by Bryan Patrick Avery

Well, it’s been quite a year. Whether you’ve been able to put aside all the stresses of the year to keep working towards your writing goals or you’ve barely been able to keep on track, I congratulate you. This has been a difficult year for so many so give yourself a break(and a pat on the back).

For my last post of the year, I’d like to highlight several of the books I turn to for inspiration, as mentor texts, or just for plain old enjoyment. These are some of the more recent books I return to again and again as I work on my own stories and they’ve helped me along my storytelling journey. I hope you find something here that inspires or guides you.

Enjoy!

​DRAWN TOGETHER by Minh Lê and Dan Santat
THE UNDEFEATED by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson
ONE FOX by Kate Read
THE LAST PEACH by Gus Gordon

​SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS by Marcie Colleen
EERIE ELEMENTARY by Jack Chabert
A TO Z MYSTERIES by Ron Roy
THE BAD GUYS by Aaron Blabey

​33 MINUTES by Todd Hasak-Lowy and Bethany Barton
MIDNIGHT AT THE BARCLAY HOTEL by Fleur Bradley
THE PARKER INHERITANCE by Varian Johnson
HARBOR ME by Jacqueline Woodson

​THE MOON WITHIN by Aida Salazar
GARVEY’S CHOICE by Nikki Grimes
THE ONE AND ONLY BOB by Katherine Applegate
LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds

​SHIRLEY & JAMILA SAVE THEIR SUMMER by Gillian Goerz
NEW KID by Jerry Craft
NIMONA by Noelle Stevenson
ROLLER GIRL by Victoria Jamieson

If you haven’t already, take a look at these books. I hope they’ll inspire your writing as much as they’ve inspired mine.

Well, that’s all for this month (and this year). Happy writing and have a magical new year.

Bryan Patrick Avery writes picture books, chapter books, middle grade and graphic novels. His middle grade story, “The Magic Day Mystery”, was published in June 2020 in SUPER PUZZLETASTIC MYSTERIES, an anthology from HarperCollins and the Mystery Writers of America. His debut picture book, THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH, will be published in Spring 2021 by Clearfork Publishing/Spork.

By Melissa Stoller

During the winter holidays, take a moment to reflect about what makes your holiday traditions - or any other rituals - special to you. Use these thoughts as inspiration for a book idea. Here are a few writing prompts to get you started, and an activity to connect with family and friends. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and safe season, and cheers to 2021! ​

This year I decided to go big or go home (guess who was able to do both?) and help former students and friends get the word out about their recent books (because Covid sucks for releasing new books and bookstores), and raise money for scholarships now that my hubs has been rendered unemployable with Covid and age, and give massively to our kidlit community with the 2020 Picture Book Palooza scholarship fundraiser. 

One of my 3 presentations was about the Wonderful World of World Wide Resources and because I've been a crazed wombat putting the Palooza together with 40 speakers, 5 parties, and tons of giveaways and also setting up some outrageously fabulous Golden Ticket Showcase judges for our January Craft and Business of Writing Children's Picture Books course and living on 4 hrs sleep a night, I forgot to do my blog post. Yikes! So what better than to share some of these resources starting with the ones for Research? These research links are for researching fiction and nonfiction and seeing what else is out there, although some of them could easily go in the other structural categories that I set up - Inspiration, research, educational and publishing access, which I'll be publishing here on the first Monday of the month, or you can access them all at one by registering for the Palooza. Anything underlined is a link. 

Also heads up, I'm moderating the final panel on Illustrating and writing tonight (at 4PM Pacific Standard time), which shows the connections between the two while focusing on what illustration does and how it does it. So it's not too late to join for only $20, see this fantastic panel with Larissa Marantz, Lisa Goldberg, Fia Kilbourne, and Chantelle and Burgen Thorne AND receive access to the Giveaways and Recordings all for only $20!!! Just click right here!

Newspapers.com (thanks Alice Faye Duncan)

Museum Archives

Facebook for whatever your topic is about

Google whatever your topic is about

Pinterest the same

Questia aprox $20 pm for academic resources where you can copy and paste quotes and notes

Historical societies or societies related to your topic on the web

Writing and Illustrating: Kathy Temean’s wonderful blog sharing information About writing and illustrating for children

Reading For Research Month (ReFoReMo): A blog and Facebook grouP about reading children’s lit for research purposes

​Nerdy Book Club: Shares love of reading with others as well as hosting the Nerdies Book Awards.

SCBWI British Isles Blog: A worldwide organisation of writers and illustrators of children's books, whether published, not yet published, or independently published. Most SCBWI regions have their own blogs or newsletters as well.

Mem Fox: A blog by a successful Australian Kidlit writer.
​Design of the Picture Book: Carter Higgins writes about picture books and graphic design

Nonfiction Ninjas: The Nonfiction Ninjas are a group of nonfiction authors who have a passion for nonfiction.
​
Book Meshuggenahs: A group of Jewish women who write traditionally-published Jewish-themed books.

Pass It On: A wonderful weekly, interactive e-zine for anyone interested in the Children’s Book writing and illustrating industry, especially Aussies and Kiwis.

Write Links: Write Links is a support group for beginner and emerging children’s writers and writer/illustrators living in Brisbane, Qld and the surrounding area.

Kidlit411 - a total treasure trove of resources!

And if any of this is helpful, or you want to comment on the Palooza, or you have some other great research suggestions, please drop a comment below. xoxox