You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Children’ category.
The most recent edition of The New Oxford American Dictionary added 2000 words to the English language, including “agritainment,” a noun that means “farm-based entertainment.”
Here in New Jersey, the term is closely related to “agrivation,” a feeling of exasperation that descends upon a single farm when thousands of city-dwellers cause traffic jams, create parking snafus, and empty an entire pumpkin patch so that the only form of entertainment left is a hayride to nowhere with two exhausted, disappointed children.
Thankfully we had a copy of Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin’s Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type in the car for the ride home. Now that’s the kind of funny farm we were looking for.
You’ve got less than fifteen seconds to grab a bookstore customer. That’s it. Your cover must lure them to the shelf. The title and design must call to them. Fail this instant judgment test and lose a sale. Yep, they really do judge a book by its cover.
So do kids. My Kindergartener cannot read, but she knows what books she wants. Last week she came home with a list of book fair titles she had selected on her own, solely by the covers. I decided to research the books before deciding whether to buy.
Without exception, every book cover featured a pony or a dog. Yes, she loves both animals. But the one book that she begged for the most? My Chincoteague Pony by Susan Jeffers.
How could a horse-crazed little girl resist? A black-and-white filly seems to be smiling as waves splash around her. The two-toned pink background and glitter on both the letters and the water seal the deal.
The story inside proves to be just as charming as the cover. Julie works hard on the family farm all year, earning money to buy her own pony at the annual Chincoteague auctions. The cover exudes a certain promise to the reader, and it delivers.
In contrast, another horse-themed picture book attracted my attention, but my daughter passed it by. The brown, muted tones of Twenty Heartbeats by Dennis Haseley reflects this story’s more mature vibe.
A wealthy man commissions a master artist to paint a portrait of his favorite horse. Years pass without word from the artist and the man grows angry. Yet the artist does not deliver until he feels the painting is the best he can produce. The book’s message is one of hard work, patience and perseverance, but the lesson needed to be explained to my child whereas she immediately grasped Julie’s work ethic in My Chincoteague Pony.
There could be several reasons for this, none having to do with the cover. For instance, the main character in Jeffers’ tale is a young girl from present time, easily relatable. The main characters in Twenty Heartbeats are adult men from ancient China.
In the end, I purchased both books, although I admit, Twenty Heartbeats was more for me than it was for her.
I wonder if publishers design some book covers to appeal more to the adult-gatekeepers than to the direct audience. This would make sense if a book contains mature themes and universal lessons that parents wish to teach their children.
There are some book covers that both my daughter and I agree upon. Here are just a few that we would like to read together. (Please note that Savvy is a middle-grade novel. But what a gorgeous, eye-catching cover.)
No, that’s not the title of my latest book. It’s a bonafide neighborhood mystery.
Although we live in the Garden State, our community is not known for its plots of open land. We’re right on top of one another. We therefore get creative when it comes to gardening. I have an herb garden in three containers on my deck–sweet basil, chives, parsley, dill, oregano, mint, and sad, sad cilantro which browned over within two weeks of planting. I never claimed to have a green thumb.
My Asian neighbor, on the other hand, has a thick, prodigious vine with enormous leaves and bright yellow-orange blooms. At first, I thought it might be pumpkin, not only for its appearance, but for its location, growing along the side of the house amongst a hedge. Some kid might have dumped a rotting jack-o-lantern there last fall.
The vine has consumed the hedge and jumped onto a neighboring cherry tree, wrapping around the branches and soaring ever higher. And there, hanging down for all to admire, a lonely, giant green squash.
It’s shape reminds me of a bowling pin, thinner at the top, heavy at the bottom. It has a dark green color and no discernible pattern.
Just what is it?
And when will they pick it?
The “squash stroll” is our evening entertainment. We hurry along the sidewalk to the tree, to see if the giant vegetable still remains. And each day, it hangs there, fueling our curiousity. The Asian neighbors are not to be found.
Today my toddler and I found a second squash lying across the thickest branches of the hedge, as if it were taking a nap. It has grown quietly while its sibling hangs proudly for all the neighborhood to see.
So, please tell me, what is it? What kind of vegetable? How do you prepare it? What does it taste like?
Perhaps I should ring the doorbell and ask. But sometimes figuring out a mystery is so much more fun.
(Update! Today I met the young Chinese girl who lives at the house. She did call the vegetable a squash, but she could not recall the English word for it. She says it tastes like pumpkin. I would still like to find out the name! And I neglected to ask her when it would be harvested!)
Turn the pages of a children’s book and you’ll be transported to an amazing new world. But millions of underpriveleged children don’t have access to this simple, joyful escape. According to The Heart of America Foundation, sixty-one percent of children in low-income families don’t own a single book. Let’s start filling up their home libraries and their dreams.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Growing up in rural Tennessee, Dolly had only one book as a child, The Little Engine That Could. Inspire her, it did. Each month her foundation sends one brand new book to every preschool child in a low-income community. Think of a child’s excitement to find a new book in their mailbox every month until they turn five! The program starts with The Little Engine That Could and finishes with Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come. Visit the Imagination Library site for information on how to start this program in your area.
Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national non-profit organization that promotes early literacy. Working with pediatricians around the US, they distribute new books and educate parents on the benefits of reading aloud to young children.
Books From The Heart
This program finds books that are not being used and donates them to families and school libraries in need. Visit the site to start your own local book drive, adopt a school library, donate your own new and gently used books, or make a monetary donation.
The Little Red Wagon Foundation
Zachary Bonner is an amazing 5th grader who walked nearly 300 miles last fall to bring awareness to the plight of homeless children. He collects donations to help feed homeless families and to provide street kids with backpacks, school supplies, and new books. He plans to walk another 300 miles from Talahassee to Atlanta this October. Check out this inspiring, dedicated young man.
Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
The oldest and largest non-profit literacy organization in the US lets underpriveleged children choose a new book three times a year via the RIF book fair. The cost to provide one child with books and literacy programs for an entire year is just $10.
Do you have a favorite children’s book charity? Please share it by leaving a comment!
You’ve got a great idea for a picture book.
You sit down and write it out.
You give it to your children to read. They love it.
You give it to your mother. She corrects a grammar mistake but otherwise dubs it “perfect.”
You give it to your neighbor. She thinks it’s wonderful and offers to illustrate it for you.
You buy a copy of The Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market.
You print out a copy of your story, attach your neighbor’s illustrations to each page and mail it out to every publisher in CWIM.
Congratulations!
You’ve just made every beginner mistake in the book.
Just because picture books are short—and for kids—doesn’t mean writing one is easy. Like any profession, children’s writing requires time educating yourself on the craft, refining your skills, and researching the market.
Stay tuned for tips on what to do with that idea. In the meantime, keep writing!
No one truly knows the magical answer to that question, as evidenced by the discussion on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate show this week.
You can’t publish a bestseller…you publish a book and you hope it takes off…but many hopes have been dashed by publishing into being a bestseller.
— Jean Feiwel, Senior Vice President and publisher of Fiewel and Friends & Square Fish Books
Ms. Feiwel, responsible for acquiring the popular series The BabySitter’s Club, Goosebumps, and Harry Potter while at Scholastic, was joined by Diane Roback, Senior Editor of Publisher’s Weekly children’s section, and Micha Hershman of Borders Group children’s division.
The three discussed the sea change in children’s book selling over the last 20 years, transforming from a market dominated by institutional sales to one dependent upon retail. In the 1980’s, the emergence of independent children’s retailers created a surge in demand, and now the national chains also play an enormous role in the success of new titles. They touched upon merchandising, the power of a good title and eye-catching cover, and understanding customers—what stories appeal to the parent “gatekeepers” as well as the children.
They briefly discussed “The Harry Potter Effect” on children’s reading habits and how the series suddenly made it cool for boys to be reading. The “have you read it yet?” peer pressure encouraged kids to pick up thicker and thicker books, a parental dream come true. The panelists made it clear that kids don’t care about marketing hype, but they do listen to word-of-mouth praise.
Click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page for the audio from The Leonard Lopate Show.
Chuck Sambuchino of The Guide to Literary Agents blogged recently about writing for teenagers and adolescents. He attended a talk given by an agent and an author and shared nine great tips to consider when crafting a novel for middle grade and young adult readers. Check out Chuck’s post here.
Some insights included not starting off a work with a graphic event like a suicide. Hmmm, lesson learned immediately for me. While it might grab the reader’s attention, it may do so in a negative manner, making them put down the book rather than keep reading. I’m gently reminded of agent Nathan Bransford’s warning about too much shock and awe.
To accompany 500+ Things Kids Like, here’s a list of 100+ things that kids don’t consider their favorites. Of course there’s probably some kids out there who drool over asparagus, and those who climb into bed without protest, but in general, this list is filled with things children want to avoid. I hope it helps jump-start your creativity.
-
Anchovies
-
Arguments
-
Asparagus
-
Bats (Disclaimer: my seven-year-old loves bats.)
-
Bedtime
-
Bee Stings
-
Being Grounded (Punished)
- Being Picked Last for a Team
-
Being Unpopular
-
Being Scared
-
Being Sick
-
Being Teased
-
Bleu Cheese
-
Braces
-
Broccoli
-
Brussels Sprouts
-
Bullies
-
Caviar
- Celery
-
Chicken Pox
-
Chores
-
Cleaning up
-
Confessing
-
Copycats
-
Cooties
-
Crushes
- The Dentist
- Detention
-
Divorce
-
Embarrassing Parents
-
Escargot
-
Exams/Tests
-
Failing
- Feeling Left Out
- A Fever
- The Flu
- Fungus
- Getting Cheeks Pinched
-
Giving Up
-
Glasses
- Gorgonzola
- Growing Pains
-
Gum on Their Shoes
-
Haircuts
- Headaches
-
Homework
-
Hot Pepper
-
Lectures
- Lima Beans
-
Long Car Rides
-
Losing
-
Loud Noises
-
Making Their Beds
- Measles
-
Medicine
-
Millipedes
-
Monsters
-
Mosquito Bites
-
Moving
-
Nightcrawlers
-
Not Knowing Another’s Secret
-
Onions
-
Paper Cuts
-
Parsley
-
Pea Soup
-
Pop Quizzes
-
Posing for Portraits
-
Potty Training
-
Quiet
-
Retainers
-
Sharing
-
Shopping/Errands
-
Shots (Vaccinations)
-
Skinned Knees
-
Siblings
-
Sitting Still
-
Smashed Pumpkins
- Speaking in front of the class
-
Spinach
-
Sticky Hands
-
Substitute Teachers
- Sushi
- Talking to Grown-ups
-
Tattle Tales
-
Teacher’s Pets
- Tickle Torture
- Trying Something New
- Tummy Aches
- Turning Off the TV
-
Turtleneck Sweaters
-
Unfamiliar Places
-
Unusual Foods
-
Vice Principals
-
Waiting
-
Walking
-
Washing Their Faces
-
Watching the News
-
Wearing Bike Helmets/Protective Pads
-
Wedgies
-
Winter Hats
- Wool Sweaters
-
Writing Reports
- Younger Siblings Pestering Them
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 