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Evoking Feelings in STEM & STEAM Books

2/27/2023

2 Comments

 
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Photo by canva
By Kourtney LaFavre
I'm so happy to be back and sharing about one of my loves: STEM and STEAM books!
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. STEAM includes an “A” for Arts. STEM is the more prevalent acronym used in education.
From an author, educator, and mom perspective, my favorite STEM/STEAM books are those that make me feel something, things like wonder, excitement, curiosity, and inquisitiveness. Let's look at a few recent picture books that left me feeling "something special" after reading.

First up is Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (Author) and Daniel Minter (Illustrator). This vibrant and fascinating picture book follows the journey of the color blue through time and across the world, as it becomes the color we know today. When I read this book with my 9 year old, my teenager stopped what she was doing to join us. We had never thought about the history of certain colors and how those colors appear in our lives. We were left wondering about more colors. The book gave us the gift of thinking in a way we never have before.

In Ada and the Galaxies  by Alan Lightman and Olga Pastuchiv, illustrated by Susanna Chapman, star loving Ada leaves the city to visit her grandparents on an island in Maine. Reading this book prompted us to think about how we enjoy and connect with people while immersed in the natural world. The book also  mentioned the idea of life outside of our planet, so we were left thinking the "what if's" about life in another galaxy.

Your place in the Universe by Jason Chin had us feeling all "the things" (wonder, awe, excitement). The complex subjects of size and scale were explained and illustrated in an accessible and understandable way. And through reading this picture book we felt how physically small we are in our place in the universe and also how  HUGE that feels to be a part of the big, wide, universe.

I'll leave you, dear readers, with some questions to ponder for your own writing:
How can you make your readers care about the topics your writing about? How can you present your topic in a way that is engaging and fascinating? Are there certain feelings you want to entice in your readers? How can you weave these thoughts, ideas, or feelings  through your stories?

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Kourtney is a mom, author, and educator with a BS degree in Childhood Studies and 20+ years experience working with children and families in classrooms and other community programs. As a life-long learner she’s always questioning and  watching the world with glittering eyes, on the lookout for beautiful and amazing things. Being a SCBWI member and graduate of Children's Book Academy, helps fuel her passion for quality children's literature. She writes to inform and inspire.

Find Kourtney Here:
www.facebook.com/kourtneylafavre.writer/
https://www.instagram.com/kourtneylafavre/
https://twitter.com/KourtneyLafavre
https://kourtneylafavre.com/
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Or find my book here: 
https://kourtneylafavre.com/book/

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Keeping it Short – How a Short Story Can Help Your Writing

2/20/2023

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by Bryan Patrick Avery

Have you ever wanted to try a new genre of story? Maybe you need to fix some problems with a current piece and don’t know where to start? I may have the solution for you: write a short story. Short stories are, by definition, short. This means that you can try things out without spending too much time or energy. They’re perfect for trying out new things, getting to know your characters, or even just trying to figure out if you like that idea that’s been bouncing around in your head. This month, let’s look at two shorts stories of mine that I think have helped me become a better writer.

A number of years ago, I was hard at work on a middle grade mystery novel featuring Marilyn Jackson, a 12-year-old African America girl who was a magician. I struggled with a number of elements related to the book but my biggest challenge was fleshing out the main character which became obvious once I started submitting the work. Almost universally, the feedback was that, though the character seemed interesting, she was hard to connect with.
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With a little help, I realized all the things I didn’t know about my character. Namely, I had failed to understand three key things:
  1. Marilyn’s school life
  2. Marilyn’s friends and family
  3. Marilyn’s life away from magic
The novel I was working on took place on a secluded island with a group of magicians from around the world. School, friends and family, and life beyond magic weren’t considerations. As a result, my main character only existed in the context of life on that island. That made her flat and uninteresting.
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I scratched my head over how to address this until I decided to write and submit a short mystery for consideration in a Mystery Writers of America middle grade anthology. I decided to use my short story to explore the things I hadn’t thought about when working on the novel. I set the story during a school day and surrounded my main character (who was now a boy named Marlon instead of a girl named Marilyn) with friends and teachers. This allowed me to explore who my magician was and how he would respond to conflict. The result? My story, “The Magic Day Mystery”, was selected for inclusion in the anthology which became the popular book SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES edited by Chris Grabenstein.
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Another way short stories can help your writing as by allowing you to explore and experiment. This is what I did when I wrote “Grandma’s Greens Chase the Blues Away”.
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Those who know me know that my early days of published writing started with poetry. I still love reading and writing poetry, but it had been a while since I had submitted anything for publication. I have wanted to write a novel in verse for some time but wasn’t sure how to best approach it. Writing a short story in verse helped my get over my fears and allowed me to get my poetry legs under me. “Grandma’s Greens” will be published later this year in an anthology called THE ANTI RACIST KITCHEN – 21 STORIES (AND RECIPES) edited by Nadia L. Hohn. I can’t wait for everyone to read it.

So, if you’re struggling with a longer piece or you want to experiment with a different style or genre, take a shot at writing a short story. The shorter form will help you focus your efforts while not taxing you with a long-term project.
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Well, that’s all for this month. Happy writing and have a magical month.
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Bryan Patrick Avery is an award-winning poet and author of more than a dozen books for children. His middle grade collective biography, BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE, illustrated by Nikita Leanne, was released in 2022. Bryan is also the author of the middle-grade story, “The Magic Day Mystery”, which appears in SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES, THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH, illustrated by Jerome White, the early chapter book series, MR. GRIZLEY’S CLASS, illustrated by Arief Putra and the picture books EARL LEARNS A LESSON and MAX’S MAGIC CHANGE, both illustrated by Roman Diaz.
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Bryan serves on the board of directors of the Northern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and is an Amplify Black Stories Fellow, a joint program presented by the Brown Bookshelf and the Highlights Foundation. Bryan lives in northern California with his family.

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IT’S ALL ABOUT . . . IDEAS WITH HEART

2/13/2023

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by Melissa Stoller


​This February, whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day, think about the themes of friendship and love and try to find ideas filled with heart. Here are some prompts to get you started:

  1. List five friends or family members. Write down some of their attributes that you love. Next, jot down five places you have visited together. Finally, imagine a situation such as the first day of school, losing a tooth, learning to ride a bicycle, taking a vacation, or even celebrating Valentine’s Day. Mash together some of these categories and create an idea based on your heart-filled thoughts.
  2. Think of some typical Valentine Day’s foods such as candy, donuts, cakes, and more. Do memories about these foods inspire any story situations?
  3. Imagine the color red and some typically red objects such as a fire engine, a red heart, or a red rose. What ideas can you expand on relating to one of these objects? 
  4. As you read children’s books this month, notice all the heart-filled moments. 
  5. Scroll online and find some photos of hearts or heart-shaped objects. Do they inspire any manuscript plots, title, or characters?

​I hope these prompts help you develop some story ideas filled with heart. Let me know in the comments.

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Image from Canva
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MELISSA’S BIO:
 Melissa Stoller writes to bring connection, joy, and a bit of magic to her readers. She is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island, and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush; Ready, Set, GOrilla!; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written with Callie Lovvorn and Shirin Rahman). Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story Judge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, a Book Meshuggenahs member, a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Advisory Council member, and a past school and synagogue Trustee. She also interviews authors and offers resources on her blog. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and Central Park walks. Melissa is represented by Jonathan Rosen at The Seymour Agency.
CONNECT WITH MELISSA:
 
https://www.MelissaStoller.com
https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog 
http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller
www.twitter.com/melissastoller

www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller
www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller
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Five Things Every Nonfiction Writer Should Know

2/6/2023

3 Comments

 
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Photo by Canva
By Jennifer Swanson

As an author of almost fifty books for kids, I’ve written biographies, history, concept books,
branded books and series, but my main focus is on STEM books for kids. I love what I do! Being
a nonfiction children’s author is so fulfilling and exciting. Kids LOVE nonfiction!
I’m often asked if I have advice to aspiring nonfiction authors. In response, I came up with these
five tips.
1. Where do I find a topic?
Anywhere! Start with something that interests YOU. After all, you are going to be spending a lot
of time with this topic as you research, write, edit, submit, and more. It’s always a good idea to
see if there are events that might tie to your topic, like a big anniversary or a holiday, or
something like Earth Day. But in the end, pick what you like and write it so well, that others will
be intrigued, too.

2. You don’t need to be an expert in the topic you’re writing about
This is a myth. What you need to have is a curiosity and the willingness to dive in and do the
research. As an author of many STEM/STEAM books, I can easily say that my degree in
chemistry didn’t help me with most of my book topics, well, except for my Big Fat Chemistry
Notebook. But even then, I had to do a lot of research for that book because chemistry has
changed since I took it in college. The best way to approach research is to start at the library.
Check out as many books as you can find on the subject. Then head to the internet. Research
legitimate sources, including universities, museums, professional associations, and maybe even
find an expert to help you. Primary sources are awesome! But just remember, you can learn any
topic if you just spend the time and effort to do it.

3. Narrative or Expository?
It depends. I know that’s not a definitive answer, but it really is up to you as the writer to decide
the best way to present your story. Typically, a narrative book tells a story. Not always from
beginning to end, but a definite story arc. You want to show progression in your story and not
just give informational facts. An expository book is mostly about the facts. Remember they are
FUN facts, not boring facts. You might use this to talk about a difficult concept by breaking it up
into smaller, more easily digestible facts, or perhaps you just want to bring attention to a
particular topic by going more in-depth and explaining how it works. Expository books are not
always straightforward, they can be lyrical, poetic, or even have a bit of narrative writing in
them, too.

4. Picture book? Middle grade? YA?
Again, it depends. Sometimes the topic tells you the age of your reader, but not always.
Sometimes the topic tells you the age of your reader, but not always. The big
factor is how you want to approach the topic. Do you want to take a deep dive and get very
detailed? Then an older book might be better. If you want to give the reader a specific view into
the topic, and use fewer words, then a picture book is for you. To decide, my recommendation is
that you do a lot of research on the market. Make the decision to write what you feel is the best
way to present your topic to the reader.
5. What if another book about my topic comes out before I can sell mine. Will that affect
my manuscript from selling?
I’ll be honest, the answer is maybe. I think all of us nonfiction authors have had that happen. I
know I have. If someone writes a book about your same topic, especially if it sounds like it has a
similar approach to yours, is for the same age group, or with a bigger house, that can definitely
affect the sale of yours. That doesn’t mean you should give up. You can either keep working on
it, perhaps by tweaking it so that your book is different, or you can put it away for a while.
That’s what I did. I went out with a biography four years ago and it didn’t sell because another
book came out about the same person and won a ton of awards. Four years later, my newly
revised manuscript about that person sold. It just takes time.
You can do it!! The world is always in need of more writers of amazing nonfiction for kids!
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Science Rocks! And so do Jennifer Swanson’s books. She is the award-winning author of over 45 nonfiction books for children. Using her background in science and history that she received from the U.S. Naval Academy, and her M.S. in Education, Jennifer excels at taking complex facts and making them accessible, compelling, and humorous for young readers.  Jennifer's passion for science resonates in in all her books but especially, Astronaut-Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact and BEASTLY BIONICS which both received Florida Book Awards and  NSTA BEST STEM book awards.  Her Save the Crash-test Dummies book received an NSTA BEST STEM Award and a Parent’s Choice GOLD Award. Jennifer’s Outdoor School: Rocks, Fossils, and Shells book was a Kirkus Best Nature Book for 202.
Jennifer has been a featured speaker at the Tucson Book Festival, National NSTA conferences, the Highlights Foundation, the World Science Festival the Atlanta Science Festival, and the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. You can find Jennifer through her website www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com.
Find Jen Here:
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jenswanbooks/

Facebook personal: https://www.facebook.com/jen.swanson.7737 

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064360286922

twitter: https://twitter.com/JenSwanBooks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-swanson-0608471a/
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3 Comments
    We are so excited to be mixing things up at CBA, beginning with some delicious additions to the Blogfish. Meet our  awesome bloggers!!

    Here's our lineup:
    1st Mondays begin with awesome multi-published former student Shirin Shamsi who will be focusing on Muslim and cultural kidlit.

    2nd Mondays will feature super smart Melissa Stoller whose career is taking off with several new books.
     

    3rd Mondays will feature
    Bryan Patrick Avery, published writer, man of mystery, and professional magician among other things.

    4th Mondays will feature STEM, STEAM & SEL obsessed author Kourtney LaFavre sharing delightfully dorky, quirky, and fun info.

    And 5th Mondays we'll be taking a break

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  • Home
  • WRITING
    • Mastering Great Graphic Novels >
      • 2023 Mastering Graphic Novels Registration
    • Craft & Business of Writing Childrens Picture Books
    • The Chapter Book Alchemist
    • New!! Middle Grade Mastery Instant Access
    • 2022 Kidlit Palooza >
      • 2022 Palooza Program
      • 2022 Palooza Faculty
  • ILLUSTRATION
    • NEW!! Craft & Business of Illustrating Children's Books Instant Access
    • Never a Dull Moment Workshop
  • TECH
  • About Us
    • Why Us?
    • Meet the Faculty, Lives & GT Judges
    • Testimonials
    • Books by Students
    • Our Bookshop
    • As Seen In
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
  • Blogfish
  • MN Course Access
  • Community
    • Our Bookshop
    • Come Play With Us!
    • Resources
    • Course Scholarships >
      • Yuyi Morales Picture Book Scholarship
      • Andrea Davis Pinkney MG CB Mastery Scholarship
      • Rafael Lopez Illustrating Childrens Books Scholarships
      • Larissa Marantz Merit & Need Scholarship