This is the last day of the PB 14:14 Challenge…and although I already posted today, I’m going to add an additional post because I missed one day last week.
This is one of my all-time favorite books…before it was published, the author read it to kids in schools, libraries and children’s hospitals.
Title: The Kissing Hand Continue reading
Woot! Woot!
And how about a Hip Hip Hooray!
It’s Day 14 of Christie Wild’s PB 14:14 Challenge. http://christiewrightwild.blogspot.com/2015/02/day-14-how-big-is-million-patterns.html
And, it’s also Perfect Picture Book Friday. http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2015/02/perfect-picture-book-friday-finding.html
Life can’t get much better!
I’ve been trying to polish a particular picture book manuscript…it’s about a boy who wants to be a cowboy…and it’s in rhyme. Complicated rhyme. Which is hard to do. I’m so reluctant to change it up – into prose or free verse – because, as you know if you are a writer, it’s difficult to ‘kill our darlings’… that is, get rid of something we love or have gotten attached to.
And then I found this book in a library discard pile – a totally fun romp of simple rhyme and active verbs and awesome illustrations – all about a little cowpoke who joins a cattle drive.
So I will be rethinking my own manuscript – and offering this charming picture book as an example of the top ten element of rhyme.
My selection today for Day 13 of Christie Wild’s PB 14:14 is another classic picture book…just can’t help myself!
This one is from 1928… Wanda Gag won the 1929 Newbery Honor Book Award. Ms. Gag pioneered the double page spread in this book, using both pages to move the story forward, putting them together with art that swept across the entire page spread.
Millions of Cats is the oldest American picture book still in print!
And if you are looking for a picture book that showcases patterns, you can stop right here!
Title: Millions of Cats
Author and Illustrator: Wanda Gag
Publisher: Coward McCann (recent editions are Penguin)
Date: 1928
Top Ten Element: Patterns
Opening Lines:
“Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman. They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was. But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.” Continue reading
