Wednesday, April 5, 2017

PBParty #27: WHATIFS, Lyrical

Title: WHATIFS
Genre: Lyrical picturebook
Word Count: 819

Query:

Dear Agent,

In a world full of conflict and uncertainty, the picture book Whatifs takes a look at young worriers' "what if" questions. The story blossomed from my own experiences as a child, constantly being bogged down by anxiety. Now, as a second grade teacher, I continue to hear "what if" questions from my students - "What if there's a fire drill?" or "What if I don't know the answer on the test?" Whatifs follows Cora and her struggle with worrying. In the end, Cora finds a solution to turn her "heavy, lumpy, and grumpy" WhatIfs into "cheerful, whimsical" ones.

An engaging story with an honest heroine, Whatifs is relatable to countless children. The story gives readers hope to continue their lives instead of being bogged down by their "what if" questions. 

I am currently a second grade teacher in North St. Paul, Minnesota. I am pursuing my Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction: Emphasis in Children’s Literature through Pennsylvania State University. I wrote a personal essay that was published in Education Week, titled “The Importance of Sharing a Meal.” I am an active SCBWI member and 12x12 participant and strive to use my knowledge and passion for children’s literature to write books for young readers.


First 50 Words:

Cora was a nervous girl: 
always jumpy,
always edgy,
always wondering
     if something bad was going to happen. 
Because of this, the Whatifs loved her.

From the moment the sun first peeked through her window in the morning
to the time she pulled her warm quilt over her head at night,
Cora’s Whatifs clung
to her every move.

3 comments:

  1. Hi! I'd be interested to read more about Cora. Please sent the full manuscript to alyssajennette@stonesong.com. Thanks for participating in PBparty!

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  2. Intrigued! Please send the full manuscript pasted in the body of the email,along with your pitch and bio to clelia@martinliterarymanagement.com. Thanks!

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  3. I love it! Pleas query me at http://QueryMe.Online/1067 and put #PBParty in the referral section. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete