Kid Lit Love: Noah Noasaurus

Cynthia Mackey

Elaine Kiely Kearns does so much for the kid lit community. She and Sylvia Liu are responsible for the kid lit 411 website which provides a wealth of information for aspiring writers. If you haven’t checked it out, I encourage you to do so.

I was excited to receive a copy of Elaine’s debut picture book, titled NOAH NOASAURUS. This book has the winning combination of a popular dinosaur theme paired with a recognizable stage of childhood development. Many parents can relate to the “No” phase where a child’s favourite word becomes “no.” And for that reason alone, parents and children will love the book.

From the Wooly Mammoth Slippers to the Smilodon Toothpaste, Elaine has fully explored the dinosaur theme in a playful manner.

The bright and colourful illustrations by Colin Jack along with the increasing parade of dinosaur friends who follow Noah on his grumpy journey are delightful.

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ABC’S OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD

ABC’S OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD

ABC’S OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD

ABC’S OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD

Five Books that Will Take Your Writing to the Next Level

by Sylvia Liu
Reposted from sylvialiuland.com

How do you become a better writer?

You can write a lot. You can read a lot. And you can read how-to-write books. While my main focus is illustration, I have taken creative writing classes and studied many craft books. Here are the most useful and practical ones I’ve come across:

All About The Lyrical Language Lab Online Writing Course

Interview with founder Renée M. LaTulippe by Julie Hedlund
Reposted from juliehedlund.com

I am SO delighted to be hosting my friend Renée LaTulippe today. I met Renée initially through my 12 x 12 challenge, and quickly discovered her talent and effervescence as a children’s poet/actress/performer. So much so that I corralled her to serve as the “Poetry Elf” for 12 x 12 these past two years, where she passes her poetic passion onto other bards to be (and already are… no not to be…).

Renée has long been an advocate for poets and a supporter of poetry for children, but now she’s passing on her gifts in a course designed to help ALL writers write more lyrically and rhythmically in her course THE LYRICAL LANGUAGE LAB: Punching up Prose with Poetry. Because I am signed up to take this course in July, Renée gave me a sneak peek into the course and a spot in the private Facebook group.

Writing Process: The Writing of the Poem “Elegy for a Daffodil”

by Renée M. LaTulippe
Reposted from NoWaterRiver.com

Every now and then I participate in a yearly event called March Madness Poetry…

in which poets are assigned a difficult word and then given 36 hours to compose a children’s poem using that word. Since it’s a high-pressure, high-stakes kind of game, I thought I’d share the feverish process that is devising a poem for March Madness.

For Round 1, I had 36 hours to compose a poem for the word GAIETY. In light of words like verjuice, parallax, and grok, I thought I had it easy, but this word gave me some trouble indeed. Besides that pesky extra syllable, I felt boxed in by the meaning of the word. I had to write a poem about frolicking, it seems, so I dutifully made my list of words.

Three Essential Books for the Visual Storyteller

by Sylvia Liu
Reposted from sylvialiuland.com

 

If you’re an aspiring children’s book artist or writer seeking to improve your skills…

you can take classes, study the masters and experts, read voraciously, join a critique group, and continuously practice your craft. With some patience, curiosity and a good internet connection, you can expose yourself to a world of ideas, inspiration, and tips and advice from fellow travelers. Every once in awhile an actual book may make it onto your reference shelf. In my own journey to become a better visual storyteller, these three books have stood out for their ability to teach and inspire:

Happy 1st Birthday, Kidlit411!

by Sylvia Liu
Reposted from sylvialiuland.com

Many of you know that my friend Elaine Kiely Kearns and I run a resource website for children’s writers and illustrators, Kidlit411.

We have been open one year, and it’s been so much fun watching it grow. The concept is brilliantly simple (Elaine’s brainchild): gather all the kidlit links of good articles, resources, and advice that is available all over the internet and organize it in an accessible and appealing way.Over the year, the site has grown to include: