PPBF: Laundry Day

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

Laundry Day, by Maurie J. Manning

Laundry Day
Written and illustrated by Maurie J. Manning
Clarion, 2012, Fiction, ages 4-8
40 pages

Themes:
Immigrants, Community, Kindness

Opening:
"Shoeshine, mister?
'Scuse me. Shoeshine?"

These opening lines don't appear on the first page. And they certainly don't intrigue the reader like the opening illustrations (You'll have to wait until my copy arrives to see the scans of the first spread. Sorry.)

Synopsis:
A turn-of-the-century shoeshine boy jostles among the city's crowds looking for work. When a red cloth falls from the sky, the boy decides to find its owner. Could it be a blanket? A scarf? An apron? Climbing the fire escapes and laundry lines, he questions everyone he meets. From the Irish triplets to the Rabbi, no one seems to know who the red cloth belongs to. Told in a mix of comic panels, wordless spreads, and dynamic illustrations, this energetic picture book will charm young readers from sunrise to sundown. Showing that no matter where we hail from, we can build a sense of community through kindness and concern for our neighbors.


What I Love:
Everything! Gorgeous. Surprising. Beautifully balanced wordless panels. Kid-pleasing comic style. Lush historical detail. Language fun with a brief dictionary in the back.

Bonus:

Thanks to Mel's Sweet Treats

1. Meet the author / illustrator in this interview from Laura Jacobsen.
2. Here is an imaginative clothesline craft from the Dimenna Children's Museum in NY.
3. There are plenty of  T-shirt cookies cutters available online. I like this one from CakeArt.
4. Lots of crafting going on here where Maurie showcases her illustrated stamps.
5. Build a sense of community by hosting a block party.
6. Learn a new language. Our library offers Mango as a free service.
7. Research an early 20th century childhood through the Library of Congress.
8. Visit your local historical society to find an attraction near you.
9. Celebrate diversity with this and other books for Multicultural Children's Book Day.

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday
for January 31, 2014, available on Susanna Leonard Hill's excellent blog.

Revision Recap

Winner's badge designed by Meg Miller

As you probably know, I participated in Meg Miller's ReviMo this month. The event was, for me, an astounding leap forward. I made significant headway on several stalled manuscripts and even solved a serious ending-problem I'd been avoiding.

I'm convinced there were multiple factors which contributed to my success:

• Purposeful preparation (I unearthed 6 old manuscripts and drafted 2 new ones to curtail writer's block (Thanks to Tara Lazar for teaching me how to prep)
• My super-supportive family (including out-of-town guests. Thanks for understanding.)
• An inspiring community of writers (Thanks, Meg and all ReviMo participants)
• The members of my new critique group (M,R,and W!)
• Revision-minded guest bloggers (Thanks to Ame, Miranda, Deborah, Linda, Shirley, Jim, Lindsay, Simone, et al)

In the spirit of continuing revision, I dug up this recommendation from the talented Lauri Meyers. Dated January 2013*, Lauri offered some feedback to readers of The Write Routine, Marcie Colleen's informative blog.

Regarding revision strategies, ask yourself

. . . what are the three strengths and weaknesses of your other ms?

 Try to write a question for each strength/weakness - how can I make this ms more gross? What would really make the reader cry?

Each morning focus on that question and make a list on a blank piece of paper of answers - like 7 things for each question. When you're done then you can open your ms and edit with your list in mind.

I can't wait to give these ideas a try during my round of revisions in February. Thanks, Lauri and Marcie.

How profitable was your ReviMo? What did you achieve? What obstacles did you face? How do you plan to overcome them in the future? I'd love to hear your successes and learn from your shortcomings. Why not share them?

*Find the original discussion here.

Multicultural Children's Book Day

Celebrate January 27, 2014

Congratulations to Mia Wenjen and Valarie Budayr for their initiative to promote diversity in books. To celebrate cultural awareness, several participants in Perfect Picture Book Friday chose books with cultural themes or subplots. Follow the link to see my review of Mice and Beans.

Check back this Friday, my PPBF Pick will continue the theme with a review of  Laundry Day, by Maurie J. Manning

JumpIntoABook lists useful resources and culturally focused reading lists. They also have a giveaway scheduled for this week, so make that your next stop!

In addition, Here are some of my favorite cross-cultural reads from 2013. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

by Uma Krishnaswami

by Candace Fleming

by Gary D. Schmidt

by Thanhha Lai

And these picture books
Grandfather's Journey, by Allen Say
Unspoken, by Henry Cole
Uncle Jed's Barber Shop, by Margaree King Mitchell and James Ransome
The Sandwich Swap, by Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah, Kelly DiPucchio, and Tricia Tusa
A Child's Calendar, by John Updike and Trina Schart Hyman
Bearskin, by Howard Pyle and Trina Schart Hyman
The Serpent Slayer and Other Stories of Strong Women, by Katrin Tchana and Trina Schart Hyman

Well-Written

"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
-Jane Austen

Available from the Literary Gift Co.

PPBF: Mice and Beans

I'm getting a head start on celebrating Multicultural Children's Book Day
 With today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick

Mice and Beans,
by Pam Ryan and Joe Cepeda

Mice and Beans
Written by Pam Munoz Ryan
Illustrated by Joe Cepeda

Scholastic, 2001,
Fiction, ages 4-8, Grade level Equivalent: 2.7,
Lexile 440L, Guided Reading: L

Themes:
Language Learning, Humor, Birthdays

Opening:
"Rosa Maria lived in a tiny house with a tiny yard. But she had a big heart, a big family, and more than anything, she loved to cook big meals for them.

"In one week, her youngest grandchild, Little Catalina, would be seven years old, and the whole family would squeeze into her casita for the party. Rosa Maria didn't mind because she believed what her mother had always said: 'When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, except for a mouse.'"

Synopsis:
Abuela Rosa Maria has a list of preparations for her grand-daughter's birthday party. Every day she finishes one of the tasks, never forgetting to set a mouse trap in her kitchen. Poor Rosa Maria thinks she is very forgetful, because each morning the trap is missing and some small portion of the previous day's task has been undone. She hopes to finish in time for Little Catalina's party, while the mice have plans of their own.

What I Love:
I love the way the author sprinkles Spanish throughout the text, in a way that is easy for young children. It is a beautiful introduction to the language for monolingual readers. She includes a dctionary and recipe in the back. Besides the obvious benefits, this is a sweet, funny story, made even more so by Joe Cepeda's vibrantly quirky illustrations.

Bonus:

Use a heart pattern
to make these mice guys.

1. Pam's book includes a recipe for rice and beans, or you can try this version using yellow rice.
2. Brush up on your language skills at OnlineFreeSpanish or 123Teach Me, specifically geared for children.
3. Spoonful posts make-your-own felt mice hand puppets, that double as a Valentine's Day craft.

4. Delve into other books that explore cultures at home and around the world. Mia Wenjen has assembled a lovely collection of kids books which celebrate diversity.

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday for January 24, 2014.
Thanks to Susanna Leonard Hill.

Mission Submission

As part of the plan to reach my goal of monthly submissions this year, I have officially joined the SubIt Club.

Heather Ayris Burnell created this community for both writers and illustrators, along with Dana Carey and Lisha Cauthen. Their goal was simple, to motivate each other to actually submit work.

badge design by Dana Carey

Last April I stumbled on the illustrator's postcard series. I was blown away by the wealth of information, the roster of participants I knew, and the sheer sense of determination they exuded. Little did I know this was a fledgling group, just beginning to carve their niche. But the dual focus on writers and illustrators kept me coming back. The sense of community gave me courage. And so on their one year anniversary, I have dared to commit. I hope you will join me in moving your career forward.

Stop by the Sub It Club blog, sign up for Facebook membership, and gain the tools to you need to get your best work into the right hands.

The Classics

"When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than was there before."
-Clifton Fadiman*

Courtesy ChessGraphics

*The newsletter of the Friends of Arlington (VA) County Public Library