GAP FAMILY BLOG

Guardian Angel Publishing author Kristen Zajac will be doing children's book readings at Small Blessings Preschool in Tampa, Florida this week as part of a special week long event focusing on literacy. Ms. Zajac will read one of her books, Ebeneezer's Cousin, and teach the children about real organizations which train animal helpers to assist people with special needs. On February 22nd and 23rd, she will be visiting each age group and talking with them about the book and being an author. Later in the week, Small Blessings classes will be participating in a special Storybook Fair where classrooms will be decorated as theme rooms for various children's books. Each room will have hands on activities for the children to do to bring the books to life.

To find out more about Kristen and her work, please visit http://www.kristenzajac.com/.

Visit Guardian Angel Publishing online at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/.

The world of children’s picture book publishing is extremely competitive. If you’re an aspiring children’s author, you need to make sure your manuscript is in excellent shape and has all the elements editors and agents look for before you begin the submission process.


Here are five tips to make your picture book manuscript more marketable:

Start right with the problem.

Many times beginner writers begin a picture book with backstory. It’s okay to have this backstory in the first draft, but be sure to get rid of it when you edit. Backstory is unnecessary 90% of the time and it only serves to slow down the beginning of a story, making it weaker. You want to grab the reader right from the start. So don’t be afraid to begin your story at the heart of the problem. It’s okay to set the stage with a sentence or two—but no more!

Have a protagonist readers can relate to.

Generally, children like to listen to stories about other children or animals with children’s characteristics. They don’t want to hear about a grandma or grandpa looking back to the time when they were young. Create characters kids can identify with. When readers can identify with the protagonist, they are drawn into the story and become emotionally involved with it.

Make sure the problem fits the age group.

Be sure your protagonist is facing a problem young readers can relate to. If they can’t relate to it, they won’t care. Losing a toy or losing mommy, being lost, having a tooth pulled out, going to the hairdresser for the first time, having too many freckles, planning a first party... these are all problems kids can identify with. Sure, these subjects have been done a million times. But so what? By creating a new angle about a familiar topic, you can give the topic your own fresh and original slant

Add rising action.

Rising action creates tension—the good stuff that keeps readers glued to the story, turning those pages. After you have created the first big problem for the protagonist, and as he tries to solve it, toss a couple more obstacles into his path to make readers wonder what’s going to happen next. The more readers care about the character’s predicament, the more compelling they’ll find the story.

Leave them with a punch.

Endings are always important, no matter what the genre. But they’re especially important in picture books. Once the protagonist solves the problem and everything falls into place, you must find a way to make the ending memorable. This can be achieved by adding an unexpected twist or by having the character say or do something witty. At the same time, it must feel natural, a perfect and logical progression that has evolved organically with the story. This can be hard to achieve. Try different possibilities until you get that “Aha!” feeling. Don’t be afraid to come up with crazy, over-the-top ideas while you brainstorm.

Keeping these tips in mind when creating your children’s stories will help you make them more marketable and appealing to editors and agents. Like with any craft, writing for children is a never ending learning process. I hope you’ll keep at it and enjoy the journey.



© Copyright 2011 Mayra Calvani.

Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. Her nonfiction work, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing was a ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award winner. She’s had over 300 stories, articles, interviews and reviews published. She reviews for SimplySharly.com and is co-editor of Voice in the Dark Ezine. She also offers book reviewing workshops online. Visit her website at http://www.mayracalvani.com/. For her children’s books, visit http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.com/. You can find Voice in the Dark at http://voice-in-the-dark.com/.

Eight-year old Melina wants to become a good violinist. When she loses confidence, her Rumanian teacher Andrea decides it’s time for a magic dose of self esteem. A mysterious old woman in rags gives Melina some curious advice; a violinist Russian hamster, who happens to live under the old woman's hat, offers her a virtuoso performance; a shooting star fills her with hope on Christmas Eve. Is Melina actually playing better, or has her violin become magic? Who is the old woman in the town square, and why does she wear the same emerald ring as her teacher Andrea?




Imagine, if you will, the aerial dance of fireflies taking flight on a mid-summer’s eve, accompanied by a summertime symphony of frogs and cicadas, harmonizing as darkness falls. The rhythmic sounds of the outdoor concerto build to a crescendo, then fade into the night air until the next midsummer’s dance.



Frederico is a tiny mouse with a big dream: he wants to become a violinist. Each day he watches as Stradivari makes his famous violins. Each night, he sneaks into the workshop to play. But the violins are too big! Then, unbeknown to Frederico, Stradivari sees him playing and begins carving a tiny device. Could it be a famous Strad especially for Frederico?



Jamie had the best dream last night. Now he wants to buy it for his mom. Jamie is having a great day. He has French toast for breakfast; gets a gold star in spelling; wishes on a puffball; meets a unicorn; finds Dreams R Us, and buys his mom a dream.

Find all these books and more by visiting the Guardian Angel Publishing website at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/!

You already know about reading to your kids on a regular basis. Then comes the transition. They have to learn to read for themselves.

For some children, this isn’t easy. Some don’t learn to read on schedule. I was one of them.

I was sent down from first grade to a class called Pre Primer. (This is a grade that no longer exists. It was a transition between Kindergarten and First Grade. I still remember the walk home with the note to my mom. In pre primer I was introduced to sounding out and Dick and Jane (Boring!) But I learned and by age 8, I was already a bookaholic.

One thing that remained important for me for several years was large print and plenty of white space. It made the process of decoding so much easier.

When my sons were learning to read, I looked for those kinds of books. In the beginning stages, I also looked for funny, short and simple. I wanted them to experience an easy sense of accomplishment.


Chris had a very hard time with reading. He felt so badly that he couldn’t read in Kindergarten that he memorized a book – The Fat Cat by Jack Kent. Then he went and “read” it to his class.

I looked for “easy readers”.
The “I’m Going to Read” series has three levels http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?section_key=21-52&limit=10§ion
Level One 50 Words
Level Two 100 Words
Level Three 200 Words
These books credit an illustrator. Apparently no one wrote them – not even that good old standby “Anonymous”

“I Can Read” series http://www.icanread.com/
This series has 4 reading levels
Level One Beginning Reading
Level Two Reading with Help
Level Three Reading Alone
Level Four Advanced Reading – Chapter books for Kids
These books have both authors and illustrators



My problem with these series:

They aren’t easy enough. They encouraged learning a lot of different sounds at the same time. I thought Chris needed to work with one sound at a time. It makes decoding simpler. I used Hop on Pop which has great sound groupings.

In desperation I wrote him a book: Cat and Rat or War and Peace for the challenged reader. It’s a funny “boy” book. Someday I am going to get it published. (It’s been out a few times. I forget which publisher sent it back with a note that it was too violent. He had obviously never seen Tom and Jerry).

I told him to stop worrying. That reading would come. And it did…about second grade. He was not truly comfortable reading till third grade.

When your child became an independent reader, what was the favorite book?

Other posts you might enjoy:

How I made my child a reader
http://thepenandinkblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-i-made-my-kids-readers.html

Helping your homeschooler learn to read http://school.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/reading/38692.html



Susan J Berger is a writer and an actress. She’s performs in a lot of live theatre including the Broadway production of the musical "The Robber Bridegroom" and the National tour of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” Her TV appearances include M*A*S*H and Hannah Montana. She got her first series in 2009 - Warren the Ape for MTV .

Susan has three books published by GAP. JAMIE’S DREAM is written by Susan and her son Christopher Corbin and illustrated by Kim Sponaugle. EARTHQUAKE! is a non fiction book for grade 2-4, illustrated by Eugene Ruble and produced by Lynda Burch. Earthquake won an Honorable mention in the 2008 Green Book awards. Visit the website for teacher activities www.earthquake-book.com. GROWING UP DREAMS is illustrated by Samantha Bell.

Susan and her three fellow critique group members author a blog for writers visit them at http://thepenandinkblog.blogspot.com/

She is currently working on a mid grade chapter book called "Tasha The Magnificent" , a picture book called The Undertoads and an adult novel - Second Chances. Visit Susan at http://www.susanjberger.com/

You can also find out more about Susan's book Earthquake at http://www.earthquake-book.com/!

The February 2011 issue of Guardian Angel Kids Magazine is now available at http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com/!

This issue celebrates grandparents. Inside you'll find two featured books, a poem, two special stories, fun activities, and an article for parents and educators on understanding learning styles.

You can also find back issues of  GAK on the website.

As always, we appreciate and encourage feedback.

Our congratulations go out to all the winners in the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2010. We are thrilled and proud to know several of our Angels were among them.

1. Philip and the Superstition Kid, John Paulits, Gypsy Shadow Publishing,

2. If Wishes Were Fishes, N.A. Sharpe, 4RV Publishing,

3. A Wish and A Prayer, Beth Bence Reinke, 4RV Publishing LLC,

4. The Mishaps of Gum Drop Island, M.M., Self,

5. The Weaver, Kai Strand,

 6. The Golden Pathway, Donna M. McDine, Guardian Angel Publishing,

7. The Halloween Dino Trip, Lea Schizas, MuseItUp Publishing,

8. Bubba Goes National, Jennifer Walker, Windswept Destiny Publishing,

9. The Giving Meadow, Stephanie Burkhart, 4RV Publishing,

9. Philip & the ssuperstition kid, John Paulitis, Gypsy Shadow,

10. Haunted, Heather Beck, Treasure Cove Books,

10. Killer Cows, D.M. Anderson, Echelon Press,

10. In My Bath, Beth Bence Reinke, 4RV Publishing,

11. Quest for the Simurgh, Marva Dasef, Texas Boy Publications

11. Eagle Quest, Marva Dasef, CreateSpace,

12. Andy and Spirit Meet the Rodeo Queen, Mary Jean Kelso, Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.,

12. RV Mouse, Mary Jean Kelso, Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.,

13. It's Okay to be a Zombie, Nathaniel Lambert & Danny Evarts, Shroud Publishing,

13. Sully's Topsy Tale , Donna J. Shepherd, Guardian Angel Publishing,

13. Jeannette Claus Saves Christmas, Douglas Rees, McElderry/Simon & Schuster,

13. Gamer's Quest, George Ivanoff, Ford Street,

Children's Authors and Illustrators Week is celebrated the first week of February. "During this week, members of the Children's Authors Network visit schools, libraries, and children's shelters all over the country."

For more information, please visit:

Children's Authors Network! (CAN!)
23291 Mobile St.
West Hills, CA 90307

Phone: (818) 615-0857

E-mail: caiw@childrensauthorsnetwork.com
Web: http://www.childrensauthorsnetwork.com/

January 2011
Contact: Jennifer Gladen
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.jengladen.com/

On January 18, 2011, A Star in the Night, written by Jennifer Gladen and illustrated by K.C. Snider, was awarded the Catholic Writers Guild (CWG) Seal of Approval (SOA) award. The award is given to fiction and non-fiction books which are consistent with Church teaching and are faithful to the Magesterium.

A Star in the Night is a story about Christmas and its real meaning. Is it all about the shopping, gifts, cookies and parties? Or is there something more David is missing?

As taken from the book’s blurb: "David makes his way home on Christmas Eve and sees this is no ordinary night. Accompanied by a shimmering star and some tough decisions, David encounters three experiences that will change his view of Christmas forever. Join David on his wondrous journey home."

Just what are some people saying about A Star in the Night?

"A touching tale with a great Christmas message."
--Cheryl C. Malandrinos , December 1, 2010

"Great book for the holiday season - true meaning of Christmas"

--Customer, Barnes and Noble.com

Jennifer Gladen is a children’s author, mother of three and teacher who lives and writes in Pennsylvania. She has written several children’s books, stories and articles, and started her own Catholic e-zine titled My Light Magazine. When not writing, teaching or mothering, she enjoys singing in her local parish choir on Sundays.

To purchase A Star in the Night, visit:

http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

ISBN# 1616330554

To schedule an interview or to contact the author, send an e-mail to:

Jennifer_gladen5@msn.com

Jan 15-16, 2011

GAP author Kristen Zajac will be conducting three readings of her latest release, Chasing the Spirit of Service, at the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. The Festival is being held this Saturday and Sunday, January 15-16, 2011, at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. The Black Heritage Festival features live entertainment, speakers, food, arts, and crafts. Ms. Zajac will be conducting her book readings in the Festival's "Children's Village" which will host a variety of activities for families with young children including face painting, storytelling, educational activities, and arts and crafts. After the storytime, the Children's Village is offering small prizes to children who answer questions about the Tuskegee Airmen, featured in Ms. Zajac's book.

You can find out more about Kristen and her work at http://www.kristenzajac.com/!

The final picture book in the Topsy Tales trilogy features a jazz loving, bebopping, singing snake suffering with laryngitis. What’s an independent snake that only sings solos to do? While waiting for his voice to return, Sully learns to appreciate the talents of others and the value of friendship.





Emma comes from three generations of Air Force pilots and misses her father when he travels. Her best friend Adam tries to cheer her up. Emma’s great grandfather, one of the first African American pilots during World War II, shares his life story with Emma and Adam and helps them appreciate the spirit of service.





Eight-year old Melina wants to become a good violinist. When she loses confidence, her Rumanian teacher Andrea decides it’s time for a magic dose of self esteem. A mysterious old woman in rags gives Melina some curious advice; a violinist Russian hamster, who happens to live under the old woman's hat, offers her a virtuoso performance; a shooting star fills her with hope on Christmas Eve. Is Melina actually playing better, or has her violin become magic? Who is the old woman in the town square, and why does she wear the same emerald ring as her teacher Andrea?

 
 

In a town of word weavers, Mary suffers through her third year of Novice Word Weaving. Mary thinks her troubles are over when she meets a gnome-elf who grants her a wish. But instead of weaving a better story, she's weaving strange yarn charms to accompany her still pathetic tales.




Maria Jimenez and her dad share many things including a passion for going to see the monkeys at their local primate sanctuary. But when Maria’s father returns home from military service with an injury, how will she find a way to help him recapture his spirit and independence?



Find more Guardian Angel Publishing titles at www.guardianangelpublishing.com/!

It’s the start of a new year and most writers are thinking about New Year’s resolutions and writing goals. But like New Year’s resolutions, writing goals seem to be made to be broken. A few weeks into January and you’re already falling behind on what you planned to accomplish.

It looks like this will be another year filled with disappointments and unobtainable dreams.

No, not this year!

You’re going to focus on your writing goals, pat yourself on the back when you accomplish what you had set out to do, and make this year your most productive one yet.

Here’s how.

Write a Business Plan

While it would be nice if you could concentrate solely on the creative side of writing, the reality is that writing is a business and must be treated as such.

Write up a business plan that describes your mission and provide details on how you will achieve it. You can use this business plan to set your goals.

Post your business plan in your work area where it is easily visible. This will help motivate and encourage you to move forward.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

One of the things I talk about in my Organize Your Writing Life workshop is the need to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely; otherwise known as S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals is vital to your productivity. Goals that are too vague, unrealistic, or immeasurable can only increase your chances of failure. You quickly become discouraged, begin to procrastinate, and soon abandon your writing goals.

Don’t let that happen to you!

Take the time to set up S.M.A.R.T. goals from the start. For more about S.M.A.R.T. goals you can read this article - http://time-management.writer2writer.com/falling-in-love-with-smart-goals-.htm

Break Down Your Goals

Once you have your S.M.A.R.T. goals in place, you need to break them down into smaller more manageable chunks.

Write out a weekly to-do list so that you can chop away at your goals one step at a time. Make sure you review this list daily, check off what you accomplished, and make a plan for what you’ll work on the next day.

Reward Your Accomplishments

Maybe it sounds like you’re in dog obedience class now, but rewards are important to helping you stick with your goals. If you’ve had a productive month, don’t be afraid to treat yourself to something special.

I’ve treated myself to manicures, massages, and new clothes after a month of plowing through my to-do lists. Whatever you decide to do, make it memorable and consider taking a picture so that you can hang it next to your business plan to motivate you to keep going.

Don’t Over Commit

This has been a lesson I’ve learned the long, hard way. You are only one person and there are only so many hours in the day. You can’t do it all by yourself.

There is no shame in learning to say “no”.

It’s not always easy, but if you want to have a balance between your personal and professional lives, it’s a must. For more on learning to say “no”, you can read this article - http://time-management.writer2writer.com/learning-to-say-no-.htm.

Ask for Help and Support

Writing can be a lonely business. Tied to your computer for hours on end—which I don’t recommend for health reasons—you don’t have the opportunity to interact with others. And let’s face it, no one really understands what you’re going through except another writer.

Don’t be afraid to ask family and friends for help. Whether it is to finish household chores or to run errands, family and friends will be eager to help out if it means you’ll be able to spend time together later.

Support from other writers will help keep you motivated and eager to work toward accomplishing your goals. Consider joining a local writers group. If there isn’t one, there are plenty of online writing communities that offer various types of support to writers. Most of the writers I know, I have met online, and they are some of the best folks around when it comes to supporting me during all kinds of weather.

Armed with these tools, you have what you need to stick to your writing goals all year long. You have the power to make your writing dreams come true. Use it!

© Cheryl Malandrinos- All Rights Reserved


Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. A founding member of Musing Our Children, Ms. Malandrinos is also Editor in Chief of the group’s quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens.

Cheryl is a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book, a book reviewer, and blogger. Little Shepherd is her first children’s book. Ms. Malandrinos lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two young daughters. She also has a son who is married.

You can visit Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.com/  or the Little Shepherd blog at http://littleshepherdchildrensbook.blogspot.com/.

When Rhyming Gets Slumpy by Bill Kirk

(Published in Absolute Write in May 2005)

Have you ever dealt with
A slump in your brain
That keeps you from writing,
Come sun or come rain?

A Slump so lugubrious,
Nothing will help;
Not chanting or singing,
Not even a yelp;

Not saying words backward
Or running in place;
Not closing your eyes
Or gazing at space.

It won’t even help much
To vacuum the rug;
To sort all your laundry
Or bathe your pet pug.

Though looking to rhymers
 To break your word jam,
Might seem the right thing
When your mind’s on the lam;

At times even tactics
Like these are no use,
To make your words flow--
To break your rhymes loose.

 Then just when you’re ready
To give up the fight,
Your brains get unslumped;
You soon see the light.

Your ears hear the rhythm
Of iambic beat.
Your unrhyming ailment
Is now in retreat.

At last your line endings
Again sound the same.
As if it were magic
You’re back in the game.

So, if you get plagued
By words that don’t match;
You’re laying an egg
And your rhymes just won’t hatch.

Please don’t get all frazzled
And threaten to quit.
Just step back a moment
And let your words sit.

 Remember when rhymes
Are just plain ol’ stuck.
The harder you try
The worse your luck… gets….

Bill Kirk is the author of There's a Spider in My Sink, No Bones About It, My Grandma's Kitchen Rules, There's a Beetle in My Bed, Circulation Celebration, and the mewly released A Midsummer's Dream. He also has five more children's books scheduled to be released in 2011.

Bill was born in Germany, has lived on four continents, and has traveled widely in South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the U.S. He and his wife, Rita, have been married for over 40 years. They have two children and several grandchildren.

You can visit Bill online at http://billkirkwrites.com/.

In the hills outside Bethlehem, Obed guards his first flock of sheep. When the angels appear to tell of the Savior’s birth, he is hesitant to follow the others to see the new King. Can Obed trust that the miracle of the first Christmas will keep his sheep safe until he returns?

With expedited shipping, you can still order these books in time for Christmas from http://www.amazon.com/!

Title: Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D”
Author: Margot Finke
Illustrator: Ellen Gurak
Paper ISBN: 13: 978-1-61633-101-6
eBook ISBN: 13: 978-1-61633-102-3
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing

Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D” is a children’s rhyming picture book that tackles dyslexia. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, dyslexia, according to the Mayo Clinic, “is an impairment in your brain's ability to translate written images received from your eyes into meaningful language.” And, it is the most common learning disability in children.

Margot Finke, in her usual insightful and playful way, shows the academic and emotional affects that dyslexia carries with it. Horatio, like all children with dyslexia, wants to read like his peers, but just can’t. “He wanted to read and dive into books, to snuggle in bed, reading stuff about crooks. But something was wonky within his poor head, so words in his books stayed a mystery instead.”

The author captures the emotional impact a child feels when he can’t read like others, which leads to: the need for special resources, tutoring, low self-esteem, and even anxiety. “Special class is for nitwits,” he whined to his Mom. “Every one of my friends will think that I’m dumb!”

With vivid full page illustrations Finke brings Horatio through the process of “special class” and shows the outcome that can be attained with proper instruction. “Words came unscrambled and flowed smooth and clear. “Hey, I’m reading books!” He yelled with a cheer.”

I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll do so again, I’m a fan of Margot Finke’s work. She has a unique talent for approaching topics that children can use help with, such as moving away from familiar surroundings and friends, as in her book Ruthie and the Hippo’s Fat Behind, and now with dyslexia. What’s wonderful about Finke’s books is she addresses these issues with lighthearted rhyming fun.

Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D” is a book every parent of a child who is struggling to read should get. It’s important for children to know they’re not alone in their struggles, and that dyslexia is a problem that CAN be overcome.

Included at the end of the story is a resource page that provides information on dyslexia and also offers links to pertinent articles, along with book suggestions. Listed in the information is the advice that encourages parents of children who have or are suspect of having dyslexia to let their children know it is not a sign of a lack of intelligence. These children should be told that actors/celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Orlando Bloom, Oprah Winfrey and Magic Johnson overcame dyslexia, as did Bill Gates and Albert Einstein.

According to statistics, one in five students (around 20% of the population) has a language based learning disability. And, less than one-third of the children with reading disabilities receive school services to help with their disability.

Reading Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D” with your dyslexic child is a valuable strategy to help with your child’s self-esteem and motivation.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dyslexia/DS00224
http://www.learning-inside-out.com/dyslexia-statistics.html

Reviewed December 7, 2010 by:

Karen Cioffi-Ventrice
Author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, reviewer
Acquisitions Editor Intern with 4RV Publishing

http://www.dkvwriting4u.com/
http://karencioffi.com/
KarenCioffi Writing for Children and More
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
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