Celebration and Inspiration ~ by Patricia Toht

On Friday, I invited you to come to the Kid Lit TV party for the announcement of the Best in Rhyme picture book winner. Did you tune in? I hope you did. But for those of you who couldn't make it, here are the winners!

Runner up:

by Deborah Underwood

Runner-up: 

by Corey Rosen Schwartz

And the Grand Prize went to: 

by Penny Parker Klostermann

Of course, we celebrated with cake!

And a few silly photos:

Dragon breath!

Angie Karcher isn't too happy about
being swallowed by a dragon...

Kid Lit TV provided a gracious venue for the ceremony and party. In addition, they opened their doors the next day for the RPB REVOLUTION conference. Here are some tidbits and quotes about rhyming picture books. I hope they give you some inspiration!

Penny Parker Klostermann surprised the group with the fact that her book had 29 different versions before it was picked up by Random House. She told everyone to look at every line and every word to make sure it is the best. She also encouraged everyone to give themselves time to imagine.

Agent Kendra Marcus says that a rhyming picture book needs to not only rhyme, but also to have a good story that begins right up front. If it takes to long for a reader to discover where the story is headed, they may lose interest.

Author Lori Degman took the group through exercises on whittling down a rhyming manuscript and making sure the meter and rhyme are perfect. She urges writers to pinpoint the core of what they are trying to say, and then figure out the most condensed way to say it.
"Every time there's a break in the continuity of your rhyme, you may lose your reader," she warns.

Next up were the "Rebeccas Squared" team of author Rebecca Kai Doltish and editor Rebecca Davis from Wordsong and Boyds Mills. "Often people focus so much on the end rhymes that they lose sight of what is between those end rhymes," Rebecca Dotlich said. They stressed the importance of all poetic elements - treat them with equal importance. In other words, make sure a rhyming text takes advantage of luscious word choice, alliteration, metaphor and simile, vivid imagery, personification. "Read and study picture books until the essence of them is in your bones," they said.

The team of author Karma Wilson and Justin Chanda, Publisher at Simon and Schuster, rounded out the day. "Rhyme is wonderful, but it's not EVER the heart of your story. Your story has to stand without the crutch of rhyme," they told us. "Figure out the 'spine' - the theme that lies at the heart of your story - and let all else hang off of it." Karma warned us all to never talk down to a child, their concerns are very real and very large to them.

Celebration. 

Inspiration. 

A terrific weekend!

Unable to attend? It's not too late to purchase a recorded version of this wonderful conference. More information HERE.

Best in Rhyme Award: Selecting a Winner of a Picture Book ~ by Patricia Toht

I've been a lucky girl this autumn. 

Two years ago, I joined a community of rhymers called RhyPiBoMo. RhyPiBoMo was founded by Angie Karcher and challenges its members to write a rhyming picture book manuscript in the month of April. I blogged about it here.


Rhyme is not always looked upon favorably in picture book submissions. "We don't accept rhyming texts," is a phrase frequently expressed by editors and agents. There's a good reason for that -- rhyme is difficult to do well, and many don't take the time to learn the craft and brutally hone their manuscripts.

Artwork by the talented
Tanja Bauerle.

One step in learning the craft is to study terrific examples of rhyming picture books. Unfortunately, beyond Dr. Seuss, it's difficult to know who the great rhyming authors are. And so Angie had a second idea. Why not establish an award that recognizes the rhyming picture book? The "Best in Rhyme" award was born.


So, why am I lucky? Because I'm on the committee to select the award winner! 

From April to October this year, members of RhyPiBoMo submitted titles to be considered. Poetry collections and concept books were eliminated, as this year's focus is on books that tell a story. Tallying the popular titles led to the Top 20. (Here's the list!). From that list, the committee sat down to read and analyze.

75% of the reading pile

Here are a few of the elements we considered:
• Does the book tell a story, with an arc and clear plot?
• Are characters developed?
• How is the meter and rhyme in the book?
• What poetic devices are used? 
• Do word choices enhance the book?

I had a little help with my reading.

Committee members finished their reviews by November 1, and Angie Karcher announced the Final 10 (in rhyme, of course):

Would you like to know the winner?

So would I!

The winner will be announced in a live, red carpet ceremony at the KidLitTV Studio on December 4th. The gala kicks off the RPB (Rhyming Picture Book) Revolution Weekend. I'll be heading to New York for the weekend, and you can join me -- spaces are still available for the RPB Revolution Conference. For more information, visit rpbrevolution, here.  Fellow GROGger Suzy Leopold will be telling you a bit more about the RPB Revolution in a post next week (November 18).

Hooray for rhyming picture books! Who will be the winner?????