I've moved!

My blog has fallen by the wayside. I apologize for my long absence. It has been a busy year filled with writerly progress and promise. I got an agent. I finished edits for my first picture book. And I created an author website.

The book sharing I did on this blog has morphed into daily Tweets where I give a shout-out to a book published in the current year. Follow me on Twitter @laura_renauld.

And I started a debut picture book promotional support group. My first book, PORCUPINE'S PIE, is currently available for pre-order at Amazon and Beaming Books. It will be released on October 9, 2018.

Check out the other debuts here: alrenauld.wixsite.com/fireworksfoliage.

So I'm closing the doors on this blog and opening a new chapter at www.laurarenauld.com.
Please come over to visit and see what I've been up to!

Tackling Big Topics with Kids - Refugees

Refugees. We hear this word everyday on the news. If your kids are asking questions about what it means to be a refugee, and even if they're not, these two books are gems.  Empathy for the world's displaced and searching peoples begins at home. Build a child's experience and understanding for the new kid in their class or the family that moved into that furnished apartment with only one suitcase. With tenderness, honesty, and hope, these books offer a window into the refugee experience.

MY TWO BLANKETS
by Irena Kobald & Freya Blackwood
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

"We came to this country to be safe." But Cartwheel doesn't feel like herself in a new country where everything is strange. A personal connection makes all the difference as Cartwheel learns that no matter where she is, she will always be herself.


THE JOURNEY
by Francesca Sanna
Flying Eye Books, 2016

Fleeing war and searching for safety, a mother and her children embark on a harrowing journey. When the narrator notes, "The further we go... the more we leave behind," as the family's belongings dwindle, he is also illustrating the heartbreak of leaving cultural traditions and ancestral land for an elusive safety in an unknown land. There is no specific destination at the end of this book. Like the refugees themselves, there is only hope: "I hope, one day, like these birds, we will find a new home. A home where we can be safe and begin our story again."

Haikus for You

Poetry takes center stage in April. Take a look at these two haiku books!

ANIMAL ARK
Photos by Joel Sartore
Words by Kwame Alexander
National Geographic, 2017

This incredible photo book is just one manifestation of photographer Joel Sartore's vision to "photograph every captive species to inspire people to save those most vulnerable." His project is called PhotoArk. Newbury Medalist Kwame Alexander collaborates with Sartore using haiku, a Japanese poetic style that traditionally highlights nature, to express the incredible diversity of species around the world.

GUYKU: A YEAR OF HAIKU FOR BOYS
by Bob Raczka
illus. by Peter H. Reynolds
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010

With haiku like "If this puddle could/talk, I think it would tell me/to splash my sister" and "Winter must be here./Every time I open my/mouth, a cloud comes out", Raczka channels his inner-child and returns to his boyhood with actions and expressions that every mother of boys will nod their heads at.

Dynamic Duos

I'm always impressed with books that begin as a solo act and become so beloved that a sequel is commissioned. These hits are very different from a preconceived trilogy because it is only after the fact that a second book is written. So it is even more impressive when the second book takes the personality of the first book and successfully spins a new tale that is just as endearing. Let's take a look at two Dynamic Duos.

GASTON is one of my favorite picture books of 2014. It is cute, clever, and tackles the topic of blended families with humor and sensitivity. And now there is a companion book: ANTOINETTE. This spunky poodle isn't sure what makes her special, but she is about to find out that perseverance is key.

Author: Kelly DiPucchio

Illustrator: Christian Robinson

Marla Frazee's THE BOSS BABY is witty and spot-on in its assessment of how a baby turns a household upside down. And now there is THE BOSSIER BABY. A baby sister joins the scene! Bonus: A movie based on the concept of The Boss Baby will be in theaters soon.

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More Picture Books from 2016

So many books, so little time! Here is a quick round-up of some more picture book favorites from 2016.

Best book on grief
IDA, ALWAYS
by Caron Levis
illustrated by Charles Santoso

Stories about writing stories
ALSO AN OCTOPUS
by Maggie Tokauda-Hall
illustrated by Benji Davies

WHERE ARE THE WORDS?
by Jodi McKay
illustrated by Denise Holmes

Favorite rhyming book (with hugely satisfying plot)
TEENY TINY TOADY
by Jill Esbaum
illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi

Most fun I've had discovering the story as a reader in a race against spoilers (meta)
LET ME FINISH!
by Minh Le
illustrated by Isabel Roxas

2016 Picture Books: My Pile

2016 was another outstanding year for picture books. Here are four to whet your appetite:

BEAUTIFUL
by Stacy McAnulty
illus. by Joanne Lew Vriethoff
Running Press Kids

This book is the perfect juxtaposition of text and art. If you take the text alone, it reads almost like a mid-century book on etiquette. It is the vibrant illustrations that show the exuberance, curiosity, and individuality of a group of girls who have their own definition of beauty. BEAUTIFUL is PERFECT.

FIELD GUIDE TO THE GRUMPASAURUS
from the notes of Edward Hemingway
Clarion Books

The genius of this book is the mashup of dinosaurs, field guides, and the universal bad mood. Illustrated as a notebook, there are plenty of labeled diagrams, witty instructions, and a very satisfying twist at the end.

A POEM FOR PETER: THE STORY OF EZRA JACK KEATS AND THE CREATION OF THE SNOWY DAY
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
illus. by Lou Fancher & Steve Johnson
Viking

Telling the story of a Jewish immigrant who grows up to be a beloved children's book creator, Pinkney's free verse is full of compassion and appreciation. In my opinion, this gorgeous book is one of the best of 2016.

TIGER AND BADGER
by Emily Jenkins
illus. by Marie-Louise Gay
Candlewick Press

I picked this up because I am a huge fan of Emily Jenkins' TOYS GO OUT books. She has a way with making her characters believably flawed and yet, so lovable. Tiger and Badger are best friends...until they're not. The realistic dialogue leapt off the page and spoke to me and my two (often bickering) boys.

Storystorm 2017

Happy New Year!

Start the new year off write (typo intended!) with Tara Lazar's reinvention of Picture Book Idea Month. It is called Storystorm. Follow her blog for daily posts that will get your storm stirred up! (I realize the month is more than half over, but these posts are an amazing resource, regardless of when you start!) Here's the line up:

Celebration Picture Books All Month Long!

Click the calendar and join in the fun all month long!

Surprising, Refreshing, and So Original

Every so often I come across an article which states that there are only a small handful of storylines in the world. Or a blog that reminds picture book writers to put a fresh spin on an old theme... or forever be unpublished.

While I understand the logic behind these statements, they never fail to depress me. It's as if I should be able to sit down and pull a completely original idea out of the air. But I can't. I also have a hard time plotting a story without falling back on the tried and true. What I love about writing is the magical, unexpected nature of how a story goes from an inkling of an idea to a living entity on the page. If I just relax and let my fingers fly, the end result is always surprising. And that is my way of creating something unique.

I don't know how these authors did it, but I was thrilled to discover three completely original books within the past week. Head over to your library and check them out!



The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles
by Michelle Cuevas
illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2016

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles takes his job very seriously. But what happens when loneliness and longing wash up on the shore just like messages in a bottle? This spare story with muted illustrations packs an emotional punch.

A Little Book of Sloth
by Lucy Cooke
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013

Nonfiction has never been so entertaining (or so cute)! Lucy Cooke's prose is witty and conversational. My boys and I found ourselves laughing on every page. Readers learn all about sloths while going on a photo-tour of a sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. These "Jedi masters of the hug" are awww-inspiring at every turn.



A Child of Books
by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Candlewick Press, 2016

This is a celebration of books where letters and text form the ocean waves and the mountains. Story is the path on your journey and imagination is the key. Each page is filled literary gems to discover, relate to, and build on as the reader and the book create a new narrative together.

School Stories (with Surprises)

It's that time of year again! My boys are having an exciting first week back at school. We prepared for  a new year in the usual ways: school supply shopping, a new outfit, and a visit to the classroom to meet the teacher. But as any picture book loving parent knows, no event preparation or holiday celebration is complete without books on the subject. The ones I am sharing here struck a chord with my boys and I. They got us laughing, thinking, and imagining. Our brains are fired up and ready for a great year!


ALLY-SAURUS & THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
by Richard Torrey
Sterling Children's Books
2015

Ally loves dinosaurs. In fact, she is a dinosaur! At least in her imagination (shown in crayon, drawn by a child-like hand). But when Ally goes to school, she learns that not everyone is a dinosaur. And that's okay. This is one of the best back-to-school books I've seen that playfully depicts what it is like for a child to navigate the first day of school. (P.S. Walter is one of my favorite minor characters of all time!)

THE INVISIBLE BOY
by Trudy Ludwig
illustrated by Patrice Barton
Alfred A. Knopf
2013

There are all kinds of children in a class. Some are sporty, others are loud. Some are social, others are needy. But what about the one who is invisible? On the first page, we learn that "Even Mrs. Carlotti has trouble noticing (Brian) in her classroom." This picture book adeptly focuses a lens on the child who is left out and alone. And what a difference small kindnesses and acknowledgements make. If I were still teaching, I would definitely use this book as a read-aloud during the first week of school. Kids need opportunities to observe difficult situations and discuss the positive actions they can take. There are even questions in the back of the book for this purpose.

THE WHISPER
by Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2015

First, I would like to point out how gorgeous the illustrations are in this book. Each one is vibrant and magical, inviting the reader to imagine the story along with the girl. With the feel of a folktale, the girl is given a magical book by her teacher. She is disappointed when there are only pictures, but a whisper encourages her to write the words herself. In this enchanting story, the voracious reader becomes a writer, discovering that everyone has a story within.

Chapter Books: A Whole New Frontier

Now that the boys are a bit older, they have slightly longer attention spans. I've been taking advantage of this in a big way by adding chapter books to our daily reading. Picture books are still our primary source of literary entertainment, but I'm so excited to add chapter books to our reading adventures! 

We've recently enjoyed SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL, TOOTER PEPPERDAY, and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH.

 

  

Here's our TO READ pile. What are your favorites?

For the Love of Folding!

My boys have been into paper folding lately. First, it was an obsession with paper airplanes, followed by a blizzard of snowflakes (and white paper snips) when spring had finally arrived. Then my oldest learned how to make fortune tellers. So I wasn't too surprised when they got interested in origami. It was serendipitous when we found this newly minted book at the library. Enjoy!

MORE-IGAMI
by Dori Kleber
illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Candlewick Press, 2016

I love these opening lines: "Joey loved things that folded. He collected old road maps. He played the accordion. He slept in a foldaway bed." The author uses one unique trait to introduce the character and set-up the story. The problem comes when origami doesn't come easily to Joey. With a multi-cultural cast of characters, MORE-IGAMI not only celebrates ethnic diversity, but also the varied interests that make us who we are. Readers are gently reminded that anything worth doing well takes lots and lots of "practice and patience". Origami Ladybug instructions are included at the end. Make a bunch and you can have a ladybug race, like my boys :)

The Unexpected

Have you ever come across a book that tickles your funny bone, gives you pause, or teaches you about life in an unexpected way? Four recent library picks did this for me. Check out these gems!


Stories from Bug Garden
By Lisa Moser
Illustrated by Gwen Millward
Candlewick Press, 2016

I love the format of this book. It is the story of an abandoned garden and its quirky inhabitants, told through poems that build on each other, growing the story.



The Ladybug is my favorite. She doesn't want to act like a lady:

"But when no one was looking,
Ladybug ran barefoot,
made mud angels,
and whistled through a blade of grass."


Wabi Sabi
By Mark Reibstein
Illustrated by Ed Young
Little, Brown and Company, 2008

This book also has a unique format, but in a completely different way. Inspired by Japanese writing, this picture book is designed to be read vertically. Each page has three layers: the narrative, a haiku that gets at the heart of the page, and a traditional haiku written in Japanese characters and translated at the end of the book. Ed Young's beautiful illustrations teach the reader as much about Wabi Sabi as the story.



Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova
By Laurel Snyder
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Chronicle Books, 2015

In this gorgeous biography, Snyder uses a sparse, lyrical text to convey the passion that Anna Pavlova had for dance and for sharing her art with the world: The world is a hungry place, and Anna will feed it beauty." Dance - the perfect metaphor for life.

Rhyming Dust Bunnies
By Jan Thomas
Beach Lane Books, 2009

In vibrant colors that pop off the page, Jan Thomas makes you love dust bunnies. Ed, Ned, and Ted delight in rhyme, but Bob is preoccupied by a looming danger. Pull the child in your life onto your lap and prepare to laugh at the ridiculous antics of the Rhyming Dust Bunnies.

Happy New Year!

2015 was a good writing year. While I didn't get an agent or a book deal, I did succeed by submitting more than ever, keeping to my writing schedule of 45 min./day, 5 days/wk. (since Nov. 2014!), and getting three favorites during Twitter Pitch parties which allowed me to submit requested manuscripts to agents.

Rate Your Story was a fun membership to have this year. It gave me some helpful feedback on manuscripts I felt were submission-ready. Registration is open until Jan. 15. Check it out HERE.

My interests and goals for 2016 continue to include pursuing my dream of having a picture book published, but I would also like to learn more about getting a Book App developed and to think about how to revamp my blog, so stay tuned for updates!

May your 2016 be filled with love, laughter, 

and fabulous picture books!

Spooks in Books for Halloween

October is here! Crisp air, crunchy leaves, and that witch next door that has flown into a tree. Ouch!

Click to build your own!

Here are some picture books with spooky themes and not-so-spooky storylines.

IT'S RAINING BATS AND FROGS

Written by Rebecca Colby

Illustrated by Steven Henry

Published by Feiwel and Friends, 2015

What is the enemy of a parade? Rain, of course. And for the Witch Parade, it is no different. Filled with apt idioms and clever rhymes, a Halloween parade gets more and more chaotic as rain becomes "cats and dogs", then "hats and clogs", and "bats and frogs." Next time it's raining on your parade, be glad there are no witches nearby trying to help.

LEO: A GHOST STORY
Written by Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Published by Chronicle Books, 2015

The opening spread shows an empty room with the accompanying text: "This is Leo. Most people cannot see him."

I love this! What a hook. Leo is a ghost-child who lives alone in a house, until a family moves in. Unfortunately, his friendly intentions cause the family to conclude that the house is haunted and they try to get rid of him. Leo's subsequent story is one of finding friendship and acceptance. A story not so different from ours, really.

THE LITTLE BIT SCARY PEOPLE
Written by Emily Jenkins
Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
Published by Hyperion Books for Children, 2008

While not specifically a Halloween book, THE LITTLE BIT SCARY PEOPLE draws on the idea that the unknown is scary. It takes a closer look at those who are different or grumpy or mean. The narrator imagines a place where each of the scary people are happy or loving or creative. It is a lovely medium for teaching empathy and putting yourself in someone else's shoes.

Laugh-Out-Loud Funny: Part 3

Anthropomorphic animals are nothing new to picture books. But animals that shoot documentaries, sing in the opera, and wear underwear? The picture book tradition is getting wider in scope as it embraces quirky humor, books that engage the reader directly, and turn concept books on their heads. Check out these new favorites:

This is a Moose
Author: Richard T. Morris
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld

A director is set on filming an authentic moose documentary. The only problem is that the moose has other plans. The eye-popping illustrations combined with the outrageous (and director-infuriating) storyline creates a still-frame cinematic experience.  There's even a glossary with job descriptions for all that happens behind-the-scenes on a film shoot.

The Bear's Song
Author/Illustrator: Benjamin Chaud

Papa Bear goes on a journey to find Little Bear, who is "too caught up in honey thoughts to hear winter's whisper." Isn't that lovely? Super-detailed illustrations draw the reader in. Can you find Little Bear on each page? For us, the laugh-out-loud part came when Papa Bear finds himself on the opera stage and decides to sing  "a lullaby that all bears love."

Backstage at the Opera

One Big Pair of Underwear
Author: Laura Gehl
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld

This is a counting book. An unconventional counting book. It's also about sharing. But all a preschooler wants to know is why are there two bears in a pair of underwear? And why is the underwear so BIG? There's never enough to go around in this book, so someone is always feeling like they got the short end of the stick... Until a group of pigs decide to go "Piggyback!" so they can all play. Cleverly written, this more-than-a-concept book also tickles the funny bone.

You may have noticed that Tom Lichtenheld is the illustrator of this book and This is a Moose. Check out his website for some great resources and a listing of his fabulous books.

Laugh-Out-Loud Funny: Part 2 (Chicken Books!)

I'm not sure why chickens frequently make their way into picture books. Maybe their status as farm animals makes them accessible to the youngest book lovers. I'm not sure why chickens are inherently funny. Maybe it all flows from the chicken crossing the road joke. Regardless, children's chicken books are often hysterical. Here are two that had my boys laughing out loud this month.

Chicken Big 

by author/illustrator Keith Graves

Opening: "On a teeny little farm, in an itty-bitty coop, a very small hen laid a big, humongous egg." 

Talk about a juxtaposition! The illustrations of a huge chick combine with bird-brained dialogue to create a very silly situation. The smallest chick's contributions are especially funny. ("She was not the sharpest beak in the flock.") As the title suggests, the plot also draws on the story of "Chicken Little", stirring up a flurry of crises that the humongous chick diverts while the chickens all try to identify him: "Apparently, he is an umbrella!" Will the chick's heroic actions at the end finally gain him some acceptance?

Interrupting Chicken 

by author/illustrator David Ezra Stein

Told mostly in dialogue, parents will recognize the theme of this silly bedtime story. One of my boys is an "interrupting chicken", so this hit home for me and was definitely laugh-out-loud funny. Not only does Chicken interrupt the bedtime stories, but her interruptions also end the stories by nipping the problem in the bud. When Chicken heard the part where Little Red Riding Hood met a wolf in the woods, she interrupts, "Out jumped a little red chicken, and she said, 'Don't talk to strangers!' So Little Red Riding Hood didn't. The end!" As a writer, I find that Chicken highlights the need for a story arc with tension in order to create a satisfying experience for the reader. David Ezra Stein certainly does this with his clever book.