Category: Current Picture Books

ReFoReMo Day 14: Matthew Winner THINKS Like a Reader

3/15/2016

By Matthew Winner

Nothing makes writing stronger than reading a bunch of stellar books. Especially when those books challenge the way you think about writing. Here are five I love to think about because they challenge the reader to think about themselves and reveal something to the reader about themselves that they may not have noticed or thought about prior to picking up the book.

1. A NEED for COMPANIONSHIP
Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

2. ACCEPTANCE of CIRCUMSTANCE
Little Tree by Loren Long

3. POETIC HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
Swan by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad

4. WHIMSY and REALISM HAND-IN-HAND
Home by Carson Ellis

5. PERSEVERANCE of CHARACTER
Max the Brave by Ed Vere

Happy reading! May you be inspired in myriad ways to create wonder for our readers!

Matthew is giving away a picture book critique to 3 lucky winners! Thanks, Matthew! To be eligible for this prize, you must be fully registered, comment on every post, read daily, and keep a record of your progress.

Matthew Winner is an elementary school teacher librarian in Elkridge, MD. He's the host of Let's Get Busy, a weekly kidlit podcast , and The Best Book Ever [this week], a weekly kidlit book review podcast. Matthew is represented by Danielle Smith of Red Fox Literary. Follow Matthew on Twitter at @MatthewWinner or visit www.allthewonders.com.

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Pre-ReFoReMo Day 2: A One-Question Interview with our Resident Illustrator: Lori Nawyn

2/28/2016

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Which picture books have influenced your illustration voice?

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau

I absolutely love this story about self-taught artist Henri Rousseau. I admire his resolve to pursue his love of painting. His work garnered harsh criticism, yet he found the strength of heart to improve his craft and find success. True magic flowed from his paintbrush! Rousseau's paintings now have homes in prominent museums world-wide.

Amanda Hall's illustrations are captivating and colorful; Michele Markel's text deftly captures the soul of the man in an unforgettable story of determination. I was drawn to the book because I enjoy picture book bios that aptly balance depth of emotion and kid appeal. In this case, readers
not only understanding what it takes to reach goals and dreams, but a feeling of pride for someone who persists in their craft, and the sense they can do the same.

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909

I so enjoyed Markel's book on Rousseau, I also picked up this story about young Clara Lemlich. Again, Markel's writing is the perfect blend of historical fact and soul that makes the character come alive in young hearts and minds. The book reminds all ages that anything one puts their mind to is possible. Melissa Sweet's (one of my absolute favorite illustrators!) illustrations are, as always, rich in detail with a splash of whimsy that makes you want to jump inside the page.

Flora and the Penguin

I can't get enough of Molly Idle's books! Tea Rex and Flora and the Flamingo made me a diehard Idle fan. Flora's icy escapades with her new-found penguin friend has visions of ice skating penguins swirling still through my head and heart. Looking forward to the May release of Flora and the Peacocks! Idle's simple yet masterful work is hard to equal. Her ability to convey depth of story through the smallest gesture or expression make her the kind of illustrator I want to grow up to be!

Lori Nawyn is the author of two inspirational books for girls and women, the author of three cookbooks, and the illustrator of three children's books. She has written freelance articles for online and print publications across the U.S., and she enjoys writing picture book biographies, stories of courage and impossible journeys, and living and working in the out of doors.

After breaking her leg in a dog sledding accident last year, Lori decided life is too short to not do what you absolutely love. She is currently pursuing a degree in Outdoor Product Design and Development and plans to create all-season outdoor apparel and gear for women and children to enhance their enjoyment of being in and exploring nature. A chief component of her work will be dedicated to developing a series children's travel and sports books that will coordinate with matching fabric and design elements as they celebrate the spirit of adventure.

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ReFoReMo Surprise + Sharing Buzz Contest

1/20/2016

28 Comments

By Carrie Charley Brown

Well...do you notice anything new and spectacular about the blog? We want to thank our incredibly talented resident illustrator, Lori Nawyn, for the fabulous new header! We are so glad to embark upon this journey with you, and our little mascot's voyage symbolizes it well! Will you board the ReFoReMo boat with us?

As the February 15th ReFoReMo registration date nears, we'd like to create a buzz! With our passion for picture books and appreciation for this art form, what better way to ring in ReFoReMo 2016 than with singer/songwriter Emily Arrow? We all want kids to fall in love with our eventual works of art, as well, and Emily captures the heart of that through song. Let's encompass Emily's contagious spirit and enthusiasm through song as our event draws near!

Presenting...The Official ReFoReMo Song!
Written and Performed by the one and only Emily Arrow

Let's kick ReFoReMo into gear with a sharing contest and some prizes! Anyone is welcome to share, but this round of prize drawings are open to US residents only. Sharing is all it takes to enter the drawings between the dates of January 19-February 2! As you know, the bigger the buzz, the more picture book writers we will inspire. Together we can transform writing for picture book writers and illustrators at any learning level. Great gains comes from reading the newest picture books on the market. That's a great thing to share!

Many options allow you to share more each day. Pick your favorite social media sites: Twitter, FB, Google +, your blog, You Tube, etc. If you are not sure what to say, you can find information about our mission here. We love originality, but please feel free to use the Tweet examples below to guide your shares, as well. We've included our Twitter handles in each Tweet so we can retweet you and show our appreciation. If using Facebook, please friend and tag us there instead: Carrie and Kirsti. Feel free to expand on these examples in other forums that allow more characters.

Presenting the Official #ReFoReMo Challenge Song by the one and only @helloemilyarrow! http://ow.ly/XfQ1s @carriebrowntx @kirsticall

Catch #ReFoReMo fever through song! @helloemilyarrow @carriebrowntx @kirsticall http://ow.ly/XfQ1s

Get your foot a-tappin' as @helloemilyarrow kicks of #ReFoReMo in true kidlit fashion! http://ow.ly/XfQ1s @carriebrowntx @kirsticall URL

The second annual #ReFoReMo is drawing near! Will you be there, #picturebook writers? #giveaway @carriebrowntx @kirsticall http://ow.ly/XfQ1s

Registration for #ReFoReMo 2016 is coming February 15! #picturebook #writers #giveaway @carriebrowntx @kirsticall http://ow.ly/XfQ1s

Take a look at the author-educator line up again HERE. Find a few of them you would like to promote and share like this example:

Author-educators @ewhamilton @SauerTammi @MarcieFAtkins ready to rock #ReFoReMo! #giveaway @carriebrowntx @kirsticall http://ow.ly/XfQ1s

Feel free to use any of our author educator's twitter handles! Or mention the educators in general, like this:

PB writers! #ReFoReMo guests revealed! Sign up for updates and enter #giveaway. @carriebrowntx @kirsticall http://ow.ly/XfQ1s

Of course, you can create your own original tweets and shares! Just be sure to list this URL and tag Kirsti and me so we can thank you!

So...what are the prizes? Mentor Texts, of course! I received each of the texts shown below as a brand new hardcover review copy during the CYBILS awards. It will be hard to part with these special stories, but I feel compelled to share. Due to shipping costs, I must limit the drawings only to US entrants.

All three books are listed in the Rafflecopter below. Your entries will apply to all of the books and Rafflecopter will choose one winner for each book.

Thank you for your support! We can't wait to share ReFoReMo with you!

Kane Miller EDC Publishing

Candlewick Press

Chronicle Books

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Emily Arrow creates literature inspired music for children, cultivating an appreciation and love for singing, songwriting, literature, and art. Winner of the 2015 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Emily is currently recording her debut children’s album, “Storytime Singalong” that will be released in January 2016. She has collaborated with awardwinning authors including Peter Brown of THE CURIOUS GARDEN, Peter H. Reynolds of THE DOT, and Kelly Light of LOUISE LOVES ART to name a few. Emily is based in Los Angeles and regularly performs at children’s literature festivals, schools, and libraries sharing her love for music and literature.

Follow Emily at these Social Media links:
You Tube, Twitter: @helloemilyarrow, Facebook,
and on her site at www.EmilyArrow.com.

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How to Get Your Hands on Books

1/12/2016

15 Comments

by Kirsti Call and Carrie Charley Brown

ReFoReMo will be here before we know it! We'll read and learn from at least 5 picture books a day in March. And the reading list for the month will be released on February 23rd, so we'll have time to gather them before the challenge begins!

With tons of picture book recommendations ready to fly off the shelf and into your home, you may find it helpful to be armed and ready with a library card during ReFoReMo. We recommend reserving the picture books at the library, and if you have access to online and inter-library loan features, even better. When the library doesn't have a new release, we visit our nearest bookstore and find a quiet spot to read. You Tube usually has a read-aloud of most picture books if you can't find a specific title at the library or book store. Also, picture book writers are a great resource. Get together (in-person or online) and share the book experience!

With so many participants from around the globe, we understand that you may not have access to a library or a bookstore with the most current books, or other picture book writers in your area. That's where your
ReFoReMo family comes in handy! Our Facebook group is a great place to put a call out for help. Please don't hesitate to ask questions, share insights and ideas about the recommended books, and collaborate with each other as you use each book as a mentor text to improve your writing skills!

No one expects you to run right out and buy the titles that are mentioned during the challenge. As picture book addicts, we know how tempting that might be. The goal of ReFoReMo is not to sell more picture books for authors and it’s not for us to share our favorites either. We're sure you’ll agree with us that we all have so many favorites that the list could fill a book on its own.  A big one. We understand that the picture book market is filled with authors who deserve a shout out.  But, that’s not really what this is about either.  It is about the reading and research that goes into your craft.  Learning how other authors have successfully used mentor texts to improve their writing can help us try new things, too.  ReFoReMo is about the process of utilizing picture books as mentor texts. We look forward to growing together!

Our sharing contest is coming next week! Don't miss a chance to win some free picture books!

Timeline
February 15:            Registration opens
February 23:            Reading list goes live on
February 27-29:      PreReFoReMo: Starting off Strong
March 1-31:              ReFoReMo!

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October Bonus Links Worth Your While

10/29/2015

1 Comment

By Kirsti Call

Mathew Winner’s Let’s get Busy Podcast, highlights the best picture books of summer 2015--perfect mentor texts.

The School Library Journal's article, Celebrating Literacy: Kids as Readers, Writers, and Imaginers, we learn about recent picture books that encourage creativity in kids.

Jill Esbaum posted a great review of Froodle and an Interview with Antoinette Portis that is definitely worth reading.

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October Mentor Text Check-In and Challenge: Keeping Up With CYBILS Nominations

10/20/2015

5 Comments

By Carrie Charley Brown

It’s that time of the month. Are you ready for a challenge? Since I have been wrapped up in the amazing world of judging the CYBILS Fiction Picture Book Nominations again this year, I figured this would also be the perfect challenge for you, too. After all, it hits many of our ReFoReMo goals:

Read from the current market. CYBILS nominations cover books published between October 16, 2014 and October 15, 2015. Now, THAT’S current!
Read and research consistently. With an expected total of somewhere around 200 nominations, it will definitely keep your habit consistent. (And fast-n-furious!)
Decide for yourself which elements can help you with your writing. CYBILS nominations were open to the public for 15 days…meaning anyone could nominate a book. After that time, authors themselves, publishers, and publicists can nominate, too. We get a wide variety of books…some outstanding mentor texts and some, well, you can be the judge for yourself. We can learn from all sorts of examples. Sometimes mentor texts show what-to-do and others show what-not-to-do with our writing.

So, I invite you...no, I CHALLENGE you, to read and research with me. The working list of nominations can be found HERE. Let’s read! And if you want to take it a step further, write a few reviews, too!

Reviews for Three:
What About Moose? Written by Corey Rosen Schwartz & Rebecca Gomez and Illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi

Wherever You Go Written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler

I Thought This Was a Bear Book Written by Tara Lazar and Illustrated by Benji Davies

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ReFoReMo Day 15: Aaron Reynolds Gleans Picture Book Gold

3/16/2015

86 Comments

by Aaron Reynolds

1. THE ADVENTURES OF BEEKLE: AN UNIMAGINARY FRIEND by Dan Santat

WHAT I GLEAN: Here is a great example of a story that keeps things TIGHT. Not a ton of words here, lots of room for the art to tell the story. Of course, in this case, Dan Santat was also the illustrator, so he knew what he wanted to draw, but we have to think that way as writers too.

2. THIS IS A MOOSE by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

WHAT I GLEAN: So brilliant, so clever, so unexpected. That’s what we need to be writing…THE UNEXPECTED.

3. THIS IS NOT MY HAT by Jon Klassen

WHAT I GLEAN: Not afraid to be edgy and dark and sophisticated for a picture book audience. We too often keep things nicey nicey or safely about trucks and puppies and are afraid to tell BOLD stories. The picture book medium can handle so much more, and so can the kids!

4. MR. TIGER GOES WILD by Peter Brown

WHAT I GLEAN: Perfect STORY ARC with a SATISFYING ENDING. The character goes somewhere significant and you feel happy with the results, and he does it all without using 1000 or 2000 words to do it. An ideal picture book should be around 400 words, but NO MORE than 800.

5. EXCLAMATION MARK by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Like THIS IS A MOOSE, this story is completely ORIGINAL AND UNEXPECTED. Who says inanimate objects can’t be characters? Or abstract concepts? Or punctuation?

Aaron Reynolds is a New York Times Bestselling Author and has written many highly acclaimed books for kids, including Here Comes Destructosaurus!, Carnivores, the Joey Fly – Private Eye graphic novel series, and the Caldecott Honor Medalist Creepy Carrots! He has a passion for kids’ books and seeing kids reading them. He regularly makes time to visit schools where his hilarious hands-on presentations keep kids spellbound. Find him at www.aaron-reynolds.com.

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ReFoReMo Day 14: Kirsti Call Discovers the Unexpected

3/15/2015

94 Comments

by Kirsti Call

Books like Mustache Baby, Dragons Love Tacos, Ninja Red Riding Hood, My Teacher is a Monster (No, I am not), and The Day the Crayons Quit, draw me in with just their titles. The magic of these books is in the unexpected, which creates humor and hooks me into reading the story repeatedly. After reading these books and writing or revising, you might surprise yourself with your own unexpected magic!

Kirsti Call's debut picture book is The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall. She contributes to Writer's Rumpus, The Children's Book Academy, and Kids are Writers. If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her reading a book with her five children!

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ReFoReMo Day 10: Josh Funk Digs Loosely Plotted Concept Books

3/11/2015

122 Comments

You are in for a double feature today, ReFoReMoers! After reading and commenting on Josh's post today, travel over to Carrie On... Together and visit Mystery Author/Illustrator Salina Yoon!

by Josh Funk

All five of these books are creative in concept. None were illustrated by the author. And all of these books are what I call 'Loosely Plotted Concept Books' with cleverly kooky ideas. None of them have grand character arcs or follow the rule of three, but they aren't quite concept books either. Some might describe them as 'one note' at times, but that hasn't stopped them from being Best-Sellers and/or leading to sequels.

PRIZE ALERT
At the conclusion of ReFoReMo, Josh will be giving away a copy of POWER DOWN, LITTLE ROBOT signed by author Anna Staniszewski. To be eligible for the drawing, leave Josh a comment here, read daily, and keep a record of your progress.

Josh lives in New England with his wife and many many children. He is the author of the forthcoming picture books LADY PANCAKE AND SIR FRENCH TOAST (Sterling, 2015), DEAR DRAGON (Viking/Penguin, 2016), and PIRASAURS! (Scholastic, 2016). Find out more at www.joshfunkbooks.com.

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PreReFoReMo Day 1: Carrie Charley Brown Lays the Foundation

2/26/2015

98 Comments

Are you ready for ReFoReMo? Watch out for flying books!

With tons of picture book recommendations ready to fly off the shelf and into your home, you may find it helpful to be armed and ready with a library card during ReFoReMo. No one is expecting you to run right out and buy the titles that are mentioned during the challenge. As a picture book addict, I know how tempting that might be. You may even find yourself criss-cross-apple-sauced on the floor of your local book store in order to read some of the desired titles for the first time. I’m guilty of that, too. But, the library’s online reserve system is super handy and your kids’ library cards can serve as great back-ups when you’ve maxed yours out.

The goal of ReFoReMo is not to sell more picture books for authors and it’s not for us to share our favorites either. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that we all have so many favorites that the list could fill a book on its own. A big one. We understand that the picture book market is filled with authors who deserve a shout out. But, that’s not really what this is about either. It is about the reading and research that goes into your craft. Learning how other authors have successfully used mentor texts to improve their writing can help us try new things, too. ReFoReMo is about the process of utilizing picture books as mentor texts.

Just like any recommended reading list, it is subjective. You may find that some of the books have nothing to do with your writing style. You may disagree with a recommendation. You may find some books recommended by multiple authors and even similar learning tips. To me, that’s a good thing. When I hear something more than once, it tells me to sit up and listen. But ultimately, you have to decide what works for you. You know the projects that you have on your table and I applaud your efforts to find a pile of picture books that will enhance each one.

All you need for this experience is an open mind for learning, a willingness to read the daily ReFoReMo posts, a heart for studying the books that appeal to your own personal writing, a pencil, and a notebook. If you registered between February 15-March 1, you may also opt to join the ReFoReMo Facebook group to discuss revelations.

To be eligible for prizes at the conclusion of ReFoReMo, you will want to make efforts to consistently read picture books on a day to day basis between March 8-28. We are on the honor system, and you must keep track of your own progress. A complete registration between February 15-March 1 and a comment on the post (with your first/last name that matches registration) is required for eligibility to enter giveaways. Prizes will be announced as ReFoReMo progresses. The biggest prize will be the knowledge you gain from reading and researching picture books. We are all winners!

Please feel free to visit the Tools and Schedule tabs for more information. You’ll find the guest posting schedule, a reading list, and even a few research tools for your convenience. These sections will grow each day as we reveal more guest posts. If you have a question, don’t hesitate to ask. The Facebook group is the best place for your questions, but feel free to email Carrie as a second step. We will do our best to respond as quickly as we can.

I'll be turning the daily posts over to our guest-educators tomorrow, so I'd like to leave you with a valuable study tool. As a picture book critique mentor, I often see manuscripts that require plotting assistance. When I experience a plot problem in one of my own stories, I reach for a formula from my teaching roots, and work my way through mentor texts. While it is true that not all picture books will fit this formula perfectly, the plot connection elements are still there in one way or another.

For an example of this formula in action with A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, visit HERE. For a blank copy, please visit the Tools section of ReFoReMo. I challenge you to study plot.

Which books do you think have perfect plots? Leave us a comment below and get ready for a great month of learning! We’re happy to have you with us.

Carrie Charley Brown is a professional critique mentor with an editorial eye. She is the founder of ReFoReMo, a research challenge and blog for picture book writers. Carrie is a picture book writer, kidlit video producer, writing coach, and guest blogger on various sites. She runs a separate blog, Carrie On...Together, which features THINK QUICK and Mystery Author interviews each month. She was a 2014 CYBILS fiction picture book panelist and an elementary teacher. You can follow her writing journey right here on this site.