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Every year at Pesach time,
We eat the matzah, we drink the wine.
We ask four questions one by one,
But before the seder’s done…
The moment Afikomen Mambo arrived, my kids fought over it. One look at the bright, happy cover and they knew there was a fun beat inside.
While Christian children have the Easter egg hunt, at Passover our children search for the afikomen, a piece of matzah traditionally broken in half at the beginning of the seder and then hidden for the children to find when the seder is over. The child who finds the afikomen is awarded a prize, and what could be a better prize than Afikomen Mambo?
Now you can hide it in a table,
Hide it in a box,
Underneath the stairway,
Or inside the kitchen clock.
You can put it in your pocket,
Put it under the TV,
But you can’t hide the afikomen from me…
The book by Rabbi Joe Black sports a catchy rhyme and even catchier CD with the mambo song–you can play the music for the kids while they peek under pillows and behind bookcases. The whimsical watercolor illustrations by Linda Prater are bright and cheerful (except for when the characters make faces at the bitter herbs!).
I’m gonna find it, I’m gonna find it,
I’m gonna find it, I’m gonna find,
Gonna find the afikomen!
This is a must-have book for Jewish families with young children. You can begin a Passover tradition with the reading of the book and singing of the Afikomen Mambo song. Kudos to Kar-Ben Publishing for producing delightfully fun books for Jewish holidays.
Another playful book for Passover is The Matzah Man by Naomi Howland.
Hot from the oven I jumped and ran,
So clever and quick, I’m the Matzah Man!
You guessed it–it’s a take-off on the Gingerbread Man with a whole new rhyme scheme and cast of characters. There’s Grandma Tillie and her tender brisket, Auntie Bertha shopping in high heels, Grandpa Solly chopping onions, Miss Axelrod stirring her soup, and you’ll never guess who swaps roles with the tricky fox, finally outsmarting the Matzah Man.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to mambo while I make matzah ball soup.
Happy Passover!
by Dana Carey
Everyone knows what a great organization The Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators is—bringing together people who love children’s books for 40 years. Did you know they do it all over the world? SCBWI France was founded in 1995 with a handful of members but it’s grown to a plucky little chapter of about 50. We have our regional conference in the fall that coincides with the French Children’s Book Fair in Paris and another big event in the spring. This May we’re organizing a Seaside Retreat way out here (I’m waving at you from the Breton coast in western France) with Diane Stanley as author/illustrator-in-residence.
I joined SCBWI in 2004 and started volunteering by cleaning up after a conference. Our tireless Regional Advisor, Tioka Tokedira asked me to explore the idea of a retreat in my area. Next thing you knew, I was an Event Coordinator. Then on the board working on publicity. And now I’m Assistant Regional Advisor. Tioka is great at rounding up the troops and I’m so glad she spotted me. I never really thought of myself as an Event Coordinator never mind ARA but here I am. That’s SCBWI: possibilities abound.
Living far from La Capitale can be isolating but being an active member of SCBWI France has helped. I’ve connected with people who share my interest but more importantly take it as seriously as I do. I’ve learned about children’s literature and the publishing industry but I’ve also done things I didn’t think I was inclined to do. One recent example was the Literary Discussion/Pitch Event in Paris with agent/author John Cusick of Scott Treimel NY on April 1st called “The Hook and Heart of the Story.” The idea of pitching in person made me nervous.
Our homework for this event made me think about my stories differently. While preparing my “hearts” and “hooks” as well as a pitch, I had to take a cold hard look at my work and reduce it to a few sentences. It was a test that revealed the difference between a story for submission and a story that stays in the desk drawer.
We met in a cozy restaurant called Le Patio but weren’t on the patio; instead we were in the basement, like those 1950’s beatniks on poetry night. There was even a jazz duo performing at one point. We sat on sofas and ottomans nestled around John discussing the heart of the story: “it’s the bones of the book.” The heart provokes the emotional response while the hook draws in the reader.
During the second part of the evening we pitched to John one-on-one, as if we bumped into each other in an elevator and he could not escape. It was supposed to be natural but I memorized it and rehearsed with my daughter (she couldn’t escape either) and we both realized why I’m not an actress. Luckily, this did not matter. It was evident during the pitch that John was much more interested in listening and processing my content than in dissecting my delivery. It was great to have the chance to try something new in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. John gave me some solid feedback on the pitch and then we discussed the story. All in 5 minutes.
I left knowing my next steps. And I learned first hand that during a pitch, the “pitcher” isn’t the only one working: the agent is listening hard, processing the information and then delivering a coherent critique full of insight. Not an easy thing to do in 5 minutes. But it’s worth stepping out of your comfort zone for it.
Join me (somewhere outside my comfort zone) at an SCBWI France event (in English): scbwifrance.com. Find us on twitter: @scbwifrance and Facebook: SCBWI France.
Bon courage et à bientôt!
Before she moved out to the provinces, Dana Carey worked as a graphic designer in Paris then taught English to architecture and art school students. Now she writes and illustrates picture books. She also reads MG/YA books in English and writes reports in French for French publishers as well as doing some translation, painting and child-rearing on the side. Find her on twitter: @danaFR.
#Kidlit4Japan Auction #49 from Tara Lazar
Description: Tara Lazar will critique two fiction picture books of 800 words or fewer. Preferably prose, but she will crit rhyming manuscripts, too. The critiques do not have to be submitted together and can be claimed at any time. Bid now, write later!
Estimated Value: $100
Auction Begins: Tuesday 3/29 @ 9:00AM EDT
Auction Ends: Friday 4/1 @ 9:00AM EDT
Bio: Tara Lazar is the author of THE MONSTORE (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster 2013) and the creator of PiBoIdMo, Picture Book Idea Month, the picture book writer’s alternative to NaNoWriMo.
This list of literary agents on Twitter is mostly comprised of kidlit agents, and it isn’t comprehensive, and some are no longer agents…but all are worthy of a follow. They are in no particular order.
Know other literary agents on Twitter? Please post a comment and I’ll periodically add to the list.
You can also find this list here: http://twitter.com/#!/taralazar/literary-agents/
LovethePippins
Pippin Properties
We are a boutique literary agency dedicated to the management and representation of the finest authors and artists working today.
KSonnack
Kelly Sonnack
Children’s agent for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
Jamie Weiss Chilton
Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency, shameless caffeine addict, farmer for Marbles, my gray and white rescue bunny.
Jen Rofe
Children’s lit agent with Andrea Brown who dreams about being a bakery-owning cowgirl. Nevermind that I don’t bake much or have a horse.
Steven Malk
Literary agent with Writers House musing on publishing, music, and sports–not necessarily in that order.
The McVeigh Agency (Mark McVeigh)
A boutique literary agency representing authors, illustrators, graphic novelists and photographers.
Donald Maass
President of Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York, author of Writing the Breakout Novel, The Fire in Fiction and other craft books for fiction writers.
Michelle Wolfson
I’m a literary agent. Check out my site and if you think we’re a fit, let me know. Otherwise just support my authors and buy their books!
The Knight Agency
Our talented agents include Deidre Knight, president, Pamela Harty, Lucienne Diver, Nephele Tempest, Elaine Spencer and Melissa Jeglinski.
DeidreKnight
Literary Agent and New York Times bestselling author of romance/women’s fiction who loves to travel to far away places, mentally and geographically.
TracyMarchini
Editorial Consultant, former Literary Agent Assistant, freelance copywriter.
Suzie Townsend
book lover, former HS teacher, literary agent, sci-fi/fantasy nerd, and owner of an unused $6000 wedding dress. love my life.
Nathan Bransford
Author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW (coming in May)
Colleen Lindsay
Publishing browncoat. Cat herder. Queer human. Professional nerd. TARDIS fan. Athlete’s foot survivor. Part of Penguin Group (USA) Business Development team.
Kim Lionetti
Literary Agent representing women’s fiction, romance, mystery, true crime, pop culture and pop science.
Ginger Clark
I am a literary agent. I work at Curtis Brown. I respond only to queries I’m interested in. This twitter account will be boring.
Lauren E. MacLeod
A literary agent @strothmanagency with an emphasis in YA and MG fiction and nonfiction. Opinions are my own.
jennifer laughran
literary agent at andrea brown lit, children’s bookseller, reader, raconteur, eccentric multi-millionaire and patron of the arts… and some of those are lies
Jill Corcoran
Literary Agent with Herman Agency representing primarily MG and YA authors.
Rachelle Gardner
Literary agent, firefighter’s wife, mom of two awesome girls, Starbucks freak.
ElanaRoth
Elana Roth
Brooklynite, children’s book agent, Squarespace support specialist, semi-pro Jew, bourbon drinker. I work for lots of people. None of these tweets are theirs.
MarieSuzetteYA
Marie Suzette
At work, I’m a literary agent focusing on the YA genre, and I have to bite my tongue. On Twitter, I’m the anonymous Marie Suzette, who says whatever she wants.
EpsteinLiterary
Kate Epstein
Literary agent representing nonfiction for adults and nonfiction and fiction for YA and MG readers I tweet mainly advice for writers and updates on my books.
AlannaLitAgent
Alanna Ramirez
Alanna Ramirez is a literary agent with Trident Media Group.
mikalroy
Michael Stearns
Michael Stearns
Literary agent. A bit obsessive compulsive about words and writing, books and pop culture.
edwardnecarsulm
Edward Necarsulmer
Director and Principal Agent, Children’s Department, McIntosh & Otis, Inc.
Janet_Reid
Janet Reid
Janet Reid
Writer wrangler. President of the Fabulosity Fan Club. Reader. Easily annoyed, often amused, devoted NYer. I love my job more than makes any kind of sense.
barrygoldblatt
Barry Goldblatt
JuliaChurchill
Julia Churchill
We’re the Greenhouse Literary Agency, a transatlantic agency specialising in children’s fiction.
adamsLiterary
Adams Literary
Adams Literary
A full-service, boutique literary agency exclusively representing children’s and young adult authors and artists.
SarahGreenhouse
Sarah Davies
Founder and agent of children’s/YA at Greenhouse Literary Agency, based in DC and London. Dachsund-slave, photographer, lover of history and wild places.
MandyHubbard
Mandy Hubbard
Agent with D4EO Lit and multi-pubbed author writing as Mandy Hubbard and Amanda Grace. I like words. And pasta. Not necessarily in that order.
sarahlapolla
Sarah LaPolla
Sarah LaPolla
Associate Literary Agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd., pop culture junkie, writing enthusiast, all around book nerd.
seekendall
Sara Kendall
Literary assistant and junior associate at Nancy Coffey Lit. Lover of books and food. And cupcakes.
RebeccAgent
Rebecca Sherman
Rebecca Sherman
Literary Agent at Writers House. Midwesterner transplanted to NYC. Musical theater loving, pop culture addict vegetarian.
KatRushallKathleen Rushall
There’s more to life than books, you know, but not much more. Children’s Literary Agent at Waterside Productions, Inc.
Literary Agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency Proudly representing YA, children’s picture books, and some adult projects!
If you’re an aspiring picture book author and you watched Celebrity Apprentice last night, you may have some [gross] misconceptions about what it takes to get a picture book published.
- “I know my ABC’s and my 123’s” is not a “genius” rhyme worthy of victory. Send an unimaginative, unoriginal rhyme like that to an editor and you’ll receive a form rejection…if they even bother sending a rejection.
- What the groups presented were first drafts written in a few hours. Do not send a first draft to be considered for publication.
- If a book is conceived by Dionne Warwick and written by Star Jones, by all means, let them take the credit.
- Donald said he’d publish the men’s book. But it will not be published without a lot of revision and editor input, because again, it’s a first draft that relies on simple, common rhymes.
- A picture book based on LaToya and the Jackson family? Do. Not. Go. There.
- “Just be yourself” is not too sophisticated a theme for a picture book–and both teams exhibited this theme, not just the women. (The men’s story was about standing up to bullies, a variant on the “be yourself” message.) Many successful picture books use this theme: Peggy Rathman’s RUBY THE COPYCAT, Audrey Penn’s SASSAFRAS, Kevin Henke’s CHRYSANTHEMUM, Helen Lester’s TACKY THE PENGUIN, Mo Willems’ NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED. I could go on and on…
There were many opportunities for snarky comments during the show, but here I’m going to focus on the positive:
- Margery Cuyler looked fabulous.
- I caught a glimpse of Pam Calvert’s PRINCESS PEEPERS!
- In this age of pumped-up puckers, Lisa Rinna had a lip REDUCTION.
Writing can be a solitary profession. That’s why you gotta have good writing friends.
When my oldest daughter was a toddler, I met a woman with a little girl and we arranged regular get-togethers for them—and for us. Like me, the woman was a writer.
I had only recently began writing children’s books, and she told me about a friend who had recently moved to New Jersey from Manhattan. This friend had already published a picture book and she suggested putting us in touch.
I hesitated at first. I didn’t want the author to think I was only interested in her friendship for helping me to achieve publication. I didn’t want to be a nuisance or a bother. And, I thought this author would poo-poo all over pathetic, unpublished me.
Wow, I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Interestingly, I don’t remember exactly when Corey Rosen Schwartz and I met, but I do remember it was after a few botched attempts on my part–forgotten dates at a local cafe. When we finally did meet, we clicked immediately. Corey was never snobbish. In fact, she’s got a charming self-deprecating personality.
Corey was indeed instrumental in helping me get my agent and my first picture book contract. I’ll let her tell you how–and how I rubbed her back…well, err, back.
The next part of our story will be on her blog later today!
(Click for a larger version.)
It’s Valentine’s Day! Time to profess your love! (For children’s books, that is.)
If you love kidlit, what are you doing to support it?
Buying lots of books? Reviewing them? Volunteering at the library? Donating to a literacy program? Writing new stories?
Last year I began “Write a Review Wednesday” as a way to support children’s literature. I’ve heard that many people won’t buy a book unless they see positive reviews online, and there’s tons of fab books that haven’t been reviewed.
So if there’s a book you love, shout it from the rooftops! Write about it on your blog, Twitter, Facebook or submit a review to a bookseller’s website.
Let’s hear your ideas for supporting kidlit in 2011. What are you doing to profess your love?
by Ruth Spiro
In 2003, I sold my first picture book manuscript, Lester Fizz, Bubble Gum Artist, as the result of a contact made at the SCBWI Annual Conference. In the five years between the sale and my book’s release in 2008, I had plenty of time to think about innovative ways to promote it. Yes, my marketing plan included the tried-and-true mailings, signings and presentations, but I also wanted to do something a little different. That’s just me.
With a moderate investment of time and money, in 2006 I created my own holiday, “Bubble Gum Day.” Unsure of my publication date at the time, I chose the first Friday in February because aside from Groundhog Day, there’s little else going on. This year, Bubble Gum Day falls on Friday, February 4.
The premise is simple: On Bubble Gum Day, kids pay fifty cents to chew gum at school, with the proceeds used for any project or charity the school chooses. Kids have fun, schools benefit, and my name and book title get valuable publicity.
Six years later, it’s become a fun and effective promotional tool that has increased my visibility as an author and “Bubble Gum Expert.” It has also gained me exposure in both print and broadcast media, including The Washington Post Express, The New York Daily News online and Good Day Sacramento, as well as on radio stations in both large and small markets. This holiday with kid-appeal has been celebrated in countless schools, public libraries, children’s museums and community organizations.
Most importantly, schools and community groups have used Bubble Gum Day to do some wonderful things. One school raised enough money to buy a goat for a village in Africa through Heifer International. Another used their proceeds to purchase snacks, which they sent to soldiers in Iraq. Yet another school collected used books instead of money, and wound up with over one thousand books, which they donated to local women’s shelters.
Frankly, when emails with these stories began appearing in my mailbox, I stopped thinking about the holiday as a promotional tool—it’s become so much bigger than that.
This year, I’ll spend Bubble Gum Day with a group of second and third graders in Oak Brook, IL. The money they collect will go to Reading is Fundamental. They don’t know this, but I plan to chew lots of bubble gum too, for which I’ll also make the required donation!
Then, as in past years, I’ll eagerly anticipate the emails, photos and packages of letters I’ll receive over the coming weeks, as schools tally up their proceeds and continue to make Bubble Gum Day a sweet success!
Win a signed copy of Lester Fizz and a bubble gum prize pack! Send a photo of your most creative bubble gum bubble—in a group (like your class), individually, or like one of Lester’s unique bubbles. Email photos to bubblegumday@gmail.com with the sujbect line “Tara Lazar contest” by February 7th. Ruth will select a winner and some bubble photos will be featured here. Good luck!
Ruth Spiro is the author of Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist, published by Dutton. Her essays and articles have appeared in FamilyFun, The Writer and Woman’s World, as well as The Right Words at the Right Time: Your Turn, edited by Marlo Thomas, and several Chicken Soup for the Soul titles. She frequently speaks at schools and conferences. Visit her online at www.ruthspiro.com. Learn more about Bubble Gum Day at www.bubblegumday.com.
Confession time. This post has nothing to do with writing or reading.
I just gotta say it: I love rings.
And not ordinary ones.
Crazy, kitschy, funky rings. Big and loud.
I’ve spent too much time trying to act my age. And why? I’m a picture book author! I should be able to wear Legos on my fingers, right? And polymer clay sushi. And dictionaries. Yes, dictionaries.
Let your inner goofball shine!
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 