You are currently browsing Tara Lazar’s articles.
Do you have a love/hate relationship with bedtime? It’s a cozy time to snuggle and read a book with the kids, but it’s also when they refuse to settle down to sleep. Mom, can I sleep in your bed? Dad, can I have a glass of water? Could you fluff my pillow? Can we read one more book? Please? Five more minutes? Pretty please with sugar on top?
Ey yi yi. It’s enough to drive any mama hen wild! And it does in Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s new picture book, Chicks Run Wild.
In her Coop Sweet Coop, Mama has five chicks to put to bed. She tucks them in, gives them each a peck goodnight, but when she closes the door, they leap out of bed and cause a riotous ruckus. Feathers fly and Mama’s patience wears thin.
At first Mama scolds her chicks, but when she realizes her little ones are not ready for dreamland, she does something unexpected. Chicks Run Wild lets both parents and kids know it’s okay to break the rules every once in a while.
With a bright and cheery color palate, Ward Jenkins creates an adorable brood of five chicks with distinct personalities. One chick always has one eye opened, awaiting Mama’s departure. And there’s other fun details, like a spoof of the Beatles’ album cover Abbey Road, and Mama’s favorite read, Gone with the Wing. Sudipta’s jaunty rhyme makes you want to get up and shake your tail feathers with the family.
Bedtime is going to be a lot more fun with Chicks Run Wild. When your kids ask to read one more book, you’ll happily pick this one.
Want it? Sure you do!Chicks Run Wild
Story by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Illustrations by Ward Jenkins
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
January 2011
We’ve been watching a lot of Brady Bunch in our house. My four-year-old is obsessed and roams the house singing, “Here’s the story of a LONELY lady…” And yeah, I suppose Carol was a bit lonely before that man named Brady came around with three boys of his HOME (she sings that wrong, too).
So I started thinking about mixing words up. What would happen if the Brady Bunch characters mixed up the words of famous children’s books? Well, we’d have new classics like:
IF YOU GIVE A BROTHER A FOOTBALL by Marcia Brady
A LAVA LAMP IN THE ATTIC by Greg Brady
THROUGH THE GOOFY-LOOKING GLASSES by Jan Brady
Thanks to illustrator Jed Henry for the fake book cover!
…
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF PORK CHOPS AND APPLESAUCE by Peter Brady
BOBBY, PLAIN AND SHORT by Bobby Brady
FANTHY NANTHY by Cindy Brady
FROM THE MIXED-UP BLUEPRINTS OF MR. MICHAEL P. BRADY by Carol Brady
ALICE NELSON DOES MY SHIRTS by Mike Brady
SURVIVING THE BRADYS by Alice Nelson
All punny stuff aside, the Bradys can teach us about writing for children. Take the episode where Greg gets a groovy new job at Sam’s butcher shop (for a whopping $1.50 an hour!). Bobby strolls in just before closing and orders two pounds of sausage. He follows Greg to the meat locker and the door closes behind him, locking them in. Oh no! How will they get out?
All episode long, Bobby wanted to be taller, bigger. He slapped a line of masking tape on his door to measure his height, then hung on the monkey bars to stretch himself. But now his small stature saves Greg’s life (if we forget it’s Bobby who endangered Greg’s life) because he’s tiny enough to climb through the window in the meat locker door.
Before he climbs out, Bobby can’t help saying, “Sure hope I’m small enough. Gee, I never thought I’d wish I were little.”
Ugh. This ruins the moment!
The character acknowledges the lesson learned, when the audience is perfectly capable of figuring out the significance of Bobby’s great escape.
Now how does this relate to writing?
Your audience is smart. They can figure out the message of your story without being hit over the head with two pounds of sausage.
Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to read another Brady classic, THE PHANTOM PAY PHONE. (How did they get that thing installed in the house?)
Given the monsterly badges for PiBoIdMo, maybe you had a hunch…
Children’s: Picture book
James Burks’s illustrations for author Tara Lazar’s THE MONSTORE, to Emily Lawrence and Alyson Heller at Aladdin, in a nice deal, by Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
I’m thrilled to have James working on THE MONSTORE! Seeing the characters come alive is going to be fun. There’s Zack, his pesky little sister Gracie, the Monstore manager, and Manfred, Mookie and Mojo. (Geesh, how did I fit all those characters into 600 words?!) Hopefully I get permission to share some in-progress work.
While everyone’s a winner for having 30+ ideas to work on, these are the final prize winners.
Christine Poreba wins the silver “write” bracelet donated by writer and artist Laura Hamor.
Michelle Dennis Evans wins the “Anne of Green Gables” book club pendant donated by Heather Powers of Humblebeads.
Tricia Idrobo wins a mix & match 10-pack of artist Christina Peressini’s inventive die-cut greeting cards.
Cristy Burne and Corey Rosen Schwartz each win a custom-designed PiBoIdMo mug featuring the winner badge by James Burks and “I participated in Picture Book Idea Month and all I got was this lousy mug (and 30 great ideas).”
Congratulations, everyone!
Now please stay tuned for two great events coming in 2011: The Parent & Child Reading Challenge and the Debut Picture Book Author Showcase.
And I’ll see you for PiBoIdMo 2011 in November!
Stay inspired all year long with the “write” bracelet, donated by writer and artist Laura Hamor.Heather Powers has donated her “Anne of Green Gables” book club pendant. Check out her Etsy store Humblebeads for more lovely nature- and literary-inspired wares.
Greeting Cards
Artist Christina Peressini’s inventive die-cut greeting cards have also been donated. The winner chooses a mix & match 10-pack from her original designs, like the “Wishing You Peace” card.
And, there might be some extra-special stuff added as the month progresses, so stay tuned.
The following picture books were donated by editor Alyson Heller and her colleagues at Simon & Schuster.
Linda Kulp wins FAIRLY FAIRY TALES
Diana of Circle Stables wins SQUARE CAT
Tanya Finestone wins PRESENTING…TALLULAH!
Angela Peña Dahle wins CHRISTMAS SWEATER
Lichen Frank wins DINOSAURS LOVE UNDERPANTS
Amanda Banks wins MONSTER PRINCESS
Diana Murray wins I LOVE VACATIONS
Mindy Alyse Weiss wins LET’S COUNT GOATS!
Kimberly Lynn wins LOUISE THE BIG CHEESE
Romelle Broas wins THE BOSS BABY
Congratulations and happy reading, everyone! Please check your email for a message from me. (Be sure to check your spam filter.)
Next up, the jewelry and greeting cards!
There are several picture books to give away!
Emily Grandin wins THE GREAT REINDEER REBELLION
Christie Wild wins MAN GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS
Lillian Pang wins THIS TREE COUNTS!
Kristin Gray wins WHAT’S NEW AT THE ZOO?
Rachel Hamby wins SQUIRREL’S NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
DD Hearn wins SUBSTITUTE GROUNDHOG
Nicole Zoltack wins MOSTLY MONSTERLY
Lynn Anne Bemis wins TONIGHT YOU ARE MY BABY
Chitra Soundar wins THE BUG THAT PLAGUED THE THIRD GRADE
Please watch for an email from me. (Be sure to check your spam filter, as a single email was sent to everyone.)
Next up, winners of the picture books donated by Simon & Schuster.
More winners! Congratulations to the writers who have won a manuscript critique with one of the following published authors: Sudipta Bardan-Quallen, Brenda Reeves Sturgis, Corey Rosen Schwartz, Tiffany Strelitz-Haber, Lori Degman, Lori Calabrese and Linda Bozzo:
Heather Kephart
Emma (from Australia)
Jessica Stanford
Leslie Zampetti
Peg366
Lisa Rogers
Cari Meister
Be on the lookout for an email from me with further instructions. (Please check your spam filter, as a single email was sent to all of you.)
Next up, the winners of all the glorious picture books!
Congratulations to the 198 participants who completed the 30-ideas-in-30-days challenge! I hope the inspirational exercise you started this November will continue through December and creep into the new year. (Hmm…creeping into the New Year. Did I just get another idea?)
Three lucky grand prize winners will receive feedback from picture book agents. Each winner is encouraged to write a 30-second pitch for their five best ideas, which you will email to your assigned agent no later than December 6th. Winners, please await an email from me with further instructions. If you do not receive an email from me by the end of today, please contact me.
So without further ado…
Congratulations, Jeanne Balsam!
You’ve been paired with Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
Hooray for Diandra Mae!
You’ve been paired with Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc.
Squee, Dana Carey!
You’ve been paired with Joanna Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation.
If you didn’t win one of the grand prizes, don’t worry! There are more winners to be announced. Coming up next, winners of the manuscript critiques in a separate post.
by Susan Chodakiewitz
With a background in musical theater I approach writing children’s books very much like I do writing for theater. When I visualize the story I see the pictures unraveling as scenes on the stage. Are there enough possibilities in the words to develop back story and subtext for the characters? How will my words trigger the action in the scene? Do I know my characters motivation and desires? All these issues are key element to triggering my imagination for the story.
In my picture book Too Many Visitors for One Little House there are 20 members in the family including the dog and the fish and in order to get to know the story better I worked on a back story for each character.
When I worked with illustrator Veronica Walsh on this book we spent hours discussing each family member in depth. What were there likes, dislikes, weaknesses? What did they love to wear? Who had squabbles with whom? Who admired whom? Which kids wanted to emulate which kids? Which kids were best friends? What were the problems between the in-laws, the married couples? Working with Veronica taught me SO much about my characters and introduced me to layers of story lines which I could eventually use for sequels to the book.
Creating the theatrical version of this book also taught me a lot about the writing process, about the characters and about what the story is really about. After finishing the theatrical version of the book I had learned so much about the story and characters that I found myself wanting to re-write the book.
Sometimes thinking about what song a character would sing on a particular page (scene) helps me discover what the character really wants, feels, and thinks. It helps me find direction to the story and makes it come alive to me.
From the get-go, the book Too Many Visitors for One Little House sang to me as a theatrical piece. From the early stages of writing my drafts I imagined the characters dancing and singing and visualized the staging of different scenes. My theatrical viewpoint is a constant guide to me during the writing process and really helps me unravel the story.
Engaging theatrically with a picture book not only benefits me as an author. I believe engaging theatrically with a book encourages a love or reading in children. After one of the performances of the book Too Many Visitors I observed several kids acting out one of the songs. The parents later emailed me that the kids asked the parents to read them the book many times that night. The next day they acted out the show with their siblings and invited guests.
I really believe this kind of theatrical engagement with a book and its characters can really encourage reading. Picture books are particularly engaging in this manner. I think by inspiring a child to act out a book can really deepen a child’s reading experience.
I am thrilled to be a picture book writer and to have the opportunity to encourage the love of reading.
Susan Chodakiewitz is the author of Too Many Visitors for One Little House and the founder of Booksicals, Encouraging Reading Through the Arts.
by Alyson Heller
As I dodged shoppers last Friday at my local mall, I came to realize that trying to find that next “big thing” in publishing is like to trying to find a great pair of shoes on sale—really hard to do, may cause some panic attacks, but once in a while, you will find the perfect fit.
We editors have a love/hate relationship with that “thrill of the hunt”—with every email from an agent, we hope that once we click open the attachment or email, there will be a pitch or manuscript so amazing, we will have to stop our day to read and convince our powers-to-be to let us acquire it. Most of the time, it isn’t quite what we are looking for—it might not be our taste, or in line with our house publishing strategy—but every once in a while, there is a pitch or idea that makes us pause our day.
For me, I always have that gut feeling—much like that fabulous piece of jewelry that draws your eye, I just know that I absolutely have to try to make sure that particular manuscript gets to stay with me, knowing that I would be so very bummed out if I couldn’t work on the project. There’s usually a unique hook—an idea that hasn’t been done over and over and over again—or a character that I immediately fall in love with that triggers that feeling. I also try to see if there is something timeless about the story; a book that you know readers will think is still relevant to their world 10 years from now—the little black dress of publishing, so to speak.
Of course, love for the idea isn’t enough to propel that manuscript into something that can go directly from my in-box to the local bookstore. Even though this may have caught my eye, I need to make sure that the story ultimately can fit into the overall marketplace and fit in with our list. That means a revision or two (sometimes 3!), making sure that the author shares our vision for their project, and coordinating the best PR possible for the title.
Though writing may seem like a solitary endeavor, the editing process is a team effort, and one of the great joys I have with my job. Even though it can be daunting, that chase, that knowledge that another fantastic story for kids could be sitting with me (or a member of my terrific team), is what keeps me going—and what makes this crazy, wonderful, unpredictable world of publishing so great. There’s nothing like finally seeing that finished product hit the shelves—and knowing that book will hopefully be someone’s perfect fit.
Alyson is an assistant editor with Aladdin Books, a kid-centric imprint featuring titles with strong commercial appeal for readers of all ages up to tween.
Alyson was part of the S&S Associate’s Program before landing her job with the Aladdin imprint and becoming part of a wonderful team. Alyson works on everything from picture books through middle-grade novels. She has had the privilege of working with some fantastic authors (and agents!) during her time with S&S. Some new and upcoming titles that she has edited or co-edited include Just Add Magic by Cindy Callaghan, Odd Girl In by Jo Whittemore, Sprinkles and Secrets by Lisa Schroeder, Cold Case by Julia Platt Leonard, The Monstore by Tara Lazar and I Loathe You by David Slonim.
In addition to her love for reading and writing, Alyson is also a huge fan of traveling, baking, eating things that are bad for you, awful reality t.v., and all things sparkly. She currently lives in Connecticut.
Simon & Schuster has generously donated several picture book prizes for PiBoIdMo. Winners for the titles below will be announced on December 4th, randomly selected from those who completed the 30-ideas-in-30-days challenge. Thanks to Alyson and Simon & Schuster for the prizes!
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 