PPBF: In the Small, Small Pond PLUS Library Week WINNERS

Posted on May 7, 2016 by viviankirkfield

Yes, I know. It is Saturday already. Which means I missed posting for Perfect Picture Book Friday.

Oh dear…and I promised to announce the three winners in the Show Me How Library Giveaway. So, if it is okay with all of you, I will pretend it is Friday. Does that work?

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of family visits to Chicago and several of its suburbs, as well as an inspiring week at the Wild Midwest SCBWI conference. Presentations by Candace Fleming, Lisa Wheeler, Lisa Cron, Kristen Fulton, Melissa Manlove, Linda Sue Park, Miranda Paul, Pat Zeitlow Miller, Jill Esbaum, and Casey Valiant filled my days. I reconnected with old friends like Kristen Fulton, Sarah Maynard, Angie Karcher, Lisa Rose, Pam Miller, and Stacy Jensen…and also connected with many new ones. If any of you writers or illustrators have not been to an SCBWI conference yet, I heartily encourage you to do so. They are PRICELESS!

My Perfect Picture Book Friday pick comes direct to you from the conference…I was lucky enough to win a copy of In the Small, Small Pond. Are you a fan of writing rhyming picture books? Or do you illustrate your own stories? Then this classic from Denise Fleming will be a great mentor text for you.

In the Small, Small Pond

Written and illustrated by Denise Fleming

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (1994)

Ages: 2 and up

Themes: Pond life, nature

Synopsis:

From Kirkus:

“In the same format and gorgeous illustrative style, a companion to In the Tall, Tall Grass (1991, Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor), with the succinct rhyming text (“waddle, wade, geese parade”), in bold black, beautifully integrated into art created in the process of making paper from pulp dyed in brilliant colors. This time, the child observer is Oriental; and where the first book moved from noon to night, the implicitly suggested cycle here is from tadpole and gosling to “Chill breeze, winter freeze.” Another perfect introduction to nature for the very young.”

Why I like this book:

Sparse rhyming text encourages young children to join in with the reading.
The illustrations are magnificent…it was a Caldecott Honor Book.
Great read-aloud.
Parents and teachers can use this story as a springboard for a discussion on life cycles of various animals

Related Activies:

The author/illustrator is one of the most creative artists I know. I was blessed to see her in person at the WOW Retreat last year…her presentation on paper-making definitely wowed everyone! Why not try some simple paper-making with your kids?

Photo courtesy: http://tinkerlab.com

For detailed instructions: http://tinkerlab.com/how-to-make-paper/

For more paper-making ideas: http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/recyclingpaper.html

I hope you all find the time to give paper-making a try…it’s lots of fun!

And now it’s time to announce the winners of our National Library Week giveaway. Thank you so all of you who subscribed to my email list…I haven’t bothered you with any mailings yet…but I am hoping to get my newsletter out soon…and hopefully, that won’t be a bother to you!

As I had mentioned, many libraries are very limited in what new materials they can buy for their collections because of reduced revenues. The winners will be able to present their libraries with a copy of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. In the event your library doesn’t accept patron donations (many do…but some don’t), you are welcome to keep the book…or donate it to a local family shelter.

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Sue Morris @ Kit lit reviews

Jane Heitman Healy

Sandy @ A Very Busy Mom

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I’LL BE CONTACTING YOU ASAP.

Thank you to all who have signed up already…if you haven’t and you would like to, just click on this link.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, dear friends and readers.

PPBF: My Name is Elizabeth

Posted on April 1, 2016 by viviankirkfield

Happy April Fool’s Day! Is it really April already? And hurray for Friday! That means it’s time to review a wonderful picture book. When you finish reading this post, please hop over to Susannah Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of picture book writers, illustrators, librarians and others who contribute a picture book review and related resources for parents, teachers and children.

I think everyone will be able to relate to my Perfect Picture Book Friday selection. We all have a name…and I’m pretty sure all of us have had people call us by a nickname. Or two. Or three. Poor Elizabeth has FOUR!

My Name is Elizabeth

Written by Annika Dunklee

Illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

Publisher: Kids Can Press (2012)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes: Communication, respect

Opening Line:

“My name is Elizabeth.”

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

“Meet Elizabeth. She’s got an excellent pet duck, a loving granddad and a first name that’s just awesome. After all, she’s got a queen named after her! So she’s really not amused when people insist on using nicknames like Lizzy and Beth. She bears her frustration in silence until an otherwise ordinary autumn day, when she discovers her power to change things once and for all. In the process, Elizabeth learns about communication and respect — and their roles in building better relationships with family and friends.”

Why I like this book:

When I was a kid, my friends called me Viv. When I was teaching, some of my colleagues called me V. People often spell my name Vivien or Vivienne or even Vivianne. Unlike Elizabeth, I was always happy with whatever people felt comfortable calling me. But I totally understand how Elizabeth felt…and so will many children.
I loved the way Elizabeth dealt with the problem…she communicated what was bothering her and she stood up for what she felt was important…but she did allow her little brother to give her a nickname.

Related Activies:

Talk to your child about his or her name. Do they like it? Does anyone make fun of it? If they have a nickname, is it a derivative of their given name or something totally different.

NAME ZENTANGLE OR ZENDOODLE

You will need: Paper, markers or crayons.

Help your child write his name across a piece of paper.
Connect some of the lines to create shapes.
Fill in the shapes with designs.

Photo courtesy: http://imaginationsoup.net

Find detailed instructions for zentangles and zendoodles here: http://imaginationsoup.net/2013/07/15/diy-summer-art-school-zentangle-doodles/

Just a reminder…National Library Week is April 10-16.

In honor of National Library Week, I’m donating THREE copies of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. Wouldn’t it be awesome to present a copy of this valuable parent/teacher resource to your children’s librarian? Just subscribe to my mailing list. Three names will be chosen by Random.org at the end of April. Already subscribed? No worries…your name is already entered.

Many libraries are very limited in what new materials they can buy for their collections because of reduced revenues. Help your library receive a resource that will be used by parents and teachers for their kids. Just click on this link and subscribe to my mailing list. Three libraries will be winners!

Do you tweet on Twitter? Are you a fan of Facebook? Have you pinned anything on Pinterest yet? Please help me spread the word about the Show-Me-How Library Project by tweeting, posting and/or pinning.

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susannah Leonard Hill. Click on her link and find lots of other picture book suggestions with summaries and activities. And please don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter – doing so will nominate your local library to be the recipient of a copy of Show Me How!

Click here to sign up to receive my newsletter and other awesome stuff.

PPBF: Brave Girl PLUS 50 Precious Words Contest

Posted on March 4, 2016 by viviankirkfield

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Are you ready for something fun, my friends?

Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday, so you know we are going to have a review of a great picture book. Plus, because this is Women’s History Month, I’ve chosen a book that celebrates an important Mighty Girl in American history, Clara Lemlich.

But first I want to tell you about a mini-contest. Wednesday was the birthday of the incredible Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. One of his books actually came about because of a bet he made with Bennett Cerf, one of the publishing giants of Random House. Cerf challenged Seuss to write a children’s book using only 50 words. And the classic Green Eggs and Ham was born. It’s true that the story has over 700 words…but only 50 unique words.

If you are currently writing picure books…or just reading them, you’ll notice that the average word length is getting shorter and shorter. So I thought, wouldn’t that be a great challenge…to write a story for kids with only 50 words. With a beginning, a middle, and an end. I wondered if I could do it. And I decided to open the challenge to everyone. Here are the guidelines:

50 PRECIOUS WORDS WRITING CONTEST

Write a story appropriate for kids ages 12 or under, using only 50 words…they can all be different words, or you can use some of them over and over…just as long as the total word count for the story is 50 or less.
It can be prose, rhyme, free verse, silly or serious…whatever works for you.
Title is not included in the word count.
No illustration notes please.
Post the story on your blog if you have one and put the link in the comments OR post the story in the comments.
Deadline for posting the story or the link in the comments is Friday, March 18^th…that gives you two weeks.
Winners will be announced on Saturday, March 19^th, in our Will Write for Cookies post.
Prizes? Of course! In honor of Women’s History Month, a copy of Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough. And we’ll see what else I can figure out.
This just in!!!! Kristen Fulton is donating a seat in her April Nonfiction Archaeology class. Just to let you all know…I took her class in June 2014..and that was the step that led me down this path of writing nonfiction picture books. I wrote Sweet Dreams, Sarah the month after the class ended. And I’ve been writing nonfiction picture books ever since!
I’m also going to offer a mini-critique of a picture book manuscript…hopefully, after years of writing, revising, and critiquing, my feedback will be helpful.
Plus, I have a soft spot for mini-books…you know, those tiny books you can hold in the palm of your hand. It’s time to share a couple from my collection.
Stop the presses!!!!! Another GREAT PRIZE has just been donated! My fabulous agent, Essie White, is going to give a critique to one of the winners! Thank you so much, Essie! This contest is shaping up to be so much more than I had ever expected. Thank you so everyone who is posting about it and sharing on Facebook and Twitter!
Hurray…another great prize!!!! Next Saturday, as I mentioned, when I announce the winners, I’ll also be interviewing debut picture book author, Nancy Churnin. So I am adding a shiny new copy of her book, “The William Hoy Story” to the prize pool…woo-hoo!

I’ve been participating in Carrie Charley Brown’s ReFoReMo Challenge. The list of recommended picture books was astounding. Fortunately, my local library is able to get most of the books I request. Plus, they don’t have a limit on the number of books you can take out. One of my favorites so far is the story of the girl who led the fight for better conditions for workers in the garment industry. And I thought it was a stellar book to spotlight during Women’s History Month.