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Designer and Illustrator Sharisse Steber has collected more than 30 respected industry awards, including eleven Addys, three honors from the Washington DC Art Directors Club and numerous honors from the Washington DC Illustrator’s Club – including Best of Category.

Her creations have hung in the Art Institute of Washington and been featured in the Washington Post and Publish magazine. Her work has appeared in numerous publications that include Print Magazine’s Design Annual, Step by Step, Graphis Design Annual, and HOW Magazine’s Self-Promotion Annual, and in several commercial art books, including Innovative Low Budget Design, DesignWise, Print’s Best Logos, Fresh Ideas in Brochure Design, American Corporate Identity and Logo Lounge. She has been a featured guest speaker at the Washington DC Illustrator’s club to discuss her unusual techniques and creative approach to illustration.

Sharisse was honored to design the packaging for two significant musical releases: the Grammy-winning, John Work, III CD as well as the recent Mississippi John Hurt Discovery recordings.

Sharisse studied design, history and creative writing in London, Glasgow, and Florence and received her degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She lives in Nashville with her son (when she’s not hiking and climbing mountains).

HERE IS SHARISSE DISCUSSING HER PROCESS FOR AN ILLUSTRATION FOR T IS FOR TRAILS: 

The final art was quite different from my initial sketch. I had much larger people and more stylized kids and animals in the first draft.

I provided a section style check for the art director to make sure we were both on the same page. They requested that I add more realistic foliage among the stylized trees.

A sneak peek into my process: I make traditional watercolor sketches and import them into Procreate. I then take bits of the paintings and draw over them with digital brushes to create a mixed digital/traditional background.

More progress on the background. The art director wanted the landscape to be the main focus of each spread and the people much smaller in their environment.

The final illustration ended up with smaller, less stylized people and the animals on each page became more hidden and further away from the hikers. I hope children will have fun searching for the hidden animals and birds throughout the book!

BELOW IS MY INTERVIEW WITH SHARISSE STEBER

When did you realize that you had a talent for art?

My mom said the only thing that ever kept me quiet and occupied since the age of 2 was a stack of blank paper and pencils, crayons and paint.

What was the first thing you created where someone paid for your work?

My 4^th grade teacher, Mrs. Watts, hired me to hand paint 40 tiny acorns to look like jack-o-lanterns, all with custom faces for a luncheon. It was a huge job for a 10-year-old but I loved it! I still keep one in my kitchen window to remind me.

Did you grow up in Tennessee?

I grew up in a tiny, rural town outside of Nashville and spent most of my time playing in the woods when I wasn’t creating!

Sharisse studied design, history, and creative writing in London, Glasgow, and Florence and received her degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

What did you study for the degree you received from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville?

I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design Major and an Illustration Minor

You say you studied design, history, and creative writing in London, Glasgow, and Florence. Was that before you attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville?

I spent a summer studying abroad through UTK in London and Glasgow. Years later, I took a summer writing and art course in Florence, Italy through the University of Iowa.

Did you do freelance artwork while doing these studies?

I did some freelance work in college and started as an intern at Lisa Bingham Design in Knoxville until I graduated.

What was the first job you took after school?

My first full-time job after graduation was at Supon Design Group in Washington, DC. Moving from Knoxville to a large city was a huge change, but I loved it. Having access to so many museums and incredible Smithsonian night classes was the highlight of the decade I lived there.

 

I see you have created many logos. Were logos one of the first things you designed in your career?

Yes. Supon Design Group was a nationally known studio and they specialized in global branding. I developed a love of typography from that job and brought those skills into the hand-lettering illustrations I do today. I’m very grateful for everything I learned from graphic design. And I still love creating logos!

Was Rise and Roar your first illustrated book?

Yes. It was a labor of love. I wrote, illustrated, and designed the entire layout, which is very unusual for one person to do all three! I spent all of 2020 focusing on its creation, and it helped get me through the pandemic.

How did you get that job with Mountaineers Books?

I was a fan of their books for many years. My literary agent pitched my concept to them and they loved it.

Did someone at Sleeping Bear Press see this hiking journal that led to you illustrating T is for Trails: A Hiking Alphabet by Judy Young and Sharisse Steber?

I think so! They saw several of my images online that are mostly focused on outdoor activities and thought I would be a great match for the book’s topic.

I just featured T is for Trails and the illustrations were amazing. Did you need to do any research before illustrating T is for Trails?

I spent many hours researching each park, looking at hundreds of photos to give the readers a true sense of the trails and parks featured. I watched many videos of people hiking the trails on YouTube so I could show it from a hiker’s viewpoint. For some of the trails, I traveled to take photos myself or used images I already had from previous visits. I took some artistic license– but I tried to honor each of these beautiful spots as realistically as possible.

How long did it take you to create all the artwork for T is for Trails?

I think around 7 or 8 months. Each image usually takes anywhere from 12 to 15+ hours to complete after sketches are approved.

How did you come up with the idea for your card deck “A Woman’s Place is in the Wild”?

The publisher and I worked together to create a companion product for my book, Rise & Roar. Most of the art comes from the book, which features bios of women who have accomplished great things and broken barriers in the outdoor field. Each royal suite features a different inspiring woman and tells their story in a booklet. The cards are bright, fun, encouraging, and educational.

Has Florencia & Toot by Zoe Tucker been published?

That is a sample cover I created for an online class on children’s book illustration.

I love the mushrooms in Deep in the forest. Do you have a place where people can buy any of your prints?

Not yet! I’m working on getting my online shop set up. I have sold prints in a few holiday markets. If you have something you like, reach out and I can get it to you.

When did you decide to illustrate children’s books?

I think I’ve wanted to do this since I was a teenager. But I took a slight detour with my career and now I’m fulfilling those early dreams.

Would you think you will illustrate more picture books?

I sure hope so!

Do you have any desire to write and illustrate your own picture book?

Yes, I have some ideas I’m playing with now.

Do you have an artist rep or a literary agent? If so, who and how long have you been working together?

I did have an amazing literary rep for several years. I’m so grateful for all the projects we created as a team, but I’ve decided to look for an agent that specializes in a broad range of illustration work. I’m currently looking for an artist rep with a wide range of licensing experience.

Would you be willing to work with a writer who wants to self-publish a picture book?

With the huge amount of time required to create art on the front end, receiving advances in the beginning is the only way to make that work. So I suppose it would depend on the writer and if they had the resources to make that possible.

You have won many awards for your art. Do you have one that you are most proud of winning?

I just completed being an artist-in-residence in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Getting to live inside the park for over a month, hiking everyday and drawing in my sketchbook was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It’s very different from a vacation or a cool trip. Being able to focus for an extended time on your craft and the freedom to move in a beautiful location was a dream. I encourage all artists to apply for this experience – you won’t regret it!

Do you have an art studio in your house?

I do have a home office, but I work everywhere – the couch, the kitchen table, sitting in my backyard. Having an ipad offers great flexibility.

Do you spend a certain amount of time honing your craft?

I think it’s whatever I feel. Sometimes, I need a break and spend a lot of time outdoors doing other things I like. But I also consider this research time, and it eventually makes its way into my illustrations.

What is your favorite tool or medium to use when creating your illustrations?

I mostly work on an iPad Pro. I also do traditional watercolor and scan in my paintings to work with in Procreate.

What do you think helped develop your style?

I’ve always done some form of collage – whether traditional or digital. Looking at lots of beautiful art and experimenting is key to finding your own style. Who cares if you make something that looks awful. Keep working on it or paint over until you create something that makes you smile.

 

Do you think your style has changed since illustrating your first book?

I’m always trying to improve and get better – but my personal vibe always comes through.

Do you use Photoshop with any of your work?

I use it a lot in my graphic design work and sometimes in illustration. I often use it to finish up final art after I export it from Procreate.

Do you have and/or use a graphic tablet?

iPad Pro

I know you are just starting your career, but what do you think has been your biggest success, so far?

I actually have been illustrating in my design work for 30 years, so I don’t feel that part is new. But certainly, the world of children’s books has its own ebb and flow. I love that I’ve taken everything I’ve learned from my design career and now use those skills to create projects that combine the most I love the most: art and spending time outside.

Are there any exciting projects on the horizon?

I have several personal projects I’m in the early stages of planning, but I would love a publisher to contact me with a great book manuscript!

Do you think the Internet has opened any doors for you?

Online continuing education is so easy now. Just seeing what everyone else is doing is so inspiring to me. I know a lot of people struggle when they see others achieving success online but I look at it as a sign to keep striving to achieve my own goals. We all get frustrated. But I also believe there is plenty of success to go around.

What are you working on now?

I balance my work with graphic design (which I still love doing) and art projects. I like going back and forth between the disciplines because it keeps my ideas fresh and I use different parts of my brain for illustration, design and branding.

Can you share any painting tips (materials, paper, etc.) that work well for you? Technique tips?

I love to scan interesting textures or paint my own to incorporate into my digital art. It keeps everything from looking too computery… that’s a word, right? lol

Can you share words of wisdom with the illustrators trying to develop their careers?

Keep pitching, making, and creating. What are you passionate about? Make it. If you want to create X – then make up your own project, post it, and pitch it. Art directors are busy and will be more likely to hire you to create something similar to what they already see in your portfolio. Visualize your own success!

Sharisse, thank you for taking the time to answer the interview questions and sharing you process with us. It was a wonderful way to get to know you. I’m sure your illustrations will make everyone smile. Please let me know when your next book comes out and I will share it with everyone.

You can visit Sharisse using the following Links:

WEBSITE: https://www.sharissedesign.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sharisse_steber_design

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNlc8RL1nAQ8DKBPGYMEkyg

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

APRIL AGENT OF THE MONTH

Daniele Hunter – McIntosh & Otis

DANIELE HUNTER has a BA in English from Drew University, with concentrations in literary criticism, poetry, and creative writing. graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She is a member of the AALA and their DEI committee and co-directs their fellowship program through Literary Agents of Change.

She has been with the children’s department at McIntosh & Otis since a 2016 internship, and is thrilled to now be acquiring! I’m looking for (in order of priority) young adult, middle grade, and picture books. Her top priority is contemporary, but she’s also open to contemporary fantasy and sparingly considers genre fantasy/speculative, suspense, romance, and historical.

While her heart lives in contemporary stories, she also loves contemporary fantasy (as well as ghost stories) and is sparingly open to other genres.

Daniele says, “As an agent, I’ll be an author’s biggest cheerleader, and value open communication above all. I strive to be a safe space for marginalized identities/experiences but don’t force authors to disclose those to me. I’m always open to any accommodations authors need.

“I’ll be a mentor for my clients, helping them navigate the publishing industry even after an editor signs their books. I’m also extremely hands-on editorially! And though publishing is a business, I know that writing books (especially the dark, raw ones I fall for) is a very intimate endeavor, so I strive to connect with my clients not just on a professional level, but a personal one.

“Books saved me as a young reader, and now, my biggest goal as an agent is to help tell the “hard” stories, the off-the-beaten-track stories, that kids/teens who experience hardships or have underrepresented identities deeply need.”

YA and MG – Contemporary

This is my top priority. My favorite published books I’ve worked on are TOGETHER WE CAUGHT FIRE by Eva V. Gibson (YA) and THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE by Chad Lucas (MG).

-Literary, lyrical writing. Prose or novels-in-verse welcome!

-“Dark and gritty”, “issue-driven”

-I also always appreciate moments of triumph and joy, especially for marginalized characters!

-Slice-of-life and coming-of-age

-Protagonist ages: 11-12 and upward (love college-aged protagonists, on the opposite end!)

-Voice-driven, character-focused

-BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ experiences

-Chronic illness and/or disability

-Mental health, neurodivergence

-Multiple POV or mixed-perspective

-Mixed media or multiple timelines

-Romance as a subplot

-Non-romantic relationship focus—friendship and found family, “friend break-up”, complicated family dynamics 

YA and MG – Genre

–Fantasy/speculative: Foremost, contemporary fantasy with lyrical writing and character focus. I’m open to near-future dystopian (but not post-apocalyptic) involving social critique and/or magic. Sparingly open to higher fantasy, if the world-building is detailed, atmospheric, and accessible. And though I’m not a fit for most supernatural or fantastical characters, I love ghost stories!

-Historical: Sparingly open; I prefer stories set in the nearer past. Lesser-told times in history, with a human-interest element alongside the historical education. 

-Thriller/suspense: Must be character- and voice-driven–I like more focus on character and lyricism than is most common for these genres. I like murder mysteries, especially with unconventional formats.

-Anthology: Sparingly interested, in both fiction and nonfiction.  

Picture books

 This will be the smallest part of my list. My favorite (soon-t0-be) published picture book I’ve worked on is THE HOLE by Lindsay Bonilla.

-Grief – Honest about the heavy parts; hopeful but not saccharine

-BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ – Anything from slice-of-life, to celebratory, to informative, to issue-based!

-Disability, in both fiction and nonfiction

-Diverse cultures, holidays, traditions, identities

-Sparingly open to bios; women, LGBTQIA+, and/or BIPOC subjects preferred

-Author-illustrators/teams!

-I prefer human narrators over animal narrators, but I’m not totally close to the latter.

Daniele is looking for lyrical, literary, voice-driven writing, and strongly prefers books in first-person (though she’s more open to third-person in picture books). Her top priorities are dark, issue-based books, and diverse authors and stories. For YA and MG, some areas of interest for her are LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled and/or chronically ill authors and stories, grief topics, novels-in-verse, relationship-based stories, mental health topics and neurodivergence, ghost stories, and multiple-POV or mixed-media stories. In picture books, she is also interested in these topics from fiction or nonfiction perspectives and is sparingly open to biography as well.

Daniele is not interested in any discriminatory topics, adult work, chapter books, early readers, lower MG, graphic novels/comics, Christian religious work, or rhyming picture books.

Query Daniele via Query Manager at this link: https://QueryManager.com/ddhunter/

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BELOW ARE TWO FIRST PAGE RESULTS:

Edgar the Dragon and the Iced Buns by Suzanne Bowditch – Contemporary MG Fantasy

Edgar the dragon’s cave was always damp and cold. It smelled awful too, of stale sardines and mildew. He barely noticed it, but it was strong, like stale socks and wet things. One fine morning, Edgar woke from his bed, stretching and yawning. He scratched his scaly belly and looked around. His cave looked the same, the floor covered in sardine cans and mouldy backpacks (those hikers were so careless with their things), yet something had changed.

Edgar checked the calendar on the cave wall. It was February.

How was he awake? He never woke until it was spring.

He lumbered over to the cave entrance. The valley spread out below him, the sound of bird calls, the wind whispering through the trees. Edgar frowned at the stream of water gushing down the mountainside. There were large puddles covering the lush grass.  Shouldn’t there be snow on the ground?

Edgar sat back (which can be difficult when you have sharp, pointy scales and a long tail), and pondered. His cave felt warm and stuffy, like a spring day.

What was going on? He rummaged around his cave (making sure to avoid the place where the dark things slept) and fished out his raincoat. He pulled it on –

–  then gave a start, his mouth agape. His snow wall had vanished! The solid ice wall that hid him from the outside world was now a pile of slush. Goodness, there was water everywhere.

Edgar heard a rumbling, groaning sound, close by – his belly! He shook his head, staring at the puddles and rubbing his empty belly.

That’s why he was awake.

HERE IS DANIELE:

Title of Manuscript EDGAR THE DRAGON AND THE ICED BUNS

Name of Author Suzanne Bowditch

Name of Reviewer Daniele Hunter

 Hi, Suzanne!

Thanks for sharing your interesting, immersive opening page with me. I think it will hook readers with its strong sensory descriptions and sense of pacing!

You do a nice job of introducing us to Edgar. So far, he seems to be a likable, sympathetic character, and one who embodies the value of thinking before he acts: When he wakes up too soon, hungry and confused, he doesn’t become angry, jump into hunting, or take his frustrations out on others; rather, he takes time to orient himself and puzzle through what’s happening.

The pacing is also working well so far! You strike balances: You have enough introduction to give us a sense of Edgar and his world, but not enough to bog down the narrative. Similarly, you introduce mystery and conflict early, but not so immediately that readers feel disoriented. You also do a nice job of introducing layers of conflict—there’s the immediate problem of Edgar’s hunger, but also the larger-scale problem of climate change melting his ice wall.

One thing I’d suggest adding—not necessarily on this first page, but soon after!—is some dialogue. Or, if Edgar isn’t going to meet other characters for a while, perhaps you could show us some of his thoughts. I think it would be helpful to get to hear his voice, both for getting readers attached to the character, and helping build momentum and maintain intrigue in the plot.

The narrative voice of your story feels very classic. You’ve also struck a nice balance for young readers with your writing style: Though you introduce some more complex vocabulary words, the straightforward style of narration still makes the text feel accessible for young readers. Keep this balance in mind as you’re writing and editing!

Though your first page is coming along nicely for the most part, I’d personally recommend clarifying some more of the details, to root readers more firmly within your story, its world, and its conflict. First, regarding world-building, some basic questions: What color is Edgar? Is he supposed to be an adult dragon, or a child—and further to this, what is his relative size? Are other dragons sharing his cave (like his parents or other adults, if he’s meant to be a child)? Are there other dragons nearby? What kinds of other creatures inhabit his world (e.g. what are the “dark things” you mention sleeping in his cave? Are there humans in this world?)?

And second, specifically regarding Edgar’s age: I’d keep in mind that the current children’s book market heavily favors books with child protagonists. If Edgar himself is meant to be more of an adult character, what else can you do to center children and child perspectives in this story?

Hoping these comments and questions are helpful to you, and wishing you luck!

Very best,

Daniele Hunter

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Monuments for America by Cecile Mazzucco-Than non-fiction picture book

In the 1890s, every city in America went mad for monuments. People wanted something big and permanent to remember their heroes. Sculptors worked as fast as they could to plan arches and pillars and towering figures in flowing robes. But, most monuments needed to be carved in stone before they could be placed in city parks, streets, or buildings, and most sculptors were not stone carvers. The best stone carvers lived in Italy. So, sculptors sent small clay models across the Atlantic Ocean, and all of America waited and waited and waited for huge figures chiseled out of granite or marble to come back. That is until six stone-carving brothers named Piccirilli left their father’s bottega and moved to New York.

At first, the brothers carved gravestones. People needed to be remembered. But did gravestones need to be so boring? Every day, over and over, the brothers carved nomi e date, putti i frutti. They sang as they worked, maybe even a making up a song like this:

Putti i frutti,	Cupids and fruit,
Belli o brutti.	plain or cute.
Per tutti i lutti,	For every sad loss,
Per tutti i gusti.	you’re the boss.
Non c’e rilutti.	We just carve the stone.
Ongi per tutti!	Working together, we’re never alone!

The brothers were more than a little homesick. In their father’s bottega, they carved whatever they wanted.  Furio and Orazio carved animals people wanted to pet. Masaniello carved flowers people wanted to smell. Attilio carved people that looked like they could dance away in the moonlight. His bust of their little sister Iole looked just like her. Ferruccio, the oldest brother, and Getulio, the youngest, carved everything, but Getulio always used marble.

HERE IS DANIELE:

Title of Manuscript MONUMENTS FOR AMERICA

Name of Author Cecile Mazzucco

Hello, Cecile!

Thank you for allowing me to read your first page from MONUMENTS FOR AMERICA. This is a unique and intriguing topic for a nonfiction picture book! It’s a lesser-known pocket of history that comes with inherent kid-appeal. (Also, as my mother’s family is Italian, I always appreciate seeing Italian and Italian-American history in books!)

Your writing is polished, straightforward, and clear, making the story accessible to young readers. However, I suspect you may need to revisit the length of your first paragraphs. First, I’d recommend staying cognizant of the overall story’s length: In my experience with the current picture book market, most editors prefer nonfiction picture books to stay around the 1,000-word mark (a little over is probably okay, but I wouldn’t personally recommend more than about 1,100 words!). So, with relatively few words to work with, you may find that too many words are being taken up by your introductory information, or by the song, and that these elements need to be trimmed.

And second, I’d recommend focusing in on what you want the heart of your story to be, which will help decide the lengths of individual passages. Is this mainly a story about monuments in a more general sense? Or is it mainly a story about the Piccirilli brothers?

On that note, I really enjoyed your later passage introducing the brothers, telling readers more about their styles of sculpture. I think it’s so intriguing to get to know people by way of their artistic passions. This is strong storytelling! So, if you want the brothers to be the main focus of the story, you may find it’s necessary to streamline your opening material. This would allow you to introduce the brothers sooner, and put more of a focus on them within the story.

Finally, I just wanted to make one small sensitivity note: I’d recommend removing the phrase “went mad for” in the first sentence. Though I understand that it’s nice alliteration, many disability activists consider this phrase to be harmful because it perpetuates the stigmatization of mental health conditions.

Thank you again for allowing me to spend time with your fascinating story! I hope my thoughts on the first page are helpful to you.

Very best,

Daniele Hunter

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Thank you, Daniele, for taking the time to be April’s Agent of the Month and sharing your expertise with us. I know everyone appreciated it and has enjoyed meeting you. See you at the Spring Virtual Writer’s Retreat.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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Suzanne Slade has a new picture book, SOMEDAYS ARE YELLOW, illustrated by Michelle Lee and published by Sleeping Bear Press on April 15th. Sleeping Bear Press has agreed to send a copy to one lucky winner in the US.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or reblogging really helps spread the word about a new book. So, thanks for helping Erin and Kate.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you every day, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Some days are easy! The sky is sunny, everything goes according to plan, and we know what to expect. Other days are tough! There might be raindrops or skinned knees. Things don’t go our way and we feel overwhelmed. But “No matter your day, tomorrow’s brand new!” Lyrical text and colorful artwork remind readers of all ages that life is a vibrant adventure with an array of experiences and emotions, and tomorrow always offers a fresh start. What a difference a day can make!

BOOK JOURNEY:

I usually remember exactly when and where the idea for a new book arrived. Oddly, I have no memory of the origins of the idea spark for SOME DAYS ARE YELLOW. So I did some sleuthing in my computer files. The first draft is dated December 11, 2019. The second draft doesn’t appear until January 2022. It seems I got distracted by COVID, and a timely idea I hoped to turn into a book quickly, which became JUNE ALMEIDA, VIRUS DETECTIVE! THE WOMAN WHO DISCOVERED THE FIRST HUMAN CORONAVIRUS.

The one thing I do recall about the early days of creating YELLOW, was that I wanted to convey the unpredictable challenges, fun surprises, warm moments, frustrations, and more we all must face in life, and to help young readers understand that happy (yellow) days, along with sad (blue) days are inevitable. But tomorrow is always brand new, as it offers new adventures and possibilities.

I shared that first draft with my trusty critique group, which led to edits and tweaks for a month. Most of my books are nonfiction, which usually require months of intense research and years of follow-up research. Writing SOME DAYS ARE YELLOW was refreshing because I was free to share scenes and events I thought best suited the story without the constraint of “facts”.

Sleeping Bear Press had an incredible vision for the book and selected the perfect illustrator — Michelle Lee. I adore the spunky characters she introduces and the short, relatable stories she creates for each one. The last spread is especially heart-warming and satisfying because Michelle brings all the characters together and shares “conclusions” to their mini-stories through her illustration. I hope families and readers enjoy her bright, cheery illustrations, and the book’s subtle message of persistence and hope!

SUZANNE’S BIO:

Suzanne Slade is the Sibert Honor author of more than 150 books for children. A mechanical engineer by degree, Suzanne often writes about STEM topics, as well as fascinating figures in history. Visit her at http://www.suzanneslade.com.

Newest books:

BEHOLD THE HUMMINGBIRD *Released April 2024
SOMEDAYS ARE YELLOW Released January 2024. Kirkus Reviews
BLAST OFF *2023 NSTA Best STEM Books list, *New York Public Library 2022 Best Books   for Kids list, *CBC‘S Children’s Favorites 2023 list,*Delaware Diamond Award list, *California Department of Education K-12 Recommended books list
SHINING STAR VERA RUBIN DISCOVERS DARK MATTER *2023 CBC NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books
THE UNIVERSE AND YOU *Kirkus STARRED review
MARS IS: STARK SLOPE, SILVERY SNOW, AND STARTLING SURPRISES *Booklist STARRED review
JUNE ALMEIDA, VIRUS DETECTIVE! THE WOMAN WHO DISCOVERED THE FIRST HUMAN CORONAVIRUS
SWISH! THE SLAM-DUNKING, ALLEY-OOPING, HIGH-FLYING HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS *Junior Library Guild Selection
EXQUISITE: THE POETRY AND LIFE OF GWENDOLYN BROOKS *Robert F. Sibert Honor Book – *Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
A COMPUTER CALLED KATHERINE: HOW KATHERINE JOHNSON HELPED PUT AMERICA ON THE NOON *Kirkus STARRED review
DARING DOZEN: THE TWELVE WHO WALKED ON THE MOON *Booklist STARRED review
COUNTDOWN: 2979 DAYS TO THE MOON *School Library Journal STARRED review – *Publishers Weekly STARRED review – *Booklist STARRED review – *2019 Outstanding Science Trade Books – *2019 NSTA Best STEM Books list – *Junior Library Guild Selection
ASTRONAUT ANNIE *Story Time From Space selection (read by astronaut on the Space Station) – *PBS Books “Best Children’s Picture Books of 2018” – *Brightly’s Best Children’s Books
DANGEROUS JANE *2018 Bank Street College of Educ. Best Books of the Year (STARRED Ages 5-9) = *2018 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People – *The Washington Post “Books to Help Build Strong Girls”
OUT OF SCHOOL AND INTO NATURE: THE ANNA COMSTOCK STORY – *Kirkus Starred Review – *2018 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book – *2018 Amelia Bloomer Recommended List – *2018 Green Earth Book Award Honor Winner – *2017 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award (SONWA) – *2017 California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Silver Award
THE MUSIC IN GEORGE’S HEAD: GEORGE GERSHWIN CREATES RHAPSODY IN BLUE – *Four Starred Reviews (Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers’ Weekly, School Library Journal) – *Parents’ Choice Gold Award – *Booklist’s Top 10 Arts Books for Youth List – *Junior Library Guild Selection – *California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Gold Award – *2017 CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People – *2017 Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (PreK-3rd) – *2017 Bank Street College of Educ. Best Books of the Year (Ages 5-9) – *2017 Golden Kite Winner for Picture Book Illustration
THE INVENTOR’S SECRET *2017 NSTA Best STEM Book List -*2016 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book -*CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
FRIENDS FOR FREEDOM *Amelia Bloomer Recommended Titles List – *CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books For Young People – *Starred Review – Publishers Weekly
THE SODA BOTTLE SCHOOL *California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Silver Award – *2015 Reading is Fundamental Multicultural Booklist – *2015 Green Prize – THE HOUSE THAT GEORGE BUILT – *Junior Library Guild Selection – *Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year – *2016 ILLINOIS READS selection
CLIMBING LINCOLN’S STEPS *Paterson Prize for Books for Young People – *Notable Social Studies Trade Books For Young People – *Available in most Scholastic School Book Fairs
MULTIPLY ON THE FLY *California Reading Assoc. Eureka! Silver Honor Book – *Illinois READS selection –
WHAT’S NEW AT THE ZOO? *Teachers’ Choice Children’s Book Award.

MICHELLE’S BIO:

Michelle Lee is an illustrator based in Los Angeles and I’ve been drawing and making things my whole life. She received my undergraduate degrees at UC Berkeley in art (printmaking) and molecular biology, then a master’s in Urban Education at UPenn. She taught K-8 science in Philadelphia thinking I’d be a career educator. Though picture books didn’t feature much in the rigid, standardized science curriculum, when she was able to include them, they had an outsize role in engaging my students, conveying concepts, and causing me to wonder if I could make picture books.

The first book Michelle remembers making was for a class project in the 3rd or 4th grade. She wrote and illustrated a pop-up book about a parrot named Max and a dog named Sandy who can’t stand each other but (spoiler alert!) become best friends after Max’s boastful attitude gets him into trouble with a predator. I loved the book as a medium for visual storytelling, She loved the craft that went into making the book: figuring out the pop-up mechanisms, sewing the signatures, using a bone folder, binding the book, and creating a book jacket. She loved getting starred reviews from my classmates and in turn writing reviews for them. It was a little peek into the processes of a world that she’d return to one day.

Her debut picture book Play With Me! published in 2017, and since then she’s illustrated a number of titles- most recently My Lost Freedom by George Takei and Some Days Are Yellow by Suzanne Slade. I’m most inspired by the natural world, families, traditions, and folktales. In Michelle’s practice, she finds inspiration in the act of observing things very closely, thinking about the things she can’t observe or doesn’t know, and when she must problem-solve or learn something new.

She works from her home in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles where she enjoys cooking, gardening, and spying on the urban wildlife that passes through. When not on deadlines for client/commissioned work or books, she enjoys backpacking and camping with her husband, sewing, tackling my (many) manuscripts in progress, and dreaming up future projects.

Selected Clients and Publications:
Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Sleeping Bear Press, Literati, The Village School

I’m represented by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.

 

Suzanne, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. This is such a very sweet lyrical book with an important message for children. Michelle did a wonderful job creating the illustrations to help tell the story. Some of my favorites are the little girl wearing a bathing suit and a cape standing at the top of the high dive with the caption: “Some days feel brave.” Reminds me of the day at the pool when a smaller me climbed the high dive ladder and walked to the end of the board all brave until I looked down at the water below making me lose all my bravado and hightailed it back down the ladder.

The caption on the opposite page says: “Others bring fears.” The picture shows the little boy and his sister outside at night in the backyard inside a tent with a flashlight cowering in their sleeping bags. A book titled, Spooky Stories, is on the ground. That image is so perfect.

One Double Page Spread says:
Some days are “Hola,”
Others are “Adiós,”
and “Hi!”

The Next Page says:
“Bonjour,”
“Au revoir,”
and “Goodbye.”

I thought this was a very clever way to introduce other languages.
Best of all I love how the end repeats the beginning.

Some days are yellow.
Others feel blue.
(and then the reason for the book:)
No matter your day, tomorrow’s brand new!

The uplifting message, like the universal message I often tell myself: “The sun will come out tomorrow.”

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BOOK WINNERS:

Linda Trott Dickman won THE GIRL WHO LOVED POUTINE by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Melissa Trempe won DO MOMMIES EVER SLEEP? by Kim Howard

manju beth won FINDING GRATEFUL by Dianne White

*******

KUDOS:

Author of WHATEVER COMES TOMORROW and BRAINSTORM! Rebecca Gardyn Levington’s LOOKING FOR LIGHT: A SHABBAT STORY, with the Jewish holiday of Shabbat as a backdrop, about a child finding gratitude for life’s small joyful moments, illustrated by Gillian Eilidh O’Mara, to Joy Peskin at Farrar, Straus Children’s, for publication in fall 2026, by Kaitlyn Sanchez at Bradford Literary Agency for the author, and by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency for the illustrator. Rights: kristin.dulaney@macmillan.com

*******

INDUSTRY CHANGES:

HOLIDAY HOUSE:

Chris Russo has been promoted to senior designer.

JANKLOW & NESBIT ASSOCIATES:

Melissa Flashman, Marya Spence, Paul Lucas, Kirby Kim, Stefanie Lieberman, and Emma Parry have been promoted to senior agents.

RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

Jordan Blanco has joined as editor for RH Graphic.

QUILL TREE BOOKS:

Jennifer Ung has been promoted to editorial director.

Allison Weintraub has been promoted to associate editor.

DOUBLEDAY CANADA:

Melanie Tutino has been promoted to senior editor.

BELCASTRO AGENCY:

Syrone Harvey and Morgan Wilson join as junior literary agents.

ABRAMS PRESS:

Zack Knoll has been promoted to senior editor.

Juliet Dore has been promoted to associate editor.

Sarah Robbins has been promoted to associate editor.

ABRAMS CHILDREN’S:

Charlotte Greenbaum has been promoted to executive editor, graphic novels.

Diegs Lopez has been promoted to senior editor, entertainment publishing.

Sara Sproull has been promoted to associate editor.

Angelica Busanet has been promoted to assistant editor.

Victoria Reynolds has been promoted to digital & social media marketing associate.

Stephanie Keane has been promoted to associate publicist.

Abby Pickus has been promoted to associate, sub rights.

Eli Mock has been promoted to associate art director.

*******

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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Erin Dealey has a new picture book, JUST FLOWERS, illustrated by Kate Cosgrove and published by Sleeping Bear Press on April 15th. Sleeping Bear Press has agreed to send a copy to one lucky winner in the US.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or reblogging really helps spread the word about a new book. So, thanks for helping Erin and Kate.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you every day, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Izzy’s new neighbor is a bit of a grump–though they are both botanically inclined. When the neighbor discovers unwanted flowers–again and again–in his precious rose garden, he bids Izzy to take them away. Izzy does–and uses the blooms to brighten someone else’s day. Before long, the town is bursting with Izzy’s flowers. The grumpy neighbor doesn’t see the fuss. “They’re JUST FLOWERS!” he yells. “Just flowers” that brought joy and color to everyone in town. Can Izzy finally get that neighbor to accept the bloom of friendship? Back matter includes a seek-and-find and information on the flowers mentioned in the book.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Thank you, Kathy Temean, for inviting me back to your blog. I’m happy to share how Izzy’s story blossomed into our picture book, JUST FLOWERS.

The seeds for JUST FLOWERS were planted four years ago, when I discovered gorgeous photos of flowers in an Instagram thread called #ayearinflowers. (I think that’s what it was called.)

Flowers thumbnail and / or early idea scribbles

The idea germinated when I laughed out loud at the ranunculus read-aloud fun of botanical Latin classifications. WOW! They had to be in a book.

I tended those crazy-but-why-not? idea sprouts, puzzling how to feature such Galanthus gems in a picture book without sounding didactic. Then the grumpy neighbor moved into my brain and things got interesting.

Thumbnail –Izzy, neighbor

Izzy showed up soon after. Well actually Stella came first, but then I renamed Stella’s character Lizzie and out of nowhere IZZY popped onto the page with a zing! Isn’t IZZY fun to say?

Note to writers: Every word counts—even your protagonist’s name.

My drafts were as messy as ever, just like working in the garden. Sometimes, you weed out a few phrases and other times you replant. One version wanted to rhyme SO MUCH, and you know I love rhyme but rhyming felt like too much alongside the word play of matching community members with appropriate flowers (The pediatrician needed the Mums—right?) and those delicious Latin classifications. Thus we left the rhyme for another time.

Note to writers: I am often guilty of trying to put too much “cleverness” into a book. I’ve learned to save some for other stories.

As always, my crit group, the PBJs, helped to prune and water JUST FLOWERS as it grew. Many thanks to Bitsy Kemper, Patricia Newman, and Lori Mortensen, and my agent Deborah Warren at East West Literary. They are the BEST gardening club ever.

Photo of Bitsy Kemper taken from my Sleeping Bear Press Instagram takeover!

Once I teamed up (happily!) again with the master gardeners at Sleeping Bear Press, editor Sarah Rockett dug in, and we narrowed the scope of the story to match the spring/summer growing period. It was important to make sure the flowers in the story fit the season, so again, some flowers were uprooted. And the glossary in the back grew into a Can You Find Them? spread.

Note to writers: If your story has nonfiction elements, make sure you’ve done your research homework.

Last but certainly not least, the brilliant #1 NYT Bestselling illustrator Kate Cosgrove brought an incredible world of sunshine and diversity. I am continually blown away by her details, palette choices, and stunningly unique style. Link to my chat with Kate about her process. https://erindealey.com/kid-lit-illustrators/meet-1-nyt-bestselling-illustrator-kate-cosgrove/

Bouquets of gratitude to all.

And, yes, like many florists, we experienced some delivery issues but thankfully those are all behind us, and JUST FLOWERS is blooming on shelves everywhere.

May it bring you as much joy as our budding Botanist, Izzy, brings the neighbors and community members in JUST FLOWERS. Link to a fun and easy classroom extension: https://erindealey.com/teachers-fun-ideas-for-your-classroom/be-like-izzy-fun-easy-just-flowers-class-activity-for-all-levels-art-kindness-flowers/

ERIN‘S BIO:

Erin Dealey (@ErinDealey) is a playwright and children’s author of 20+ picture books, including DEAR EARTH…FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN ROOM FIVE (Be an Earth Hero!) and PETER EASTER FROG.

Sleeping Bear titles include SNOW GLOBE WISHES –A lyrical holiday story about wishes and community and snow–lots and lots of snow; K IS FOR KINDERGARTEN–with activities for almost Kindergartners and their parents who CAN’T wait for school, as well as Kinders and their K teachers learning/teaching about expectations; CHRISTMAS AHOY!, a holiday boat parade + counting book, and DECK THE WALLS, a rollicking sing-along about the kids’ table at a holiday dinner.

Her first published picture books were with Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster: GOLDIE LOCKS HAS CHICKEN POX, and LITTLE BO PEEP CAN’T GET TO SLEEP two classics featuring a neighborhood of familiar nursery rhyme characters. See erindealey.com for more.

KATE’S BIO:

Kate Cosgrove is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of A Day With No Words; winner of the 2024 Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award.

Cosgrove’s book illustrations juried into The 41st and 43rd Original Art Annual Exhibition in NYC. Her other notable picture books include And the Bullfrogs Sing: A Life Cycle, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and a Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Honors book.

She’s usually hiding in her probably-haunted art studio, with pencil-smudged fingers and a smelly dog named Stanley.

Erin, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. When I noticed Erin Dealey and Kate Cosgrove teamed up for this book, I quickly grabbed it. I have enjoyed all of Erin’s other books and I love all of Kate’s illustrations, so I was eager to open up the book and read. I was not disappointed. This book is not just about flowers. It is so much more. Yes, it is a wonderful book that will help children identify different kinds of flowers while telling the story of a little boy who loves flowers and lives next door to a grumpy old man who is only interested in roses.

Little Izzy tries to give him different flowers but is always told to get rid of them, so Izzy finds other people around town to give his flowers to and it always makes them smile. I love the illustration where he weaves the buttercups threw his mother’s hair after she has had a bad day. It is so sweet. What a wonderful lesson for children to learn, that just because there is someone grumpy, there are other people with whom you can share things and make happy.

I think many of us young or old run into people who are grumpy and we turn and walk away. Why waste our time? But Izzy doesn’t give up, he keeps trying to give the old man other flowers and is repeatedly told to get rid of them, until one day he gives the old neighbor marigolds to keep the aphids off his roses and the man thanks him. Then Izzy adds, “And Not just flowers. Rubbus alleghensis.” The neighbor interrupts, “I don’t see any Blackberries.” And Izzy says, “PIE! Come join us.” So the old man does. He joins all of Izzy’s new friends at the table to enjoy the blackberry pies. Proving the old sayings that, “Persistence pays off,” and “A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” 

It was a nice touch to end with two pages of illustrations of the flowers in the story with their common name and scientific name. Parents will love taking walks with their children to look for the flowers and parents will be impressed when their child remembers the names. Another thing I appreciated was the mention of Monarch Butterflies and how Milkweed provides the nectar the Monarchs need to lay their eggs. They will only lay their eggs on Milkweed, so by planting that in your garden you are helping the propagation of Monarchs. It is very exciting to watch the eggs turn into caterpillars. See the beautiful chrysalis form and watch until the new Monarch emerges. It’s a win-win for the family and nature.

Great combo of writing and Illustrating. Good luck with the book.

Kathy

Here are some sweet tips tailored for each stage of storytelling:

Writing Soulful and Lyrical Fiction and Nonfiction:

Sweet Tips for Every Stage

Hullo friends of Kathy Temean’s, Dr. Mira Reisberg here with some more writing tips. These are about writing soulful and lyrical fiction and nonfiction children’s books, which can absolutely include humor. I am including some examples from awesome former students that epitomize this, although I wish I had time and space for more. Infusing your prose with soulfulness and lyricism can captivate young hearts and minds, whether you’re crafting a picture book, chapter book, middle-grade novel, or young adult novel.

To start, writing fiction for young readers requires a delicate balance of imagination, empathy, and linguistic creativity. Whether you’re writing a picture book, chapter book, middle-grade novel, or young adult novel, including soulfulness and lyricism can elevate the reading experience and captivate young hearts and minds.

PICTURE BOOKS

Embrace Musical Language:

Utilize rhythmic patterns, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.

Experiment with rhyme and repetition for engagement.

Capture Emotions Visually:

Use vivid imagery in your language and sensory details.

Let illustrations enhance emotional resonance with illustration notes like this: [Sandy hands Matt his sweater]. FYI, only use illustration notes for explanatory actions, not visual descriptions.

Simplify with Depth:

Keep text concise but meaningful.

Make every word count adding as much beauty and soul as you can.

Infuse subtle underlying themes for deeper connections.

CHAPTER BOOKS

 Infuse Dialogue with Voice:

As you can see above, chapter books often come in series. So make sure to develop unique voices for characters with lots of heart and soul or give your characters some kind of back story if they don’t behave well.

Use dialect and slang for authenticity.

Hang around kids this age (6-9) and see what language you can steal. J

Engage Senses in Setting:

Appeal to senses to create immersive experiences.

Describe sights, sounds, smells, and textures.

Craft Compelling Story Arcs:

Structure your narrative with well-paced plot twists and chapter cliff-hangers.

Balance tension with humor and heartwarming moments.

MIDDLE GRADE AND YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

 Dive into Character Psychology:

Explore characters’ fears, desires, and motivations.

Develop rich character arcs.

In all levels of writing children’s books – ask yourself, how does my character change throughout the book?

Weave Multiple Perspectives:

Offer various viewpoints for empathy.

Shift between characters’ experiences.

Leverage Symbolism and Metaphor:

Add layers of meaning with symbolism. Maybe a mysterious butterfly follows your main character around representing change and transformation?

Use recurring motifs for deeper themes.

Honor Authentic Voices:

Capture teenage speech and thought patterns authentically.

Avoid stereotypes for relatable characters.

Navigate Complex Emotions:

Explore themes of identity, love (for YA or crushes for MG), and self-discovery.

Allow characters to experience a wide range of emotions.

Make sure your characters aren’t one-dimensional, e.g., always happy, for all ages of writing.

Challenge Conventional Narratives:

Tackle taboo topics with courage and honesty.

Empower teenage readers to think critically.

Crafting soulful and lyrical books for young readers is an act of love that requires skill, empathy, and understanding. By incorporating these tips into your writing process, you can create stories that entertain and inspire, leave a lasting impression on young hearts, inspire kids to have hope, and be their best selves without being preachy. Sending love and wishing you well with your creative projects. ~ Mira

BIO: Dr. Mira Reisberg, director of the Children’s Book Academy, has worked in the children’s literature field for over 36 years in just about every capacity. And she has loved just about every minute of actively helping others write, illustrate, and many times, publish their works for children. Now as she prepares to leave the Academy to focus on her own work, she is creating some extraordinary opportunities to leave a beautiful legacy of helping as many more people as she can.

Receive a lovely free 7-day course here! https://wj168.infusionsoft.app/app/form/free-7-day-intensive28

Join her for a free “from picture to story” session where you send an image (drawing, recent or childhood photo, finished art, or doodle and Mira and Mark Mitchell will generate story ideas) click right here. https://howtobeachildrensbookillustrator.com/talespinwithmira/

And finally, consider signing up for the Academy’s epic and extraordinary new membership clubs right here. https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/join-the-club.html Register before May 1st to receive a free one-hour live critique from Mira or one of our editors or agents.

See Dr. Mira’s honor wall of hard-working former students books here  https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/honor-wall-of-students-books.html

Testimonials here https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/testimonials.html

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: SCHOLARSHIPS Mira is also offering scholarships for both of the club memberships here: https://www.childrensbookacademy.com/club-scholarships.html

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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Judy Young has a new picture book, T IS FOR TRAILS, illustrated by Sharisse Steber and published by Sleeping Bear Press on April 15th. Sleeping Bear Press has agreed to send a copy to one lucky winner in the US.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or reblogging really helps spread the word about a new book. So, thanks for helping Judy and Sharisse.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you every day, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In the United States alone there are close to 60 million hikers. And it’s the most popular outdoor activity in Canada. While hiking is a lot of fun, there are many health benefits, including physical exercise and stress relief from being out in nature. Using poetry and expository text, T is for Trails: A Hiking Alphabet gives young readers an A-to-Z guide on how to prepare and make the most of their outdoor adventures. Topics include information on gear and clothing, trail etiquette and safety rules, along with recommended trails to travel. And when you don’t have time to get out of town, there are suggestions on how to make the most of hiking near your home. T is for Trails is the perfect roadmap for hiking adventures. Front and back matter includes information on trail symbols and instructions on how to read a compass.

BOOK JOURNEY:

Thank you, Kathy, for inviting me to return to share my newest book, T is for Trails, A Hiking Alphabet! I have previously been honored to talk about Bobby Babinski’s Bathtub, as well as A Book for Black-Eyed Susan on Writing and Illustrating.

My journey for T is for Trails, A Hiking Alphabet, my 30th children’s book, actually began when I was ten years old and in fifth grade. My grandparents took me out of school on a three-week vacation from Missouri, where I lived, to the East coast. Highlights of my memory-filled trip included eating a historically authentic Thanksgiving dinner in Williamsburg, visiting the White House and other sites in D.C., climbing up into the Statue of Liberty, going to the top of the Empire State Building, and attending a performance of Swan Lake in NYC, and going to several Civil War battlefields, including Gettysburg. But, the one thing that made the biggest impression on me happened at a least expected place. We had stopped at a visitor center along the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park and I read about the Appalachian Trail, which spans some 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. Although I was not from a hiking family, I instantly was captivated! The trail ran along behind the visitor center and I begged my grandmother to let me hike on it. She let me go to where the trail bent out of sight—probably less than a quarter of a mile. Then, coming back, I was allowed to walk as far as she could see me the other direction. The whole time, I imagined myself walking the entire length of the trail. And, with those first footsteps on my first trail, an ambulatory wanderlust took hold of me, and I vowed I would someday hike the AT.

Fast forward to 2022, after fifty-six years of hiking and backpacking, not only the AT, but trails in 42 states and 5 Canadian provinces/territories. When Barb McNally, my editor at Sleeping Bear Press, asked me if I had an idea about an alphabet book, I instantly knew: one about hiking. I had written three other alphabet books for Sleeping Bear Press—S is for Show Me, A Missouri Alphabet, R is for Rhyme, A Poetry Alphabet, and H is for Hook, A Fishing Alphabet—so I knew the format. There would be a short poem for each of twenty-six hiking topics plus nonfiction sidebar information. It didn’t take long to come up with each letter’s topic and start writing. But I had a real problem! Whenever I worked on the book, whether it was writing the poems, or researching and writing the nonfiction, I wanted to go hiking! It took a lot of will power to stay in my seat in front of my computer!

When writing the nonfiction sidebar, I thought it would be fun to suggest a specific, family friendly trail. “A Trail to Travel,” as I named this last paragraph, would include a one-sentence trail description, plus its location, mileage and level of difficulty. I researched trails located all over North America, wanting either the trail name or the National Park it is set in, to start with the page’s topic letter. I had a blast reading about hundreds of trails—but it sure didn’t help my wanderlust problem! Some of the trails I included are ones I have actually hiked, but I now have a bunch more on my “need to hike” list!

Sleeping Bear Press selected Sharisse Steber to do the illustrations. Her use of brilliant colors, lots of details to capture a kid’s attention, and her focus not only on each letter’s topic but also the inclusion of the landscape that the “Trail to Travel” is set in, brought T is for Trails, A Hiking Alphabet to life.

JUDY’S BIO:

Judy Young is the author of 30 children’s picture books and middle grade novels, including Promise, as well as The Wild World of Buck Bray adventure novel series. Her books have received numerous awards, honors and recognition including being a Willa Literary Award finalist for A Book for Black-Eyed Susan, and having A Pet for Miss Wright read by LeVar Burton for Reading Rainbow Storytime Video to celebrate National Reading Month. Another cherished honor was watching as R is for Rhyme, A Poetry Alphabet was performed by the Tanner Creative Dance Program and Children’s Dance Theatre of the University of Utah for their 58th annual performance.

Judy resides in the Bear River Mountain Range near Preston, Idaho, with her husband, Ross, a professional artist who illustrated two of Judy’s books. When not writing or conducting virtual author visits, you can find Judy doing something outdoors! She’s often hiking, camping, fishing, snowshoeing, skiing, or wandering around Raven’s Roost, the Youngs’ wildlife preserve, where she has spotted moose, elk, deer, bobcats, and mountain lions!

For information about Judy’s virtual author visits to schools, contact Judy at http://www.judyyoungbooks.com

SHARISSE’S BIO:

Sharisse Steber is a designer and Illustrator. She has collected more than 30 respected industry awards, including eleven Addys, three honors from the Washington DC Art Directors Club and numerous honors from the Washington DC Illustrator’s Club – including Best of Category. Her creations have hung in the Art Institute of Washington and been featured in the Washington Post and Publish magazine. Her work has appeared in numerous publications that include Print Magazine’s Design Annual, Step by Step, Graphis Design Annual, and HOW Magazine’s Self-Promotion Annual, and in several commercial art books, including Innovative Low Budget Design, DesignWise, Print’s Best Logos, Fresh Ideas in Brochure Design, American Corporate Identity and Logo Lounge. She has been a featured guest speaker at the Washington DC Illustrator’s club to discuss her unusual techniques and creative approach to illustration.

Sharisse was honored to design the packaging for two significant musical releases: the Grammy-winning, John Work, III CD as well as the recent Mississippi John Hurt Discovery recordings.

Sharisse studied design, history and creative writing in London, Glasgow, and Florence and received her degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She lives in Nashville with her son (when she’s not hiking and climbing mountains).

Judy, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. When I opened this book, it was so gorgeous that I was surprised when I started reading and saw how much information was on every page. I learned there are 63 US national parks, each filled with trails. In addition, there are also trails at national monuments, national recreation areas, national historical parks, and trails in national forests and grasslands, as well as state parks. In Canada, hikers can wander along trails in 48 national parks, and T for Trails points out that with thousands of trails to choose from, there is a perfect trail for you.

In these pages, parents and children will see adults hiking with their families including small children and infants, in telling the idea that hiking is a fun thing to do with their family. Parents will love reading this book to their children. It is sure to get everyone excited about leaving the house to enjoy nature along a trail available in a nearby park. It is loaded with hiking information would-be hikers will need to know before they venture into the great outdoors. 

Kids and adults will love looking for the wildlife in the illustrations. Parents who have never hiked will appreciate the list of what you should carry in your backpack and how much a small child can carry in theirs. Plus the disabled will discover that parks now have wheelchair-accessible trails marked for easy use. These parks have maps you can use that point you in the right direction. So if you are a newbie, it will tell you which trails are easy, moderate, or difficult. The illustrations show different trails with their difficulty ratings. It will tell you the length of the trail, too.

Ideas for games to play while hiking are talked about. It also gives you ideas for starting a hiking journal and what to include. This is a good way to keep children interested along the trail and also help them to be observant.

There’s so much to know before hitting the trail, like trail etiquette, understanding the informational signs, and how to read the maps. What to do if you want to bring a dog on your hike. The map will let you know what trails allow dogs and which don’t. For the trails that allow dogs, you must use a leash on your dog, bag your dog’s waste, and take it with you when you leave.

Sharisse did a fabulous job creating all those gorgeous pages. I loved looking for the animals hidden along the trails. I even love the title page with mud on the hiking boots. I closed the book wondering who I could get to hike with me at one of these parks. We are so lucky to have so many beautiful places to explore. I thank, Sleeping Bear Press for allowing Judy and Sharisse to create this wonderful book, so everyone can be inspired to explore our parks and trails. Readers will feel like they are right there hiking the trails. Gook luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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Jan Dolby is a freelance children’s illustrator and graphic designer based in Aurora, Ontario Canada. Jan is internationally published and has a vast amount of technical and graphic design experience. She has illustrated over 35 books for children and is incredibly grateful for her creative life and is delighted to be illustrating for the children’s industry. Seeing her work in bookstores and online is a dream come true.

Her first Canadian picture book, ‘Gabby’ written by Joyce Grant won the Rainforest of Reading Festival Award – Montserrat in 2015. Since then she has illustrated Gabby: Drama Queen, Gabby: Wonder Girl, Lucky Me, The Cold Little Voice and But Why? A Virus Story About Feelings. She has illustrated children’s books with authors Joyce Grant, Alison Hughes and Jackie Azua Kramer to name a few.

She is a Fine Art graduate of the University of Guelph and holds an Arts Administrative Certificate from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Prior to freelancing, Jan worked at Young Peoples Theatre, London Children’s Museum and the Quinte Arts Council. Jan was born in St. John’s Newfoundland and has lived in many towns and cities across Ontario.

Currently, Jan is an art instructor for the Aurora Cultural Centre and Southampton Arts Centre and she is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), The Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Illustrators for Hire and ChildrensIllustrators.com.

Jan and her family live in a home with 47 steps and spend their summers surfing in Lake Huron.

Represented by Dan Cramer at Page Turner Literary Agency.

HERE IS JAN DISCUSSING HER PROCESS:

Curlilocks Transformation from my new book CURLILOCKS AND THE THREE HARES:

When I first read Andrew Hacket’s manuscript for Curlilocks and the Three Hares I made the assumption that Curlilocks was a rabbit. This is my first original pencil sketch of Curlilocks. Watch the eyes transform into the final character as you read on.

Curlilocks is still a rabbit at this stage. I moved to my iPad Pro at this point to try different colours and work on her curly hair. The ‘C’ for Curlilocks on her shirt developed from here. I’m trying a few fashion styles here as well. I think at this point I am enjoying the thickness and texture of the black lines because they carry on to the final illustrations.

Still a rabbit here. The curly hair, the simplicity of the drawing and spots of colour plus the textured black lines are working for me. I sent these sketches to my publisher.

My assumption of Curlilocks as a rabbit was incorrect. So we turned the rabbit into a human using the previous drawings. And voila, she became Curlilocks. Her hair wasn’t big enough at this point so I developed more curls.

Curlilocks the character. She truly transformed into a wonderful little girl.

INTERVIEW WITH JAN DOLBY BELOW:

What was the first thing you illustrated that you were paid for?

My first illustration project was for a Canadian brewery. I created images for their draft beer specifically tap levers for local bars.

Have you always lived in Canada?

I have always lived in Canada. I was born in St. John’s Newfoundland and I have lived in Ottawa, Oshawa, Belleville, Whitby, Guelph, London, Unionville, Stouffville, and now Aurora, Ontario.

What made you choose to attend The University of Guelph and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity?

The University of Guelph has a beautiful historical campus which was quite appealing and their art history and fine art program at the time had a very strong faculty of professional artists. I studied under Harold Klunder (one of Canada’s most acclaimed painters), Susie Lake, and Rick Pottruff.

I attended The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (another school that was visually appealing…Rocky Mountains) during my first career job as an art intern for a community arts council. I received a scholarship to the program which was specifically for arts administration. Well worth the trip to Alberta.

What were your career goals when you entered The University of Guelph and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity to study Fine Art?

At the University of Guelph, my goal was to dive deep into painting and drawing and learn how to think creatively and practice my techniques. Art history holds a warmth in my heart. I truly loved this program at the university and I include it in my adult and children’s art classes. I took a business minor as well and hoped that this would guide me to a career in arts administration. Which it did.

My career goal for the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity was to understand all of the components of arts administration.

Did your University offer any illustrating classes?

No, it did not.

Did you do any freelance art while getting your degree?

No time for that.

What classes did you enjoy the most?

Totally enjoyed my drawing classes. Life drawing in particular. Art history classes were also my favorite.

Did your University require you to do an art exhibit?

No.

What was the first job you took after graduation?

After graduation, I worked for a large photography studio in Toronto, then moved on to a community arts council. My arts administration career also took me to a Children’s Museum in London, Ontario, and a professional theatre company for children in Toronto.

How did you take any illustrating classes after graduating?

After graduating, I took a few watercolour and drawing classes through a local gallery.

What inspired you to start illustrating children’s books?

I always created fun whimsical images even before university. After all of the technical instruction and graduation, I decided to shift back to the fun stuff. I had my first art exhibition which consisted of whimsical illustrations about entertainment. It nearly sold out. After my children were born, I joined a local studio tour and exhibited my children’s illustrations and had a great response. And so began my children’s publishing journey.

Was Gabby by Joyce Grant published in December 2012 the first book you illustrated?

Gabby was my first Canadian children’s picture book. The first book I illustrated was Jig, Jiggle, Sneeze by Joy Vitalis, Magic World Media USA in 2009.

In 2017 you illustrated Lucky Me by Lora Rozler for Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Are they a Canadian publisher?

Yes, Fitzhenry & Whiteside is a Canadian publisher. They published all three of the Gabby picture books.

How did that opportunity come about?

I happened to be at the Fitzhenry & Whiteside offices one day and the publisher Sharon Fitzhenry asked me to come to her office. She offered me the opportunity to illustrate Lucky Me.

In 2017 you illustrated The Nifty Thrifty by Sandy Ferguson Fuller MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing. Was this a two-book deal?

No, just a one-book deal at the time.

Were you working on Be Happy to be You by Diane Hull 2018 MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing while working on Be Proud to be Blue?

I think I was working on Be Happy to be You while just completing Nifty Thrifty.

The Cold Little Voice by Alison Hughes 2019. Do you think you have built a niche of illustrating books with health issues and self-acceptance?

Yes I think I have. The Cold Little Voice by Alison Hughes is a very good example of that. The niche that I have built also includes Willa the Werewolf, Curlilocks and the Three Hares and a few coming down the pipe.

Be Proud to Be Blue by Diane Hull 2021. After seeing the bird in Be Happy to Be You, did Diane asked to have you illustrate this book too?

Yes she did. Be Proud to be Blue needed the little Baby Bird who I must say is one of my favourite characters. Always fun working with Diane Hull.

You illustrated in 2023 Just My Mama and Me by Maggie Ford How did that opportunity come about?

Maggie Ford inquired about my illustration process through social media and we hit it off. This self-published picture book is about her journey to becoming a mother through IVF. She now has a beautiful daughter. A wonderfully warm project for me.

Roar! Dinosaurs! by Rebel Williams 2022. I love your dinosaurs in this book. Did you do a lot of research before starting?

Thank you. Dinosaurs are new for me. I had to do a lot of research for this project which I love doing. Any project outside of my comfort zone is a great challenge.

The Planets and Me: Astrology for the Wild Child by Lady Samantha 2022. Did Lady Samantha want to guide you with the illustrations since she is an astrologist?

Yes, Lady Samantha guided me with the illustrations. The little girl is her daughter. Once we nailed that character it was smooth sailing. Another great self-published picture book.

 

In 2023 you illustrated Part of Your Pack by Luisa Lloyd. How long did it take you to illustrate that book?

Part of Your Pack took about three months to illustrate completely. Once again, a great partnership producing a self-published picture book dear to the author’s heart.

In 2023 you illustrated Willa the Werewolf by Michele McAvoy, the first in a three-book series with Little Press Publishing. Did you know this was going to be a three-book series?

At the time, no I didn’t know it would be part of a three book series. I’m glad it is!

Willa the Werewolf was 2023 Winner – Early Reader / Chapter Book Category Northern Lights Book Award. Can you tell us a little bit about that award? Did you have to submit to be considered?

A thrill to have Willa the Werewolf win this award. The Northern Lights Book Awards considers children’s books to be an art form and honors books that excel in aesthetic and literary qualities with an emphasis on permanency. I believe you have to submit to be considered.

Our Alphabet Roller Coaster by Marg Rogers 2023 was published by the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research. How did it find a home there?

The Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research with the assistance of Queen’s University are the publishers of Our Alphabet Roller Coaster. A great privilege to illustrate this picture book. Currently, we are working on a French version of this alphabet book.

Last week I featured the second book in the Little Press Publishing series, Curlilocks and the ThreeHares. The illustrations are so much fun. Is that how you felt while illustrating the book?

This book in particular was a joy to illustrate. Andrew Hacket’s manuscript created vibrant visuals for me prior to beginning this project. The rabbits, their chairs, and Curlilock’s hair. I love squiggles and Curlilock’s hair has many of them. The book also allowed me to try a simpler style of illustration which I really like. I had so much fun playing with this book. 

.

How did you connect with Represented by Dan Cramer at Page Turner Literary Agency.? How long has he been representing you?

Dan Cramer has been representing me for over a year now. My family and I call him “Agent Dan”. After Willa the Werewolf was released Dan noticed that I was unrepresented and we had a chat.

Would you like to write and illustrate your own picture book?

Funny, Agent Dan has asked me to send him some of my picture book stories. I have many. I’ve hesitated to do this. It’s pretty hard to write a picture book. It’s easier for me to illustrate the stories. I probably need to revisit this and do both, write and illustrate.

What do you think helped develop your style? Has it changed over the years?

My illustration style definitely has changed over the years. Moving to digital illustrations opened up opportunities to tweak my illustration style and allowed me to experiment and offer many different styles.

Are you open to illustrating a book for an author who wants to self-publish?

Yes. I offer my services of illustration, book, and cover design to authors who wish to work with me and self-publish their books.

Do you think your style has changed over the years?

It has definitely changed….for the better. My early work was mainly acrylic paintings. I do love to paint. However, the medium didn’t serve me well on a smaller scale. So I changed mediums, added digital aspects, and created a few new styles that I like. I still prefer to draw with a pencil.

Do you take pictures or do any research before you illustrate a book?

I try to limit my research a bit in order to keep my “fun” mind actively figuring out things for the project. Less is better for me.

What do you think is your biggest success?

My biggest success in life is my family. Artistically my biggest success would be my illustration career and studio business.

What materials and/or tools do you use to create your work?

I use acrylic and watercolor paint to create textures and then scan to my computer. I use markers, graphite and Photoshop and Illustrator to finish my illustrations.

Do you own or have you used a Graphic Drawing Tablet when illustrating?

Yes, I use a Wacom tablet with my computer and I use an iPad Pro as well.

What are you working on now?

Currently, I am finishing illustrations for Digital Red by Kim Delude the third book of the modern fairy-tale series for Little Press Publishing. As well, I’m also completing a French version of the Alphabet Roller Coaster, beginning illustrations for a non-fiction book for a Canadian publisher, and illustrations for a super fun musical picture book. In the fall of this year, I will be illustrating a colouring book for Crayola Canada.

Do you have any material-type tips you can share with us? Example: Paint or paper that you love – the best place to buy – a new product that you’ve tried – A how-to tip, etc.

Because I go through a lot of paper during my initial drawings, I use children’s art newspaper pads from dollar stores. They come in large sizes and don’t break the bank.

My Tip – draw every day. Your next drawing is always better than your first drawing.

Any words of wisdom for new illustrators?

Try to be different. My motto has always been “Just do what you do”. When you do this, art comes naturally.

Jan, thank you for taking the time to answer the interview questions and sharing your process with us. It was a wonderful way to get to know you. I’m sure your illustration will make everyone smile. Please let me know when your next book comes out and I will share it with everyone. You can visit Jan using the links below:

WEBSITE: https://www.jandolby.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jandolbyartist

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jandolby_artist/

X: https://twitter.com/jandolby

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

APRIL AGENT OF THE MONTH

Daniele Hunter – McIntosh & Otis

DANIELE HUNTER has a BA in English from Drew University, with concentrations in literary criticism, poetry, and creative writing. graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She is a member of the AALA and their DEI committee and co-directs their fellowship program through Literary Agents of Change.

She has been with the children’s department at McIntosh & Otis since a 2016 internship, and is thrilled to now be acquiring! I’m looking for (in order of priority) young adult, middle grade, and picture books. Her top priority is contemporary, but she’s also open to contemporary fantasy and sparingly considers genre fantasy/speculative, suspense, romance, and historical.

While her heart lives in contemporary stories, she also loves contemporary fantasy (as well as ghost stories) and is sparingly open to other genres.

Daniele says, “As an agent, I’ll be an author’s biggest cheerleader, and value open communication above all. I strive to be a safe space for marginalized identities/experiences but don’t force authors to disclose those to me. I’m always open to any accommodations authors need.

“I’ll be a mentor for my clients, helping them navigate the publishing industry even after an editor signs their books. I’m also extremely hands-on editorially! And though publishing is a business, I know that writing books (especially the dark, raw ones I fall for) is a very intimate endeavor, so I strive to connect with my clients not just on a professional level, but a personal one.

“Books saved me as a young reader, and now, my biggest goal as an agent is to help tell the “hard” stories, the off-the-beaten-track stories, that kids/teens who experience hardships or have underrepresented identities deeply need.”

YA and MG – Contemporary

This is my top priority. My favorite published books I’ve worked on are TOGETHER WE CAUGHT FIRE by Eva V. Gibson (YA) and THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE by Chad Lucas (MG).

-Literary, lyrical writing. Prose or novels-in-verse welcome!

-“Dark and gritty”, “issue-driven”

-I also always appreciate moments of triumph and joy, especially for marginalized characters!

-Slice-of-life and coming-of-age

-Protagonist ages: 11-12 and upward (love college-aged protagonists, on the opposite end!)

-Voice-driven, character-focused

-BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ experiences

-Chronic illness and/or disability

-Mental health, neurodivergence

-Multiple POV or mixed-perspective

-Mixed media or multiple timelines

-Romance as a subplot

-Non-romantic relationship focus—friendship and found family, “friend break-up”, complicated family dynamics 

YA and MG – Genre

–Fantasy/speculative: Foremost, contemporary fantasy with lyrical writing and character focus. I’m open to near-future dystopian (but not post-apocalyptic) involving social critique and/or magic. Sparingly open to higher fantasy, if the world-building is detailed, atmospheric, and accessible. And though I’m not a fit for most supernatural or fantastical characters, I love ghost stories!

-Historical: Sparingly open; I prefer stories set in the nearer past. Lesser-told times in history, with a human-interest element alongside the historical education. 

-Thriller/suspense: Must be character- and voice-driven–I like more focus on character and lyricism than is most common for these genres. I like murder mysteries, especially with unconventional formats.

-Anthology: Sparingly interested, in both fiction and nonfiction.  

Picture books

 This will be the smallest part of my list. My favorite (soon-t0-be) published picture book I’ve worked on is THE HOLE by Lindsay Bonilla.

-Grief – Honest about the heavy parts; hopeful but not saccharine

-BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ – Anything from slice-of-life, to celebratory, to informative, to issue-based!

-Disability, in both fiction and nonfiction

-Diverse cultures, holidays, traditions, identities

-Sparingly open to bios; women, LGBTQIA+, and/or BIPOC subjects preferred

-Author-illustrators/teams!

-I prefer human narrators over animal narrators, but I’m not totally close to the latter.

Daniele is looking for lyrical, literary, voice-driven writing, and strongly prefers books in first-person (though she’s more open to third-person in picture books). Her top priorities are dark, issue-based books, and diverse authors and stories. For YA and MG, some areas of interest for her are LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled and/or chronically ill authors and stories, grief topics, novels-in-verse, relationship-based stories, mental health topics and neurodivergence, ghost stories, and multiple-POV or mixed-media stories. In picture books, she is also interested in these topics from fiction or nonfiction perspectives and is sparingly open to biography as well.

Daniele is not interested in any discriminatory topics, adult work, chapter books, early readers, lower MG, graphic novels/comics, Christian religious work, or rhyming picture books.

Query Daniele via Query Manager at this link: https://QueryManager.com/ddhunter/

*******

HERE IS PART TWO OF DANIELE’S INTERVIEW:

How important is the query letter?

To me personally, very important! Since I receive such a high volume of submissions, I find query letters extremely helpful. The query letter gives me a sense of a project before I dive in, and helps to ground me within the book and its world. So, while I know they can be difficult to write, I’m really grateful for the writers who put time and effort into writing them!

Any tips on how an author who thinks you are their dream agent can get you to read a sample of their writing?

First of all, if there’s anyone out there thinking I’m their dream agent—please know how touched and honored I am! And I’m truly happy to read anyone’s writing. I read and respond to every query I receive, and do my best to give a bit of feedback or explanation as to why I’m not the right agent for their book. Though this can lead to longer delays in writers hearing back from me, I personally think it’s important to personalize my responses a bit where I can.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Not many! I do my best to be as patient and kind as possible as an agent, both with current clients and querying writers. I’m always happy to work with someone’s accommodations, style, and requests. I know too that querying is a hard process that can be very draining, and I’m also not bothered by small mistakes in queries, like a few typos or misspelling my name.

The most bothered I tend to feel is when a writer submits to me via email without me specifically asking them to do so. I use QueryManager to organize my queries, specifically because I feel so strongly about responding to every writer. My email inbox is often a state of chaos, so it’s a lot easier for emailed queries to slip through the cracks! So, while I very occasionally ask a person to submit to my email, this is exceedingly rare for me, and can be very difficult to keep track of when large groups of writers start doing it.

Do you have a place where you keep writers up-to-date on what you would like to see? Blog?

I don’t have the time to keep up a blog at the moment, but I keep my agent website updated! It’s dhunteragent.com. I also do my best to stay active on Twitter and Bluesky (I’m @DanieleDHunter on both!).

The wishlist on my website is very extensive and hasn’t tended to change too much, but I always make sure to publicize any changes that do come up.

Do you give editorial feedback to your clients?

I do. I’m extremely editorially hands-on—I often joke after a particularly long editorial letter that I have to let the client write the novel-length works, not me! 🙂 I love the process of helping to shape and strengthen a manuscript. I also think, in a publishing landscape that’s so competitive, editing a manuscript before it goes on submission can really help its chances with editors.

What do you always add digital and audio book rights to a book contract? Are they part of every sale these days?

In my personal experience, e-book is almost always a part of book contracts these days, but audio can vary. Often, publishers have their own audio divisions, or dedicated teams to sell audio, and are very passionate and successful in that area. In other cases, we’ll retain audio rights and try to sell them just as we would any other subsidiary right, as we’re a full-service agency.

Do you handle all foreign/film rights contracts or does your firm have someone else who handles those contracts?

We do handle all foreign and film contracts for our clients’ books (stage, too!). We also work with coagents in different foreign territories, and in the film industry as well, plus book scouts for both markets. Having a coagent’s expertise on their own home market is really invaluable! We always review/negotiate offers and contracts ourselves, even when we’re working with a coagent.

Does Folio Lit have someone who works on pushing books to the film industry?

McIntosh & Otis works with film coagents, yes! We regularly provide our rights guides and updates on new titles to ensure that they’re being pushed.

Do you see any new trends building in the industry?

Sometimes I do notice new trends; whereas other times, I notice older trends coming back! One trend I’m extremely happy to see is SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) as a focus in picture books, because that’s always been a huge passion of mine.

I’m seeing a resurgence of paranormal and dystopian books right now, too, more than I had in past years. (While I’m not personally a good fit for supernatural characters other than ghosts, I do love dystopian so long as it’s not set too far in the future!)

Are you open to attending in person and/or virtual conferences, workshops, writer’s retreats?

Absolutely! I’m personally most likely to say yes to virtual events (unless there are COVID safety protections in place for in-person events), given that I’m immune deficient. I started attending and providing written critiques for conferences last year,and have loved my experiences so far! Getting to meet writers and hear them talk about their works is incredibly special.

BELOW ARE THE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR APRIL’S FIRST PAGES:

IF YOU WOULD LIKE A CHANCE TO HAVE  YOUR FIRST PAGE, HERE ARE THE FIRST-PAGE CRITIQUE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES :

PLEASE name the Word document file using 2024 APRIL FIRST PAGE  – Your Name – Title of first page. 

1. You must include at the top of the page your name, the title, and the genre. Do not use a header for this.
2. Make sure you include the genre. This will help the agent give you a better critique.
3. This is not an anonymous submission. So please include your name at the top of the page.
4. I still need everyone to use their name, title, and genre in the file name of the attachment.

REMEMBER: I DO NOT OPEN ATTACHMENTS WITHOUT HAVING THE FIRST PAGE PASTED DIRECTLY INTO THE EMAIL THEN THE WORD DOCUMENT ATTACHED. PLEASE PUT 2024 APRIL FIRST PAGE IN THE SUBJECT BOX AND SEND IT TO: kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com.

Your First Page Word document should be formatted using one-inch margins and 12-point New Times Roman font – double space – no more than 23 lines – only one page. Remember to indent your paragraphs. When Dialog is used “Quotation marks” should be used. When a new person speaks a new line should be used.

PLEASE DO NOT USE A HEADER. Place everything directly on the page. Remember a first Page should have a title, your name, and the genre on the first line. Thanks!

USE WORD OR A PDF – I CAN’T OPEN PAGES

Send to: kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com.

DEADLINE APRIL 19th – noon EST

RESULTS: APRIL 26th

CHECK BACK NEXT FRIDAY FOR FIRST PAGE RESULTS.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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Frank Murphy has co-authored a new picture book, A VOICE LIKE YOURS, with April Gorman, illustrated by Kayla Harren, and published by Sleeping Bear Press on March 15th. Sleeping Bear Press has agreed to send a copy to one lucky winner in the US.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or reblogging really helps spread the word about a new book. So, thanks for helping Frank, Alice, and Kayla.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you every day, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Each of us has a unique and powerful voice, whether we speak loudly or softly, sing or sign, or without any words at all. What matters is how we use that voice–because voices are meant to be used. Some of us use it to express ourselves through art. And some use their voices to vote and make big changes. Others use their voice to inspire or lift up others, helping other voices to be heard. Your voice is yours alone–and the world needs a voice like yours.

APRIL’S BOOK JOURNEY:

A Voice Like Yours is the 7th book in Frank Murphy’s Like You series. I have been lucky to be friends with Frank for about 10 years and his books have been a part of my daughter’s nighttime routine since she was born. Our story of how our book came about is quite funny. I was running to his house to pick up a few books for my classroom, while I quickly ran inside and kept the car running, I said to him I have a great idea for your next book, kind of joking. He laughed and told me he gets ideas all the time (laughing), but to tell him. I explained to him that as a special education teacher, specifically in autistic support for nearly a decade, I had the privilege to witness the remarkable journey of countless students as they navigate the intricate landscape of self-expression.

I was moved by the way my students were able to articulate their desires, needs, and passions, with limited verbal skills. It was inspiring to me how these students tackled the obstacle of being unable to speak, but expressing themselves through sign, augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC), art, and music. I explained how voices are shared with more than just our words but through the various ways that we describe in the book. Frank grabbed his pen and paper and immediately wrote down my idea, and said how much he loved it and how we could expand this idea for all kids.

Frank and I discuss various examples on how you can use your voice. The words and illustrations demonstrate the beauty in expressing our passions and we hope that the pictures bring conversations between the readers. Our hope is that people of all different abilities, cultures, and backgrounds, can relate to this book, and can find the way they use their voice in the world.

There are some pretty cool hidden gems in the illustrations. The page “…Voices might need help,” was actually inspired through a picture I took in my own classroom, the feelings poster in the back, showing such attention to detail. Another fun surprise on the first page, in the museum, Kayla was able to squeeze my daughter in the bottom corner, with her little head cocked to the side (which she does in every picture). It honestly melted my heart to see my daughter right there on the first page! Kayla also includes an adorable love letter from her husband Peter, when talking about writing a love letter, which I think is just the cutest!

We hope that all kids will see themselves represented in A Voice Like Yours. And that every reader will be inspired and empowered to discover the power of their voice- regardless of ability. We hope that it provides parents, teachers, librarians, and all grown-ups with a tool to open conversations about the different abilities kids possess. There are many children (and adults) who have disabilities that can affect their abilities to communicate. By introducing some of these life experiences, we hope that more people will develop their patience, appreciation and acceptance of people who may use their voices in uncommon ways. Voices are powerful, and voices are meant to be used. And the world does need a voice like yours!

FRANK’S BIO:

FRANK MURPHY is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He has taught a wide variety of grades at the elementary for more than 26 years. A history buff, former basketball coach & Sixers fan, and popular speaker, Frank is the author of many fun historical fiction/biography books for young readers, including several popular Step into Reading History Readers – including the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio 2006 Best Book Award Winner Ben Franklin & the Magic Squares. Most of his children’s books are about iconic people from the past like Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington, Frederick Douglass, and Clara Barton.

A FAMILY LIKE OURS is his newest picture book. It is the sixth book he wrote in a series and Kayla Harren illustrated  for Sleeping Bear Press. As a teacher and father, Frank is committed to helping expand the definition of what it means to be a a family, this is an important and timely message.

Frank was born in California, but moved to Philadelphia, PA when he was 8 years old. He’s been in the Philly area ever since. He currently teaches 6th grade.

He has written more than 18 children’s books and A Boy Like You is his favorite. He currently lives in Bucks County, PA. Visit his website at https://www.frankmurphybooks.com/.

ALICE’S BIO:

April Groman loves sharing her voice through her teaching in Special Education. She’s been inspired through her years of being an advocate for students who were unable to speak for themselves. She loves teaching the tools to give every student the opportunity to voice their wants and needs.

When April isn’t teaching she loves spending time with her daughter outside, going to the beach, and baking together. She is also a huge foodie and loves to cook and try new foods with her friends and family. You can follow April on instagram at aprilgromanbooks.

KAYLA’S BIO:

Kayla Harren graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC with a BFA in Illustration. She illustrated the picture books Juma the Giraffe and Our Elephant Neighbors for Wild Nature Institute and PAMS Foundation.  Mary Had a Little Lizard, published by Sky Pony Press, was her debut picture book as an author/illustrator. Her artwork has been featured in Communication Arts, 3×3 Magazine, and the Society of Illustrators Illustration Annuals.  She won the June 2017 Highlights for Children Pewter Plate Award for her illustration.

Kayla’s books include: Hannah’s Tall Order: An A to Z Sandwich by Linda Vander Heyden; Mary Had a Little Lizard by Kayla Harren; Who Sang the First Song? by Ellie Holcomb; Don’t Forget to Remember by Ellie Holcomb; The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng by Sophia Gholz; Fiery Night: A Boy, His Goat, and the Great Chicago Fire by Sally M. Walker; My Blue-Ribbon Horse: The True Story of the Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts; Ruby and Lonely by Patrice Karst;Thursday by Ann Bonwill

Kayla lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Learn more about her at www.kaylaharren.com. Kayla was recently featured on Illustrator Saturday.

 

Frank and April, thank you for sharing your book and journey with us. I enjoyed reading Aprils journey and hope she continues down this writing road.

I love this whole book series and am happy to see that you keep finding new ideas to keep it going. Kayla has once again created such wonderful illustrations to help tell this story. Even the end pages give the young reader wonderful things and little details children will love and keep them turning the pages turning every page. I love how through your text and illustrations, you cause the reader to think about how people use their voices to express themselves. We use our voices to teach, vote, and make changes. Be loud and bold and turn around and whisper and to sooth others. With your voice, you can share your thoughts, hopes, and dreams. This book is a celebration of our voices and their diversity. I never thought about it, but I just learned that there are more than 7,000 languages spoken around the world. The page with the children using sign language made me smile. I sighed at the beauty of the three children holding hands giving their strength to their shy friend.

And what a good lesson for all of us to remember is to know when to not use our voices and listen.

One day you may be angry—speak up.
One day you’ll make a mistake—quiet your voice and listen.
Sometimes people’s words bump into each other—
that can happen in an argument
or when people forget to be polite.

Parents and teachers will love how the book talks about how you can let your voice write or paint. Who knows perhaps this book will plant the seed and inspire a future author or artist. This book is loaded with seeds for young minds. Everyone will love this book. Best of luck with it.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy