Oliver Jeffers

I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Olive Jeffers this weekend (see his lovely art above).

He is a talented Irish-born author/illustrator from New York. He was funny and personable, and awfully wise about how he creates his books. I especially enjoyed the part where he talked about knowing "what to leave out" when making a book. That's something I think about when writing my books, too.

If you'd like to find out about Oliver Jeffers and how he creates, you can check out his video here. Or see his website here.

A big thank you to Margo Filipenko and Kathryn Shoemaker of the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable for bringing Oliver to our fair city.

Cheers!

Getting Started: Writing for Kids

Here's another wonderful book to help you get started writing and illustrating for children. It's full of information on how to submit a manuscript, what publishers are looking for, and all kinds of other "how-to" tips. I've consulted the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market for years and it's always been excellent.

In the last month or so, I've had several inquiries from people keen to begin writing for children, and this is the book I like to recommend. Above is the most recent edition, but older editions are great, too. You can often track them down at the library. Or order the new edition at your local bookstore.

Just today, in fact, I was flipping through my copy trying to find the right publisher for a manuscript I am ready to send out into the world. I hope I chose wisely.

And you can go here for a reminder about the Getting Started Panel at the Vancouver Public Library on March 4.

Good luck, and happy writing!

The BOOK!

Are you interested in writing or illustrating for children? If so, you may wish to order a copy of The BOOK: The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children, written by SCBWI — a wonderful organization for children's authors and illustrators.

I don't have my own copy yet, but I look forward to receiving it soon. Here's where you can get yours.

Happy Reading!

Library Fines and Bibliophiles

For those of us who love books, it is easy to rack up overdue fines at the library. I personally have paid a hefty stack of late charges. Thank goodness libraries now send out email reminders to wayward borrowers. That helps us get things back on time!

And while I have had late books, they have never been this late.

Cheers, and Happy Reading!

ALA Youth Media Awards

As part of the recent American Library Association conference in Seattle, the annual awards for the best written and illustrated books for children and teens were announced.

To see the complete list of honoured books, please go here.

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists!

Seattle Conference

I'm back from the ALA conference in Seattle and it was spectacular! Thank you to my publisher, Tundra Books, for inviting me to attend and sign my new book in their booth.

It was wonderful to meet the librarians who stopped by for a chat. Many were from various corners of the USA, some were from Canada, and one (at least) was from the UK. It was good to meet so many great folks who love books! Apparently, 12,000 librarians were registered. Wow!

One librarian told me she was a proud bibliophile and was surprised that I knew the word. I told her I also adored books and had a houseful myself.

Maybe you were at the conference, too. If so, I hope you had a fabulous time and picked up many new books to read.

Cheers!

ALA Midwinter Conference

The American Library Association Midwinter Conference begins in Seattle next weekend and I'm happy to say I will be attending. If you're going to be there too, stop by the Tundra booth #2638 and say hello. I will be signing my new book, Rescuing the Children: The Story of the Kindertransport, on January 27 at 10:00 am.

For details on the conference, please go here.

Hope to see you there!