If you are an unpublished author (please check the website for the rules about being published), then you should consider entering the 5th Annual Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories New Author Contest. The deadline is July 15, 2011. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a possible publishing deal with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, in addition to having his or her book featured inside Cheerios cereal boxes nationwide.

Ron Rauss won last year for his story Can I Just Take a Nap? Look for his book in Cheerios boxes during the spring of 2012. (Can you imagine how fun it would be to find a copy of your book in a cereal box?) See more about Ron at Simon & Schuster.

After finding a free copy of Duck for President by Diane Cronin in our Cheerios one day, we have been hooked on the Spoonfuls of Stories idea. What a wonderful way to promote reading and to help new writers get a start.

(Oats cereal rings by Petr Kratochvil)

Ironically, although this is a nonfiction book, it covers how to write fiction. The authors do a fabulous job of explaining the ins and outs of creating characters, plots, settings, and the process of writing. Anne writes that there are many ways to start writing a story. You can even make model out of jello, if that works for you. Wouldn’t it be great if every English/Language Arts teacher in the country picked up a copy of this book, backed off from the emphasis on plotting stories using graphic organizers and gave children big blobs of jello to work with instead?

With a young woman on the cover, and two women authors, is this a book for boys who want to write, too? The authors state right up front that it was their goal to appeal to boys as well as girls, and to their credit they’ve succeeded pretty well.  Most people who want to become a serious writer, or even simply a better writer, will find some useful messages in Spilling Ink.

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Flash Point (March 30, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1596435143
ISBN-13: 978-1596435148

Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter have written some fantastic books. A personal family favorite is The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer. Check Anne’s website and Ellen’s website for more information about the authors and their books, or see the lists below.

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week. This week’s post is at Tales from the Rushmore Kid.

If you are a fan of children’s nonfiction books, be sure to visit the new Nonfiction Monday Facebook page.

Janet has graciously stopped by to tell us about her wonderful new picture book from Sylvan Dell, Fur and Feathers, illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein. (You might remember Janet as the author of Little Black Ant on Park Street, which I reviewed back in February. )

Fur and Feathers is a sweet tale of a young girl, Sophia, who dreams the animals have all lost their coverings in a big storm. She wants to help, but how?

Janet, would you mind giving us a brief history of how this imaginative book came about?

Sylvan Dell Publishing was looking for a book on animal wraps, and right away that topic intrigued me. So I started brainstorming fun story possibilities around that theme. It didn’t take long before I came up with the idea of a storm blowing the coats off all the animals. I thought how fun it would be to have the animals dress in kid clothes, and I did that in the story. But the story needed something more. That’s when I remembered the huge sewing box I always kept handy for fixing or creating whatever when my four children were growing up. I decided to have Sophia create new coats for the animals based on what they told her they needed. Then, seemingly all on her own, Sophia began adding special touches, such as a red heart behind the polar bear’s ear and yellow bows on the snake. Adding those special touches and figuring out what items from the sewing box would work for each coat were my favorite parts of writing the story. I included animals from each group to make the book as educational as possible.

It’s fascinating that you were able to take something from the publisher’s wish list and run with it. Aspiring authors should take note.

Let’s get back, however, to your last point about making the book educational. Here at Wrapped In Foil, I love books with hands-on activities and I noticed Sylvan Dell has provided an extensive Teaching Activity Guide (in column on upper right at website) for use with Fur and Feathers. How important is it to you that your books be educational?

Whenever I can add educational elements that naturally fit the story, I try to do that. When I’m writing a story about an animal, I research that animal thoroughly. I especially like to read scientists’ first-hand observations of the animal’s life and behavior, so I can include specific telling details about the animal: how it learns to fly, what noises it makes, how it interacts with its parents and siblings. I think those specific details make the story come alive for the child. I couldn’t do as much of that in Fur and Feathers because there are so many animals, and each one is only on stage briefly. But in Little Skink’s Tail, even though the book is fiction, I was careful to make the habitat correct and Little Skink’s behavior accurate; for example, having her warm up in the sun before she begins her day and eat ants for breakfast.

Yes, I see why you couldn’t pack in a lot of detail in when you had numerous animals to “cover.” But you do have the “For Creative Minds” section at the end of the book with useful scientific information about animal classification. It fits so well because sorting is such an important skill for your target age group.

You are a successful author of over 30 children’s books. Let’s talk a minute about being a writer.

Children’s authors need to promote their own books these days, and you are in the midst of a promotional blitz. Do you have any pointers?

Promoting Fur and Feathers is somewhat easier than my previous books because I have built many relationships in the last few years. Little Skink’s Tail (2007) was my first big marketing effort because my previous books were work-for-hire projects, which authors can’t really afford to spend too much time promoting. I’m definitely not an expert on marketing, but I think it’s really important to show how much I appreciate every effort that a blogger, a bookstore, a librarian puts forth for me. For example, both my hometown library and the library in the town where I grew up were happy to host my double book launch party for Fur and Feathers and Good Night, Little Sea Otter because of our previous relationships.

How did you learn about marketing?

I’ve learned what I know about marketing primarily by noticing what other children’s writers are doing: by reading their posts on blogs, listservs, Facebook, and their articles in writers’ magazines. I’ve also read several books on marketing, and Sylvan Dell also offers marketing tips to its authors.

How do you balance writing and marketing?

I don’t know if I balance writing and marketing well. For a month or two after a new book comes out (and this fall with two new books out it’s especially hectic), most of my time is consumed by marketing: researching bloggers and asking them to review my book; contacting bookstores, nature centers etc.; creating the props needed for my interactive story times; publicizing my events, etc. At some point I just have to tell myself it’s time to stop promoting and write and hold myself to it.

Those are some great pointers. It does not sound easy, and I’m sure writers will appreciate your willingness to share your insights. For those who are interested, Sylvan Dell’s marketing information is on top right of the submissions page.

I had another question about writing. Given the recent controversies about challenged and banned books, did you have any worries that some parents might object to the animals in Fur and Feathers being “naked?”

I must admit, the thought of someone objecting to animals without their coverings never crossed my mind until I read your question. I guess I never really thought of the animals as being naked. However, Illustrator Laurie Allen Klein did, but not because of any moral issue. Her dilemma—”How To Make Naked Animals Cute.” You can read her blog post about it here. Many animals look lots different without their coverings. In fact, some look like a completely different animal. That’s the problem Laurie faced with the polar bear because under its white (actually transparent) fur, its skin is black. Laurie worried that kids would think the coatless polar bear was a black bear. Her solution: she put the polar bear in a hooded sweatsuit while it awaited its new coat. As it turned out, the scene in the story where Sophia dresses the animals in her clothes was a lifesaver for Laurie. The animals could “look cute” wearing kid clothes while they waited for Sophia to do her magic!

That’s a clever solution, thank you for sharing. Who would have thought polar bears would have had dark skin under what appears to be white fur?

Let’s “wrap” up with a lighter question.

I see your favorite animal is a cat. Do you have any cats and do they help you write?

Growing up on a farm, we always had lots of cats, and I loved them as much as they loved me. Whenever I tried to pick vegetables in the garden, it was next to impossible because the cats wanted to be right in the middle of it all. They figured playing with them was more important than any chores! Since then, our family has usually included a cat. Our cat Jackie was a member of our family for nineteen years. When she died a few years ago, I decided my five grandcats and one granddog were enough to keep me happy. I’m sure there is a cat story somewhere in my future!

Thanks so much for talking with me. It’s been great fun!

I can’t wait to see the cat story. I appreciate that you took time out of your busy fall schedule to do this interview. You willingness to share your experiences and understanding of writing children’s books is inspiring.

And now let’s take a look at Fur and Feathers:

Doesn’t that just make you want to cuddle up and read?

Edit: Exciting news: Janet has just let us know that Fur and Feathers has won a 2010 Gold Moonbeam for preschool picture books.

Fur and Feathers is for children ages 4-8.
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: SylvanDellPublishing (released August 10, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1607180863
ISBN-13: 978-1607180869

Brimful Curiosities has a lovely review of Fur and Feathers, including a link to a lesson plan about animal coverings.

The publisher supplied a temporary e-book for review.

The text is written in a light, conversational tone. The punctuation marks are characters who often introduce themselves to the reader, speaking in first person. Possessive Apostrophe (the character on the front cover) says, “When I get ahold of something, that’s that- you don’t get rid of me.” At the bottom of each page are reminders of things to do (and not to do) with that particular punctuation mark. What an excellent way to reinforce learning!

The illustrations feature sweet figures that appear to have roots in Japanese chibi. The characters have a lot of visual clues as to how that particular form of punctuation works. For example, the list-making comma has a list in its hand and a line of commas in its tool belt.

For the student who may not quite grasp grammar yet, this refreshing approach might be exactly what’s needed to bring clarity. The creative illustrations are absolutely fantastic for visual learners. It would also be a wonderful book for the child who simply wants a quick review of the basics from time to time.

In the back, the book shows off its educational roots with a summary of eight different parts of speech and some questions to test comprehension. There is also an index and a three page glossary. Even better, each book comes with a poster of the various characters that acts as reference for study at a glance.

If you are looking for an educational reference about punctuation that’s packed with kid appeal, then this is a book to consider.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Kingfisher; Pap/Pstr edition (July 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0753464209
ISBN-13: 978-0753464205

This video shows some of the other books available. You might be able to spot the author’s British roots.

This book was a review copy.

Starting with a perennial favorite, Jane Austin, and ending with superstar J.K. Rowling, these biographies tell of personal struggles, doubts, and rejection letters. Mary Ann Evans, writing in the 1800′s, took the pen name of a man, George Eliot, in order to be taken seriously as a writer. (Have times changed so much? Read interviews by modern mystery writer J.A. Jance.) Funny, talented Judy Blume faced criticism and censorship. Yet these women did not give up and eventually found success.

You can’t help, but to learn from these stories. Heather Ball writes:

Sometimes, a writer’s ideas come from her own experiences. She writes about her family, friends, her home and how she feels about things that go on around her… Sometimes, a writer wants to protest an injustice or express a strong opinion… And then sometimes, a writer is compelled to write suddenly, as if she has received a gift.

Remarkable Women Writers is part of the Women’s Hall of Fame Series. I love the format of relatively short, easy-to-read biographies that are still filled with rich detail. Each chapter has appropriate black and white illustrations and photographs (depending on the era), and interesting sidebars to pull the reader in. There is a very useful list of sources in the back, organized by author, so that you can quickly delve more deeply into the lives of the writers who interest you.

The biographies would be appropriate for approximately age nine and up. If you are a reader and/or a writer, this book definitely has something for you.

Paperback: 100 pages
Publisher: SECOND STORY PRESS (2006)
ISBN-10: 1897187084
ISBN-13: 978-1897187081
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.4 inches

I wish to thank the publisher for being willing to provide a copy of this older book.

If you want to learn more, check the 15 Words or Less Guidelines.

Today the photo prompt is a shower head spurting water drops.

Here are my 10 Words:

Ideas flow
in the shower
Can’t stay in
all day

Wow, what a great way to jump start the writing muse in the morning.

If you are an unpublished author (please check the website for the rules about being published), then you should consider the 4th Annual Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories New Author Contest. Basically, you need to enter by July 15, 2010 and if you win, your work will be published and distributed in cereal boxes. There are profiles of past winners at the Simon and Schuster site.

After finding a free copy of Duck for President by Diane Cronin in our Cheerios one day, we have been hooked on the Spoonfuls of Stories idea.

Edit:  Although some of these links still work, check my 2011 post for the newest contest.

(Oats cereal rings by Petr Kratochvil)

Good luck!

Rosen calls the technically savvy kids the “iGeneration,” with the “i” in this case standing for individualized. In the past media was generic and everyone watched or listened to the same limited offerings provided on television or the radio. In contrast, the youngest children have grown up with a plethora of choices. From the TV they watch to the music they download, the media they experience is all individualized to their specific, unique tastes.

The individualization doesn’t stop at media, either. What children experience and learn is also more personal.

” ‘They know almost every piece of information they want is at their disposal whenever they need it,’ [Dave] Verhaagen [a child and adolescent psychologist in Charlotte] says. ‘They’re less interested in learning facts and learning data than in knowing how to gain access to it and synthesize it and integrate it into their life.’ ”

If this statement is true, then it represents a huge challenge to those of us writing children’s nonfiction books. Not only do we need to present the facts in an entertaining way, but also make them more personal and relevant than ever before. On the other hand, the bit that children’s books do well is the synthesis of information, and we have to continue to make that a strength.

Although challenging, the extra effort will likely result in innovative and better quality books. I can’t wait to see where we go next.

What about you? What do you think about the idea of the iGeneration? How do you think it will change children’s books?

‘igeneration’ kids grow up techie
By Sharon Jayson, USA Today. Retrieved 2/27/10 from http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/kids/articles/2010/02/09/20100209i-generation-kids-technology.html

I have following Sandra Foyt’s On Living By Learning blog, for awhile now, because she has a keen knack of accomplishing both the “doing” and the “writing.” When she wrote a post titled 2010 Writing Resolution: Get Published, it caught my attention. It was time to take things to a new level.

In How To Write The SAHM Blogger Resume, Sandra explains how having a blog has given her experience in writing and computer skills that she can put on her resume. She also included some links and tips if you need to brush up your own resume.

Get Published: Start Writing and Establish a Writer’s Platform has an extensive interview with writing teacher Christina Katz about establishing a writer’s platform. What does that mean? Basically, you need to establish an area of professional expertise that gives you both credentials and visibility. At the end of the post Sandra gives us the challenge to write, create a writing schedule, and identify and remove distractions. Let’s do it!

I am really excited about her most recent post, Get Published: 7 Reasons to Diversify Your Writing. I like her ideas to practice more and write faster. Even if you don’t have a deadline, give yourself one. I am a member of a critique group. Having regular meetings where I need to write something good enough for others to read is a great way to create deadlines.

I can’t wait to see how Sandra’s project turns out.
What about you? Do you have writing goals this year?

Ben Franklin must have followed his own advice, because his words are still in print more than 200 years later.

Did I win fame and fortune? No, but I did get my membership renewed, which was extremely valuable to me.  That’s why I am going to recommend two writing contests that have deadlines coming up soon. I like writing contests that don’t charge a fee and potentially lead to publication.

Delacorte Press has a contest for a first young adult novel.  Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2009. They want manuscripts from authors who have not previously published young adult novels and will accept up to two submissions. Might be an incentive for getting your NaNoWriMo efforts ready.

Highlights Magazine 2010 Contest wants a fiction entry based on a true story from your family. Entries must be postmarked between January 1 and 31, 2010. See their guidelines for more details.

Good luck and let me know if you win!