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Blog postA book review though an illustrator’s eyes by Dayne Sislen
My last post was a book review of the fun book, BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY, also by Melissa Sweet. On that post I received a great comment from Jennie Fitzkee, a teacher and the writer of the wonderful blog, “A Teacher’s Reflection.” She asked if I had also read SOME WRITER! The story of E.B. White, by Melissa Sweet, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company in 2016. I immediately put myself on the request and pick -
Blog postA picture book review.
I just love the picture book, BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY. It’s a story about Tony Sarg, the first innovative puppeteer of Macy’s famous parade on Thanksgiving Day. It was written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, who is one of my favorite illustrators. This is not a new book it was published in 2011, but you might say it’s new to me. I heard a lot about it when it first came out, but had never really took the time to study it carefully. With the self quarantine, I h -
Blog postThere are two very important children’s book awards given annually by the American Library Association. Everyone involved in children’s literature awaits this event each year. The author and illustrator choose are given a great honor. These books are considered the best of the best. They are both very coveted awards.
The Newbery Award
The Newbery has been awarded annually by the ALA since 1922 “to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for chi -
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Blog postThird in a series called, The Birth of a Picturebook: About the picture book The Cow Cocoon, written by Rachel Nolen and Maria Price. In Birth of a Picture Book I talked about writing the creative brief, the contract, then the character studies, the dummy, and the flat storyboard.
Inside spread, The Cow Cocoon. After the contract is signed, the characters and page breaks are approved, everything starts to come together. Birth of a Picture Book II talked about planning and drawing the -
Blog postContinuing the story of The Birth of a Picturebook: The Cow Cocoon, written by Rachel Nolen and Maria Price. In Birth of a Picture Book I talked about writing the creative brief, the contract, then the character studies, the dummy, and flat storyboard. After the contract is signed, the characters and page breaks are approved, everything starts to come together.
4. It’s now time for the rough pencil full sized sketches for each spread. I really like this part. All the parts we have onl -
Blog postI have been extremely lucky to have an exciting project to work on during the quarantine. It has given me a reason to jump out of bed in the morning eager to start a new day.
The finished cover of The Cow Cocoon Rachel Nolen and Maria Price came to me with the darling manuscript for The Cow Cocoon. Our first meeting was at a local park. We wore our Covid-19 masks and kept socially distanced. I could tell they had given The Cow Cocoon story, characters, concept, and marketing a lot of -
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Blog postI haven’t posted on this blog since March when the quarantine was new. No one really knew what we were going into. Would it last a few weeks, a month, two months, or more? Well, now we know this is not going to be a quick fix. There is no telling when life will be back to normal.
I have used my time wisely. I have not heavily scheduled every minute, but have given myself time to breathe. I have taken the time to enjoy the spring weather outdoors and now it’s summer. I have taken many -
Blog postI’m sitting here all cozy in my home enjoying the peace and quiet. No restaurants, no movie theaters, no mall shopping, no church, no meetings, no going to work, no get-togethers with friends, I never thought this would happen in the U.S.
It’s a new reality for all of us. I believe it has brought out the best in many people. I found the hoards of grocery shoppers surprisingly polite and cheery. I had three people try to help me get the last can of my favorite soup from the top shelf w -
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Blog postIt’s that thankful time of year again. Day by day we scurry around doing what needs doing at the moment without taking the time to stop and realize our true blessings. When we truly think about it, it’s our relationships with our spouse or significant other, family, and friends that are the most important. Humans are social animals we need loving relationships. Good health and natural abilities come next. I also believe it’s a blessing to be able to help others. After these big blessings, it’
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Blog postI always get excited when I hear of a new opportunity to have my work critiqued by professionals in the picture book field. This new opportunity is called #PBCritiqueFest or Picture Book Critique Fest. It is open from October 3-25th, 2019. It’s a wonderful opportunity to have picture book manuscripts and dummies critiqued by professional picture book writers, picture book illustrators, author/illustrators and picture book agents. They have a facebook page: PBSpotLight. A Twitter handle:
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Blog postBook by Donna Warwick, illustrated by Dayne Sislen
by Dayne Sislen
Working with a professional children’s book illustrator is a fun process, you will see your ideas, your characters and your words come to life on paper for the first time. If you are planning on self-publishing your manuscript using Print On Demand (POD) like KDP Print or IngramSpark or an independent printer, you WILL need professional illustrations for your children’s book. A professional illustrator will hel -
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Blog postYes, you really should hire a professional children’s book illustrator for your self-published book?by Dayne Sislen
If you want your book to be able to compete with traditionally published books on the bookshelf and online you need a professional illustrator/designer to help. If you need help navigating the self-publishing process, you definitely need a professional illustrator/book designer. If you want your book to reflect the high level of your writing it is very important that you find a professional children’s book illustrator/designer.
Some of the best current pi -
Blog postby Dayne Sislen
Humor is what makes something funny.
A sense of humor is the ability to recognize humor. There is nothing quite as satisfying as reading a funny book to a child and watching them giggle and respond to the words and pictures. Reading to children increases their comprehension and reading funny books helps them to develop a keen sense of humor. Humor can teach children to become more creative.
Children and adults who laugh together are healthier and less li -
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Books By Dayne Sislen
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