Present Tense Picture Books

Becky and I have a Cat and Dog story that we have been struggling with for years. We have a refrain that we love, but we have never been able to perfect the rest of it. We've tried changing the rhyme scheme. We've tried switching genres (from PB to easy reader). We've tried writing it in prose. (Or maybe we haven't? But I'm sure Becky's suggested it :)

And still... we're never completely satisfied. Becky's newest idea is to switch tenses Go from past to present. "Isn't present tense a little awkward for a picture book?" I ask. "Not at all," she says. "Look at your favorite: Bear Snores On." Oh my! Is that really present tense? Yes, it is. I hadn't even noticed. Hmm. I guess it's worth a try.

We try it. I can't tell what I think. I am so used to it the old way. Guess I'll have to see what my critique group has to say.

Are Pancakes in Season?

When my daughter was two and she found out she couldn't marry her brother, she was devastated.

JORDAN: But I love Joshy. Why can't I marry him when I grow up?

ME: Well, you just can't marry someone who is in your family.

JORDAN: But why not?

ME: Um, uh... (Think fast. Can't start talking about six-fingered kids here). Sweetie, it's just against the law. I'll explain when you are older.

Joshy didn't come to this realization till he was three. (Boys are slower with everything) He was equally crushed. I can't marry Jordan? He bawled his little eyes out.

That was six months ago. This morning we had this conversation in bed.

JOSH: Mommy, who is your boyfriend?

ME: My boyfriend? Um, I guess that would be ... your daddy.

JOSH: Daddy can't be your boyfriend.

ME: Why not?

JOSH: He's in the same family.

Oh boy. Thank goodness pancakes are always in season.

Trying New Words on for Size

They say it takes 35 exposures to a word before it is "learned." You need to see it in various contexts in order to be able to incorporate it into your own lexicon.

Well, I saw two great new words today and even though I am 34 encounters short, I am going take a huge leap and use them right now.

The other night in bed, Joshy was chuntering as usual. The topic this time wasn't gender or death. It was "cuteness."

"Jordan is a little cute. But I am so cute," he said.

I had just ordered a book on Amazon about raising kids with good self-esteem. Guess I'll just bung that one right in the garbage when it comes.

Laura, how did I do?

Get a Friend to Blog Day

I had so much to do today. Prepare a slide presentation for an upcoming school visit. Plan my daughter's birthday party. Polish up manuscripts to submit to a conference. Critique two YA submissions for my Friday writing group. I felt totally overwhelmed. So what did I do? I ignored my own New Year's advice and took a nap! D'oh!

I am so annoyed at myself right now! It's time to go pick up the kids and I have accomplished nothing. One day closer to all my deadlines and I have nothing so show for my five hours of freedom. (Hope my husband is not reading this!). Of course I didn't nap for the whole five hours. I read blogs and left comments. I went to Starbucks because my stock of Frappuccinos was getting low. I even folded one load of laundry while talking on the phone to a friend. (That's about the extent of my multi-tasking ability).

UGHHHH! In an effort to salvage the day, I am declaring it National "Get a Friend to Blog" Day. Convince one friend that blogging is a fun and rewarding endeavor and completely worth the time and it will be a day well-spent. MelissaPEA, I am talking to you!

Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood?

I have new favorite picture book! And guess what? It's British. Shocker, huh? (For those of you who don't know, I am a total Brit-wannabe. I even sent out a manuscript to Little Tiger Press last week.)

A dragon finds a little boy in the woods and brings him home. This book had me at "It's called a Benjamin." (p. 2) The dragon's mom cooks the Benjamin a delicious meal of worms, but "it turned out, it wasn't hungry." The dragon then takes the Benjamin to school where his friends find it endlessly fascinating. "Instead of breathing fire from his nostrils, it leaked water from its eyes!" I read this book to my four-year-old daughter, and it cracked us both up!

Timothy Knapman's execution is brilliant. I have tried to capture this exact tone in some of my stories, but I have never been successful. I guess that's because I wasn't born on the right side of the ocean.

The Bride and the Broom

My kids are always pretending. And I am constantly coerced into participating. Yesterday, they had a wedding, and my role was mother of the bride and groom.

JORDAN: Mommy, aren't I a beautiful bride?

ME: Yes, Jordan you look gorgeous.

JORDAN: I'm not Jordan. I'm Carissa.

ME: Oh, sorry. You look stunning, Carissa.

JOSHY: Mommy, aren't I a handsome broom?

ME: Oh, yes, so handsome. Um, what's your name?

JOSH: Jethry.

ME: Jethry? You're the most handsome groom I have ever seen!

PA: I am the Rabbi and I will marry you.

JOSH: You can't marry her. I'm marrying her!

PA: Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot? Sheb'khol haleilot anu okhlin

(Pa doesn't know a lot of Hebrew)

Oy vey. Too bad we didn't get the whole thing on video.

Many Thanks

First of all, thanks to Katie at Katie's Literature Lounge for including Hop! Plop! in her new feature, Mailbox Monday.

Second, thanks to Tara Lazar for interviewing me as part of her "Love a Kidlit Author Month." Check out Tara's most recent interview: Aaron Zenz, Inside the Creative Mind of a Rising Author/Illustrator. You can also enter to win a signed four-book set of the Howie I Can Read series.

Last, thanks to my darling husband for being so tolerant as I abandon ALL household chores in order to focus obsessively on my new rhyming PB manuscript. David and I realized long ago that the only way to motivate me to do any cooking or cleaning was to give me grades (Ha! My friends from high school will get it :) And I know I deserve D's and F's this week. Sorry, honey. I love you! But don't worry... I should have the meter ironed out soon. And then I can return to my normal level of house management (Thank God, I set the bar very low)