Mixing Story Sacks With Picture Books

We all know (I hope) that reading stories is an invaluable experience for young children. It helps them develop a wide range of important skills including developing their listening and communication skills. But many people seem to stop there with picture books but introduce a story sack to the equation and the learning opportunities expand hugely. A story sack offers opportunities for active, involved, cross-curricular learning. They help bring stories to life and offers practical ideas that support the differing interests and learning styles of young children.

So what is a story sack? 
It's a large cloth bag containing a picture book with supporting materials that stimulate language activities and make reading a memorable and enjoyable experience.

How do you make a story sack? 
Simply find a cloth bag to serve as the sack (even an old pillow case will do) and fill with some or all of the following materials (remember to keep appropriate for the needs and abilities of your child).

• A copy of the book
• A CD or DVD of the story, if you can find one (link below to my first picture book A Book For Bramble
• Related non-fiction books e.g. for my book A Book For Bramble you could explore the life of mice and the other creatures that appear in it - rabbits, squirrels, owls and various bugs etc.
• Models of characters (soft toys are ideal) and objects from the story for example from my book The Best Jumper you could include (for older children) chunky child friendly knitting needles and wool
• Activities or games relating to the story - often renaming a favourite traditional game will help you achieve this for example a noughts and crosses game can be easily changed if you use images of the characters as counters
• Themed art and craft items - Pinterest can you your friend here
• Linked activity cards - see below

Activity cardsAn activity card lists ideas for things to do based on the book, this could include questions, for example using my book Bad Manners, Benjie! you could ask:

• What was your favourite bit?
• What bad manners did Boris have?
• What good manners did Benjie have?

Or why not write a single activity on a piece of paper, fold it up and place in a jar or small cloth bag. Mix the ideas up then encourage your child to close their eyes, pick one, unfold the paper and read what the activity is. Then complete the task or activity it suggests. Your child can suggest these ideas or you could create your own as a surprise. Activities could include:

• Enjoy a themed crafting session
• Make up a song or poem based on something that happens in the story
• Enjoy the same activity the character did in the story for example go to the park just like Boris, Benjie and Dog did in Bad Manners, Benjie!

I hope you can see what fun you can have with a story sack and this post has given you a few ideas. If you have a few ideas I've not included above please do share.

Picture Books Aren't Just For Kids

When working on a new picture book I'm not just writing it for children, I'm writing it for a list of people. This list consists of:

• Commissioning editor
• Marketing department
• Bookseller
• Purchaser

That is a lot of people to get my book passed before it lands in front of the eyes of a child. I therefore have to ensure my story fulfils the criteria each one of the above has. I therefore  have to consider many different things as I work on a new title. These are: 

 

For the commissioning editor I have to try and produce a story that is often character led. So I need a strong character that has to overcome a conflict or one that 'grows.' This means I have to have a plot with a strong start, an interesting middle and a satisfying end. Editors often like a lesson to be learnt, even if this is subtle as in my picture book 'Dog Did It' where the message is not to blame others for your own actions.

The marketing department are looking for a book that can be sold globally and will sell year round. This is why some publishers prefer animals as main characters because they can cross most borders. The marketing department also wants a book that will sell well to a parent or grandparent but also someone buying for an institution such as a school or library. Lastly they want a book that has something they can use to help sell the title for example it has a clever twist to the ending as in 'Tadpoles Promise' written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Tony Ross.  

A bookseller has similar needs to the marketing department. They want a book they can place on their shelves and sell itself. This is why humour often works well. If the adult who picks up the book smiles as they are reading it they are more likely to buy it. A bookseller not only needs a book that looks good but also one a child will want read to them time and again. 

Although a picture book is aimed a children it is an adult who purchases it. They are not just looking for value for money but also something they won't mind reading 10, 20, 30 or more times.

So next time you pick up a picture book remember it's been written with you in mind, not just the child you'll be reading it to. 


P.S.
I have three new distance learning courses commencing soon via Women On Writing:

How To Write A Picture Book And Get Published

Five Picture Books In Five Weeks - Advanced Course

How To Write A Hobby Based How To Book 

The Next Big Thing

I would like to thank Savita Kalhan for inviting me to take part in this series of blog posts where authors share what stories they are working on. If you'd like to discover Savita's 'Next Big Thing' then please click on this link.
  


What is the working title of your book?

Magic of Light


Where did the idea come from for the book?

From the shared love with my late father of the entire process of black and white photography and how old photographs can link generations.


What genre does your book fall under?

Steam Punk - think the new Sherlock Holmes films or Hugo where the world is filled with clockwork gadgets and things run on steam.


Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Sam (the lead) I'd nominate Jude Wright who currently plays Marcus Elliot in the TV show 'Spy.' I'm not sure on the second boy character but the lead female (mother and grandmother to the two boys) would have to be Julie Walters.


What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Sam is catapulted back in time, giving him the chance to save the life of his father and the grandmother he has just lost in his time.   


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I'm looking for an agent at the moment so would love this to be traditionally published.



How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I'll be honest I really can't remember the first draft was started in August 2005 as part of a creative writing I was studying. It sat for many years on my computer until I rediscovered it and started a total rewrite which has so far taken me three months.
  


What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

• The Orphan of Hugo Cabret by Brian Seiznick
• The Juniper Chronicles - The Secret of The Red Spot by Leonardo Ramirez
• The Steampunk Detective by Darrell Pit

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I'm not sure about the original idea as it was so long ago. However I decided to send the manuscript to a professional proof-reading/editor and she highlighted some issues. At the time I was reading a steam punk novel. It occurred to me if I re-wrote in this genre the story might just have a chance of working. 


What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

This is my first novel for older children so I'm just keeping fingers crossed that a child who enjoys the steam punk genre may just take a chance on my work. 


If you would like to discover what other authors are working on then why not check out:
Children's author Sanda Ann Horn's website by clicking on this link  

Why Do We Love Them?

One way or another there has always been a dog in my life. Each has had their own unique traits and habits, which have often made me wonder why I love them. Take for example my first dog Mitzi, she was:

• Extremely fussy about her food
• If she decided she'd walked enough that was it, she went no further

And yes this is me with Mitzi

Then there was Sally who would only sleep if I rested my hand on her back. This meant each night I fell to sleep with a hand slowly going numb.

Sally

After Sally came our yellow ball of fluff Bonny who:

• Hid chewed, sticky 'treasures' under my duvet
• Stole sweets and hid them behind the settee
• Emptied bins when she became annoyed with us (normally when we went shopping)

Bonny

Then there was Jodi who:

• Played lets jump through the banisters and land on heads
• Dragged plants (roots and all) in from the garden through the dog flap
• Buried clean (they had to be clean) knickers, socks and bras in the back garden
• Jumped into any car with an open door expecting to be taken for a drive

Jodi

Then came Tasha (out current canine friend) who:

• Steals socks, even taking them from the washing machine
• Takes all the space on the settee
• Chases anything that runs
• Believes every ball in the world is hers, even acquiring whilst still being played with
• Has 'entitlements' and unsutbly tells you when they are due

Tasha

However there are also habits they have shared including:

• Leaving footprints on a newly cleaned floor
• Shaking and splattering mud up clean walls
• Creating unsavoury odours

So why do we love them? The answer is simple. They are family and whatever they do they get under your skin. And as a writer I have the added bonus that they feed my writing, they are my muse. Take for example my picture eBook Captain and Nugget (available from Amazon UK and Amazon US). Many of the things my canines friends have done appear in this story and without them I'd never have been able to write it.

So I was wondering what has your canine friend done to make you question why you love them?

P.S. If you'd like to purchase a copy of Captain and Nugget either follow the links about or click on the relevant flag.