Susanna Hill: Will Write for Cookies

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

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INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

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SUSANNA LEONARD HILL

When I started blogging back in 2011, a friend steered me to Susanna’s website. “She loves picture books, too,” my friend told me. I hopped over and discovered one of the kindest, smartest, sweetest, most generous kid lit mentors in the world!

Her picture book writing class was the first one I ever took…what an amazing foundation she gave to me! Her writing contests are legendary. Her Monday Fun-day writing prompts and Would You Read it Wednesday pitch picks encourage us to exercise our writing muscles.

I met her for the first time at the NESCBWI conference in April…what a thrill to be able to give her a hug in person.

me maria and susanna

For those of you who may not know Susanna, I grabbed a bit from her website about page.

Susanna began writing as soon as she could hold a pencil. She used to lie on the kitchen floor and ask her mom how to spell things. She wrote her first book in 2nd Grade. It is called The Girl and The Witch and she will read it to you if she comes to visit your school!

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Her first published book was The House That Mack Built, released by Little Simon in 2002

And the rest is history. She has published almost a dozen more books…including the wildly popular Punxsutawney Phyllis series and has many more coming down the pike. I know you are all going to be thrilled with this post because Susanna wanted to share a bit about how she gets her ideas.

I’m excited to welcome her…take it away, Susanna!

Hi Everybody!

Thanks so much for stopping by Vivian’s blog today!

As many of you know, I have the privilege of visiting a number of blogs this month as I introduce some new books to the world.  Vivian kindly invited me to join her for cookies… an invitation I will never turn down  … and we decided that it might be fun to talk about where ideas come from. Continue reading

Perfect Picture Book Friday: When Your Elephant Has the Sniffles AND When Your Lion Needs a Bath PLUS Giveaway

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday. I’m thrilled to be reviewing two brand-new books by one of my favorite kid lit mentors, Susanna Leonard Hill. And the picture book awesomeness doesn’t end there. Susanna is on a whirlwind book blog tour for the next couple of weeks. Don’t miss out on any of the blog tour stops BECAUSE there is going to be a SPECIAL PRIZE from Susanna at the end. Get an entry every time you comment and share on social media with the hashtag #whenyourbooks.

 I’ll be reviewing ANOTHER of Susanna’s new books in a couple of weeks. PLUS, Susanna will be here for a short chat tomorrow on Will Write for Cookies.

But before the double your pleasure, double your fun reviews, let’s announce the winner of the giveaway of A BAND OF BABIES donated by last week’s guest, Carole Gerber. And the winner is…

 PATRICIA TILTON

CONGRATULATIONS, Patricia!!!

I’ll connect with you so Carole can send you the book.

And now for our review duet. With the summer upon us, I know that parents are scrambling for reading material for their kids…these will be PERFECT for the littlest listeners…and maybe the older siblings can read them to the young ones.

elephant cover

WHEN YOUR ELEPHANT HAS THE SNIFFLES

Written by: Susanna Leonard Hill

Illustrated by: Daniel Wiseman

Publisher: Little Simon (Board Book Edition – 2017)

Ages: 2-4

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

When your elephant has the sniffles, you better make sure he doesn’t sneeze! This charming and hilarious board book highlights the many ways to make an under-the-weather elephant feel better!

 Does your elephant have the sniffles? Make sure to take good care of him because you don’t want him to start sneezing. Gather up your tissues and your pillows and make that elephant feel better! But don’t get too close…or you just might end up with the sniffles, too!

lion cover

WHEN YOUR LION NEEDS A BATH

Written by Susanna Leonard Hill

Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman

Publisher: Little Simon (Board Book Edition: 2017)

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

When your lion needs a bath, you have to be pretty sneaky! This charming and hilarious board book highlights the many ways to get your lion into that tub!

 Does your lion need a bath? When your lion needs a bath, you must be a little sneaky. After all, have you ever met a cat who likes water? So gather up your towels and rubber ducks and get that lion into the tub! But be careful…or you just might end up in the bath, too!

Why I like these books:                               

  • Simple text is filled with heart and humor.
  • Wonderful read-alouds!
  • Great illustrations.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

Make a Paper Plate Lion

MacroniLion1RS6kPhoto courtesy: http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/

WOW…I love this one…what a lot of fun!

You will need: Paper plate, spiral macaroni, glue, markers, googly eyes (optional)

For detailed instructions, please go to: http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Safari-Crafts-For-Kids.html

MAKE A PAPER PLATE ELEPHANT

PaperPlateElephant5RS6kPhoto courtesy: http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com

Another really creative craft!

You will need: Paper plate, construction paper,scissors, glue, marker, google eyes (optional).

For detailed instructions, please go to: http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Paper-Plate-Elephant.html

Spending time with your children can be so much fun! A couple of great books, a few pieces of paper, some glue, scissors, markers…and you can build bonds that will last a lifetime.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to chat with Susanna Leonard Hill…and if you participate in Perfect Picture Book Friday, I’d love for you to leave the link to your post in the comments so that others can come and visit your blog.

Thank you for hanging out here a bit.

 Please remember to leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway of Susanna books! And come back tomorrow when she chats with us on Will Write for Cookies.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend!