Wednesday’s Inspiration

Kid Lit Village: T. REXES CAN’T TIE THEIR SHOES

Hello Readers and welcome to Kid Lit Village, where authors and illustrators of picture books get interviewed about their newly released picture books. This week we feature T. REXES CAN’T TIE THEIR SHOES by Anna Lazowski and Steph Laberis. The book is published by Penguin Random House. As you may know, I am from Victoria, B.C. and so it is always a pleasure for me to feature a fellow Canadian author. Anna is from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

T.REXES CAN’T TIE THEIR SHOES

A funny and encouraging alphabetic book about all the things animals CAN’T do but kids CAN! Every parent teaching their children new skills will be happy to have this super-positive picture book on hand. Bees can’t ride bicycles, penguins can’t play ping-pong, and zebras can’t go zip-lining.

Hi Anna, welcome to the Kid Lit Village blog! Thanks for doing the interview. Let’s start by talking about your book, T. REXES CAN’T TIE THEIR SHOES.

What do you hope readers will gain from your book?

I hope it will be fun for them to read, and be one kids want to return to. Illustrator Steph Laberis did such an incredible job with the images in the book, I was floored when I saw the final, colored proofs. I hope the text and pictures will open up discussion for kids as they learn about what animals can and can’t do, and will encourage them to cut themselves some slack the next time they try to tackle a difficult task. Everything has a learning curve and we need to give kids room to make mistakes and keep trying. I think there’s a good lesson in here for parents too. I would have found a book like this very helpful when my kids were little, so I’m thrilled it’s going to be on the shelves.  

I love the way this book can help children to manage feelings around difficult tasks. There’s so much children are learning!

Tell us how you build yourself up in the face of rejection.

One of the things that I never thought about at the beginning of my publishing journey, was the next level of rejection that comes when your work starts subbing to editors. I, probably like a lot of other writers, was so focused on querying agents, I assumed once I jumped that hurdle it would get easier. That was WRONG! The first fiction book I took out on submission with my agent didn’t sell, and the first PB bio that went out missed being first to market by a few months (that was a heartbreaker because it was incredibly well-received). But, instead of dwelling on the rejections, I like to think about the fact that the best editors in the world have read my work! So even if they choose not to acquire it, when the best people in the business are looking at your manuscripts, that’s a pretty incredible feeling. And the usual advice of “write something new” holds true for me. I tend to get very excited by new pieces, so since manuscripts can be out on submission for months with no word, it’s very helpful to have a new story that you’re working on, getting critiqued and revising. I find distractions to be very useful instead of just waiting for the next rejection – because in this business there’s always another one headed your way.  

I love the idea that instead of waiting for an answer on a project you can distract yourself by working on the next one!

Do you have any tips for querying editors and agents?

Yes, don’t stop! The people who have signed with agents and published books are the ones who found the will to keep going despite having to face rejection after rejection. My debut, T. REXES CAN’T TIE THEIR SHOES, was rejected by every agent and small publisher I sent it to with no personalized feedback. Since it was my first book, I (mistakenly) thought that meant it wasn’t good enough or that no one wanted alphabet books anymore. If Frances Gilbert at Doubleday hadn’t plucked it out of the #PBPitch Twitter feed in June of 2019, I’m not sure I would have queried it anymore. Even though I loved it, I thought those early passes meant it wasn’t going to sell and I should just move on. I have since learned how important luck and timing are in the world of publishing. Things can change very suddenly and if you’re not out there with your work, it’ll change for someone else. 

That’s great advice, Anna. Glad you didn’t stop and that your book is out there for readers to enjoy!

Connect with Anna here…

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/anna_lazowski

Penguin page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/639603/t-rexes-cant-tie-their-shoes-by-anna-lazowski-illustrated-by-steph-laberis/

My review of T. REXES CAN’T TIE THEIR SHOES

This book opens with a relatable spread showing a child trying pull on a sweater and another trying to reach a high shelf. The opening rhyme is catchy. And then the hilarious things each animal attempts to do will have children laughing. Yaks can’t throw yo-yos. What a fun way to realize that struggling with learning things is a universal problem. The ending spread shows that there are many things animals can do and the back matter has a lot of interesting facts. Did you know elephants make their own sunscreen? Fascinating! This new twist on the alphabet book will be fun for parents and children to enjoy together.

Readers: Thanks for stopping by Kid Lit Village blog; I hope you’ll be back next week to discover another new book release from the amazing Kid Lit Community!

If you’re curious about books by Cynthia Mackey and Paula Nasmith, please subscribe to my newsletter.

Kid Lit Village: THIS IS NOT A BOOK!

Hello Readers! Welcome to the Kid Lit Village blog featuring interviews with authors and illustrators of newly released picture books. This week we feature This is NOT a Book! written by Kellie Byrnes. It’s a picture book published by EK Books and illustrated wonderfully by Aśka. It comes out in June 2021.

Synopsis:

In this fun-filled, action-packed picture book, our main character is quite convinced they’re not in a book. After all, if this was a book, there’d be pages to turn … Oops! We’ve just turned the page.

But that’s not conclusive proof this is a book. If it was a book, there’d be interesting settings and problems to solve. Hold on! Why is our lead character being chased by a lion? Why are pirates stealing treasure? And are those mermaids playing in a rock band?

This is NOT a Book! is the perfect introduction for kids to how a book is structured and how to tell a good story. It’s metafiction made fun!

Kellie, welcome to Kid Lit Village. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions. Congratulations on the publication of THIS IS NOT A BOOK!

What was the inspiration for your book?

The idea for This is NOT a Book! came to me while I was walking my dogs a few years back. I really can’t remember what initially prompted the thought, but suddenly I had the book title in my head and the sassy character talking to me. I’m normally all about the plot first and character later, so this was the first time I had such an experience.

I came home and wrote down and developed my idea and noted some of the character’s dialogue – it all seemed so real in my head! I wish more books flowed through like this. However, I also spent a lot of time editing and rewriting the story over the next year or two.

Isn’t it great when you get hit with an idea? I’ve heard that going for walks can actually stimulate the creative parts of the brain. I think the fact that you wrote some of it down right away probably helped cement things.

Why do you write books for children?

I write for children mainly because I love books for kids! I enjoy the innocence, wonder, and curiosity that comes with books for younger readers. I also love the idea of writing stories that might have a positive impact on children, whether through making them laugh or think or examine themselves and the world around them or simply helping to foster their love of books and reading.

Kellie, you clearly love what you do and that’s awesome!

What is a piece of advice for children’s writers?

There are so many elements involved in becoming a children’s author, it’s hard to pinpoint one piece of advice! My top four are:

  • Read hundreds of current books (i.e., those published in the last five years)
  • Attend conferences and other events where you can learn about the state of the market and build relationships with those in the industry
  • Come to your writing with a marketing and sales mindset at some point. It’s not enough to just write a great book; it has to be commercially viable, too
  • Join a writers’ group or otherwise find yourself some friends who understand the ups and downs we struggle with as writers. Our family and other friends try to be supportive, but no one really knows how tumultuous the writing life can be unless they’ve lived it themselves

This is such great advice. There’s a lot of work that goes into writing a children’s book that people don’t see.

  • What do you hope readers gain from reading your book?

I hope, primarily, that readers have a giggle and enjoy the experience of having this book read to them or reading it for themselves. If, in addition, they also learn something about the construction of stories and books, that’s a bonus!

I love humorous picture books! I’m sure the readers will love it too.

What part of being a writer do you love most?

My favorite part is coming up with ideas. I love the early creative stages of thinking “what if” and being as open and non-judgemental about snippets of ideas as possible. I love the feeling of possibility; you never know where an idea might lead you or what it might become.

I write down multiple ideas per week and have more than I can ever really write. Mind you, plenty of those ideas probably aren’t good enough to develop just yet, but you never know how little thoughts might combine with other ones over the years and eventually turn into something special! If I could have a job that involved purely coming up with ideas all day, every day, I’d love it!

Kellie, it has been a pleasure to meet you here online. Thanks for opening up and sharing your insights and good luck with the launch of your book!

Kellie’s social media links:

Website: www.KellieByrnes.com

Twitter: @KellieJByrnes

Facebook: @KellieByrnesAuthor

Readers: Thanks for stopping by Kid Lit Village blog; I hope you’ll be back next week to discover another new book release from the amazing Kid Lit Community!

If you’re curious about books by Cynthia Mackey and Paula Nasmith, please subscribe to my newsletter.

 

Kid Lit Village: 30,000 STITCHES: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag

Hello Readers! Welcome to Kid Lit Village. This week, I have the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Davis, author of 30,000 STITCHES: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag. The book is illustrated by Sally Wern Comport and published by Worthy Kids, May 2021.

30,000 STITCHES: The Story of the National 9/11 Flag

Book Synopsis:

30,000 STITCHES tell the true story of the 30-foot American flag that was put up at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11. The flag became torn, tattered, and covered in dust and ash so it was taken down a few weeks later by a construction crew and tucked away in storage, where it stayed for nearly seven years. The flag was brought out of storage in 2008 when the New York Says Thank You Foundation headed to Greensburg, Kansas, a town nearly destroyed by a tornado. NYSTY brought the flag with them, sparking a grassroots restoration effort that traveled over 120,000 miles across all fifty states, bringing together thousands of people, and helping America heal and rebuild . . . hand by hand, thread by thread, one stitch at a time. The book is the story of that journey, a journey that ended at the opening of the National September 11 Museum, where the flag remains today. Along the way, the flag was restored using pieces of retired flags from every state—including a piece of the flag that Abraham Lincoln was laid on after he was shot at Ford’s Theater and threads from the original Star-Spangled Banner flag, which flew at Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. The pieces and threads were stitched in by military veterans, first responders, educators, students, community-service heroes, and family members of 9/11 victims, among others. At each stop, communities came together to remember, to heal, and to unite.

Sally Wern Comport, illustrator

Amanda Davis, author

Amanda Davis is a teacher, artist, writer, and innovator who uses her words and pictures to light up the world with kindness. Amanda is the author of 30,000 STITCHES: THE INSPIRING STORY OF THE NATIONAL 9/11 FLAG and has poetry and illustrations featured in The Writers’ Loft Anthology, FRIENDS AND ANEMONES: OCEAN POEMS FOR CHILDREN. When she’s not busy creating, you can find her sipping tea, petting dogs, and exploring the natural wonders of The Bay State with her partner and her rescue pup, Cora. You can learn more about Amanda at www.amandadavisart.com and on Twitter @amandadavisart and Instagram @amandadavis_art.

Hello Amanda, and welcome to the Kid Lit Village blog!

Please start by telling us why you write books for children.

As children’s book creators, we have an opportunity to empower children to learn more about themselves, others, and the world around them. This is my philosophy as an art educator as well.  This is a huge responsibility and a very important job. With nonfiction for kids, I love the idea that we can make little known topics accessible to children.  I hope that my debut, 30,000 STITCHES, empowers parents and educators to talk to children about difficult events in our history and current day society. We can’t shield children from all the bad in the world, but we can help them understand it and show them how to work through it. We can teach them how to cope…how to move forward…and how to unite. We can remind them of the bright spots within the darkness and of the good in humanity. The fact we, as creators, can provide readers with the opportunity to explore these ideas through our stories is something truly special.  

Amanda, your book is a great example of looking at how human beings can come together and respond to tragic or difficult events in inspiring ways. As you say, books give that opportunity for learning how to work through and cope with difficulties.

Tell us about your path to publication.

It was a long process! From the moment, I read and taught about the true story of the flag in 2011, I was intrigued and knew it was a special story. It stuck with me and lingered in my head, but needed time to flourish. After visiting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in 2014, and being overcome with emotion at the artifacts and the stories, it was another reminder of the importance of telling this story. Once I decided to write a children’s book on the topic of the National 9/11 Flag, I enacted my three ‘r’’s: a lot of research, countless revisions, and creating a refrain that helped me tie the narrative together. Once I had a polished draft, I sent the story off to agents and a few publishers-WorthyKids being one of them. I ended up getting an agent for the story and seven months after I sent the manuscript to WorthyKids, they emailed me with interest. I connected them with my agent, and the rest is history! A true slush pile (snail mail) submission success story!!

That’s so inspiring, Amanda! It shows that manuscripts really do get chosen from the slush pile. And you clearly put the work into the story that’s needed to get it polished and ready to submit.

Tell us how you build yourself up in the face of rejection.

When I first began putting my work out there, I took everything very personally. I can remember my very first writer’s conference. I went big and attended the SCBWI Winter Conference! I participated in the portfolio showcase and a round table critique. I remember crying after the feedback I received from the editor at my round table. Looking back, I can laugh but it reminds me how much I’ve grown. My skin has definitely thickened, and I don’t take things as personally anymore. This is a subjective business and not everyone is going to like your work. But, if you want to get published, you must continue to claw your way back. Continue to put yourself and your work out there. There may be tears or disappointment along the way but there will also be joy and smiles once you fulfill your dreams. The world needs your stories. Don’t give up!  

It really takes practice to learn to accept criticism. And growing to that place of being able to hear the feedback and not take it personally is worth celebrating!

Do you have any tips for querying editors and agents?

I found Publisher’s Marketplace a wonderful tool when researching agents and editors. It’s a paid monthly membership but I use it frequently to see deals and figure out what types of stories editors and agents are selling and acquiring and who represents who. When I was querying agents, I used this information to help customize the first paragraph of my queries to give it a personal touch. It was super helpful! I still use it now to suggest names of editors to my agent when I see a deal that might be similar to something we have out on sub. If you don’t have access to Publisher’s Marketplace, you can research agents and editors through Twitter, or Manuscript Wish List. I also look for interviews agents or editors have done online so I can learn more about them.  Another piece of advice is that when you’re querying agents, it’s alright to gently nudge if you haven’t heard back. We are our own best advocates and agents and editors are swamped with submissions. A friendly reminder can go a long way in getting a response. Make sure to check their guidelines on their website to see what their timeframe for responding is. If that timeline has passed, follow-up.

The follow-ups can be hard to do, but as you say, sometimes they are needed if done in a friendly manner. Lots of good advice here, Amanda. Thank you!

What do you hope readers will gain from your book?

The story of the flag is really a story about human connection. With that in mind, I hope that readers walk away from the book feeling inspired by the themes of strength, unity, hope, and healing that are woven throughout the story. I hope they feel more connected to their fellow humans through our shared emotions, experiences, and stories. I also hope that the book acts as an entry point for educators and parents to talk about difficult topics in history and present day. With the 20th remembrance of 9/11 approaching, I hope the book will be a great resource for all to honor and remember.   

Human connection is really what we all crave and need more than ever after the past year of being apart from one another. It sounds like your book will be a wonderful resource for educators and parents. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Readers: Thanks for stopping by Kid Lit Village blog; I hope you’ll be back next week to discover another new book release from the amazing Kid Lit Community!

If you’re curious about books by Cynthia Mackey and Paula Nasmith, please subscribe to my newsletter.

Kid Lit Village: THE BOOK OF RULES

Hello Readers! Welcome to Kid Lit Village blog where I feature authors and illustrators of picture books. This week, I’m pleased to introduce Brian Gehrlein, author of THE BOOK OF RULES, illustrated by Tom Knight, published by Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. You may also know Brian from Picture Book Spotlight.

Book of Rules

Synopsis:

An interactive picture book with dynamic illustrations, in which readers have to follow the rules or risk a run-in with a monster—with a gentle approach to mindfulness along the way.

Beware! This book has rules. You must follow all the rules. If you break the rules . . . Dennis the monster will eat you. And you don’t want to be Dennis-food—do you?

With a laugh-out-loud, interactive style, The Book of Rules invites you to get your sillies out before it’s time to focus and listen to directions. And you better get started, because Dennis can’t wait to eat—or, um—meet you!

Brian Gehrlein

Welcome to the Kid Lit Village blog, Brian. Thanks for being a guest!

Tell us why you write books for children.

I’ve always been fascinated by children’s books for some reason. Even in college, before I started seriously writing them, I’d suddenly find myself in the kid’s section at Barnes and Noble with no explanation. I suppose to a large extent, I see their potential to make people laugh and come together in a shared experience. At heart, I’ve always seen myself as a storyteller, an entertainer. And kids are an absolute brutal audience–they never lie. They’re not socialized to politely lie that something is good when it isn’t. If a kid doesn’t like something, they let you know. I learned this intimately as an actor at The Coterie Theatre playing Johnny in The Outsiders for young audiences. Nowadays, I scratch the insatiable itch to entertain as a high school ELA teacher. When I teach, my favorite thing is experiencing laughter with my students. So I listen to their responses and I’m always honing my voice with their immediate feedback in mind. When they’re laughing, I know they’re primed for learning–they’re listening! And when they’re listening, maybe then I can share something meaningful–something that needs to be said. Connecting that back to writing books for children, I use laughter as a vehicle to grab attention so that I can impart something serious or important. At the end of the day, that’s my recipe–humor to heart. 

I love this, Brian! When I read to children, if the book doesn’t capture them from the start, then I just put it down and pick up something new. Laughter is a great way to capture this audience.

Tell us about the inspiration for your book.

In the fall of 2017 I was in the middle of a huge career shift. I had left my life as a high school theatre teacher and didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had just started querying that previous January and finally was putting my stories out into the world to get them out of my head and into the hands of kids. Career wise, libraries seemed to draw me like a moth to flame. Before I landed a full-time librarian gig in December of 2017, I ironically returned to the very elementary school I previously worked at before becoming a high school theatre teacher. A bit of a cosmic book-end moment–sometimes we end up in the place where we started but are entirely different people. Being back in an elementary school as a special education paraprofessional again sunk me down deep in the kidlit waters. Whatever it was, the silent panic of not knowing where I was going with my career, or the humourous returning to a place I had known before, or the ever-present saturation of middle-grade fiction and picture book story times, I could not escape from the single strongest creative surge I had ever experienced in my life. 2017 churned out dozens of stories and poems. Some were only titles, others half-baked ideas, full drafts,queryable books, and everything in between. Somewhere in the middle of that swirling chaos of creativity was THE BOOK OF RULES. 

Often my ideas introduce themselves as a title. I think titles really have a lot to say and can sometimes tell you what a thing is. As an aside, the title was almost changed shortly after the contract was settled but it never panned out as something different–very thankful the editorial staff at FSG honored the original! So there was this title in my brain: THE BOOK OF RULES. But what was it? It had “book” in the title so I knew the story was metafiction–boy, do I love me some metafiction. Next, the concept emerged. Perhaps it was through hours and hours of classroom observation–seeing kids dance through the routine of their school day, following rules, getting up, sitting down, transitioning from activity to activity (with varying degrees of success on the scale of perfect order to herding cats). Whatever it was, I had a setting of learning in mind. These are the rules. The rules you follow…unless…unless what? Unless you want to be eaten by a monster. Yes! A monster with an unlikely name…a monster named Dennis–comedy exists in broken expectations. What’s the last thing a child-eating monster should be named? Dennis, of course. So I had the title, character, problem, and concept in mind. Thus, the basic skeleton was there. But it lacked purpose–a subtle theme to tie it all together. Melissa Warten at FSG really helped shape this part. What kinds of rules would they be? Rules you need to follow in order to listen and learn. Rules that prepare your mind and body to engage in learning. Getting the sillies out in a group setting so everyone is properly transitioned and focuses better. Ultimately, it’s about following directions in a fun way and practicing mindfulness in anticipation and support of better learning. Something like that. 

Now and again I joke that its true inspiration was from Dwight Schrute and an episode of The Office. “Learn your rules, you better learn your rules. If you don’t, you’ll be eaten in your sleep! CHOMP!” Maybe his little song was just buried somewhere in the back closet of my unconscious mind…who knows?

Haha! Just goes to show The Office can reach a wider audience than we first thought. I love how inspiration can come from so many different sources.


What do you hope readers will gain from your book? Something I think this book will do really well is bring children together. That sounds platitudinal and cliche, but by nature, it’s designed with a unique interactive quality that should elicit strong group cohesion, a calming mindfulness, and a readiness to learn in both mind and body. Call it a tall order…but I’m confident it will deliver. Ultimately, I hope kids just have fun being together reading THE BOOK OF RULES because the story works best in a group setting. I hope they will enjoy laughing and being present in the moment as a group. Certainly, I hope librarians, preschool and elementary school teachers (and anyone for that matter!) use the book to help kids get their sillies out and come out on the other side feeling great and ready to listen and learn. That’s the teacher in me and that was my driving intention beginning to end. All in all, I hope the wordplay, timing, and comedic moments land and that everyone enjoys participating. I can’t wait to see a group of kids respond to my work and provide that honest feedback I crave so much!

You are not just offering a book, you are offering a group experience!

Congratulations to you, Brian!

Website link: 

Picture Book Spotlight

Twitter link:

@BrianGehrlein


Brian GehrleinChildren’s Author * Part-time Wizard * Sometimes Pastry Chef

THE BOOK OF RULES(FSG/BYR, October 19, 2021)pbspotlight.com @BrianGehrlein

Readers: Thanks for stopping by Kid Lit Village blog; I hope you’ll be back next week to discover another new book release from the amazing Kid Lit Community!

If you’re curious about books by Cynthia Mackey and Paula Nasmith, please subscribe to my newsletter.