Showing posts with label The Dot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Dot. Show all posts

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Picture Books to Read Aloud

I am going to be reading to preschoolers next week at the library.
I only have fifteen minutes.

How do you decide what to read with so many wonderful picture books to choose from.

Do you have any suggestions?

I think children would like fun illustrations to hold their attention, repetitiveness so they can predict what will happen next, funny words or sounds they can repeat or say along with the reader,  good rhyming - all kids (and adults) love rhyming.

At the moment, I am considering these books:




I have even considered reading something I have written. That would be a good way to get a child's reaction to my work. But if I did that, I would have to get some illustrations to go along with my manuscript. Hmmm, I would have to work fast and maybe put pictures on a display board - what do you think? Any ideas?

I love the sparkle in a child's eyes and their laughter. Have you ever read to children before? 

Posted byJanet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.






Wednesday, January 25, 2012

RE POST FROM JUNE 2010

More Writing Workshop Info

I attended a picture book workshop conducted by children's author, Cheryl Ware. But if you are not a picture book writer, please read on, I think the information will help you with any genre of writing you choose to write.

Here is a group picture of the attendees of her workshop. Cheryl is the tall lady in the middle, I am in the pink shirt beside of her.



I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop. She came with a pile of picture books to share with us. She read a few of her favorites.

She told us something that I think is very hard to do. She said to find the holes in the market - find what hasn't been written. I think this applies to all genres of writing, don't you?

She showed us some books that she stated when she first saw them, she didn't think they were the greatest. But when she read them to small children, they loved them!

They shouted out answers when she read the text to them!
They became involved in the reading!
They wanted it read over and over again!

I think that is what we want to accomplish with any of our books. We want our reader to become involved with the story and for them to want to read it over and over again.

One of her favorite books : THE DOT
If you write picture books, but haven't read this one, go to the library and check it out.
It is so simple, yet so good!

Some very good advice from her:

Start your story on a day that something is different in their life.
Ending should be expected, but a surprise.

As you can see, I think you can take this information and apply it to whatever type of writing you do, whether it be for adults or children.

Some of Cheryl's published books are:

Flea Circus Summer,
Catty-Cornered,
Venola in Love, and
Venola the Vegetarian

Her stories introduce you to Venola May Cutright, a spunky 11 year old girl.

I hope you read something from this post that will help you with your writing.

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January 25th, 2012

Today when I went to the Thrift Store I found a copy of The Dot!