By Kourtney LaFavre
Hello Again! I wanted to use this month's opportunity to share about social-emotional learning (SEL) and what to consider when writing/illustrating for children and young adults that supports development of social-emotional learning. SEL, according to the Committee for Children is “the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.” Social-emotional skills help all people successfully manage everyday life, make good decisions, and be good friends, family, and community members. It also helps to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve goals, and develop empathy. SEL is important to thriving relationships, communities, and global success.

So what does this have to do with children's literature? Literature is an opportunity for readers to experience and feel things through text and images. Stories allow us to explore human social and emotional life as we identify with characters’ desires, challenges, motives and feelings. As a mom and educator I have always turned to books to help my children, students, families, and myself whenever faced a struggle. Have a kid that's afraid of the dark or having trouble making friends? There's books for that! Is your family moving or struggling with the loss of a family member? There's books for that! Teens struggling to figure out where they fit in? There's books for that! I think you get my point.

Writing and illustrating for children is an opportunity to reach readers and help them not only learn or connect with something new, but also help support their social-emotional development. Some things to consider when writing and/or illustrating to support SEL in children and young adults:

1. Know your audience: When writing about social-emotional learning for children and young adults, it is important to understand their developmental level and what they can comprehend. Check your language and terminology to ensure it’s appropriate for their age group.
2. Don’t write because you want to convince readers of something. Focus on exploring your character and plot. The learning should come from your character's emotional journey.
3. Avoid the temptation to end your story by telling the reader how to feel or what message to take away.
4. Your characters should speak using language that is natural for them, not the points you are trying to make in your story.
5. Draw from personal experience: Use your own experiences and emotions to create more authentic and relatable illustrations. This can help you tap into the emotions of your characters and create artwork that resonates with your audience. Be positive with your word choices. Encourage children and young adults to identify and embrace their emotions and use them as a tool for growth and development.
6. Collaborate with experts: Seek advice and input from experts in social-emotional learning, education, and child development. They can provide valuable insights and help you create content that is both informative and effective. Backmatter is a great opportunity to provide practical tools, tips, and exercises that they can use to practice what they learn. This can help them apply what they learn to their daily lives.
7. When illustrating, use body language: to communicate a range of emotions. Pay attention to their posture, facial expressions, and gestures. Pay close attention to the eyes of your characters to convey their emotions. Color can also evoke emotions. Use warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow to convey feelings of happiness and energy, or cool colors like blue and green to create a calming and peaceful mood.

I hope these are helpful tidbits to get you thinking, writing, and illustrating in ways that encourage children and young adults to identify and embrace their emotions in themselves and others.

by Bryan Patrick Avery

Once you’ve written and published a book, you will eventually be asked to present your writing in some way, shape, or form. This can be a fun way to connect with your readers, interact with teachers and librarians, and network with other authors. It can also be terrifying.

#1 –Introducing Yourself
Depending on where you’re presenting, you might be introduced by your host at the start of your presentation. Whether someone introduces your or not, be prepared to start your talk with a brief introduction of your own. This simple introduction should include the following items:

1. Your name
2. The types of writing (or illustrating) that you do
3. Mention your book(s)
4. State what you’re going to talk about today

​For example, my introduction for an event honoring the Tuskegee Airmen might go something like this:
“Hello, my name is Bryan Patrick Avery. I write picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. Some of my books include, OFF BASE, EARL LEARNS A LESSON, and the MR. GRIZLEY’S CLASS series. Today, I’m excited to talk to you about my picture book, THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH.”

#2 –Introducing Your Book
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Immediately after that, you can jump into talking about your book. You’ll want to start with these three things:

1. The title of the book
2. A short (1 sentence or so) summary of what the book is about
3. Why you’re talking about this particular book today

If your book has an illustrator, this is the perfect place mention them.

Here’s an example.
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“THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH was illustrated by Jerome White. It is the story of young girl whose father, a Tuskegee Airman, is arrested during the 1945 Freeman Field Mutiny. I’m honored to be able to talk about this book on the day of dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Dedication at Freeman Field.”

#3 – Honoring Your Audience

Lastly, remember to honor your audience. This can mean many things but, for starters, focus on these two:

1. Use language appropriate to your audience
2. Remember to tie your presentation in the reason your audience is there

This last point is critical. If you are doing a book launch event, make sure to show your gratitude to your audience for coming out to support you. If you’re presenting at a larger event with a theme or objective, make sure to tie your remarks back to that theme.

One last word on presenting. One of the most important keys to a good presentation is your comfort. Your style is yours and yours alone. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to look or sound like someone else. If you love PowerPoint, use it. If you’d rather stand up with just your book in your hands do it. Ultimately, the best presentations are the ones that come from the heart.
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Well, that’s all for this month. Happy writing presenting and have a magical month.

​Bryan Patrick Avery is an award-winning poet and author of more than a dozen books for children including the middle grade collective biography, BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE, illustrated by Nikita Leanne and THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH, illustrated by Jerome White. Bryan is also the author of the middle-grade story, “The Magic Day Mystery”, which appears in SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES, the Jake Maddox JV Mysteries OFF BASE and SOCCER SUSPICIONS, 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. He is the 2021 recipient of the SCBWI Work in Progress Award for his chapter book mystery THE ROBOT IN THE LIBRARY.
 
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.

​By Melissa Stoller


April is a wonderful month to put a spring into your step as you gather ideas like flowers for new manuscripts or existing stories. Here are some exercises to help you pick your brainstorming bouquet:

1)    Visit a botanical garden or a neighborhood park. Notice flowers, trees, vegetable patches, and insects buzzing around. Can any of these details spring into your story?

2)    Go birdwatching or watch some videos of birds and nature. Listen to the birdsongs. If you are using binoculars, notice objects in trees and all around. Perhaps some of the activity you zoom in on will help clarify a plot point or character development in a story.

3)    This season is perfect for some spring cleaning. As you tidy up your space, take stock of the objects you own. What memories spring to mind as you sort? Perhaps you can catch an idea through this process. 

4)    With a purposeful skip and spring in your step, stroll through your neighborhood. Take a journal with you and jot down conversations you overhear, scenes that catch your eye, pets or other animals nearby, and details such as clothing, food, sights, and smells. Perhaps this experience will lead to a new plot idea.

I hope these springtime prompts help you find and cultivate story sparks this month. Let me know in the comments! 

(Canva image)
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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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