Pick a Picture Book Author

Fall is off to a great start because we have an interview with Patricia Toht, author of many irresistible picture books. Read on to find out when she started writing, why she does it, and what the future holds for her. We’ve also included a Book Bite for PICK A PUMPKIN, her latest book, which just happens to be perfect for this time of year!

1. How long have you been an author?
My path has been a long one! When I meet with students, I like to tell them that I started writing before the turn of the century, then I laugh as their mouths drop open. Shortly after I graduated from college, I had a brief go at writing for children (around 1986), but I didn’t try in earnest until 1995, when I stopped working full-time for awhile to stay at home with my four children.

2. What made you want to become an author?
I fell in love with children’s books as a bookseller first. I opened a children’s bookstore in the Chicago suburbs in 1988. Seven years later, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Super Crown bookstores all moved in a few miles away and siphoned off enough sales to sink us. But my love of selling books eventually grew into a love of writing books.

3. Tell us about your most recent book, PICK A PUMPKIN. Where did you get this idea?
I took a poetry class with Illinois poet Heidi Roemer, which reawakened an affinity for poetry. PICK A PUMPKIN began as a shorter poem about selecting the perfect pumpkin, and it eventually grew into carving a jack-o’-lantern, too. Researching picture books about pumpkins, I couldn’t find any that focused on that process, and I hoped there was a need in the market for a book like that. I soon wrote PICK A PINE TREE, too, and submitted them as companion books.

4. Authors get rejected a lot. What do you do when you get rejected?
Believe me, I don’t always take rejection well! But I read a book by Steven Pressfield called The War of Art, and this quote has always stayed with me:
“So you’re taking a few blows. That’s the price for being in the arena and not on the sidelines. Stop complaining and be grateful.”
I try to remind myself of this. And I’ve also grown to know that writing can be a numbers game. The more you write (and submit), the greater your chance that something will resonate with an editor.

5. You’ve already written PICK A PINETREE and PICK A PUMPKIN. Will there be another PICK A ___ book in the future?
I have a few ideas, but that editor is not interested right now. She wants me to diversify my writing a bit, so I’m working on different things.

6. What’s the hardest part about writing picture books? What’s the easiest?
The easiest for me is coming up with ideas, although I throw out a lot of ideas before I find a really great one. The hardest is the first round of editing with my editor because I’ve worked so hard to make the manuscript the best (I think) it can be before I submit. I can be a crabby re-writer for a few days after my first editorial letter!

7. Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on now?
I have two more books that are in the illustration process. TAXI, GO follows a taxi through the stops and starts of its day, and will be illustrated by Maria Karipidou. TOGETHER WITH YOU is a celebration of grandparents and grandchildren, and pairs me up with Jarvis again!

8. What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m a library associate in a big, busy middle school. I love it! But I do miss my days working at the public library where I led family storytimes. For me, there’s nothing like a room of “littles” to make my heart happy!

9. What advice would you give someone who wants to become an author? 
It’s not new advice – READ, READ, READ! Because I owned a bookstore, I read hundreds of picture books each season to discern which ones to purchase. I eventually developed an internal sense of picture book rhythm and length, and learned about certain elements like page turns and the “rule of three.” I still check out loads of picture books from my local library. Also, I know that I always have more to learn, so I read craft books, attend conferences, and work with critique partners to improve my writing. (I write for the GROG blog. To learn more about page turns, the rule of three, and how to make a “dummy” of your picture book, check out my posts.)

Bio: Patricia Toht is a poet, picture book author, and school library associate. She once owned a children's bookshop before turning a love of books into a love of writing. She is the author of four picture books - ALL ABOARD THE LONDON BUS, illustrated by Sam Usher, DRESS LIKE A GIRL, illustrated by Lorian Tu, and PICK A PINE TREE and PICK A PUMPKIN, illustrated by Jarvis. Find her online at www.patriciatoht.com, on Twitter as @PatriciaToht, and Instagram as patricia.toht. She is represented by Julia Churchill at A.M. Heath (London).

Haunted Halloween- A Book Bite

Check out our latest Book Bite. We’ve taken HAUNTED HALLOWEEN, by Sue Fliess, and created activities for educators and parents. Download our ideas and have a spooktacular time!

A Haunted Halloween with Sue Fliess

The poetically prolific author Sue Fliess has a new book just perfect for young Halloween lovers. We thought this would be the perfect time for another interview with her!

Since this is our second interview with you we are going to dive a little deeper into your life as a writer! What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you as an author?
Once I was doing a reading at a bookstore, and when I was done and taking questions from the kids, this one 7-yr old boy asked me if I wrote the book. I said “Yes,” and he looked very puzzled. Then he said, “But, are you alive?” Turns out, he was under the impression that authors are usually dead. So, lucky me, I was the first ‘alive’ author he’d ever met!

Do you prefer to create your stories on paper or on the computer?
Well, actually, I create them in my head first! If they seem like they actually make sense, then depending on where I am, I either type them on my computer, or I might send myself an email with the idea or just jot it down on a small notebook I keep in my purse, for exactly that reason.

You have written two books about Halloween. Why?
I absolutely love Halloween! I own several wigs and costumes and usually go all out on Halloween with decorations. My first Halloween book, Goblin Hood was inspired by my son, who at the time, could not pronounce bow and arrow – he said ‘bone and arrow.’ I immediately asked the question: What type of creature would use that? My brain made a Robin Hood connection, and a creature/goblin character came to mind, and it just fit! For Haunted Halloween, which is my new board book, I wanted to write a very young Halloween story, and I remember trying to challenge myself to use as few words as possible. Believe it or not, I wrote it before I wrote Goblin Hood, which came out in 2016. Sometimes that’s just how it happens. I thought it would be fun to add a counting element to the story of 5 trick-or-treaters, and thankfully it worked!

We love your board book, HAUNTED HALLOWEEN. What’s your favorite page and why?
My favorite page is for the number 8. Eight gargoyles. Cauldron boils. I think I should get a ribbon for getting ‘gargoyle’ in a rhyming picture book, ha!

Tell us about one of your Halloween costumes from your childhood.
I was Casper, the friendly ghost and my sister was Minnie Mouse!

What’s your next book to be released?
My next book is already out, so I’ll tell you about both that one and the one coming in January. Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins (another holiday book!), illustrated by Mark Chambers and published by Amazon/Two Lions Press, came out September 18. It’s about Santa getting a sniffle and deciding to call off Christmas. But Mrs. Claus says she’ll take over the job for the night. It’s fun and funny, and the illustrations are adorable.

Santa says,
“I’m stuffy. I’m sneezy. I’m slow as a yeti.
My big ho-ho-ho isn’t holiday-ready.
We must cancel Christmas, oh what a disgrace.”

Mrs. Claus answers:
“I have a solution. I’ll go in your place!”

And in January, I have a rhyming picture book coming from Running Press Kids called Ninja Camp, illustrated by Jen Taylor. In Ninja Camp, a diverse group of girls and boys attend a ninja camp, where they hope to become Ninjas of the Night. As they learn new skills, they are challenged by the rival camp, Ninjas of the Dawn, and must defend their camp’s Shadow Blade. I’m happy to tell you that even though they lose the Shadow Blade briefly, they get it back and become official ninjas as a team.

Do you have a special snack or drink you like to have while writing?
Coffee. Oh, and coffee.

What are you working on right now?
I am working on two stories. A build-upon picture book based on a famous nursery rhyme, and a new—wait for it—holiday book that I’m under contract for that will be out fall of 2019.

How does your dog, Charlie, play a role in your daily writing routine?
He’s my rock. My support system. Okay, that’s not totally true. But he is my faithful housemate while I’m writing. Sometimes I will bounce ideas off of him, and he wags in approval. That said, he did inspire a book that I wrote earlier this year about a boy and his dog as they grow up together, that I’m really hoping will find the right home. It’s like nothing I’ve ever written before.

Out of all of your books, which one do you like the best? Why?
Oh, gosh, this is a tough question! Right now I have 2 favorites, but if you ask me next year, it will likely change: Mary Had a Little Lab and Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins. I think all the women-empowerment activity going on has catapulted them into the lead, and also inspired my writing.

Thank you so much for "hanging out" with us today!!!

Book Bite # 5- Leo: A Ghost Story

October is one of our favorite months to be teachers! The seasonal changes, the Halloween excitement that spills over into everything students do, and the spooky stories. Oh, how we love the spooky stories! For extra ambiance, we’ll read them after turning off our lights and reading by the dim light of a glow stick or the flicker of an artificial candle. This year we’ve added a few new ones to our collections, including Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson. You can also find Mac on Twitter!

While this story is ghostly, it is not one that would actually frighten any of our first graders. It’s a heart-warming story about finding friends who are just right for you. This Book Bite includes not only some fun follow-up activities we’ve created, but also some tasty treats! 

Monster Border

If you’re like me, you hoard border. You try not to and you clear out every few years, but your collection seems to grow on its own! A few years ago I bought some adorable "Furry Friends" monster border.  (How could I possibly resist these guys?)

I loved it… and then I stored it. And tucked away is where it stayed for longer than I’d like to admit. Then, last year, while I was looking for a Halloween craftivity for my class I uncovered my monsters and inspiration hit! I cut apart the border to show individual monster faces and gave each student his own monster. Then students glued the faces to the top of a blank paper and drew what they imagined the rest of the monster looked like. They did a great job and had a blast! You could do this with all kinds of borders.

What do you do with your extra border?

Glow Stick Reading

During the last week of October my students get super excited about Halloween. One way to incorporate this enthusiasm into the classroom is to read ghost stories, like Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara.

To  create a spooky atmosphere we turn out the lights, crack a glow stick and read by the luminescent green, orange, yellow or red light. It’s the perfect way to expose students to the great literature surrounding one of their favorite holidays.

A Very Busy Spider Has Laid Her Eggs!

This spooky take on the traditional fall treat will surely surprise your students when they walk into the classroom!

If you’d like to make some delicious spider eggs (some may call them popcorn balls), print out our recipe, courtesy of Betsy Killion, an amazing volunteer. Don’t forget to add a nice big spider to the top of the pile for extra fun. If you can’t find a big spider, grab some spider rings and put one on top of each egg.

Make sure to read Eric Carle’s Very Busy Spider while your students are munching their treats!

Fun with Candy Corn

There are so many different kinds of candy corn out there that we just had to create something to do with all of it. Enter this tasty candy corn unit.

Speaking from experience, we find it best to use this as a center. Purchase 3-5 different kinds of candy corn (there are sorting pages and graphs for 3, 4, and 5 included so you can use the one that matches how many kinds you found). These can be found at grocery stores as well as Target and Wal-Mart. Mix them in a large bowl and then distribute evenly (don’t count, just get a visual) into snack size plastic zip bags. At the start of the center, give each student a copy of the packet and a bag of candy corn. To encourage good quality work, we tell our students that the packet has to be checked by the teacher (for accuracy, neatness and overall effort) before any candy corn can be eaten. Not to worry, hardly anyone ever sneaks a candy prematurely because tattle-tails are always lurking and ready to blab. : )

**Here is a mini-poster you can print to hang in your classroom.

Can’t Miss October Books

As you are pulling out your books for October, consider adding these to your list. Some are hilarious, others are informative and several are just plain fun. Plus we’ve included some ideas for reading follow-up. Let us know if you have some good October books we should be sharing with our classes!