A small yippee...

An agent from a solid NY literary agency asked me today to please send her "any children's book manuscripts" I might have. (She apparently liked my story-poem pubbed this month.) That's the good news. The bad news is that I do not have any children's book manuscripts, and haven't the foggiest notion about how to write them. But I went to the library today, and sat at some very small tables and am now taking a crash course in picture books. Came home with about 10 today, just to get an idea about length and style, etc.

Oh, okay. I confess...I also brought them home because I absolutely adore Jack Prelutsky's writing (our nation's first Children's Poet Laureate--2006).

(Are there any AW poets who've done this sort of thing?)

Thanks, Wendy and Ambrosia. I do have an idea for one that is taking hold, and I'm thinking it'll help to have had 8 years experience teaching elementary school kids...I can still get in their heads, so to speak.

Going to go over to the Writing for Kids forum to see how one goes about formatting a picture book manuscript (one sheet of paper for every two lines??)...

Mike and Priene, thanks! Priene, I'd not heard of them, so will look them up; thanks for the suggestion. Apart from writing some children's poetry, I'm really not very familiar with it at all beyond the older standard names--Shel Silverstein, Seuss, etc. (In fact, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Children's Poet Laureate until yesterday.)

Norman D Gutter said:

Wow, Pat, that's great news.

If you can't think of something, I'll pay you 50 bucks to pitch my father-daughter book to them.

Click to expand...

Lol! . NDG, I seriously can't believe that hasn't been snapped up, yet. (And yet, in a way, I can. Seems the only way rhyming poetry is acceptable nowadays is if it's "light verse.") But that's a crying shame--personally, I think the cleverness of well-done rhyme just adds punch to whatever the message is. Your book should be read and enjoyed by dads (parents) across this planet.

AnonymousWriter--thank you for your encouragement.

Magdalen, thanks for the encouragement and the suggestions! This is opening up a whole new field of concentration for me, and I appreciate all the suggestions. Even the 'pre-school' ones, as Highlights has encouraged me to send them poems for their 'High-Five' magazine (ages 3-5) as well. I remember my own son's fascination with cars, trucks, back hoes, etc., so that's an excellent suggestion. I'll work on that idea for sure. When I taught elementary, it was the upper grades, so that is what my writing tends to naturally gear itself to...but I think it'd be fun to vary my target audience, too.

ETA: loved the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book--and its cousin, If You Give a Moose A Muffin! Off-topic: my creative youngest sister has just launched an entrepreneurial cookie-baking venture named "If You Give A Mouth A Cookie." (She is the one who got all the "love-to-cook" genes in the family.)

(yes, I'm old enough).

Thanks Seaclusion, and Callalily for the encouragement.

Thanks, Ken and Jenny!