Nothing Happens Lest First You Dream

 

                               Vision Boards

                                                  by

                                        Gloria Reichert

 

Recently, I attended a webinar about Vision Boards presented by Merrill Rainey, Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI: Ohio North. A vision board is a physical, tactile representation of the goals which someone wishes to achieve. This collection of pictures, words, and phrases is designed to help a person visualize his dreams and goals.

The idea behind vision boards is simple. By placing your vision board in a prominent place where your goals and intentions are highly visible, your mind is constantly reminded of these focus areas, and your subconscious works away at them. Vision boards are connected to the Law of Attraction, which is about attracting into your life those things upon which you are focusing. The idea is that our experiences are created by our thoughts and feelings. Whatever we focus our attention on will be brought into our lives. Vision boards keep the goals we set foremost in our minds and create positive feelings when we look at them.  

Do vision boards work? A body of research says they do. They rely on visualization, which is a powerful tool. A report in Psychology Today states that athletes who visualized their training exercises received almost the same benefit as those who undertook the physical exercises. Oprah Winfrey has discussed the use of vision boards to help her meet her goals.

Merrill suggested four steps for creating a vision board.

Step 1 - Brain Dump: Set a timer for 20 minutes. During that time, write down everything you want to accomplish in 2022, three years, five years – whatever you decide. Focus on your writing goals or whatever you choose. Then categorize the ideas into different columns.

Step 2 - Reflect and Refine. Decide which ideas are the most important. What do you want most to change or improve? These can be either short or long term goals.

Step 3 - Create your vision board. Use white or colored poster board, foam board, cork board, white board, or felt board as the background. Using magazines, newspapers, and computer printings, cut out images, words, and phrases which reflect your goals. Arrange them on your background. Glue or tape them into place. Add glitter or stickers. Draw with markers - whatever you wish. You might play music while you create your board.

Step 4 – Display your vision board. Put your vision board somewhere you can see it every day so that your subconscious can get to work.

Vision boards can also be made digitally. Online templates and directions are available. Once printed, these can be displayed or kept in a planner or journal where they will be easily seen.

Many suggestions for both kinds of vision boards can be found on Pinterest.

You must believe that what you are putting on your vision board will come true, and you must give the work and effort that’s necessary. 

Once I complete my vision board, I think I might make one for some of my characters to see how that could inform my writing. No telling where vision boards might lead.

***************************************************

For more information on Merrill, follow him on Instagram (@littlerainey) or visit his website at www.littlerainey.com.

Inspire Me, Please!

 By Kate Carroll

In this extraordinary year, have you struggled to find motivation and inspiration? The abrupt changes in the world, and its effects on the publishing industry drove me to a standstill for a while. And I don’t think I was alone.

Here are some ideas that may help you get back to doing what you love most – writing for kids.   

Thankfully, the kidlit industry rose up providing online content, which I took advantage of, but ultimately, I knew that I had to do my own heavy lifting. The old proverbial adage of “leading a horse to water…” rang true. This horse had to put its own head into the trough and drink.

And so, I began.

One morning, I grabbed a café mocha and pulled out my old conference notebooks and dug in. OK, full disclosure. This activity didn’t start out that way. I was on an organizing binge in my office which led me to rereading all the great wisdom shared by so many valuable experts. For hours, I sifted through a cache of craft material that had been sitting idle. It felt like I had found some old friends. If you haven’t pulled out your conference notes in a while, I highly recommend it. Mine ignited a spark!  

Another idea grew out of boredom. Flipping channels one day, I landed on an old sitcom. Deputy Barney Fife is so goofy and hilarious. What makes him funny?  How do the characters play off each other? What about the dialogue? Not only did I belly laugh again, but I also thought about humorous picture books and soon studied several. Here are some I love:

Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller & Anne Wilsdorf
This Book Just ate my Dog by Richard Byrne
We Don’t eat our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Underwear! By Jenn Harney
Barnaby Never Forgets by Pierre Collet-Derby

One great exercise taken from my notes is Story Builder. It’s easy, fun and a good way to jump start your imagination. In a notebook or on a piece of paper, make three columns and head each one with basic story elements - Character, Problem, Setting. Now dream up ideas for each category. The zanier the better. Eventually you can choose an element from each section and mix the ingredients together for a unique story starter. And while you’re doing “life”, if a character, problem or setting comes to mind, be sure to add it to your own Story Builder.

If you aren’t ready to sit down at your computer or pick up a pen and paper, how about a nature walk? Better yet, a scavenger nature hunt.  Corny? A-corny, maybe. Give yourself a list of things to find as you explore. It’s such a simple activity, but it reminds us that we are meant to wonder, to discover. Unless you are craving some real peace and quiet, take along a small human whose curiosity will likely pique yours.                                   

Why not try on a new genre? While this may seem incongruous for someone who is searching for inspiration, sometimes the stretch is just what we need to get going again.  Creating free verse poetry or journaling may rekindle your creative juices. Maybe offer up an editorial for your local newspaper. Write a Parents’ Corner in your church bulletin or preschool parents email thread. The point is to stay in the game any way you can.

As I said at the beginning, the kid lit community offers endless opportunities to connect and grow one’s craft during this secluded time.  Follow a new blog.  See what your local SCBWI has to offer. Join an online critique group. Search online for websites devoted to your genre. I discovered author Carol Kim’s website, https://makealivinginkidlit.com. Many of her blog posts are about the “business” of children’s writing.  Check out this link on the relevance of Twitter and children’s publishing. Although many of us use Twitter and the like, they can contribute to the slump if you don’t navigate them well.   https://makealivinginkidlit.com/how-childrens-authors-should-use-twitter/

As a final thought, even in these uncertain times, the good news is that we can restart our creative engines. And above all, remember that small, curious humans are the reason we write our stories!     
 

Putting the Puzzles Together with Evelyn Christensen - and a Giveaway!

By Kate Carroll

 
In this pandemic, I often imagine that we’re living in an alternative universe. Many changes have abruptly impacted our world.  Each day, I embrace a new normal but also cling to the constants that will never change for me.  Among those is learning more about craft and those who have creatively carved a successful career in children’s literature.

I’m confident that writers still write, and children still read. That’s the good news.  In some instances, children and adults are indulging in more reading since their time isn’t as divided as before the pandemic.
 

We also rely on digital communication for so much of what we do nowadays, and today’s interview with amazing author/puzzle creator, Evelyn Christensen, is no exception. Evelyn, as gracious as ever, has shared so much about her life and her career with us. An expert in her field, she parlays multiple passions into a successful and unique writing career. My humble gratitude to Ev for her professionalism and her generosity in helping others on their journey to publication.  She makes it look easy!
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Evelyn’s generosity, we will have a drawing in conjunction with this blog post.
Simply comment at the end of this post by August 21st for a chance to win a PDF of one of Evelyn's books. Check out her TPT site to see what choices you have, should you be the lucky winner. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a celebrated author/creator of so many books and puzzles, is there a favorite type of project that you enjoy doing?

 
I have the most fun with puzzle books that use a variety of formats, like my Mensa for Kids: Fun Puzzle Challenges or my state puzzle books. The majority of my other educational puzzle books have used a specific kind of puzzle throughout an individual book.

 

What is your first memory of your love of writing?

I was 8 or 9. We were driving home to Kentucky from visiting my grandparents in Georgia (the only kind of vacations we had). This was before seat belts, and with 6 kids in the family, my parents would pack the station wagon so the back of it was a ‘bed.’ At least part of the long trip was at night and we kids were expected to sleep. I remember lying there, looking out the car window at the moon and stars and the shadows the car made on the mountainside, and composing an 8-line poem in my head. It wasn’t a very good poem, but I still remember it more than 60 years later!

How did you find this great connection between your love of math and writing?

The math ideas came first and the writing was just a way to share them with others. My first book was the result of a Christmas gift (a container of colored paper clips) that one of my children gave to a sibling. We were playing around with them one day on the bed, putting the clips in rows and patterns. Using math manipulatives in classrooms was just getting its big push, but most of the manipulatives were very expensive. I suddenly had an idea! Colored paper clips, cheap enough that any teacher could afford them, would make great math manipulatives. I started creating puzzles in which you try to determine the colors of the clips in a line using clues I gave. The result was my book Clip Clue Puzzles.

 

Where do you find the wellspring of ideas for your many publications? How do you keep the creative and unique ideas flowing?

If you don’t believe in God, then you probably won’t understand my answer to this question, but I truly believe my creative ideas and the inspirations for my books have been gifts to me from God. Being creative makes me feel especially close to God. I think that’s because I believe in a Creator God, who made us in his image, so when I’m creating, I’m expressing some of that image of himself he’s put within me.

 

Do you rely on common core or grade level objectives to direct your writing?

Not explicitly, but having been a classroom teacher for many years, I know from experience what kinds of things are taught at different grade levels                     .

 

What was the most exciting or the most challenging job for you? Why?

Writing The Twelve Days of Christmas in Kentucky was the most exciting, because it was my first picture book. It was also the most exciting because it was about my beloved state of Kentucky and I cherished the opportunity to get to research and write about it and share about it with others. The job was challenging because my editor gave me a tight timeline to meet and because I was sick. I was actually at the hospital having a bronchoscopy when the email arrived saying I’d been selected to write the book. I was thrilled, but hesitated to say yes to the offer; I wasn’t sure I had the energy. I was glad that I did in the end, because it was therapeutic to have something to focus on other than my illness.

 

How has the industry changed since you started out in the business?

When I started, we didn’t have the ease of emailing submissions. Everything went ‘snail mail,’ which cost more and was a lot more hassle. Of course, the ease of subbing by email meant exponentially more subs landed in publishers’ inboxes, which in turn, meant lots of publishers closed to unagented subs. That put additional pressure on authors to find an agent. Another change in the industry is the ease of self-publishing which many authors opt for now.  The industry is also beginning to be more open to ‘own voices’ which is an excellent change, in my opinion.

 

Do you still face rejection, and if so, how do you look at rejections now as compared to when you got your first one? What advice can you shed on looking at rejection in this industry?

Yes, I definitely still get rejections! Early on, rejections hurt more because I had unrealistic expectations of the industry. I expected to get acceptances more easily than I did. After about a thousand rejections, I no longer expect acceptances. If one comes, I can be ecstatically happy. (Of course, with some magazines, mostly out of print now, I built relationships with the editors over the years and knew what they wanted. I expected acceptances there and usually got them.) When I was a fledgling submitter, this is what helped me with rejection: as soon as I put a sub in the mail, I planned where I was going to send it next. Then when I got the rejection, I immediately popped that manuscript back in the mail (assuming there were no suggestions for revising it). As long as I had manuscripts out there in Submission Land there was hope. And hope is what kept me going. If I didn’t make a plan in advance, then a rejection could discourage me so much that I might wait weeks or months before getting the courage to send it out again. Not a good way to get published.

A hallmark of your journey is helping other authors in their publishing quests. Thank you for your generosity!  What advice would you give aspiring writers in the fields of nonfiction and magazine publishing in today’s market? How do you think things will change in the wake of the pandemic?

For nonfiction, if you’re interested in doing work-for-hire for educational publishers, you’ll want to prepare a high-quality resume and writing samples and get them sent out to lots of publishers. If you’re looking for an educational publisher for a nonfiction manuscript you’ve written or are proposing, you might want to consider whether the subject can be expanded into a series or at least a two-book set. In my experience, educational publishers usually prefer series, as opposed to stand-alone books, because they sell better for them.

Magazine writing for kids and YA is tough in today’s market, because so many magazines have folded. If you’re an aspiring writer, you may want to begin with writing some for low-pay or no-pay publications. It will give you experience and will give you some publishing credits to mention in your cover letter when you’re later querying higher-pay magazines.
 

The effects of the pandemic are uncertain. In the spring, when so many children were learning at home, sales of math and science books, activity books, and language arts books for young readers did well. We don’t yet know what the fall will be like, but if lots of kids are still having remote instruction, nonfiction books and books for helping with learning are likely to continue to do well.

 

In ONE word  - share your advice for writing success.   

Perseverance!
 

Can you give us a peek at what you are working on?

Actually, my goal for the summer is to finish reformatting my educational puzzle books that have gone out of print to make them available on my Teachers Pay Teachers site (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wonderfun-Learning). These were  royalty contracts and the rights have reverted to me. I hate to have them just ‘gathering dust’ on my computer drive when they could be available to help kids have fun learning.
 

What are some of your personal favorites?

Guilty Food Pleasure?  Turtles (chocolate, caramel, pecans)

Favorite hobby?  Interacting with my five young grandchildren

Dog or Cat?  Cat (I’m allergic to cats so we don’t have one, but I still love them)

What time of day/night are you most creative?  Evening


I hope you enjoyed this peek into the “puzzle pro” and her many other distinguished credits. Be sure to comment by August 21st to enter the drawing!

You may also go to https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wonderfun-Learning to see what Evelyn has available.  Should you win, Evelyn will forward you a PDF of your choice.

 

Evelyn Christensen grew up in eastern Kentucky, one of six children of a Presbyterian minister and a teacher. Family values focused on God, helping others, and education. After marriage and a doctorate in math education, Evelyn was blessed to be able to stay home for ten years with her three little ones. When she was ready to look for a college job teaching prospective teachers how to teach math, she realized she should probably have some elementary school teaching experience first. That was supposed to be just for a couple of years, but she fell in love with the little ones and taught K-2nd the rest of her career. Along the way, she discovered that God had given her a gift for creating fun learning materials. She compiled some of these ideas into educational puzzle books and math games and had success in having more than 50 of them published by traditional educational publishers. Over half a million copies of them have been sold. Ev also discovered that it was fun to write for children’s magazines, where more than 400 of her puzzles, poems, and stories have appeared. As a writer, Ev’s greatest joys are helping kids have fun learning and helping other writers succeed in their publishing goals. She lives in Lexington, KY with her husband Ralph who has always been a wonderful support and encourager of her writing career. More about Ev and her books can be found at http://evelynchristensen.com .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Author Christy Mihaly

By Lisa Amstutz

 

This month, we welcome Christy Mihaly to the Six Pens blog to talk about her new book, Free for You and Me!

First of all, thank you for participating in the Song of Six Pens blog!

Thank you for inviting me to Six Pens! It's a pleasure to chat with you here.

1.   What inspired you to write Free for You and Me?

A few years ago I started hearing people making statements that reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of the U.S. Constitution. Folks who should have known better called for flag-burners to lose their American citizenship. Sheesh. I wanted kids to appreciate the basic principles of our governmental system, which some adults seemed to have forgotten (or never learned).

I told my wonderful agent, Erzsi Deak, that this was on my mind. She joked that I should create a board book about the Constitution. We laughed, but then I thought, maybe if I started with one provision? How about the First Amendment! Not an obvious picture book topic, right? But the idea wouldn't leave me alone. I started experimenting with little verses, and they eventually evolved into this book.

2.   What did the publishing process for this book look like?

I started this book with poems, because poetry uses a few well-chosen words to explore the basic essence of a complex concept. The First Amendment names five freedoms—so I thought I'd create a poem about each. (They are: freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press, and the rights to assembly and to petition the government for redress of grievances.) I wrote, revised, got critiques, rethought … and developed five poems I liked. But they didn't constitute a book. To explain the history and background of the First Amendment and to create a story line about how kids could use these rights, I added historical vignettes and contemporary characters. I thought we could show dialog with speech bubbles.

In 2018 my manuscript found its way to just the right editor for this project, Wendy McClure at Albert Whitman. We signed in January 2019, and then things moved quickly. We were aiming for the spring of 2020 because of the election. Wendy suggested adding a couple of additional poems. Not every editor feels comfortable editing verse, but Wendy had some great questions and suggested revisions. We also tweaked and shortened the speech bubbles. We collaborated on the back matter. And we went through a few rounds of possible titles before landing on "Free for You and Me."

Our collaboration continued as illustrator Manu Montoya and the book designer developed the art. Wendy and I wanted the book to reflect America's diversity, so Manu illustrated the historical scenes with contemporary children dressed up as historical figures, a la "Hamilton," which I love.

3.   How did you learn to write in rhyme? Do you have any tips for our readers?

Since elementary school, I've enjoyed writing rhyming verse. I used to write silly doggerel for friends' birthdays and the like. But when I got serious about picture books, I knew I had to up my game. I took Renee LaTulippe's online course, Lyrical Language Lab, and learned a ton there. Then I started studying mentor texts and books about poetry. I attended a conference dedicated to rhyming picture books and met other rhymers, and crucially, I found critique partners who could evaluate rhyme and meter.

Even though we've all heard that editors eschew rhyme, most will consider excellent, well-done rhyming texts that have good meter and tell a solid story. The problem is the abundance of submissions in which the story suffers because the rhymes are forced.

So, my tip is: If you've written a rhyming text, rewrite it in prose. Make the prose beautiful and lyrical and poetic, but focus on telling your story. Then compare versions. Which is better? Which brings out the characters, the conflict, the resolution in a more compelling way? If it's the prose, can you bring those elements back into your rhyming text? Perhaps your story really needs to be in rhyme. If that's the case, polish your poetry. But if it doesn't, don't.

4.   What book has influenced you the most as a writer?

Strunk and White's Elements of Style. When I was in eighth grade, my English teacher told me I was a writer and gave me a gift of a copy of that book. I've kept it ever since, and have read and re-read it. If you follow the mantra "Omit needless words," you're on your way to stronger writing.

5.   You’ve written numerous nonfiction books. What draws you to this genre?

I enjoy engaging kids' interest in complex and potentially boring or off-putting topics. I ask myself, what is weird or funny or heart-warming about this subject? How can I make kids care? What's my way in? It's like a puzzle. Plus, I love research: gathering information, deepening my understanding of issues I'm curious about, and turning it all into a compelling story.

6.   What is one piece of advice that you would give to writers/illustrators?

I'm not the first to say it, but I'm often surprised to meet writers who haven't done this: Join a critique group. Find a group of fellow creators that you trust to give honest, helpful, and kind feedback. Invest the time it takes to provide honest, helpful, kind feedback on their work.

If you determine that a particular group isn't a good fit, leave it (politely), and find another group or gather some folks with whom you work well. And this is important too: Once you've got your group going, stick with it, even through times when you feel uninspired. My experience is that the longer a group keeps working together, the better the feedback becomes. Through years of working together, people come to trust each other more deeply. As they get to know one another more deeply, they come to understand how best to offer helpful critiques.

7.   Do you have other upcoming books you would like to mention?

Thanks for asking! My first fiction picture book, Patience, Patches, featuring a dog and a baby, is due out in 2022. I'm also anticipating a science nonfiction picture book next year. Unfortunately a middle grade nonfiction, scheduled for the fall, has been coronavirus-delayed. But I guess that's happened to lots of book creators recently, so we'll just be … patient!  

SHORT AND SWEET

Pantser or Plotter? Plotter, definitely. Sometimes I try to bust loose a little bit … but I do love me a good outline.

Guilty Food Pleasure?  So, is this weird? I take a flour tortilla, heat it, spread it with butter and honey, roll it up, and eat it. Yum.

Favorite Hobby?  I learned to play the cello a few years back. I'm no expert, but I've played in community ensembles (with other mediocre, music-appreciating adults). I don't practice enough, but I get major joy from sitting with others and making music happen. And … it's possible that the cello has given me an idea or two for books.

Oh, and with the home-stay orders, I've taken up the ukulele, which is really fun!

Dog or Cat person? I am a life-long DOG person (see Patience, Patches, above). However, we added our first cat to the family three years ago. I'm still a dog person, but … the cat is growing on me.

Who would you like to have dinner with (living or dead)? Pablo Casals, the great humanitarian and cellist.

Do you do your best work in the morning, afternoon, or evening? I write at any time of day and on a good day I'll write all day long, but at night after dinner is when my writing flows the best.

ABOUT CHRISTY

Christy's spring 2020 picture book, Free for You and Me: What our First Amendment Means is illustrated by Manu Montoya and celebrates the First Amendment with poems and stories. Prior books include Hey, Hey, Hay!, rhyming picture book about bringing in the hay, and Diet for a Changing Climate, a YA co-authored with Sue Heavenrich, about how our food affects the environment. Christy's books have appeared on the Green Earth Book Award shortlist, Bank Street Children's Best Books, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections. She is currently wondering whether to dye her hair purple or green.

Instagram: @christymihaly

Twitter: @CMwriter4kids

FB: https://www.facebook.com/christymihaly/

Website: www.christymihaly.com

Interview with author Tammi Sauer

By Gloria Reichert

 

Last September, when I attended the SCBWI: Ohio North Conference, I had the honor of being a hostess to children’s book author Tammi Sauer. Getting to know her was a delightful experience!  Both her energetic intensive and closing address provided a bounty of helpful information to help writers improve their manuscripts. We welcome Tammi to the Song of Six Pens blog and thank her for sharing her thoughts.    

 

1. What inspired you to write your first book?

One night, after my husband and I had tucked our kids in bed, we heard an unexpected knock at the door. I opened it and discovered a kid standing on my front porch. He was selling newspaper subscriptions in an effort to raise money to go to…Cowboy Camp. I looked at this kid with his everywhere hair, thick glasses, and un-cowboy-like everything and knew I had a story.

Cowboy Camp, illustrated by Mike Reed, debuted in 2005, and it's still in print. Yeehaw.

2. Are there any children’s book authors who have influenced you?

Many authors have influenced me! I think the first book that I read that really made me want to become a children's book author is Jules Feiffer's Bark, George! The book is so funny, and it offers the unexpected. Plus, it's a joy to read aloud.

3. What kinds of books do you like to read?

My favorite picture books are filled with humor and heart.

4. Does one of your main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, which one? Why?

Each of my main characters holds a special place in my heart, but Mary from Mary Had a Little Glam is extra special to me because, over the years, so many moms have reached out to me and shared stories and pictures of how their daughters have really found a connection with Mary.

I have two new Mary books coming out with Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Mary Had a Little Plan debuts in the fall of 2021, and Mary Had a Little Jam comes out in the fall of 2022.

 
5. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your books?

Oh, I am a revision nerd! Getting a manuscript juuuuust riiiiiiight is my favorite part of the process. It feels like a game to me. I strive to use only the best words. I remind myself to tell as much as possible in as little as possible. Reading my manuscript aloud is another must—it helps to ensure that the rhythm is there. I also step away from my manuscript and grab lunch or run an errand. Getting away from it for an hour or so helps me to return refreshed. OH. The revision process ALWAYS involves tea. I am currently hooked on Pie Five Pizza's peach ginger tea. I buy it--and pretty much drink it--by the gallon.

6. What is your writing process? (Outline, start in the middle, scenes, etc.)

Process? Ha! I really don't have a specific process. Each book is different. I simply write the best story I can and hope for good.

7. What was your most unusual/funny/heartwarming experience as a writer?

I really get the best fan mail. This is one of my all time favorites (I did not correct the spelling):

Dear Ms. Sauer,

Your the best. Your my hero and roll modle.

My dream is to write a book.

Do not tell her this but I like you more than Kelly Clarkson.

Love,

Elizabeth Cloe

8. What is one piece of advice that you would give to writers?

My best advice comes from a quote I once read in a Cynsations blog post. This quote shares just about everything that needs to go into creating a successful picture book manuscript. 

“My main considerations for any picture book are humor, emotion, just the right details, read-aloud-ability, pacing, page turns, and of course, plot. Something has to happen to your characters that young readers will care about and relate to. Oh, and you have to accomplish all that in as few words as possible, while creating plenty of illustration possibilities. No easy task.”—Lynn E. Hazen.

Short and Sweet:

·     * Pantser or Plotter? Typically, I know the beginning and the end and pants my way through the middle.

·          

       * Guilty Food Pleasure? There are so many! My newest Guilty Food Pleasure is Dot's Homestyle Pretzels. They aren't sold everywhere. The other day, I drove seven miles just to get a new bag.

·          

       * Favorite Hobby? Reading!

·       

       * Dog or Cat person? DOG

·          

      * Whom would you like to have dinner with (living or dead)? I'd love to be able to have one more dinner with my parents and siblings.

·          

      * Do you do your best work in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Oh, man. I am having a hard time giving short and sweet answers! My muse doesn't follow any kind of schedule. She's rather ridiculous. Occasionally, my best work happens at 3 am.

Tammi Sauer, a former teacher and library media specialist, is a full-time children's book author who presents at schools and conferences across the country. Getting kids excited about reading and writing is Tammi's passion.

In addition to winning awards and garnering starred reviews, Tammi's books have gone on to do great things. Nugget & Fang was made into a musical that toured the nation. To date, the show has been performed more than 150 times and will tour again in 2021. Wordy Birdy was named a Spring Kids' Indie Next pick, a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and a Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Month. Your Alien, an NPR Best Book of the Year, was released in Italian, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and French, which makes her feel extra fancy. To learn more about Tammi and her many books, visit her website at tammisauer.com and find her on Twitter at @SauerTammi.