By Sharon Giltrow

Australia is a hot country and home to many unique and funny animals. Animals that are one of a kind and unlike any other animals. This is because Australia’s ecosystem evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. It is also, (apart from Antarctica) the driest continent in the world. In the unique and humorous book WHEN THE WATERHOLE DRIES UP, these two themes Aussie animals and water (lack of) are combined.

 Here’s what Kaye finds funny about this page.

K- 'Close up of Chaos' - I laugh every time I see the emu surrounded by chaos. I especially like how the emu looks directly at the reader as if to say, this is all too much.

This spread is an excellent example of how to add humour, by letting the illustrations speak.

 K- 'When Dingo Joins In' - I love how the boy looks shocked when the dingo joins in the fun. This is a cumulative story, so the humour builds through the illustrations as each new animal increases the chaotic bathroom scene.

In this spread Kaye builds up the story by, adding on and repeating previous information. With each new animal adding more humour to the scene. This repetition and Kaye’s use of alliteration makes this story such fun to read.

Well, that’s it from me this month, see you in May, with another great Aussie book.
 
Share a laugh and connect with someone today.
 
GIVEAWAY
For a chance to win a copy of WHEN THE WATERHOLE DRIES UP

1. Comment on this blog post
2. Share this blog post on social media #WhenTheWaterHoleDriesup
3. Follow Sharon on twitter
4. The winner will be announced on twitter on Monday 3rd May
   

BIO
Sharon Giltrow grew up in South Australia, the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, two children and a tiny dog. Sharon has taught for all of her career. Previously a teacher of children who are hearing impaired and Deaf-Blind, she now teaches young children with Developmental Language Disorder. Her humorous debut PB BEDTIME DADDY! released May 2020 through EK books. Sharon’s humorous follow up PB GET READY, MAMA! Is due to be released through EK books in 2022. Awarded the Paper Bird Fellowship for Writers in 2019. Sharon used this time to write her early middle grade book SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILITY BELT. To be released in 2021 through Clear Fork Publishing’s new imprint &MG. Sharon is also a Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy,

by Bryan Patrick Avery

​Well, Spring is finally upon us. As the flowers begin to bloom in our gardens and parks, this is a good time for our stories to bloom as well. This month, I’d like to walk you through an exercise that might help get your creative juices flowing and, hopefully, plant a few seeds for stories that can grow in the coming months.

​1. Find three books that you have easy access to, have read previously, and remember. These can be on your bookshelf at home, at the library, or anywhere. I chose James Ponti’s CITY SPIES, Stuart Gibbs’ TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS, and John Dickson Carr’s THE THREE COFFINS.

2. Scan through the three books quickly and re-familiarize yourself with the story and the characters.

3. Choose three characters from the books they resonate with you and make you think “I could write about a character like this”. Try to make sure that they come from at least two of the three books. I choose Dr. Fell from THE THREE COFFINS, Summer McCracken from TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS, and Rio from CITY SPIES.

4. Take the three characters and make them your own. For example, I choose Dr. Fell because he’s a brilliant logician. He is however, an adult, and in a the middle grade novel I’m planning, a brilliant adult would stifle the kids (who are the main characters). Let’s rename Dr. Fell. I love a good locked room mystery, so I’d love to pay homage to Dr. Fell. How about “Professor Pitched”? It works for now. I can always change it later. In addition to a new name, let’s change him slightly. Instead of being brilliant, Professor Pitched will be a little less than sharp. Like Dr. Fell, he’ll still pontificate endlessly but will often be wrong and even more often forget what he was talking about in the first place. Do this for all three characters.

5. Think about how and why these characters would interact. Why would my middle grade characters need to talk to Professor Pitched? In my case, I decided Professor Pitched is a physics professor and a neighbor of one of the kids. When they need information on what the multiverse theory is, and how it works, they seek him out, not realizing that he’s not a very good physicist. This will introduce conflict when they can’t get the information they need from him, but also can’t get him to stop talking. Maybe I’ll even have him stop by one of the kids’ houses putting a secret they’re keeping from their parents in jeopardy.

It’s that simple. This short exercise can be done in about 30 minutes but you’ll end up with three characters, a little bit a conflict, and (hopefully) some seeds for a new story or two.
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Well, that’s all for this month. Happy reading (and writing) and have a magical month.

​By Melissa Stoller
 
If you are searching for ideas, why not flip through your recipes, consider your favorite foods and the chefs who cooked them, and reminisce about special occasions and memorable meals. There may be stories marinating, simmering, and boiling just below the surface. 

Here are some prompts to get you started:

1. Think about some of your favorite childhood dishes. Did your parents or grandparents cook traditional family recipes that you loved? What foods do you associate with your favorite holidays? How did you feel on all those occasions? Write about those experiences.
2. What are some of your favorite restaurants? Do any dishes stand out? Do you remember special meals from significant celebrations with family or friends? Write about one memory.
3. What are some of the recipes you cook today? Are any of the ingredients unusual? Are they from your own vegetable garden, perhaps, or from a special market? And do you remember who taught you to cook those recipes? Perhaps one of these threads could tie into a story idea.​

​​Next time you find yourself in the kitchen or in a restaurant, consider the ingredients, favorite recipes, family members who cooked delicious dishes, and your own experiences with food. Get cooking with some story ideas!
 

​MELISSA'S BIO:
Melissa Stoller is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island (Clear Fork Publishing); and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush, Ready, Set, GOrilla!, and Sadie’s Shabbat Stories. (Clear Fork). Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Regional Ambassador for The Chapter Book Challenge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, and a founding member of The Book Meshuggenahs. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer and editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and long beach walks.

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CONNECT:  
https://www.MelissaStoller.com
https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog 
http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller
http://www.twitter.com/melissastoller
http://www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller
http://www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller
https://www.TheBookMeshuggenahs.com 
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