By Sharon Giltrow Humour - “The quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.” The Oxford Dictionary When we share a laugh with someone, we share their experiences and feelings. It helps us to connect. As a writer, connecting with your reader is essential. It's also the #1 thing that hooks children in and keeps them reading. When I wrote my debut picture book BEDTIME, DADDY! I wanted to connect to my readers, by sharing a laugh. So, I included as much humour and heart in my story as I could. I also wanted the adults and children who were reading BEDTIME, DADDY! to share a laugh and connect. Here are some of my favourite humorous pages from BEDTIME, DADDY! with illustrations by the amazing Katrin Dreiling. I hope we can share a laugh and connect over the coming year. BEDTIME DADDY Written by: Sharon Giltrow Illustrated by: Katrin Dreiling Published by: EK Books, May, 2020 How do I write humorous stories? I keep my eyes and ears open for funny ideas. Especially the funny things that children say and do. Children are hilarious. My idea for BEDTIME, DADDY! came from my own children. One night my son was stalling bedtime. So, his dad jumped into his bed and said “Okay then you can put me to bed.” Bedtime is not usually a funny time of day, but when it is a child who is putting their parent to bed, then that’s funny. Then I researched all the things that children do to stall bedtime. From that research, I chose the funniest stalling techniques, ramped up the humour added some heart and Hey Presto, comedy gold. I hope that my future blog posts, which will feature humorous Aussie books, will help you to connect with the people you share them with. Share a laugh and connect with someone today. 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! was released May 2020 through EK books. Sharon’s humorous follow up picture book, 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. Samara is due to be released in 2021 through Clear Fork Publishing’s new imprint &MG. Sharon is also a Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy,
10 Comments
Nell
1/25/2021 10:22:46 pm
Great article!
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Sharon Giltrow
1/26/2021 06:00:17 am
Thanks Nell for reading and commenting :-).
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1/26/2021 12:27:08 pm
Sharon, Great post! BEDTIME DADDY will bring smiles and laughs to many children and adults too. Well done!
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Sharon Giltrow
2/3/2021 04:30:22 am
Thank you Annette it is nice knowing that I am making children smile and laugh (adults too).
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Linda Staszak
2/23/2021 08:15:24 am
Bedtime Daddy looks like a great book for the kids and the readers! Can't wait to get it. Thanks for a great post!
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2/23/2021 08:54:06 am
Sharon, your book seems like so much fun. My GC, 5, has a great imagination as well. BUT...I love the Quokka! If only I could visit Australia one day. Did this little guy jump at you. I guess he wanted a hug. Cute!
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Holly Vagley
2/23/2021 09:00:50 am
Thanks, Sharon! Love the Bedtime Daddy concept - will look for it here! Brava!
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2/23/2021 09:57:23 am
Thanks Sharon, this book looks hilarious. Congratulations to you.
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2/23/2021 12:20:57 pm
Thank you for sharing! Bedtime Daddy is adorable and hilarious. Congratulations from Baltimore, MD USA.
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2/24/2021 04:09:59 am
What a delightful book. I love the way Sharon found humour in the bedtime routine by turning it around. Katrin's illustrations are just gorgeous too.
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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 Archives
May 2023
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