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by Jen Fier Jasinski
After only three months and six drafts writing SIDEWALK CHALK, I received a critique from a big-name agent that said: “I’m sorry to say that I am drawing a complete blank on how this might be improved.”
I gasped.
I danced.
I queried that sucker.
I got rejected for another three years and fifteen revisions. Ah, publishing.
SIDEWALK CHALK breaks some rules. The most notable being that the manuscript is mostly illustration notes. That early “unimprovable” draft had only thirty-three words of text… and 691 words of art notes! I am an author-only and have taken many writing courses that (rightfully) advise writers to keep art notes spare, only include those that move the plot forward, and always leave room for the illustrator to add to the story.
So, yeah, 691 words of art notes felt like a risk.
But I didn’t cut them. Actually, I ended up adding more. Why? Because so much of my story idea hung in the art. The characters’ actions, not dialogue, tell this story. The setting foreground and background are integral to the plotline. The weather and chalk pile are near-characters that hold the story’s stakes and tension. In short, those heavy art notes served the story. (Importantly, I became assured of this through additional agent critiques, personalized rejections, and Revise & Resubmit (R&R) requests.)
My story was hitting. My text was not.
SIDEWALK CHALK’s premise has a classic, atmospheric tone. I ultimately realized the text needed to match it. R&Rs made this clear as they encouraged me to build the musicality of the text through more onomatopoeia, then later through internal assonance and alliteration.
Eventually, it worked:
After a box of chalk is plunked on the sidewalk, a shy child watches as neighborhood children come together to—Scribble! Scratch! and Scrawl! – transforming the plain path into a vibrant storyscape. Just as the child finds the courage to join them—Plip! Plop! Splat!—a storm sends them running, threatening their new friendship and their creation.
SIDEWALK CHALK celebrates creativity, collaboration and community.
I am thrilled SIDEWALK CHALK landed in capable, caring hands at Gnome Road Publishing! Illustrator Lea Marie Ravotti has created a precious neighborhood of kids and even though I had heavy notes, I am so impressed with how she added her own spin and sweet style to the story! I am extremely pleased with the ultimate result (60 words of text and 743 words of art notes for those curious,) and I hope readers will be, too.
SIDEWALK CHALK is now available for preorder where most books are sold, for a September 23, 2025 release.
Jen is giving away either a 30-minute AMA virtual session or a copy of the book (winner’s choice) to TWO blog readers! Please leave a comment to enter and two winners will be randomly chosen at the end of the month! Good luck!
Jen Fier Jasinski spent much of her childhood reading books and imagining new worlds. Unwilling to let go of Story Time, she grew up to become a teacher, mother, and author. Now Jen writes stories with elements of humor, heart, and above all, play. She is the author of My Piano (2023), Sidewalk Chalk (2025), My Violin (2026) and Because of You, I’m a Sister (2026). My Piano earned a starred review from School Library Journal.
When she’s not writing, Jen can be found on the sidewalks of Burke, Virginia running or playing with her kids.
by Heidi EY Stemple
My new book begins, The night before play rehearsals began, Janie couldn’t sleep.
It is now just days before my new book comes out, and like Janie, I can’t sleep. Not because I am nervous. Like Janie before the play, I can’t sleep because I am excited! I know. I know. I am not supposed to pick a favorite book. This one is, in fact, my 42nd published book. But, the subject of this book does mean it is just a little more special than the others. But, don’t tell them. I don’t want their feelings hurt! Little Janie grew up to be Jane Yolen—my mom, author of close to 450 books, mostly for children, including the Caldecott winning OWL MOON and the NYT best-selling HOW DO DINOSAURS series. It’s her origin story. It’s about her first big success as a writer. And it’s as true as anyone could write a story about someone who tells stories for a living. So, while I filled in some fuzzy details to make a book, it all hangs on the armature of the stories she has been telling me for years.
While it is clear now that my mom was always going to become a writer, there are many things that happened in her past that helped make that eventuality a reality. Firstly, her parents allowed her free access to all the books in the house. She read widely, even stuff she was too young to understand. She always credits this literary freedom as the beginning of her love of stories—especially fairy tales, adventure stories, anything Arthurian, and Alice In Wonderland. This free access to books also, she says, broadened her vocabulary and made her reach for new and interesting words and language at a very young age.
Another aspect of her early childhood as a writer that was important to add into the story was her teacher, Mrs. Jiler. “She was one of the very best teachers I ever had. She was wonderful. I don’t even think she knew how wonderful she was.” When I asked what made her the best, my mom didn’t hesitate. “She listened to the children. She encouraged us to be smarter and better. I think that how I teach writing now has a lot to do with how Mrs. Jiler ran her classroom. Everyone had a chance to do their very best—to do something great.”
And, wow, did she do something great.
What’s it feel like, trying to honor the woman who is considered America’s Hans Christian Andersen (“Hans Jewish Andersen,” she corrects) with a picture book about her? Daunting. But, it helps that she likes it. In fact, I first read the manuscript to her when she was recovering from surgery. I hadn’t told her I was working on it, so it was a complete surprise. After a page or two, she smiled and said “I’m little Janie!” When I finished, we talked about the details that I had fleshed out from pure imagination. She told me about Mrs. Jiler and more about her neighborhood. She confirmed things and recited all the names of her classmates, some of whom made it into the book. I removed the stuff I made up and added in real facts.
I presented the manuscript to editor Yolanda Scott at Charlesbridge. She seemed to like the idea when I handed it to her (yes—a physical manuscript!) but, recently I asked her what she really thought. I’m not sure I was prepared for her answer! “I thought—oh no—a family anecdote. What are the chances it’s a picture book?” Thankfully, Yo didn’t stop there. “My second thought once I read it: Wow—a family anecdote that makes for a great picture book story about becoming a writer! Written by one accomplished writer in tribute of her accomplished writer-mom! The marketing campaign wrote itself for this one.” This is exactly why I chose Yo as my one and only submission.
On to the revision… The hardest part of writing this book was the revision. My mom has been making me revise my work since I was in elementary school. I am, to be sure, an experienced revisor (revisionist?). I consider it my superpower and lecture on the process. But, in this book, I got stuck. I tried. I worked with Yolanda’s astute notes. I struggled. I made changes. I kicked the wall. I cried. I talked to my friends and critique partners. Then, I did the smart thing—I talked to my mom. I said, “I can’t do it. I don’t think Yo likes the book. I think she is sorry she bought it. She wants an entirely different book.” And my mom said—wise woman that she is—“talk to Yo.”
I emailed Yo and said “I don’t think you like this book. I think you wish you didn’t buy this book.” She called me within 10 minutes. Yo is wise, too. She said to me, “Heidi, this is revision. It’s supposed to be hard. But, this is a book about someone you love, so it’s even harder. I love this book and readers will love this book. You’ll get it.” I love surrounding myself with smart women. After that, I did get it.
When Madelyn Goodnight agreed to illustrate the book, I sent her pictures of my mom and of New York City in the 1940s. I even found a picture of the building my mom lived in. We counted the windows. Yo said of choosing Madelyn as the artist, “Maddie’s art is stunning and we loved her work in Traci Sorell’s Powwow Day. She’s lovely to work with, and I had a feeling she’d bring the historical backdrop of Manhattan in the 1940s to life in way that would engage today’s readers. Maddie is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, and as a publisher I’m committed to bringing Native voices to market, not only for books with Native content. I’m so pleased with the visual look of the book and can’t imagine another art style doing it justice.” See—smart women.
And now it’s a book!
Did I mention I’m excited?
How does my mom feel about this book? It comes out on her birthday, February 11, and we are celebrating with two birthday party book launches—first on pub day at The Silver Unicorn Bookstore (Acton, MA) and then at High Five Books (Florence, MA). I hope she feels honored.
My favorite “Jane-ism” (which is what her students call nuggets of wisdom she spits out without even thinking) is this:
“The storyteller in me asks: what if? And when I try to answer that, a story begins.”
So, what if I wrote a book about my mom as a child…
It’s where her story began and the book begins.
Love you JY!!
~xoxoHeidi
Heidi EY Stemple is giving away a 30-minute AMA session. Leave one comment below to enter!
Good luck!
Heidi didn’t want to be a writer when she grew up. In fact, after she graduated from college, she became a probation officer in Florida. It wasn’t until she was 28 years old that she gave in and joined the family business, publishing her first short story in a book called Famous Writers and Their Kids Write Spooky Stories. The famous writer was her mom, author Jane Yolen. Since then, she has published more than thirty-five books and numerous short stories and poems, mostly for children.
Heidi lives and writes on a big old farm in Massachusetts that she shares with a dozen deer, a family of bears, three coyotes, two bobcats, a gray fox, a red fox, tons of birds, and some very fat groundhogs. Once a year she calls and counts owls for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Find her online at HeidiEYStemple.com and on Instagram @heidieys.
I was appearing at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival in mid-October when a woman walked up and said, “I’m a designer at Penguin Random House and I worked on Flat Cat.”
OMG! I met Opal Roengchai and now you can meet this talented woman, too! Thanks for joining me for this cover reveal, Opal.
It’s really rare for an author to have contact with the art side of the publishing house. So to start off this interview, I’d like to ask you what your title is at Penguin Random House and what your general responsibilities are?
I am a Senior Designer at PRH, working on titles under the PYR-Viking, Flamingo, and Philomel imprints.
(It was cool when I posted pics from the Ludwig Bemelmans Bar on Instagram and you commented that you worked on the Madeline books at PRH!)
Though I predominantly work on picture books and middle grade novels, I have started to design graphic novels as well. I am also the art director on projects, which means I collaborate with illustrators from sketch stage to finished book. We discuss trim size, paper stock, special effects, endpapers, etc. But my real focus is the art: Is the art illustrating the text? Is the layout good when the text is in place? Is the flow of the story working at a good pace? Those are a few of the many things I look at when reviewing the sketches.
So what is your first consideration when you think about the cover of a picture book? Do you offer guidance to the illustrator or do you just let them go for it?
It depends on the situation. I like to give the illustrator the opportunity to share their initial cover sketch ideas, but there are instances where guidance is provided if we and/or the author have a certain vision in mind. In addition, there are times when the illustrator will ask us specifically what we’re looking for and deliver accordingly.
What was that process like for the FLAT CAT: THE CLASS PET?
The cover process usually occurs after the final interior art has been delivered, allowing for possible cover concept inspiration. In this case, there was a piece in the interior that we really loved, and thought represented the story and school theme perfectly. We pulled a piece of spot art from the interior where we see Flat Cat peeking out of Willow’s backpack but had a few notes for Pete since this illustration would be used for the cover.
Essentially, the cover is our opportunity to communicate what the story is about. Being that Flat Cat was our main character, we wanted him to stand out on the cover. So, we asked the illustrator to make Flat Cat more visible as he sneaks out of Willow’s backpack and asked for more school supplies to go with the theme of the story.
Pete supplied a cover sketch that we (the editorial team and design) reviewed and sent off to you (the author) for your notes. We also shared the sketch with Sales and Marketing for any possible feedback. Overall, it’s a very collaborative effort across several departments.
From there, we either ask for further adjustments or go to final cover art. For FLAT CAT: THE CLASS PET, we had one more art comment which was to add some school-related background, which Pete took into consideration and added in the final cover art.
I remember that I wanted the subtitle to be written across the paper airplane!
Oh, yes…the sizing and placement was tricky.
Yep, no one would’ve been able to read the subtitle! This is why I’m not in the art department!
Can we talk about the awesome endpapers?
Pete is so talented and great with doing patterns on endpapers, so we asked him to share his concept and loved what he did. Then you had a great idea of adding one version of Flat Cat doing the peace sign as a little Easter egg.
Because it’s book TWO…and two fingers is also the peace sign! OK, so maybe sometimes I have decent ideas.
Kids really pick up on these details—it was definitely a nice addition to the endpapers. The peace sign version of Flat Cat was my favorite, so I added it to the back cover of the jacket as well. When designing the full jacket, I like to bring in some interior details to make it one cohesive package.
Designing the jacket is my favorite part of book design. I have a blank canvas to play with the design layout of the flaps, spine and back cover. It gives me the chance to add in some visual appeal overall. I like to think of the jacket and interior as a full package, so I’ll pull some interior art spots to front flap. Other than the visual appeal, it helps illustrate the flap copy. When it comes to the back cover, the illustrator may supply new art but depends on their schedule and timing. But in this instance, I pulled the image of Flat Cat holding up a peace sign to play homage to the endpapers and the last line of the book, which is “Smooth moves, Flat Cat.” I like the added connection of it all.
When designing, there are some other things I think about as well. For example, some books will be displayed on a shelf facing out where we see the front cover and other times the spine is facing out instead. Because of that, I really like to add a little décor to the spine to grab the reader’s attention and in this case, I added an image of Flat Cat to sit along with the title treatment.
And the whole package looks as cool as Flat Cat himself! Thanks for all that you did to help bring the book to life, Opal!
So here it is, the cover reveal for FLAT CAT: THE CLASS PET, which is due out on June 17, 2025 from Flamingo Books!
And blog readers, if you pre-order, just let me know below and you will be entered into a giveaway for a Flat Cat peace sign pin and cover magnet. I’ll giveaway 5 of these packages around Thanksgiving.
Smooth moves, Flat Cat (and Opal)!
Illustration from The Very Hungry Caterpillar copyright © 1969 and 1987 by Eric Carle
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art will hold its annual Carle Honor Awards Gala this Thursday, celebrating significant contributions to the picture book. For the past several years, I’ve asked the four Honor recipients a salient question about the current state of the medium. This year I’ve had this on my mind:
Considering the rise of book banning in recent times, can you re-stress the importance of picture books and letting children choose what they read by having unfettered access to all matter of literature?
Uri Shulevitz, Artist Honoree
If I had had books, I would have been the happiest kid alive. But I did not have any. Luckily, what I had was a mother, who told me stories, while we lived in Central Asia during World War II, which you can read about in my book, CHANCE. In those years of terrible hunger due to lack of food, I can say the stories gave me hope and saved my life. Banning books, stories, deprives children of spiritual sustenance.
We Need Diverse Books, Angel Honoree
Represented by Ellen Oh, Co-Founder, CEO & President
My daughter just graduated from college and is now a brand new 2nd grade teacher at a Title 1 school. The first thing we did was build up a library filled with diverse picture books. She was determined that every child that came to her classroom would be able to find a book that represented them. And she marveled at the extraordinary amount of diverse picture books we were able to find for her extremely diverse student body. We talked about how different it was from when she was little. Every day, she gets the pleasure of seeing a child grab a book from her library and hug it tightly, exclaiming “Look Ms. Oh, this book is like me!” As a reading teacher, she knows how challenging her job is, especially now. Fortunately, she is in a county that has not had any book banning or challenges. Her community of parents are supportive of all children and their right to read. I wish this were true for all children across the country but know the harm that is being caused in far too many areas of the country. Book bans are rarely about protecting the children from real harm. They are about controlling morality and power based on the prejudiced beliefs of a self-righteous minority. Which is why books with LGBT+ and BIPOC stories are overwhelmingly challenged and banned. Picture books are a fundamental building block of literacy. When marginalized children don’t see themselves in the books they read, it impacts their ability to read because visual literacy is so important for young readers. It impacts their self-worth when they don’t see themselves in the pages of a book. It impacts all children who don’t learn to recognize the importance of all diverse stories. Book bans harm all children.
KidLitTV, Bridge Honoree
Represented by Julie Gribble, Founder
It’s crucial to emphasize the significance of visual literacy, the positive impact of seeing oneself reflected in the pictures of a book, and the long-term benefits of empowering children to select books that inspire empathy and independence. We can’t afford to underestimate targeted attempts to ban books with LGBTQ+ characters, characters of color, or themes of race and racism.
Here’s what I’d like to contribute to this conversation.
This is a political issue, yet many people refrain from discussing or following politics to prevent confrontation or conflict. However, it’s important to remember that politics will impact you regardless.
Let’s discuss the recent surge in book bans and the reasons behind it.
Sensing a changing demographic led fearlessly by an empathic younger generation who believe in equality, justice, and human rights, extremist right-wing groups are leading the effort to roll back the clock.
As a creator of books that instill kindness and fairness in young readers, you and your books pose a significant threat to an entire political movement. This is a testament to the power of children’s book creators. You’re a force that can shape the future. When these readers grow up, they become voters who are more inclined to challenge right-wing extremism. By limiting the literature available to children, extremist groups are attempting to
control the perspectives and values that young readers are exposed to, thereby influencing their future voting decisions. It’s no coincidence that book bans are often implemented by the same organizations that are restricting voting access.
So, as Michelle Obama says, “Do something.”
Here are a few resources to help us do something:
- Vote!
- From PEN America: 5 Ways to Fight Book Bans
- Do you know when school board elections happen in your state? School boards
play an important role in ensuring students in your schools have access to books, and often have the power to allow or prevent book bans. - Text “READ” to 26797 for more information from Let America Read and to register to vote.
- RESOURCES to Help FIGHT Against BOOK BANS & CENSORSHIP!
- The above post includes a link to this constructive initiative: We Are Stronger Than Censorship. At the center of this campaign is the pledge to distribute over 2,000 inclusive books to areas most affected by censorship, reinforcing the vital role that diverse voices play in promoting understanding and empathy within our communities.
Let’s be fearless in this fight. Speak up and take action.
The Horn Book Inc., Mentor Honoree
Represented by Elissa Gershowitz, Executive Editor
Picture books are usually the first encounters children have with books and reading, ideally setting them on a path to: engagement, enjoyment, escapism, entertainment; creativity, compassion, critical thinking; imagination, empathy, problem-solving, and more. In short: all the reasons readers love to read! The more diverse the books, the more diverse the readers, the greater chance a young person will feel seen and understood and will be open to the experiences of others (Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s classic “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” analogy). All young people deserve to find their books–the ones that speak to them and keep them turning pages. (Or they can put a book down–that’s fine too!)
Many thanks to The 2024 Carle Honor recipients and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for inspiring creators and readers of all ages.
For more info about the museum and its mission, please visit CarleMuseum.org.
Often I write a picture book without any idea of what my characters might look like, and sometimes I don’t even know WHAT they are. Are they even human?
Nope. I prefer non-humans. Monsters, aliens, purple orangutans—I feel they have more freedom in their actions than mere mortals. And that gives me more freedom, too.
Such was the case with my upcoming title, PARTY ANIMALS, illustrated by the talented Anna Raff. I asked Anna about this blank canvas I dropped onto her drafting table.
Anna, when I wrote PARTY ANIMALS, I didn’t specify what kind of animals were having a party! How did you decide upon each character’s species?
What a fun question to start with!
I had a few things in mind at the very beginning of my sketch process. Primarily, I was thinking about your wonderful text and the personalities it brought to mind. For instance, Horace—our party pooper—needed to be a stern, no-nonsense kind of guy. At first I thought he might be a mule, since he’s a bit stubborn, too. Then I started to think about scale and how funny a vast difference in size would be between the chaotic partying animals and poor Horace cowering in the corner amidst the mayhem. So I decided he should be the smallest and chose a rat—I have a history of drawing rats—knowing he might also have a pink tail. To me, that flash of pink says maybe he’s not such a big ol’ grouch after all? Our wonderful editor, Sylvie Frank, gave me the idea of giving him a toothpick walking stick, which adds even more clues to his inner character.
In addition to scale, for the other animals I was thinking about what their area of partying expertise would be. Beatrix, the elephant chef, cooks all the wacky foods for each celebration. I thought having a trunk would be helpful for her in the kitchen. Who among us home chefs hasn’t wished for an extra hand? And to be honest, I really just love drawing elephant ears.
And love of drawing is what brought me to the other two animal species: Theodore, the cat, and Phoebe…who I think is a dog?…even I’m not entirely sure! One of the things I learned in from my mentor, Marshall Arisman, is something I try to instill in my own students. You have to ask yourself, “What do I want to draw?” If you answer honestly, you end up having a much better time in the process, rather than thinking about outside influences. As with elephant ears, I love drawing dogs and cats. I also thought it might be fun for readers to imagine their own pet cat being really into crafts and decorating, and a “dog” who was also a great virtuoso/DJ!
You’ve packed a whole lot of goodies into the illustrations: little hidden gems! Do you want to reveal one or two of your favorites?
Another great question! Some people call them “carrots”.
During the-milk-has-gone-sour party, Beatrix is holding a 1960s edition of the Betty Crocker Cook Book (the space in between “cook” and “book” is not a typo!), the source of many of my family’s favorite dessert recipes when I was a kid. In fact, I just used it to bake my dad a strawberry-rhubarb pie for Father’s Day.
Another detail that was fun was switching the fabric patterns and imagery on the Party Animals’ clothing to match each party theme. Oh…and all the wacky bakes! I think the pincushion cake is my favorite.
What were some of your intentions when designing and illustrating the cover of PARTY ANIMALS?
Primarily, I wanted to emphasize each animals’ party energy, whether it be super-duper party-er or party-pooper, so readers would know what they’re in for. We’ve got the three partying animals in front, each exhibiting their party expertise, while Horace is up top amongst the balloons, acting all judgey.
At first, I had Beatrix holding up one of her more obscure bakes, the brain cake from the thinking party. But our editor and art director thought that might be a little misleading / too specific. At the time, they also mentioned the addition of the tagline, so when I was replacing the cake, that seemed like a great place for more lettering.
I knew early on that the title type needed to be prominent, in balloon lettering…you know, to scream PAR-TAY! The fact there we’re doing a second book drove my decision making, too. Before becoming an illustrator, I was a designer and art director and tapped into a few of those skills to really fine-tune the lettering, so it would feel like part of a series. That also helped with the lettering for Bea’s layer cake.
And then for the case cover, Joann had the idea of showing the aftermath of the fantabulous party on the jacket, with Horace sweeping up while the other animals crash in a sleepy heap. I played around with the lighting in the final art too, to contrast against the warm, splashy lighting of the jacket.
Thank you for all the fun, Anna!
And now here is the cover reveal for PARTY ANIMALS, releasing March 11, 2025 from Disney*Hyperion!
PARTY ANIMALS is available for pre-order anywhere, but if you’d like me to sign and personalize your copy, I’d be grateful if you placed an order via my local indie, The Bookworm, whose longtime owner passed away recently. We want to keep the store in Bernardsville, NJ running after 40 years of serving the community! You can call them at 908-766-4599.
Anna will sign copies ordered via Books of Wonder.
And now the givey! Comment below with what you like most about the cover and a random winner will be selected on August 1. That winner will receive a signed spread (by me, Tara Lazar) from the F&G (printed proof) of PARTY ANIMALS!
Good luck!
by Ronni Diamondstein
Writing JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED was a journey and a labor of love. I was eight years old when John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. Jackie did so much to change the role of the First Lady. I remember Jackie for the White House restoration and especially how she led the country in mourning her husband when he was assassinated in 1963.
I was always fascinated by her style and grace and admired her for becoming a book editor. After she passed away, I had an idea for a novel about her and started researching her and interviewing people who knew her. I interviewed Ted Sorenson, President Kennedy’s speech writer and counsel and had a correspondence with her cousin, John Davis.
When I spoke to Margot Datz, the illustrator of Carly Simon’s children’s books that Jackie edited, she suggested that I write a children’s book. I then wrote a long chapter book that got no traction. There were several adult books written about Jackie as an editor that I read. Having researched her for decades, I knew that she loved to read as a child and saw how books influenced her life. It was something that I had in common with her.
Then about five years ago, I thought about how reading and writing were a thread through her life. I knew that picture books bios were a great genre and began to work on this book. Emma Walton Hamilton once said, “I think you have to have a personal connection, and that’s what I am always looking to try to create: a personal way into a story.” I knew this was the story about Jackie that I wanted to tell.
I was thrilled when I signed a contract with Sky Pony Press in August 2022. JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED is my first book and I feel very fortunate to have worked with my editor Nicole Frail. It was a collaborative relationship. We were very much in sync regarding the revisions that needed to be made. The original manuscript was much longer and in collaboration with Nicole, the extra material was incorporated into my author’s note, back matter and a timeline.
In order to include the poem “Sea Joy” that Jackie had written when she was 10 years old, I needed permission to reprint it. I contacted her daughter, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy in Australia and two days later I heard from the Executive Director of the Kennedy Foundation that Ambassador Kennedy was happy to give me permission. I was thrilled and thought that I hope this makes Caroline Kennedy happy to know that a new generation will learn about her mother and read her poetry.
I also had included a lot of books Jackie read as a child and authors Jackie worked with and titles in the narrative. When we started to edit it, most were moved to the author’s note. And Bats Langley included them in the illustrations which was wonderful! Interestingly, at a sales presentation the team asked about references to the books that either Jackie read or edited. We already had some titles she read in the author’s note, so we decided to include a list of books. Narrowing it down to 18 titles was a taunting task; she edited nearly 100 books!
I was very lucky to be involved in the illustration process from a say in the choice of the illustrator to collaborating with him on the art. I gave illustration notes to my editor, but since I have quite an extensive collection of books about Jackie and the Kennedys with great photographs, I was very much involved with the illustrations. I shared many photographs with Bats. For example, the horse statue on the cover is just like the statue she had on her piano in her New York apartment.
One day Bats asked what Jackie’s favorite birthday cake was. Of course, I had a book called “Cooking with Madam” in my collection so I could send him pictures of Jackie’s birthday cake that you’ll find in our book!
I even had a say in the endpaper design! I love quotes and had many of Jackie’s quotes that I wanted included that couldn’t fit in the narrative so I suggested we use them on the endpapers. I knew her personal stationery was powder blue, so that was the color we chose for the endpapers.
I was also very fortunate to have a virtual book launch with the Chappaqua Library Children’s Room, my local library, and I was honored to be invited by the First Ladies Library to do a virtual “Legacy Lecture” about the book.
Jackie said, “If you produce one book, you will have done something wonderful in your life.” I hope I have done this. It truly has been an adventure!
You have done it, Ronni!
Thank you for sharing the story of your book’s creation.
Blog readers, you can win a signed copy of JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED.
Leave one comment below to enter.
A random winner will be selected in January. Good luck!
Ronni Diamondstein has spent her life surrounded by books and immersed in the world of children’s literature. An avid reader since childhood, libraries, books, and writing have been her life’s work. As a school library media specialist and teacher in the United States and abroad, Ronni has nurtured her students’ creativity by sharing her love of reading with them. She is also a freelance journalist and have published many articles and my dog Maggie Mae Pup Reporter had a column in a local magazine. She has always been fascinated by Jackie Kennedy’s love of books and her career as an editor and was inspired to tell her story. Ronni lives in Chappaqua, New York, with her toy poodle Maggie Mae. Visit her at RonniDiamondstein.com and follow her on Instagram @maggiemaepupreporter and BlueSky @ronnidiamondstein.bsky.social. Personalized, signed copies are available from Scattered Books, Chappaqua, NY.
I love wordplay, and after I featured THE THINGITY-JIG by Kathy Doherty and Kristyna Littten here, I was thrilled to learn about their fun follow-up, THE TWIST-A-ROO! (Which is of course what a child would call a kaleidoscope, because what child can even pronounce “kaleidoscope”?) More wordplay and imagination—sign me up!
Kathy, this blog focuses a lot on inspiration for picture books. Where did this story idea originate?
My Peachtree editor wanted a companion book to THE THINGITY-JIG. We talked about another book STEAM- related based on a fable or folktale. We agreed upon a badger for the main character. Then I checked out all the fable/folktale books from the library. I poked around Pinterest for STEAM ideas and came upon a kaleidoscope. I knew that would make a gorgeous picture book. After searching through the books, an idea popped to put a modern twist on The Ant and the Grasshopper using a badger who was so obsessed with a kaleidoscope that he wasn’t preparing for winter.
Peachtree even provided an activity sheet on how to make a kaleidocope.
Oh, and here I was so obsessed with the kaleidoscope and the luminous illustrations by Kristyna Litten that I didn’t even realize the story featured STEAM elements! But I did recognize your delightful wordplay that extended beyond the title. Have you always been a wordplay lover? How did you develop that skill?
What’s STEAM-related is the use of patterns and shapes in art.
As a former classroom teacher, I read to students every day. I especially enjoyed reading THE BFG by Roald Dahl. My students would laugh themselves silly. I loved Dahl’s made up words such as: snozzcumbers, whizzpoppers, and frobscottle.
I think most picture book authors are playful. I don’t always do adulting well. At family parties, I’m the one who wants to sit at the kids’ table. Making up and silly sounds and words comes naturally. What also helps is using words with letters that have explosive sounds. These letters make sounds that explode off your lips and are funny: B, hard C, D, hard G, K, P, and T. That’s why underpants is funnier than underwear.
Wow, I never stopped to realize why that’s so! Thanks for the tip!
Some of the wordplay in THE TWIST-A-ROO makes use of these explosive sounds: “turny, twisty, tantalizing thing”… “skippy-doodled”…”wiggly, jiggly, gemmy shapes”.
When I’m writing, I like to keep my mind free of any images, because I don’t know what the illustrator is going to do… Most of the time I don’t even know who the illustrator is yet! However, you’ve worked with Kristyna Litten before. Did you have any inkling about how gorgeous she would make badger’s world? What about her approach surprised you?
Kristyna Litten is soooo talented! She draws quickly to give an energetic line quality to her illustrations, sometimes adding color and textures digitally. She’s written and illustrated many books. Her clients include Gucci, National Geographic, and Aardman Animations. I know her work well. So I knew our book would be gorgeous, but I had no idea how gorgeous! Her whimsical illustrations match the text beautifully.
I bought a kaleidoscope to use as I wrote the book. Whenever I looked through it, I saw repeated patterns with many triangular shapes. But I didn’t think Kristyna would stick with symmetrical kaleidoscope images. And I was right! She mixed and mingled shapes asymmetrically splashing them across the page. This was the first review we received from Foreword Reviews: “Bright pinks and yellows jump out from moody teal backdrops that evoke the chill of winter.”
Speaking of bright pinks, can you talk about the end papers? Why are they monochromatic?
Kristyna said it’s actually both an aesthetic and technical decision. It was a design/print request to only use one color plate. So she decided on the bright pink to compliment all the blues throughout the book. She wanted something fun and different on the endpapers…a pop of color and pattern. But nothing that would distract too much from the rest of the book.
I think the pink ends provide a sense of warmth amid the wintry setting.
What do you want children to take away after reading the book?
I want kids to recognize what it’s like to have caring, sharing friends. Badger’s friends come to his aid during a snowstorm…and in return, he helps them shake the winter blues. I hope kids will feel the warmth of community as the animals come together for the common good. Also, I’d like kids to realize there is a time for work and a time for play.
Kathy, I truly love the book and thank you for sharing it with us today!
Blog readers, you can win a copy of THE TWIST-A-ROO!
Just leave a comment below and a random winner will be selected at the end of the month!
Good luck!
The winners of the past few giveaways are:
lynjekowsky, GRIEF IS AN ELEPHANT
Evelyn B, IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN!
Cathy Lentes, MOSSY AND TWEED; Annette Schottenfeld, KITTY AND CAT
Megan Woodward, Melissa Trempe critique
Kathleen loves bringing kids and quality literature together. She’s a reading specialist and an educational specialist in curriculum and instruction. She’s written standardized test items for Pearson Inc. in alignment with the Common Core Standards. Her love of learning has led her to graduate from four different universities.
Kathleen has taught elementary school for over 30 years. She was first published in TIME Magazine with a letter to the editor about Charles Schulz. Her work has also appeared in The Mailbox, Spider Magazine, Highlights Hello, Highlights High Five, and Highlights for Children. She’s won the Highlights Pewter Plate Award, the Highlights Celebrate National Poetry contest, and a letter of merit from SCBWI’s Magazine Merit Competition. Visit her online at kathleendohertyauthor.com.
Kristyna Litten has written and illustrated several books for children as well as created artwork for book covers and magazines. She lives in Yorkshire, England. Follow her at Instagram.com/kristynalitten.
by Melissa Trempe
Thank you, Tara, for hosting me today to share the cover and backstory of my debut picture book LADYBUG LAUNCH: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY OF CHINITAS IN SPACE. It’s a story about a little chica from Chile who dreams of becoming a scientist and a chinita (ladybug) who dreams of flying to the stars. Their dreams seem out of reach, but when they refuse to give up, anything is possible. The story is based on true events and inspired by my coauthor’s high school experience. Back in 1999, Natalia Ojeda, along with her all-girls science class, convinced NASA to send their ladybug experiment to space.
Co-author Natalia Ojeda and her daughters.
When the Universe Sends You an Idea, LISTEN!
It was 2020, and I was turning 40. When the world is shut down, how can one properly celebrate a momentous birthday? By taking a writing retreat to The Highlight’s Foundation, of course! So, there I was in cabin 15 researching insects for a humorous picture book manuscript, when something caught my eye.
Ladybugs had been to space!
Thanks to my years of participating in Tara Lazar’s Storystorm, I knew to take note! This was a picture book waiting to happen, but I had to tuck the idea away because I was busy with another project. The universe did not appreciate that decision. In the weeks that followed, I found ladybug after ladybug in my house. Then one landed on my hand! The universe was telling me to get moving, and I was finally ready to listen.
I’m so glad I snapped this picture of that pivotal moment!
So, I got to work, and drafted a humorous story about a ladybug engineer trying to build a rocket for space. I’m a sucker for backmatter, so I started digging around the internet to learn about the real space-traveling ladybugs.
I eventually discovered that the scientist behind the experiment was an all-girls class from a modest school in Santiago, Chile…You could have knocked me out of my seat with a gentle breeze! I was shocked. And the more I read, the more inspired I became.
Timing is Everything
An article celebrating the 20th anniversary of the launch had just been published in Chile one month before I had gotten the ladybug idea. What timing! Thanks to Google translate, I read quotes from the students (now grown women) who worked on the project. They all shared one common theme: this experience changed their lives.
Attending a university was not common in Chile, and many of the girls were from modest backgrounds. College and prestigious careers felt out of reach. Yet if they could work with NASA in high school, what else was possible?
Out of this small group of students, many of them became first generation college graduates with careers in medicine, law, psychology, engineering, science, and education.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
I scrapped my fictional ladybug manuscript and started rewriting. Now my story was about a very real class of determined Chilean girls!
Finding My Coauthor & Agent
For days on end, I scoured Facebook for the names and faces of the women in the 20th anniversary article. Fate and a bit of ladybug luck led me to find Dr. Natalia Ojeda. She was excited to tell their story and share with the world that little people can do big things, even when the odds are against them!
Melissa and Natalia meet on Zoom.
Natalia ready to help her patients in Chile.
Thanks to San Diego’s SCBWI Mayfest, I had a critique with Karen Grencik from Red Fox Literary. Luckily, I also got a 10-minute Zoom with Karen. Instead of discussing the manuscript she’d critiqued, I told her about Natalia, her amazing classmates, and ladybugs in space. Without even seeing the manuscript, Karen said, “I can sell that story. Send it to me!”
Sometimes a Story Just Isn’t Ready . . . But NEVER GIVE UP!
There was one problem. I had only been working on the manuscript for five months. It was a baby and needed work. Karen thought it was ready to go and off it flew into editors’ inboxes. For eight months, rejections trickled in. For eight months, I kept revising. I sent revisions to Natalia, and we had my poor critique partners read the story again and again and again.
Month after month, I felt the story getting stronger. In January of 2022, I had that tingly feeling that THIS was the story, and THIS was the way it needed to be told.
Our agent was ready to start round two of submissions and we gave her the new version of LADYBUG LAUNCH. Off it flew into editors’ inboxes. Within 24 hours we had interest, and within seven days we had two offers! I was in the waiting room of an appointment when Simon & Schuster’s offer came in. I ran outside, video calling Natalia and crying!
As our manuscript continued to transform, I found dozens of ladybug pupae attached to the tree outside my kitchen transforming into adult ladybugs!
ARE YOU READY FOR A COVER REVEAL?
Illustrator Manuela Montoya created the beautiful art to help tell this inspirational story!
HERE WE GO . . .
Available for PREORDER! (Book birthday—April 16, 2024.)
Isn’t the cover lovely? Please add LADYBUG LAUNCH to your must-read list, and I hope it inspires a little person in your life to follow their dreams!
Lastly, a BIG THANK YOU TO TARA for having me today! She’s the queen of kid lit comedy and an example for us all to follow. Thank you for featuring LADYBUG LAUNCH today!
Blog readers, Melissa is giving away a picture book or chapter book critique of the first 1,000 words (fiction or nonfiction, prose or verse—no art please.)
To enter leave one comment below. A random winner will be selected in December!
Good luck!
Melissa Trempe has swum with sharks and hiked a volcano, but her greatest adventure is writing. She taught fifth and sixth grade for fourteen years, before taking a leap of faith to be a full-time author and mom extraordinaire. If you’re in need of a critique or author visit for your school, she would love to do both! Visit her website for more information at MelissaTrempe.com. Connect with her on Instagram @melissatrempe.author.
Natalia Ojeda grew up in a simple home in the southernmost country of the world: Chile. Her family had few resources, yet her faith, determination, and experience in the ladybug project helped her to overcome the odds and achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. As a mother of four girls, she wants to share her story of strength and hope with children around the world.
Manuela Montoya was born in Medellín, Columbia. She studied graphic design and advertising in her hometown and art direction in Barcelona, Spain, where she now lives. She loves working with gouache, colored pencils, ink, and digital media. Learn more at ManuMontoya.com.
Images provided by Melissa Trempe, Natalia Ojeda, Manuela Montoya, and Margaret K. McElderry of S&S.
by Mirka Hokkanen
Before we get into the post, I wanted to say thank you for having me, Tara! I’m excited to be back, after my Storystorm post from January.
I launched my first book, MOSSY AND TWEED: Crazy for Coconuts soon after my January post, and have since then launched my second picture book KITTY AND CAT: Opposites Attract, with sequels for each book coming out this month!
In this post I thought I’d answer some questions about creating series and how I manage working on multiple books at the same time. (I also have a third series debuting Feb 2024, that I have been working on alongside these first two.)
Let me give a quick rundown of the series that I’m working on, so we have a point of reference for the rest of the post:
MOSSY AND TWEED: Early reader graphic novels. 4-8 years. Feature two gnomes who have adventures in a forest setting with a cast of animals and magical creatures. Published by Holiday House. Slapstick fun and adventure, easy to read, great for reluctant readers.
KITTY AND CAT: Concept picture books. 2-5 years. Features grumpy Cat and energetic Kitty, doing what cats do best all while teaching us basic concepts like shapes and opposites. Published by Candlewick. Lots of giggles to be had, invites multiple readings, sparse text, lots of story packed into illustrations.
LITTLE SEASONS: Nonfiction picture books. 2-6 years. Funny and informative books about life cycles in nature for little backyard explorers. Published by Odd Dot. Fun, engaging, clear & informative text and illustrations, lots of backmatter for further exploration, works with school STEM curriculum.
How did you create your book series?
I don’t purposefully go in search of series ideas, but all of them turned into series fairly early into their creation. I think for a book to have series potential, it needs to have a strong central character (or characters) with interesting/flawed personalities, so that we can see them in different adventures, and there’s room left for personal growth (think Piggy and Elephant, Olivia, Grumpy Monkey). Or, a series can also evolve around a strong theme, like the Questioneers by Andrea Beaty. All my series fit into one or both of these categories.
I had the idea for MOSSY AND TWEED first. It was a picture book idea, but I didn’t develop it right away, and it sat in my notebook while I had the idea for KITTY AND CAT: Opposites Attract. KITTY AND CAT started out as a funny concept book about opposites with adult cats, but once I decided to add the friendship storyline of a cat and a kitten for depth, and the book became more fleshed out, I felt like one book wasn’t enough from a reader’s point of view. My experience as a reader was, if I find a great concept book for my toddler that we both enjoy reading, with fun characters, I want to learn all the concepts with my kid through these books. So it was a natural progression to create a series with different concepts. When my agent pitched the series, I had a series of four books done, of which two got picked up and we hope that there is a possibility for two or more in the near future.
Once KITTY AND CAT was out on submission and we were waiting on contracts, I pulled Mossy and Tweed out. The book turned from a picture book into a graphic novel and if I remember it was almost ready to pitch when my agent mentioned that it had series potential and we should pitch it as a series.
For the pitch, we had a complete pitch packet with script, dummy etc for MOSSY AND TWEED: Crazy for Coconuts, and then I came up with around five extra story ideas for potential series sequels that were written as brief paragraph summaries.
While I was working on MOSSY AND TWEED, an idea for a book series about different kinds of life cycles that we find in our backyards was bubbling in my head. It came to me more as a series idea, because I was really excited about it and my mind couldn’t help but bounce around to all the possibilities like tadpoles, caterpillars, seeds etc. I love finding interesting facts about things around me and learning new things, and felt like there was a gap in age appropriate nonfiction books about nature that I could read with my (then) 3-year old.
While I was working on the garden cycles idea, and formulating it into a book dummy to pitch, I was working on KITTY AND CAT books, and we pitched, and sold MOSSY AND TWEED books. We pitched the backyard books as a series, but instead of picking butterflies and tadpoles, my editor wanted to go the route of seasons and plants, so we went with seeds from the original pitch and added leaves into the contract.
How did you manage your time working on several book series with different publishers at the same time?
The three book series sold within a year and a half of each other so I had books in various states of completion by the time we signed the last one. As we were negotiating the last contracts, I thought about how much time I needed for each book and we negotiated deadlines so I could slot and finish each book on time. Each deadline had some leeway to extend in case things got tight, and each editor was aware that I had other book commitments at the same time.
I also have three small kids, and in case someone fell and broke their arm or got sick and had to stay home for several weeks, I wanted to make sure that there was wiggle room for emergencies and the unexpected.
My general tactic was to be aware of my deadlines, and slot books around each other. I not only had multiple stages of illustrations going on, but also needed to develop manuscripts. Two of the sequels hadn’t been written when we signed the contract, so I had to write the books before I could start illustrating them. I had a little piece of paper next to my desk with due dates for each book and when things were the most hectic, I kept an Excel sheet of book pages that had checkboxes for when manuscripts, loose sketches, final sketches, and finals were finished and turned in.
Publishing moves sloooow and editors and art directors have many books on their plate. After you turn something in for feedback, it might take months before you hear back. So that would be my time to grab the next book in line and work on a different phase of something else.
I can concentrate and work most efficiently if I work in blocks of time. So I would give myself a deadline to finish something, and then work as hard as I could to meet that deadline, turn that in, and then move onto something else for the next period of time. You have to be self motivated to set and meet those deadlines, and keep things moving along. The bonus was that I could then also communicate those timelines to my editors, so they knew when to expect things from me. And hopefully it would make their job easier and less stressful.
Things were more challenging in the beginning as I was new to publishing, getting to know each publishing team and how they work. Some of them respond quickly and some of them can take months. By the time we got to the second book for each series, it was a bit easier to foresee how long each stage was going to take with each editor and how much time I could slot to work on something else before I could expect to hear back from them.
I think what surprised me a lot was how flexible the deadlines were in the end. We had set deadlines in the contracts, but in a few cases, the publishing team took a very long time to respond and turn around revisions, and projects stretched for months and months with no new deadline set. It made me very unsure in the beginning, because I didn’t know what the expectations were of me when we missed a deadline. Now I know my editors and just roll with it, and do my best to turn things in as quickly as I can when it’s my turn. But even when feedback was taking months, there were so many projects underway, that I’ve never had to wonder what I’m going to do on a given week.
Closing thoughts…
I feel incredibly lucky to have worked on all these books. My life has been crazy trying to balance it all and I haven’t had a ton of time for creativity outside of trying to finish them up (and book promotions for when they come out). We are just now polishing off the last of the six books with one last round of tweaks (fingers crossed). We haven’t signed for more books in any of the series, but I hope if the books sell well, we’ll have good news in the future.
In the meantime, I have another book to illustrate, and with the new time that is finally opening up on my plate next year I hope to catch my breath and look forward to developing new idea seeds into blossoming book trees. Hooray for Storystorm sweeping in at the perfect time to water those seeds in January!
Congratulations on all your books, Mirka!
Blog readers, Mirka is giving away a copy of each of her new books: MOSSY and TWEED: DOUBLE TROUBLE and KITTY AND CAT: BENT OUT OF SHAPE (US addresses only).
Just leave one comment below to enter and two random winners will be selected at the end of the month.
Mirka Hokkanen is an author and illustrator who loves creating quirky characters. When not writing or illustrating, Mirka loves to knit, sew, be outdoors, make art and hang out with her family. Mirka is also a teacher on Skillshare, a licensing illustrator and a printmaker. Find her online at Mirkah.com. Mirka is posting free downloadable activity and coloring pages for her books around launch days. Find them under the Books tab in the menu on her website. And she is currently hosting a 30-day drawing tutorial series on all her social media channels to celebrate the launch of MOSSY AND TWEED and KITTY AND CAT sequels. You can find all the videos in her playlist at https://bit.ly/drawwithmirka.
It’s my 13th book so maybe I just got lazy, but I neglected to blog about my latest release, FLAT CAT.
One chilly winter night during the pandemic, I heard a loud MEOW! at our back door. I drew the curtains to find an adorable black cat. When I opened the door to put out a can of tuna, the cat slipped past me and into our house…and she never left. Smooth moves! That’s how I got the idea for the slick, sly character of FLAT CAT. Yep, FLAT CAT is based on our girl Phoebe, who is NOT AT ALL FLAT.
(OK, that’s not the most flattering angle.)
Flat Cat was born flat. He wasn’t squashed by an out-of-control ice cream truck, or smushed in a waffle iron. He was just flat. This slick, sly cat could stray and roam anywhere he pleased, keen and unseen. And wouldn’t you know it, Flat Cat liked it just like that.
That is until one day, when Flat Cat accidentally fell splish-splosh right in the wash. And when he emerged from the dryer, Flat Cat wasn’t flat at all. He was adorably puffy and downright fluffy! And Flat Cat wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
From acclaimed author Tara Lazar and brought to life by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Pete Oswald, this is a hilariously quirky and irreverent story.
I know many of you are looking forward to Storystorm in January 2024, and one of my best tips for coming up with story ideas is exactly how this book materialized: from daily life. Sure, it’s not exactly the same tale, or tail, but the spirit of FLAT CAT emerged from our family’s impromptu feline adoption.
I hope you’ll check out FLAT CAT and the activities, ask for it at your library or school, write a review, or tell a friend about it. Any way you can help get the word out would be greatly appreciated!
Now speaking of Storystorm, I have received so many inquiries from folks who want to be guest bloggers that there’s no way I can actually choose. So I have to do something a little differently this year…ask y’all to fill out a short application. This way I can collect everything in one place and randomly select bloggers. Your actual pitch for the blog post is still required, though, so I can avoid any potentially redundant posts.
I also ask that if you guest blogged in 2022 or 2023 that you refrain from applying this year so I can welcome new guests.
The Storystorm Guest Blogger Application is here, and you have until November 26 to fill it out. Guest bloggers will be notified in early December.
Now go make some smooth moves!
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 