience, new vocabulary does not always need to be pre-taught, but rather introduced or explained in an enjoyable meaningful experience. In the beginning, keep the explanations short and to the point, using as many basic words as possible. Make a visual connection. Depending on their expressive content, pictures can be ideal for helping the child predict the rest of the story.

Tip 5: Use Read-Alouds With Repetition

Use books that have a repeating words and phrases in them. Dr. Seuss books are a great example in the undulating rhyme and rhythm. Besides the zany characters, young learners tend to recreate words from what they hear. Rhyming schemes are perfect for consolidating this linguistic experience.

Tip 6: Put some music into it - Use chants

Use the sing-song approach as you incorporate both melody and rhythm. Young children love chants. They are short and segmented. A child will quickly catch on. It is a nice way to start the morning with a quick chant from the previous night’s reading and a fun way to recycle vocabulary.

Personalizing the read-aloud experience by putting your heart and soul into it doesn’t have to be automatic—there are gradual ways to create the perfect read-aloud experience, which can be done in a way that is enjoyable and beneficial to all.

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To view a variety of fun and entertaining read-alouds appropriate for your child or student, visit Dorit Sasson’s website at Usborne Books: www.doritsassonusbornebooks.com

You can also access helpful teaching tips at the New Teacher Resource Center www.newteacherresourcecenter.com

by Amy M. O’Quinn, contributing editor

Did you know that how often a family eats dinner together is a powerful indicator of whether a teen is likely to perform better academically? In fact, a study by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) also showed that regular family mealtimes might actually have an effect on whether or not a teen is likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs.

Of course, common sense tells us that just spending time together as a family provides more opportunities to communicate with each other and discuss problems, concerns, certain situations, and even share good news! But all that aside, there is just something special about family mealtimes that nourishes the body and feeds the soul. Bonds are strengthened and great memories are made around the table.

Children Crave Order
A set time for meals is a very good thing for everyone if at all possible. Children like to know what to expect, and they crave order and routine. Plus it sets the tone for the rest of the evening when the meal is eaten at a decent hour, the dishes are washed, and the kitchen is put in order in a timely fashion. Then the family can relax and enjoy doing fun and profitable activities together before the bedtime routine begins.

The Statistics and The Solution
But believe it or not, recent surveys have shown that less than half of the families in the United States actually sit down to a meal together on a regular basis. Seventy-three percent of American adults think eating meals together is important, yet on average only forty-three percent of Americans follow through. And sadly, many of these meals are eaten in front of the television, a practice that can lead to mindless overeating and obesity.

The solution?

Commitment! Just do it!

Families today have lots going on. Parents have work obligations. Many children are involved in extracurricular and after school activities. Life can be hectic. However, many families have found creative ways to incorporate regular family mealtimes. It can be done, because it’s too important not to find a workable solution. Plus, if families are too busy to have regular mealtimes together, at least most of the time, they may just be too busy! The ideal scenario? Two sit-down meals together every day. Reality? Shoot for one meal together—either breakfast or dinner.

Tips and Ideas
Here are a few fun and random ideas to make family mealtimes meaningful and memorable:

1. Consider using your best dishes sometimes—just because!

2. Turn off the television and turn on the answering machine.

3. Presentation of food is extremely important. Even a simple sandwich cut into triangles and arranged as a ‘butterfly’ with carrot antennae will bring a smile to a child’s face.

4. Have an international meal night once a month.

5. Have a backwards meal. Start with dessert, then the main course, and finish with a salad.

6. For that matter, have a backwards day. Have a typical main course meal in the morning and have breakfast for the nightly meal. This might be a ‘Saturday’ kind of thing to do.

7. Have a theme dinner and have family members come to the table dressed accordingly. For example, have a pioneer supper or some cowboy grub.

8. Light candles. Of course, the usual safety precautions apply.

9. Play soft, soothing music in the background. Consider
classical.

10. Encourage and teach good manners and basic table etiquette. When you are eating away from home or with friends, you’ll be glad you did!

The possibilities are endless, but no matter how you slice it, dice it, cook it or serve it up, the family mealtime should be a number one priority for the whole gang. It takes planning, effort and commitment to keep this special event on the ‘front burner’…but the results will definitely be ‘tasty’!

~Adapted from The Home Haven: Creating An Enriched Family Culture (Amy’s current work in progress).

Visit Amy at amyoquinn.com or www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.

by children’s author Margot Finke

When Editors Mentored:
Once upon a time, many editors took promising new writers under their wing. Trained professionals, these editors spotted emerging talent, nurturing it until the writer was ready for publication. This was known as mentoring. These days, due to computers access, sky-high slush piles, and changing publisher economics, fewer editors have time to spend mentoring prospective authors. Editors who mentor may not be as extinct as the dodo, the typewriter, or the five-cent ice cream cone, but they are certainly hard to find. Nowadays, budding writers surf the Internet for guidance, join critique groups, and receive enough rejection slips to paper a small room.

Mentoring Today:
Writers today must discover new ways of learning the secrets of writing for children. Your Internet connection can hook you up to a host of helpful writing lists. These message boards encourage writers, from beginners to the highly experienced. Members post questions and offer their own valuable experiences. Answers flow, and often lead to informative debates on many aspects of writing for children. Not mentoring one-on-one, I agree, but a great way to tap into a valuable resource. Look for online lists that specialize in writing for children. Surf around until you identify message boards that have published and advanced writers – people that know the children’s writing game. After you sign up, and become a valid member, lurk awhile. Absorb the helpful writing and publishing information flying back and forth on a daily basis. When you feel comfortable and at ease, ask your writing questions. Below are two helpful message boards.

CW Today - Childrens Writers Today
[email protected]

Write4Kids.com ( The CBI Clubhouse )
http://cbiclubhouse.com

Critique Groups Inherit the Mentoring Crown – Sort Of.
The best online writing boards usually have a badly kept secret: critique groups that flourish among their members. Ask these lists if there are vacancies, and mention the type of books you write. No, critique groups do not mentor in the traditional way. There is no one-on-one – more like a rotation of five-or-six “critters” helping one. A critique group offers a chance to work with, and seek guidance and information from, writers who are more experienced. Each member receives helpful feedback on their plot and characters, voice, and much more. Encouragement and support is the backbone of these groups. Today, picky editors demand an almost perfect manuscript. Working with a trusted group of peers encourages you to look deeper, weed out what is weak, or rework that troublesome chapter one more time.

Mentoring: The Self–Help Approach
This is the age of the search engine and self-help! If genuine mentors are hard to come by, be independent. Think out of the box! Most published writers, and many who are not yet published, have websites. Think octopus: he many-tentacled links snaking from these websites can divert a flow of “how-to” information onto your computer screen. Also, look for Web and Blog links beneath member’s signatures on your online writing lists. The wisdom of experienced writers is only a mouse click away. With help from Google, you can explore sites that offer current information about publishers, agents, or any aspect of writing for children. A few clicks will put you in the magical world of writing for children.

The Purple Crayon Harold Underdown’s website for children’s writers. Great articles and links.

Margot Finke’s Website offers Manuscript Critiques and writing help +”Musings” column in the Purple Crayon. Books, too.

Jan Field’s WebSite - “Nuts & Bolts & Magic Wands.” covers children’s writing from A to Z Jan’s website has writing advice and great links.

Aaron Shepard’s Kid Writing Page - Excellent writing advice and information.

Verla Kay’s WebSite
This multi published author offers a website full of excellent resources. Don’t miss it!

Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club a subscription based club to help children’s writers become published and publish more often.

Summary:
Due to the influence of modern technology, mentoring today has changed. It did not expire with the dodo bird, or when many editors threw up their hands and cried, “No more time!” Mentoring dove into the 21st century, and evolved via the Internet. Mix a little do-it-yourself research on writer’s websites, with membership in a message board or two, plus some experienced critique group input. Hey-presto, your manuscript is ready for a publisher.

Our daily book giveaway will continue all this week.

Check back here everyday from Monday, April 13th to Friday, April 17th, to find out the titles of the books that will be given away.