My Beginnings
It started with a tiny dose of inspiration and a desparate need for a break from revising the YA novel I was working on at the time. I worked on a few different picture book ideas, sent them off to a couple of agents, and then went back to my novel. A few rejections and many months later, amidst revising another YA novel (I'm a master procrastinator!), I came back to picture book writing and discovered I was really good at rhyming! I found a new passion for picture book writing and the rest is history!
Growing up, I had a passion for poetry. Simple poems with a good story to them. I wasn't serious enough to write profound metaphors and pursue being a poet. But I thought maybe I could one day write some song lyrics or something. I had a love for music as well, so that seemed like a natural progression to link the two.
Music won out as my career of choice (I'm a high school music teacher), and writing was mostly forgotten for many years. But I was struck with a NEED to write one day, and I began writing YA novels, mostly about band nerds (some of which wrote poetry and song lyrics!). When I finally discovered rhyming picture books, it just made sense! It was poetry that told a story in simple words with a musical rhythm to it. Perfecto!
This blog is my attempt to share what I've learned about picture books, especially rhyming picture books. I also want to share ideas of how teachers can use picture books in classrooms, as well as how music can relate to picture books.
So, browse around, comment, share ideas, ask questions. Let's bring stories to kids together!
Comments
Post a Comment