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Author's Purpose

11/30/2015

4 Comments

 
I am sick of P.I.E. And no, this isn’t a post Thanksgiving post. I’m not talking about pumpkin, cherry, or apple.  I’m talking about the three-letter acronym that attempts to teach something called Author’s Purpose. This is my thirteenth year teaching and P.I.E. has been around at least since then and I’m sure much longer. 
But why anyone could ever think that fitting “an author’s purpose” into only three letters is beyond me. ​
In the educational world, P.I.E. stands for Persuade, Inform, and Entertain. And teachers all around the nation teach this thing called author’s purpose because it is a standard or objective that they must teach that is in their curriculum. Plus it is a reading objective, not a writing objective. But trying to teach author’s purpose isolated from writing is a really bad idea and it's what causes great teachers to start making posters of cute pieces of pie with sweet little labels titled: Persuade, Inform, and Entertain.
 
While writing can fit into these three categories, the idea that they only fit into three is quite….amusing, laughable, ridiculous, absurd. Especially when you tell this concept to a group of writers who aren’t teachers.
 
There are so many other verbs to use when describing authors purpose:
 
Authors write to:
 
describe, tell, show, convince, list, define, explain, discuss, prove, advertise, teach, encourage, give an example, warn, amuse, point out, share, present, help, demonstrate, give, reveal, introduce, enlighten, illustrate, communicate.
 
But even these verbs are just the beginning. They are verbs that describe the final product once you’ve done all the revising and editing.
But what is an author’s real purpose?
I think the real question, the deeper and more rigorous question we need to start asking kids, is why do writers write?  I think we need to be able to answer that question before even thinking about boiling it down to an author’s purpose.
 
So what’s your author’s purpose?
 
Why do you write?
4 Comments

Best in Rhyme Award 2015

11/16/2015

0 Comments

 
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It's that wonderful time of year when all those "best of children's literature lists" start coming out. I remember last year it was mentioned that these lists are great, but what about rhyming picture books? There were no awards or "best of" lists out there for rhyming picture books. And we all know there are certainly bad rhyming picture books which is why editors seem to say they don't want them! But thankfully there are talented and skilled authors out there who know how to effectively write a rhyming picture book. 
edI'm very thankful that I was given the opportunity to take part in a committee that will create a Best of 2015 Rhyming Picture Book list and awards!  

After reading and scoring all the nominated books, the committee narrowed it down to the top ten finalists. 

On December 4th, RHYPIBOMO Founder Angie Karcher will announced the winner and honor books in NYC on KidLit TV as well as on her blog https://angiekarcher.wordpress.com/.   This will be a very exciting event!

In the meantime, check out the top ten finalist (listed in no particular order.)
0 Comments

Sorry for the delay...

11/16/2015

4 Comments

 
Hi guys!
I apologize for the delay, but I will be sending out my Mondays with Mandy or Mira post later on this evening!
​-Mandy
4 Comments

Guest Post - A Trip to the Frankfurt Bookfair with Sanne Dufft

11/9/2015

12 Comments

 
When one of our illustration students said she was taking a trip to the Frankfurt Bookfair, I said, Oooooh. Then I asked her if she'd do a guest blog post for us. And lucky for us she said yes. So here it is!! By the way, Sanne's work is equally awesome to anything she posted below, so do check out her website. Thank you Sanne!
For many illustrators here in Germany, September and October is the time to update their websites, have new cards printed and add fresh work to their portfolios.

Every year in October, the Frankfurt Bookfair opens its doors. For two days for trade visitors, authors and illustrators, then three days for the public. It is the largest fair of its kind worldwide.
​
Unlike Bologna Children's Bookfair, it is traditionally a fair for 'adult' books, but with a whole hall only for children's books, there's more than enough to look at in one day.
There's an abundance of stunningly beautiful picture books!
For the CBAblog, I took along my camera this year, and took some pictures of some of my favourites.
 
There are some booths that are especially beautiful. This year, my favourite was that of Bohem Press, a Swiss publisher, who produces exquisitely designed picture books.
 
In this one, 'Der goldene Käfig' (The Golden Cave) by Anna Castagnoli, pictures by Carll Cneut I admired the originality of composition of every single double spread. Just try to find the main character on the cover! Also the color palette is very unusual: Mainly subdued yellows, little orange an red and  some black – and off-white paper.
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The handlettering is not only found on the cover, but several times throughout the book. There's even one double spread containing only hand lettering!
Very loose, sketchy drawings contrast with the exquisite paintings.
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The next one that caught my attention is a new interpretation of good old 'Little Red Riding Hood' by Roberto Piumini, illustrated by Elena Temporin.

Here I love the simplicity of the cover, and the combination of  fonts.
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Gorgeous endsheets!
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I love the composition of this...
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...and this!
 
Then there's 'Schnip', a story about a little bird who doesn't dare to fly, by Claudia Lagermann, illustrated by Hanneke Siemensma.

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I think what I love so much about this is is the contrast between the sophisticated painting style and the simplicity of the little characters. They're not much more than two spheres with a beak and a dot for an eye, yet so full of expression and – yes – grace.
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And here I've chosen yet another one from the same publisher: 'Marie und die Dinge des Lebens' by Tine Mortier, illustrated by the incredible Belgian illustrator Katie Vermeire. A very deep and thoughtful book about a little girl and her grandmother, about age, illness and death.
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The next one is a piece of American history: 'Lindbergh', by German author illustrator Torben Kuhlman. It's the story of Lindbergh, the first, well, mouse to cross the Atlantic ocean in an aircraft.
It was published by NordSued, another Swiss publisher.
Here's the cover:
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It's been made to look really vintage, which matches the style of the traditional watercolor paintings and the subject of the book perfectly.
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The last one I add, I love for its simplicity. 'Das Herz des Affen' (The Monkey's heart) by  Anja Nikolajetz Aladin-Verlag) impresses by its minimalistic yet powerful (and joyful!) pictorial language. Simple colors and patterns, thick black outlines and a lot of white space in what looks like woodcut technique. Great fun!
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So much for now, but of course this is only a tiny, tiny glimpse of what was there.
See you there next year!
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Sanne Dufft lives with her family in beautiful Tübingen in the south of Germany. She is an illustrator and author who loves looking at other artists' picture books, and creating her own. She is a member of SCBWI Germany/ Austria and the winner of the 2015 SCBWI Europolitan Portfolio Award.
This year, she was delighted to find her first own picture book on the shelves at Frankfurt Bookfair ('Der Sandelefant' written by Rinna Hermann).
While working on this post, she participated in the CBA's wonderfully inspiring 'The Craft and Business of Illustrating Children's Books' course.
You can find her work at www.sanne-dufft.de or (and!) follow her on twitter @DufftSanne

12 Comments

Lifehacks for Reading and Writing

11/1/2015

2 Comments

 
I’ve stumbled across the website Lifehacks several times and every time I read one of their articles, I love it.
Lifehack is your source for tips to help improve all aspects of your life. We are widely recognized as one of the premier productivity and lifestyle blogs on the web. This site is dedicated to lifehacks, which is a phrase that describes any advice, resource, tip or trick that will help you get things done more efficiently and effectively.
Who doesn’t love a website that that gives you resources, tips, and tricks for doing things more efficiently?
 
I discovered three helpful lists that can be applied to your own writing (and reading) career.  Check out the links to read the full article about each list. 
 
Enjoy!
 
10 Lists to Keep If You Want to Be Successful
http://www.lifehack.org/283462/10-lists-keep-you-want-successful

  1. List of Goals
  2. Lists of Tasks
  3. List of Contacts
  4. List of Expenses
  5. List of Useful Tools
  6. List of Self Improvement
  7. List of Creative Ideas
  8. List of Future Plans
  9. List of Contingency Plans
  10. Bucket List
 
10 Reasons Why People Who Read A Lot Are More Likely To Be Successful
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-reasons-people-read-lot-likely-successful.html

  1. They have increased focus
  2. They set goals
  3. They spend time wisely
  4. They have perspective
  5. They are reflective
  6. They have incredible writing and speaking skills
  7. They have increase memory
  8. They stay fresh
  9. They are educated and informed
  10. They read to relax
 
10 Habits Successful People Give Up to Increase Their Productivity
 
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-habits-successful-people-give-increase-their-productivity.html

  1. They don’t work in their comfort zone.
  2. They don’t do without first learning.
  3. They don’t fear asking for advice.
  4. They don’t get lost in the small details.
  5. They don’t multitask.
  6. They don’t lie to themselves.
  7. They don’t procrastinate in asking for feedback.
  8. They don’t follow. They lead.
  9. They don’t let the past dictate their future.
  10. They don’t hang around negative people.
2 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