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IT’S ALL ABOUT . . . SHOWERING IDEAS IN APRIL!

According to the old proverb, April showers bring May flowers! I love using sayings to help generate ideas. This month, think about showers of all types to inspire your stories. 

A “HOLE” LOT OF OPPORTUNITY!

Last month’s spotlight featured a character with attributes that truly were quite different from his peers’.  In this month’s story, PAULA'S PATCHES, a girl who believes her situation is unique...

FITTING IN WHEN YOU’RE UNIQUE by Dr. Debra Collins

Forming a group, by definition, involves making many into one. It’s a unit made up of multiple, non-identical elements. For the group to run smoothly, the purpose or expectations of...

IT’S ALL ABOUT . . . MARCHING INTO MARCH WITH IDEAS! By Melissa Stoller

Each March, Melissa Stoller thinks of the phrase, “In like a lion and out like a lamb.” This refers to the weather during the month of March, which often comes...

Best Apps for Toddlers that Promote Reading

Let me just make it clear that I love technology, but I strongly believe that apps and IPADs will NEVER replace a real actual book, with real print on paper...

The Simplest (Yet Most Overlooked) Secret to Creating a Reader

It's All About...Cooking Up Ideas In November

November is a perfect month for cooking up delicious ideas. Here are a few prompts to help with inspiration: 1. Write a list of your favorite childhood dishes. Then note a...

This Book Makes Me Think About: Bing, Bop, Bam Time to Jam! By Valerie Bolling and Sabrena Khadija

Bing, Bop, Bam: Time to Jam is the latest collaboration of Valerie Bolling and Sabrina Khadija, and it will surely make your heart sing. The duo creates a colorful community of...

It's all about...Lighting Up Ideas In December

Coming Out On Top

“I am right!” “I am better!”Competition demands striving to place ourselves above.To be the highest, not the lowest.To be at the top, not the bottom.How can children learn that competing...

Embracing Comfort in Children's Books

​What keeps a young child smiling and secure 24-7? Their loving parents? Doting grandparents? How about their comfort toy or blankie! “Transitional Object” is the technical term for these prized possessions...

COOKING UP IDEAS IN NOVEMBER with Melissa Stoller

It's all about Fall foods for November's inspiration. Follow these prompts to cook up ideas for future fiction and nonfictions children's book stories.

It's All About... Colorful Ideas In October

What Makes Community

Sukkot, the week-long harvest festival, is named for huts: in Hebrew, one hut is a sukkah, and many are sukkot. The Sukkot huts have symbolic meaning. In bygone times, farmers...

A Big Question for Little People…

How to Keep Going (or Take a Break if You Need To)

It's All About...Writing In September

How Does Being a Writer/Illustrator Help As a Publisher?

Bouncing Back: How to Revitalize Your Writing After a Summer Slump

• character
• KidLit
• plot
• Writing

Character Driving Plot from Mira

As KidLit creatives, whenever we look at that blank page, whenever we’re making decisions on where to take a character, whenever we submit our work or attend a conference, we’re...