One Hundred Follower Giveaway!

I'm going to interrupt my flow in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge to announce I hit 100 followers! This is jumping-on-my-mattress AWESOME! As a way to show my gratitude to all my readers for their support, I'm hosting a one hundred follower giveaway!  

I am giving away 3 super fabulous books to 3 lucky winners:

1. THE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan (Middle Grade-Fiction)
2. I FEEL BETTER WITH A FROG IN MY THROAT: HISTORY'S STRANGEST CURES by Carlyn Beccia (Picture Book/Early Reader- Non-fiction)
3. CHILDREN'S WRITER'S WORD BOOK by Alijandra Mogilner & Tayopa Mogilner (Reference)

To enter, this is all you need to do:
1. Follow this blog publicly through Google FriendConnect, if you haven't already. 
2. Comment on this post and let me know which of the three books you'd like and why.

The deadline to enter this contest will be at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, April 22. Three winners will be randomly selected. Winners may not get the book they'd asked for, but I hope they can still be happy with what they end up with. 

Please check back next Monday to see if you've won! If I don't hear from a winner within two days after the announcement of their win, I will choose another winner.

A Joke About Writers

Here's something funny I found on the Internet-

From Writersdigest.com:

(Writer's Digest, 1952) 

There might be a hint of truth in what this cartoon depicts, you think?

 Do you know any other jokes for writers? 

Author Interview with Ammi-Joan Paquette

Today's letter for the Blogging A to Z Challenge is the letter I, so I bring to you an interview with Ammi-Joan Paquette, a literary agent and author who writes picture books as well as middle grade and young adult novels. I've read Joan's THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO TRACKING FAIRIES (Tanglewood Press), a fun picture book detailing the world of fairies. I also read NOWHERE GIRL (Walker/Bloomsbury), a middle-grade adventure novel about a 13-year old girl who leaves the Thai prison she was born and raised in to search for her  dead mother's family in America. Joan took time out of her  busy writing schedule and agent job with the Erin Murphy Literary Agency to answer my questions.

 

I read somewhere you came up with the idea for THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO TRACKING FAIRIES while you were out walking with your daughters. Did you and your daughters ever come across a fairy on one of your walks?               Unfortunately, we never did meet any fairies in our tracking adventures—but it wasn’t for lack of searching! As a point of interest, the early drafts of this story stayed true to my daughters’ and my real-life experience: the fairy trackers come to the end of their walk not having actually seen the fairies, who have been lurking just out of sight (though visible to the readers). But after counsel from my very wise editor, I changed the text to what you see in the final version, with the face-to-face encounter at the end giving the story just the right joyful endcap. Those fairies are elusive, but not entirely unreasonable, when the conditions are right!

How did you come up with the idea for NOWHERE GIRL? The idea of a girl, born to an American mother, being raised in a Thai prison is such a grabbing premise for the beginning of a story.  
The inspiration came from reading an article about a young boy who had been raised in a Thai prison, along with his incarcerated mother. I could not stop thinking about this boy, wondering what his life would be like, how he would adapt to the outside world when the time came to reenter it, and what circumstances would bring a mother to this point where keeping her child behind bars was a better choice than the alternative. The character I created in NOWHERE GIRL differs from the original subject—Luchi is female, in her early teens, and born to an American mother. Those elements helped open the story up for me and turn it into something I could really explore and connect with, and hopefully bring to life for readers. 

What makes a story multicultural?

I think that a multicultural story pushes us to think outside the borders of the white American experience that colors so much of today’s fiction. There is no one single culture, background, or upbringing in the world today—we are a glorious mishmash—and I love that the market is opening up more and more to stories which reflect this. It has not been uncommon in past times for manuscripts to be rejected because they were not set in or focused on the US . Recognizing that we live in a big world and there are countless experiences for the sharing is what constitutes multicultural literature for me.

How do you manage your time between your kidlit writing career and agent duties for Erin Murphy Literary Agency? Both occupations operate very much on an ebb-and-flow basis—and luckily, so far everything has gone very smoothly to accommodate both careers. When I am swamped with agent work, my writing necessarily takes a back seat, and when I have a writing deadline, I will ease it up into the foreground a bit more. I do, however, very much view agenting as my primary job. Writing tends to get its back-scratching time mostly on weekends, time off, and occasional high-productivity forays to my local Starbucks.

What were your favorite kidlit books growing up?

Let’s see! I was a big fan of the Anne of Green Gables series; Tamora Pierce; Madeleine L’Engle; Betsy and Tacy; the Little House books. That’s what I can think of off the top of my head!

Any upcoming projects you’d like to mention? 
My newest book, which is just out this spring, is THE TIPTOE GUIDE TO TRACKING MERMAIDS. Following the familiar ground covered by the first fairy-tracking adventure, this book has the same type of gorgeous art-and-photography illustrations (this time by the uber-talented Marie LeTourneau). While the first book explored a more basic outdoor landscape, MERMAIDS takes young readers on a walk along the seashore, investigating the various natural elements to be found there, and hoping for that ever-important sprinkle of magic. It’s a terrific book for spring and summer!

Author Interview with Adam Gidwitz

While I liked fairy tales as a little girl, as I grew into my ‘tween years, I became less interested in the the stock princes and princesses and their easy happily ever afters. In Adam Gidwitz’s A TALE DARK & GRIMM (Puffin), a collection of fairy tales for middle grade readers, the “happily ever after” for the complex Hansel and Gretel came with a hefty price. Only after much bloodshed, heartache, disappointment, and isolation did the two protagonists shed their innocence to become more adept at handling the challenges the world dealt them.  The darker nature of the stories allowed me, the adult reader, to interpret the well-told stories in more than one way. 

Adam Gidwitz was born in San Francisco and raised in Baltimore. On his web site bio, he writes that he spent his middle school years living in the principal’s office. He attended college in New York City to study English literature. A part-time teacher in Brooklyn, Adam had initially started A TALE DARK & GRIMM by sharing his adaptations of Grimm’s fairy tales with his students, and it just took off from there.

Do you have any childhood memories of growing up in Baltimore or even San Francisco you would like to share? Anything that could come out of a Grimm fairy tale?                          Oh, so many! Lord, my childhood was NOT like a Dickens novel, like other novelists. No, mine was a Grimm fairy tale. I had nose bleeds lot. So when I describe the color, smell, and taste of blood in A TALE DARK & GRIMM, it is from constant, intimate experience. I was constantly walking around with blood pouring down my face. I've never told anyone that before. Now I'm wondering if I should have.

 

How did you choose Hansel and Gretel to be the stars of your story?                                            Well, to be very honest, when I first started writing the book, they weren't in it at all. The kids were named Wolfgang and Eva. You can imagine how many kids would have read that book. But as I wrote the book, and as the theme of terrible parents started to take shape, I realized that who had more terrible parents than Hansel and Gretel? Their parents, after all, just ran out of cash, and so decided to abandon their children in the woods? That is a worse betrayal than any other in fairy tales, I think. So they became the perfect heroes for this book about the grimmest parents in the history of literature.

I like how your book shares lessons without being preachy, such as the warning of a predator’s charm or the threat of governing powers. (And correct me if these weren’t your intended lessons…hehe). Did you start with the lessons in mind first, or the stories?         
There are no morals in Grimm fairy tales. No one believes me when I say this, but I insist it. Rather, fairy tales tell a story that children recognize and can feel deep empathy with. When writing the chapter Brother and Sister, in which Hansel violates the rule of the forest, takes more than he needs, and consequently turns into a wild beast, I was not at all intending to write an environmental parable (though Greenpeace does deposit $5.15 in my bank account twice annually). Rather, I was trying to tell a story about a boy who had feelings and impulses that he could not control. There's no moral there--I'm not saying, "Control your impulses." I'm saying, "Have you ever felt this way? I have." In the end, the only lesson that fairy tales teach is, "Life will be painful. But you will triumph, somehow, someday."

What are some challenges of writing spinoffs or adaptations of well-known stories?                                                                                                          

You've got to write something worth writing. There are a lot of adaptations of fairy tales out there these days. Half of them are great, and the other half feel like the author (or screenwriter) just wanted an easily recognizable story to hook people. This second half doesn't really get fairy tales--what they're about, what they're style is. I don't like the name of fairy tales to be invoked in vain.

Was the present narrator of the story intended to soothe young readers or audiences, especially when the story took a bloody or violent turn? 

Sometimes soothe, sometimes frighten. When I first told a fairy tale to children, I interjected to explain, to calm when I thought the tension in the room was too strong and some little kid was going to burst into tears, and also to ramp up the tension when I could feel the kids starting to sit back in the chairs. The narrator is another way to reach out of the text and try to get the reader to feel what I'm going for in a given passage.

In your opinion, what elements of a story bring a fairy tale from picture book into middle grade and even young adult territory? That's a really good question. I'm not sure, but I have a few guesses. The most obvious is length. I really thought that this book would be a picture book when I first submitted Faithful Johannes to my agent. She hooked me up with the brilliant Julie Strauss Gabel, my editor at Penguin, who took one look at it and said, "Uh, no." First of all, it was too long, and no one wants to read a wordy picture book. They just don't inspire the way a text-restricted fairy tale does (and by "inspire" I mean "sell" of course). The other element that makes a fairy tale inappropriate for a picture book is the content, obviously. Not because five year olds can't take the real Grimm fairy tales-quite the contrary, five year olds need the real Grimm fairy tales the most-but because their parents can't.

Who were your favorite authors to read growing up?                                     

My favorite author is Roald Dahl. Was as a kid. Is now. His combination of hilarity and feeling and fright is what I aspire to. I wish, hope, dream, aspire, and doubt I will ever reach the level that Roald Dahl reached in his hilarious darkness. But I can keep trying, and I will.

Any upcoming projects you’d like to mention?

IN A GLASS GRIMMLY. This August. If you thought my first book was inappropriate for children, you ain't seen nothin' yet... IN A GLASS GRIMMLY concerns a little boy named Jack and a little girl named Jill, who are sent on a quest to find the legendary Seeing Glass. If they find it, they will be rewarded with admiration and love. If they don't, they will die. I will tell you no more than that they do, indeed, die. Maybe. IN A GLASS GRIMMLY weaves together fairy tales from Grimm, Andersen, and the English tradition--and even some Mother Goose nursery rhymes to reconstruct the true story of those legendary hill-climbers. It is funny (I hope), scary (I'm certain), and bloody (of course). I hope you enjoy!

Author Interview with Michelle Meadows

The first book written by Michelle Meadows that I read to my daughter was PIGGIES IN THE KITCHEN (Simon & Schuster, illustrated by Ard Hoyt). My daughter and I enjoyed the rhyming story of these young pigs baking up a storm in the kitchen for their mother, and my daughter especially liked finishing up the rhyme for me at the end of each page. My daughter and I also liked PILOT PUPS (Simon & Schuster, illustrated by Dan Andreasen), another book written by Michelle Meadows, which is a story about toy puppies exploring their house by piloting a toy plane. Recently, I contacted Michelle for an interview.

Born and raised in Washington D.C., Michelle resides in Maryland today. She attended Syracuse University where she earned a B.A. in magazine journalism.

How did you decide you wanted to be a children's book author?
I remember being very young and thinking about writing books. But I really got into it seriously after I had my son. I loved reading to him all the time and sold my first book when he was around 2.

 

I enjoy the rhyming in your books. How did you develop your rhyming and poetry skills? Is there a specific meter you use when you write?
I love rhyming! I really enjoy reading poetry and find it very relaxing. I was in a poetry club when I was younger. I can't say that there is a specific meter that I use; I tend to go with the rhythm that pops into my head.

What are the benefits of using animals as your main characters?
I tend to use animals as main characters because they are cute. And I think it's funny to imagine animals doing things that people do. I find that kids think so too. So the benefits include encouraging kids to stretch their imaginations and imagine things like animals in pajamas or toy pups riding motorcycles.

What advice do you have for aspiring picture book authors?
I strongly believe that authors should write what they love to read. For example, if an author doesn't really enjoy reading poetry, it may not be the best fit to write poetry.

Who were your favorite authors growing up? What are/were your favorite rhyming books? 
My favorite authors were Judy Blume and Shel Silverstein. I have a zillion favorite rhyming books! I especially love the work of Judy Sierra and Eileen Spinelli. Eileen Spinelli's HERE COMES THE YEAR has the most lovely language and I enjoy reading it again and again. And I love Judy Sierra's WILD ABOUT BOOKS.   

Any upcoming projects you’d like to mention?

I am very excited about my next picture book—ITSY BITSY BABY MOUSE. ITSY BITSY BABY MOUSE (Simon & Schuster) is a rhyming story about the drama a little mouse experiences when he gets lost in a big house. I have an awful sense of direction so there is a lot of me in this mouse. And just like the mouse, I have gotten lost and had moments of panic. This book will be released on March 6 and I hope kids like it. 


Thanks for doing the interview. 

You're very welcome!

Teaching with Children's Books: Picture Books with Pigs

It just so happens that my daughter is going through a phase where she is totally digging picture books featuring pigs. So here are some books that I've been reading to her that feature them piggies. An art lesson could reveal how the illustration style of the pigs, or other animals, are similar and different from book to book.

 

DREAM BIG, LITTLE PIG! (Picture Book-Sourcebooks Jabberwocky) by Kristi Yamaguchi, Illust. by Tim Bowers- Poppy the pig struggles with ballet dancing, singing, and modeling before she discovers her true calling- ice-skating....and perhaps flying.

 

PIGGIES IN THE KITCHEN! (Picture Book- Simon & Schuster) by Michelle Meadows, Illust. by Ard Hoyt- In this rhyming book, a bunch of pigs scramble to prepare baked goods and a surprise birthday cake for their mother. 

PIGS ROCK! (Picture Book-Viking) by Melanie Davis Jones, Illust. by Bob Staake- A group of musical pigs play in a touring band. 

 

RICHARD SCARRY'S BEST MOTHER GOOSE EVER (Picture Book-Golden Books) by Richard Scarry- Traditional Mother Goose rhymes are accompanied by fun illustrations of Richard Scarry's animals, many of which are pigs. I've read many, though not all, of these poems aloud to my daughter.  

Author and Illustrator Interview with Grace Lin

I bring to you my latest interview with award-winning author Grace Lin. She wrote WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON (Little, Brown), a Newbery Award winner, as well as a bunch of picture books, such as THE UGLY VEGETABLES (Charlesbridge Publishing). A graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design, Grace also illustrates her children’s books. 

When I read my first Grace Lin book, THE YEAR OF THE DOG (Little, Brown), a MG book, I remember thinking how it would’ve been nice if a book like this, a book about a young Chinese American girl exploring what she wanted to do when she grew up, was around when I was a kid. Pacy Lin reminds me of Ramona Quimby in some ways. So I was thrilled when Grace Lin sent me an ARC of DUMPLING DAYS (Little, Brown), a continuation of Pacy Lin’s adventures. In DUMPLING DAYS, Pacy and her family go on vacation in Taiwan and immerse themselves in the local culture and food. DUMPLING DAYS will be out on January 21. You can view the book trailer by clicking here.

Where were you born, raised?  Can you give me a favorite childhood memory?
I was born in New Jersey! My parents are both from Taiwan, which makes me Asian-American. One of my favorite childhood memories was my father buying my watercolor paints for Christmas. They were the fancy kind, in tubes, and the sales person at the store had told him that these were not the type for beginners. And my father said, “My daughter is not a beginner.” I remember feeling so proud that my dad thought that way…and, inside, rather immodestly, I agreed.  It’s one of those happy memories of feeling extreme confidence that only youth can exude!

I enjoyed reading DUMPLING DAYS! I think the book would be especially enlightening to those who are about to visit Taiwan or China for the first time.  The local details were so colorful and vivid. And I got hungry from reading the food descriptions. How did you remember all these details from your travels? And speaking of dumplings, which kind are your favorite?

Remembering the details was not too hard. I looked at a lot of old photos and it all came flooding back to me. Of course, I have traveled to Taiwan many times since my first time, so the trips have all kind of blended together. The hardest part was trying to get photo reference for things I remember but didn’t have images of. Luckily, I have relatives in Taiwan that I could send on reconnaissance! My favorite dumpling is xiao long bao, the soup dumplings. They are hard to find, but a restaurant called Jo Shanghai’s in New York City has them—and they are delicious!

In DUMPLING DAYS, Pacy takes an art class where she encounters a competitive classmate. How do you depict a rivalry between two characters and show the main protagonist’s resentment of this person while retaining her likability?
Honestly, I didn’t really think about the likability of the protagonist.  I just thought about how I felt in many similar situations and tried to make it as true to my experience as possible.

 I read your essay on your web site about how you came to terms with being a multicultural author. So I cautiously ask, what makes a multicultural story credible, in your opinion?
That’s a hard question to answer, because every reader comes to a story with his or her own experiences. I try to make my stories as authentic as possible to me and hope that the reader feels the same. If they do not, I try to remember and gently remind people that one story, my story, is not supposed to be representative of the entire Asian-American population.

So how much is the Pacy Lin series is based on your childhood? I ask because in The Year of the Dog, Pacy Lin writes a story called THE UGLY VEGETABLES, and you happen to have a book out called THE UGLY VEGETABLES. Did you have arguments with your sisters too, and go through a soul-searching phase, as Pacy did in THE YEAR OF THE DOG, to reflect on what you wanted to do when you grew up?
The Pacy books are heavily based on my childhood and are very true to life.  That said, they are books of fiction and that is because I did switch some things around and alter episodes. In YEAR OF THE DOG, Pacy enters a book contest, wins 4th place and decides after that she will become an author/illustrator when she grows up. That is really what happened to me, as well. I won 4th place in a contest writing and illustrating my own book and decided that I would become an author/illustrator when I grew up, too! However, in YEAR OF THE DOG the book that Pacy wrote and illustrated for the contest was THE UGLY VEGETABLES. The book I entered into the contest was not THE UGLY VEGETABLES, though that was my first published book—published many, many years later.

Besides DUMPLING DAYS, which is being released in January 2012, do you have any other current or upcoming projects you’d like to mention?
I’ve been hard at work on the companion book to WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON.  It’s called STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY and it comes out in October.  For those readers that know WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, this book is not a sequel—it doesn’t follow Minli’s story—but it takes place in the same world and there might be some other characters you recognize!

What, in your opinion, makes a strong illustration?

To me, a strong illustration starts with a strong foundation. And the foundation of  illustration--beyond the artistry, the colors or composition--is the illustration's purpose. This purpose changes with the format. For a picture book, the illustration should give the viewer added details about the story, give "more" story than the text. For an early reader, the illustration should match the story exactly, supporting the text to help readers. For a novel, the illustration should be summary of the description/emotions created by a moment/section of the story.  But as long as the meaning, the message of picture is clear--it is a strong illustration. Beauty, however, is in the eye of the beholder!

What are your favorite kidlit books and authors?
My favorite books and authors tend to be the ones I read and loved (and still love) as a child. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by LM Montgomery, BALLET SHOES by Noel Streatfeild, B IS FOR BETSY by Carolyn Haywood, MISS HAPPINESS AND MISS FLOWER by Rumer Godden, SEARCH FOR DELICIOUS by Natalie Babbitt and hundreds more. Some more contemporary kidlit authors that I enjoy are Barbara O’Connor, Lenore Look (I adore the RUBY LU & ALVIN HO books) and Nancy Springer.