Welcome, everyone! Thank you for your patience. There were SO MANY Fabulous entries…586 total. I and my amazing judges had a very tough time choosing ONLY 65 prize winners. And honestly, we would have loved to give EVERY story an Honorable Mention. Perhaps it sounds corny…but it’s true. ALL of you who participated deserve KUDOS – you WROTE, you REVISED, you SUBMITTED…and that’s what this path to publication is all about! If your name isn’t in the prize winner’s circle or on the Honorable Mention lists, please know that there were elements of your submission that we loved…GREAT TITLES…Opening Lines that hooked us…wonderful Pacing, Lyrical Language, Heart and Humor…and often, an ending that grabbed our hearts or made us roll on the floor with laughter. But the stories that made it into the Prize Winner’s Circle had ALL of those elements – at least according to us judges.
Let me give you a peek into how we chose the prize winners and Honorable Mentions. Just like our writing journey, it’s a process. Maria Marshall and I read ALL of the stories. The other six judges read alternating sections of 20. And so, for the first round, Maria and I read 586 (and Maria kindly read hundreds of them to me because after reading 200, my blurry vision gave out)…and the other six judges each read about 100/ For every 20 stories, I asked the judges to indicate 3 favorites…possible prize winning stories. Then Maria created a Google doc with ALL of the judges favorites…a total of over 200 entries…and then each judge got to choose their favorite 65. If an entry has 8 jnitials next to it, it means that ALL the judges loved it. ..and it is going to rise to the top of the list. Stories that have 7 judge initials follow…and so on. And once we’ve determined the 65 prize winning stories, the rest on that original judge favorite list become the Honorable Mentions. So, you can see that MANY of the other entries might have gotten judge love, but not enough to make the round one list. BELIEVE ME…there are real books in those entries as well. Remember that Federico Erebia entered in 2021 and didn’t win a prize or receive an Honorable Mention, yet he took that 50 word entry and expanded it into a 50,000 word YA novel, PEDRO & DANIEL, that published in 2023 from Levine-Querido to great acclaim and accolades.
Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends! Today’s author is a wonderful kid lit friend of mine…and we are both part of the New England SCBWI chapter. I love her books…and she has graciously offered a choice to whoever wins the giveaway: either a copy of JOAN MITCHELL PAINTS A SYMPHONY or a Picture Book Critique (nonrhyming under 600 words). So, please make sure you leave a comment.
JOAN MITCHELL PAINTS A SYMPHONY: LA GRANDE VALLÉE SUITE
Written by Lisa Rogers
Illustrated by Stacy Innerst
Published by Calkins Creek/Astra (February 25, 2025)
Synopsis: Celebrate the creative process of pioneering American abstract painter Joan Mitchell in this beautifully illustrated STEAM picture book, perfect for all kinds of young creators.
It’s 1983, and American artist Joan Mitchell is in her studio outside Paris, transforming her emotions and memories into a symphony of colors and shapes. Inspired by her friend’s description of an idyllic hidden valley in France, Mitchell creates 21 massive paintings—her Grande Vallée series —bursting with vibrant, energizing hues. But she doesn’t paint the valley’s flowers and meadows. She paints a feeling about them—abundance, freedom, liveliness—creating a harmonious blend of drips, splashes, and brushstrokes in rainbow colors. When the paint dries, it’s time to share her valley with the world.
This inspiring, poetic picture book about an influential yet lesser-known American artist provides a snapshot of a creator who deserves as much acclaim as better-known Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock or Willem de Kooning. Author Lisa Rogers shares both the despair and delight Mitchell experienced throughout her career, while acclaimed illustrator Stacy Innerst’s bright artwork captures the movement and energy of Mitchell’s work, as her paintings develop from page to page.
Celebrate the creative process of pioneering American abstract painter Joan Mitchell in this beautifully illustrated STEAM picture book, perfect for all kinds of young creators.
From Astra: Celebrate the creative process of pioneering American abstract painter Joan Mitchell in this beautifully illustrated STEAM picture book, perfect for all kinds of young creator
Why I Love This Book 1. I love books that celebrate creativity! 2. I love books where the text and art work so perfectly together! 3. I love books filled with glorious illustrations – how wonderful for kids to see Joan Mitchell’s abstract paintings come to life in these pages!
I was chatting with Lisa and mentioned that we all love to hear about the path to publication for our Perfect Picture Book Friday books…and she graciously stopped by. ME: Welcome, Lisa! Can you share a bit about why you wrote this story and how it came about?
LISA: Thank you so much for featuring JOAN MITCHELL PAINTS A SYMPHONY, Vivian. I’m thrilled to share about the spark for this book!
Since childhood, I’ve loved poring over paintings – from illustrations in my poetry and folktale books to the art in museums. I’m fascinated by how each individual brings something unique to their art, and how that act of personal creation can speak to others.
I didn’t know much about Joan Mitchell’s art when I was researching her life and work for my book DISCOVER HER ART: WOMEN ARTISTS AND THEIR MASTERPIECES. I read an essay about her inspiration for a series of 21 monumental paintings – a special valley in France that was a safe place for Mitchell’s dear friend and composer Gisèle Barreau. Mitchell became entranced with the idea of this valley. She began creating enormous abstract paintings using her own memories and emotions of places, people, poetry, and music that she loved—and even her dogs, who lounged in her studio while she painted!
I’ve long been interested in what sparks creativity, and in this book I focused on Mitchell’s process. I viewed a retrospective at the Baltimore Museum of Art that included some of her Grande Vallée paintings, and even after the manuscript was finished I went to New York to see another exhibition. Each time, I was struck by the beauty and power of her energetic brushwork and brilliant color palette.
Illustrator Stacy Innerst studied Joan Mitchell’s work while he was in art school, and he used acrylic paint to create the glorious illustrations in the book. You can almost feel the texture of the paint he used. The brilliant color jumps off the page. I love that he chose to end the book with an image of two children taking in a Mitchell painting. I hope that young readers take the time to not only study the illustrations but seek out Mitchell’s paintings in museums or online.
I have been awed by the power of abstract art—and I hope young readers will feel that power, too.
ME: WOW…thank you so much, Lisa. I loved hearing your path to publication for this book. And thank you for providing the painting activity! It’s a great way for readers to create their own abstract art!
RELATED ACTIVITY:
Paint like Joan Mitchell!
Inside spread from book: Text by Lisa Rogers and art by Stacy Innerst
Materials: Paper bags, cut and unfolded to the largest possible size, or large pieces of watercolor or drawing paper.
Acrylic or watercolor paint or pastels, markers, crayons, paint pens –whatever is on hand.
Large brushes
List of emotions. Some examples: happiness, sadness, excitement, calmness, love. Add your own emotions to the list.
Steps:
Spread the paper out on a protected surface. Play some music that you like. Close your eyes and think of a place or person or animal that is important to you. How does that place or person or animal make you feel? Let your mind drift as you put yourself in that place or with that person or animal.
Open your eyes and choose a color that expresses how your place, person, or animal makes you feel. Make a few strokes that represent the feeling they give you.
Leaving some open spaces, try another color and make more strokes. You are expressing a feeling, so there is no wrong way to paint it. You might make different kinds of strokes for different emotions. You might use different colors for different emotions.
Try making drips, or layering one color partly over another. Remember to leave white space.
Keep painting until you feel like you are done. No one can decide that except for you!
Keep all of your work, even if you don’t like it at first. Try another painting. Maybe you will create a series, just like Joan Mitchell!
This is a great activity for kids…but also for adults. Next time you are feeling stuck with your writing, why not try painting?
Thank you all for stopping by and spending your precious time with us. Please make sure you leave a comment to be entered in the FABULOUS giveaway! And please remember that the best way to tell an author or illustrator that you love their work is to: Busy their books Review their books Tell friends about their books (please share this post on your social media) Ask local libraries to purchase copies of their books!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I’ll be in Massachusetts at two school visits and then, on Saturday, at the Silver Unicorn Bookstore in Acton MA at 11am – if you are local to that area, please stop by for a fabulous story time! And then pop in to the blog on the last day of March for the #50PreciousWords Prize Winners and Honorable Mentions reveal!!!
Hello dear blog followers and friends! I’m catching my breath after a super successful #50PreciousWords…thank you to all who entered, all who left comments, all who donated prizes, and of course, to my judges, who are hard at work reading. Today, I’m sharing my platform with Ebony Mudd and RISING STARS! This is a fabulous opportunity for writers…here is all the information you need to move forward if you want to participate.
Hey, 50 Precious Words Participants!
First, we want to say congratulations to you for betting on yourself and entering this beloved kidlit contest! Practicing concise yet evocative writing is such an important skill to hone as a picture book writer, and we are excited for each of you who participated!
Now – are you ready to bet on yourself again and take the next step in leveling up your craft? Then we are THRILLED to tell you that the PB Rising Stars mentorship is officially OPENfor applications for this summer’s program!
⭐If you’re an UNAGENTED or AGENTED picture bookauthor, illustrator, or author-illustrator without an agent-repped book deal, then this program is for YOU.
PB Rising Stars pairs published picture book creators with the next generation of children’s book creators for an immersive, one-on-one mentorship experience that is more than just a critique. Mentees will not only work directly with a mentor for three months during the summer, but also have access to FREE craft workshops taught by industry professionals, an additional, one-month publishing business intensive, and built-in community for life!
If this sounds like the program for you–guess what?!
PB Rising Stars Mentee applications are open NOW through March 21!
So, how do you apply?
Check out each mentor’s profile and wish list to see who would be a good fit for you. Consider their strengths, what they are looking for, and then compare it to what you’d like to work on. Remember, a mentor’s wish list is just that—a wish list! They don’t expect your work to check every box. If a mentor seeks humor with heart, lyrical, nonfiction, cultural, and rhyme, but your work is only lyrical and rhyme, that’s okay! A perfect match isn’t necessary.
Next, choose which manuscript, art, or dummy to submit that best represents your strengths AND weaknesses. Make sure it’s a project that you want to work on during the mentorship and work that best represents the type of career you want! Polish your work, but don’t worry about PERFECTION! This is a mentorship program – the mentors want to see how they can help you grow!
This is optional, but you can prepare a sample application ahead of time. You can find sample application links at the bottom of each mentor’s profile or under the “Mentorship Information” tap on our website.
Apply TODAY through March 21st!Applications close on March 21st at 11:59pm EASTERN TIME. Please double check your time zone! You can apply to mentors directly through their individual pages, and if you apply to multiple (which we encourage!), you’ll need to fill out a different application for each one. Scroll to the bottom of each mentor page and click on the application button, which will take you to a Google form. Remember that Google limits your word count (though they unfortunately don’t publicize what that limit is). So flex those picture book skills and be thorough yet concise with your answers!
And if you are still having a hard time deciding to apply to? You’re in luck! We hosted a “Meet the Mentors” event where each mentor goes more in depth into what they’re hoping to find in a mentee.
So polish those pieces, get those applications in, and connect with the PBRS leadership team and other applicants!
You can connect with us by following our Instagram and Bluesky. We also invite you to join our applicants Discord, and to save the “I’M APPLYING” badge below and post it using the hashtag #PBRisingStars.
We can’t wait to see your applications pour in! Because, WHY NOT YOU?!
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 