March 2008 Archives

One of my favorites is up this week: What If... written by Regina Williams and playfully illustrated by Doug Keith. What If... is the perfect bedtime book for an imaginative child. It features a little boy who, stalling for time before bed, asks his mother a series of "what ifs," like:

And what if...
I made a great big seahorse out of clay,
then it came alive
and splashed around with me
in the bathtub.

Reminiscent of Barbara Joosse's Mama, Do You Love Me?, this book provides great encouragement for children's imaginations. I can almost guarantee that, by the end, your children will be peppering you with their own outlandish "what ifs."

This week, we've got an interview with Cindy McKinley, author of one of our best-selling books, One Smile. This sweet little tale shows kids just how easily one person can make a difference.

• When did you decide that you wanted to be an author?
  I have been a teacher for almost 20 years. After reading about a million books to my own 2 kids and to all of my students over the years, I always knew I wanted to write a book myself. So, I guess you could say, I have wanted to write a book for a very long time!


• Have you written any other children's books? Anything in the works right now?
  I did write a sequel to One Smile. We'll see what happens to that... I have also written several articles for some children's magazines. They are about animals. With the articles, I also included some photos I took of the animals I wrote about. Photography is another hobby of mine.


• The story of One Smile follows a chain of pay-it-forward events. Was there a similar chain of events in your own life that led you to write this book?
  Actually, yes. My family was out for an evening in Detroit. We were on the People Mover for the first time and it was crowded. To be kind, my son and I gave up our seats to make room for a lady who got on carrying a baby and a bunch of stuff. Later on that night, we rode it back and couldn't all sit together. A nice man realized we were straining trying to talk to each other and gave us his seat so we could all sit together! It just got me thinking: what if that kindness kept going? What would happen? What could happen?

One of the biggest problems with buying books online is that you can't just browse through them to get a feel for each book. This is especially a problem for children's books, since many parents and teachers prefer to read through the entire book before deciding whether or not to purchase.

For several years, Amazon has a had a "Look Inside this Book" feature, which gives prospective buyers limited access to a book's content. But we, the ever-greedy public, want more!

Now there's a terrific site for previewing children's books online: BigUniverse.com. They have a selection of hundreds of different children's books, which can be read in their entirety using the BigUniverse Reader. Illumination Arts has partnered with BigUniverse.com to make all of our award-winning picture books available online. If there's a book you've been interested in, but unsure about, just click on the new "Read this book" link on the book's product page, and you'll be on your way.

Not sure what to read? Try our new release, Roonie B. Moonie: Lost and Alone, the story of an adventurous little bee who finds himself alone in a scary place and must use his head to stay safe.

Looking for picture books to read to your son or daughter that won't perpetuate gender stereotypes? Katy Farber at Non-Toxic Kids has a good list of books that break the mold.

One from her list that I can personally vouch for is The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch, which turns the traditional fairy tale on its side as Princess Elizabeth sets out to rescue her Prince. Never fear, this book does not end with the marriage of a happy couple.

Looking to Illumination Arts' own collection, I would recommend Dreams to Grow On, which follows a little girl's imaginations on possible career paths. Among them are the generic teacher, doctor, etc. as well as the much less traditional architect, baker, and ship's captain--and many more.

This week, I'd like to highlight one of our older titles, Dreambirds. Written by the late David Ogden, Dreambirds is the story of a Native American youth's journey of self-discovery. Natsama is guided by his grandmother, a medicine woman, to find a dreambird and receive its gift.

Natsama becomes a great hunter in his search for the dreambird, but the bird eludes him. In the end, he must swallow his pride and look within himself to find his prey. Due to the amount of text and complexity of concepts, this book is probably best suited to older children, ages 8 to 12.

The illustrations by master watercolorist Jody Bergsma are breathtaking representations of nature and Native American culture, inspired by Bergsma's travels in Alaska, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

As promised, the author/illustrator interviews are beginning! I had the chance to talk with Roberta Collier-Morales, illustrator of Inside Out. In Inside Out, a young girl's imaginary friend helps her discover her own shiny spirit. Roberta's vibrant illustrations breathe life into this tale of inspiration.

• When did you decide that you wanted to be an artist?
  When I was four years old I copied a drawing my older sister did of a horse - my family fussed over it and I knew from that age that I wanted to be an artist. It's been an uphill trip for most of my life, I'm lucky! I didn't realize until much later that I was fortunate in untold ways, that I knew music, art, dancing, writing and anything to do with drawing - were the driving force in my life.


• What other children's books have you illustrated?
  When I was in my mid-twenties, I moved from Denver to New York City to pursue my career as an illustrator. I've illustrated so many educational books, workbooks, auxillary materials as well as mass market and trade books that I can't begin to tell you how many books I have out there both in and out of print.


• Did you have a difficult time deciding how to illustrate an invisible friend/shiny spirit?
  No, I've had so many unusual experiences in my life with the seen and unseen world, that it was a gift to get to illustrate a book about a girl who had experiences similar to my own.

Think writing a children's book will be easy? After all, even Madonna has written several, right? You might want to think again. My coworkers and I couldn't even begin to tell you the number of times we've heard the words, "I have a great idea for a children's book!"

One of the biggest mistakes many would-be writers make is not being careful enough with their words. You think, 500 words? That's easy! I can whip that out in an hour! This may be true, but the shorter the book, the greater the attention that is focused on each and every one of those words. Each word must be perfect, down to the subtle nuances of meaning. At the same time, the language must be simple enough for your target audience to grasp. Throw in the rhyme scheme that so many children's writers rely on, and you will find that each word must have the exact right rhythm--nothing ruins a good story more than awkward rhyming.

With over 2,000 submissions per year being sent to our office alone, competition in the children's market is fierce. So, writers, look over your submission one more time before you send it out. Are you confident in every verb and adjective?

For more tips on writing for kids, check out this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

With the growing interest in green publishing of late, I thought I would take this week to highlight The Tree. Originally written as a song by Dana Lyons, The Tree tells the story of an eight-hundred year old Douglas fir tree in the Pacific Northwest. The tree's history comes alive in David Danioth's stunning illustrations, which capture the spirit and vitality of the Northwest perfectly.

This book also raises the issues of deforestation and the fragility of nature as a whole. Winner of the 2003 Skipping Stones Magazine's Best Ecology Book award, The Tree serves as a great introduction to environmentalism and ecosystems for kids.

Printed on recycled paper, this is one picture book that nature lovers, young and old, will not want to miss.

Did you know that March is Small Press Month? Throughout the month, there will be lots of special events going on across the country to celebrate independent publishers. In honor of the month, Illumination Arts is offering a 30% discount in our online store! All you have to do is enter coupon code SMALLPRESS during checkout. If you've had your eye on any of our books recently, now is the time to jump!

Maureen Moss, author of God's Promise will be talking about her book today on her show, The Power of Life. Head on over to the World Puja Network to listen. The show airs at 11:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

The discussion is sure to explore the interesting background of this inspiring book.

The latest (and first!) issue of Notes from the Horn Book has a great interview with Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and author of The Stinky Cheese Man. Scieszka offers some useful tips on getting children interested in reading:

2. What do you say to a parent who says, "My kid hates to read. What can I do?"
   • Try expanding your definition of reading to include humor, nonfiction, graphic novels, magazines, fantasy, science fiction, online content, audiobooks. Your kid may just hate to read assigned reading. Ask them what they are interested in. Empower them by letting them choose to read, and to choose what to read. Allow them to not like what might be your favorite reading.
   • Be a positive role model. Talk to your kids about how you choose your reading, what you like, and what you don't.
   • Avoid demonizing new technologies. TV, games, the Internet, and movies compete for kids' time and attention. But they are not the anti-reading devil. We need to help kids become critical consumers of all media. They can enjoy both TV and books. Each provides its own pleasures.
3. . . . or to one who says, "My kid only reads (Harry Potter, sports magazines, the Time Warp Trio). How do I expand his horizons?"

   Feed the obsession. Let your reader read everything Potter/sports/Time Warp they can. Then look for similar types of reading that they can branch off to. The Harry Potter fan can try other fantasy fiction, the Time Warp reader might head into history. Ask librarians and booksellers for recommendations. Wider reading is all about making connections.

There's lots more, so be sure to check out the rest of the newsletter!

Big congratulations to my favorite adventurous bee! Roonie B. Moonie: Lost and Alone has been selected as a finalist for ForeWord Magazine's Children's Book of the Year award. From ForeWord's website:

These books represent some of the best work coming from today's independent press community.

The winners will be announced on May 29 at BookExpo America in Los Angeles. Roonie's author/illustrator, Janan Cain will be in attendance, signing books in the Autographing Area (for more information, check out BookExpo America's website). Ms. Cain is a best-selling author whose first book, The Way I Feel won Children's Book of the Year from the Publishers' Association of the West and has sold over 1.5 million copies. Congratulations again, Janan!

God's Promise has at long last been released, so it is only right that I make it the first book featured on A Well-Lit Corner. Several years in the making, this book is written by Maureen Moss and illustrated by Gerald Purnell. Taking a non-denominational perspective, God's Promise is a great way to introduce children to the warmth and tenderness of God's love.

In this 32-page picture book, God helps prepare Angelina for her new life on earth, reminding her that no matter what challenges she encounters He will always be there to guide her.

The illustrations that accompany this touching story are simply gorgeous. Gerald Purnell, the award-winning illustrator of Am I a Color Too?, has managed to create quite a few masterpieces within this little book. Click on the thumbnails below to get a glimpse of the beautiful art that awaits you in God's Promise.

The Associated Press reveals what Illumination Arts' illustrators have long since known: that children's book illustrations are "real" art too. It's a good article, and definitely a great sign for the future of children's books.

What are your favorite iconic children's book illustrations?

[Via Kids Lit]