Perfect Picture Book Friday: PLAY LIKE AN ANIMAL Plus Giveaway

Posted on April 3, 2020 by viviankirkfield

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends! I’m so happy to be back doing picture book reviews. The #50PreciousWords Contest kept me pretty busy – congratulations to ALL who participated…the generous industry pros who donated critiques, seats in writing classes, and books…my amazing judges, Maria Marshall, Julie Abery and Diane Tulloch…plus the 390 brave souls who shared their wonderful stories and the many people who took their time to leave 5734 positive, encouraging, and supportive comments. WOW!

We are in a new era – it almost feels like we are existing in a science fiction novel – and the author hasn’t finished the final chapters so we can’t skip ahead to find out how it ends. My heart goes out to those whose health has been impacted…to families struggling to keep things together as parents and children adjust to remote working/learning…to businesses trying to find new ways to create revenue.

I am, however, a very optimistic person…my sister used to call me Pollyanna because Continue reading →

#50PreciousWords Contest 2020: And the winner is…

Posted on March 21, 2020 by viviankirkfield

Art by Vicky Fang

WELCOME ALL! In the midst of this unprecedented health situation, the kidlit community is stepping up to the plate. Authors and illustrators are creating video storytimes and lessons for kids who are home because schools are closed. And I hope that participating in this contest has given many of us a sense of normalcy – focusing on writing a 50-word story doesn’t leave much brain power for worrying about anything else, right?

Since this is a contest that celebrates the life and genius of Theodore Geisel, the beloved Dr. Seuss, I wanted to give a special shout-out to one of the stories:

TRIBUTE TO DR. SEUSS
By Linda Staszak 49 words

The Cat in the Hat didn’t know what to do–
The Grinch was still pestering Cindi Lou Who.
And nobody wanted the green eggs and ham–
The Wockets and Horton were playing with Sam.
And Sneetches chased Thidwick, the big-hearted moose…
This craziness thanks to the great Dr. Seuss.

Thank you so much, Linda…I loved your rhythm and rhyme…and the topic was spot on! Have you thought about doing a nonfiction pb about him? Continue reading →

Perfect Picture Book Friday: FREE FOR YOU AND ME Plus Giveaway

Posted on March 6, 2020 by viviankirkfield

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I’m just catching my breath becasue #50PreciousWords closed last night at 11:59pm…a couple of stats for you…over 375 entries, over 3000 comments and counting because I know in the next two weeks, many of you will be reading through these fabulous stories and I’ve only commented on a few so far, 24 prizes, and 4 judges who will be burning the midnight oil for the next two weeks…look for the winners’ post on March 21.

I’m really excited about our perfect picture book today…written by a dear friend, Chris Mihaly, it examines the importance of the First Amendment. And she is giving away a copy of this wonderful book to one lucky winner…so don’t forget to leave a comment and share the post on social media.

Continue reading →