Posts Tagged ‘children’s books’
Star Bright Books is an independent publishing company dedicated to producing the highest quality books for children. Deborah Shine established the press in 1994 with the goal of making “Great Books for Great Kids.”
Star Bright recognizes that to inspire a life-long love of books, it is important for children to begin building that relationship at the earliest possible age. They believe that all children should see themselves in print and we make a concerted effort to include children of all colors, nationalities, and abilities in our books. In addition to seeing themselves, children should also hear familiar language in the books they choose. In pursuit of that goal, we publish engaging books in twenty languages.
We had a chance to chat with Publisher Deborah Shine in the latest of our publisher spotlight reviews.
Big Universe: What are the age ranges and levels you focus on at Star Bright?
Deborah Shine: Star Bright publishes books for all ages of children, from birth to middle grade. Many of their board books have been selected as best books for babies and toddlers by various venerate literacy institutions. However, pre-K to early elementary grade (3rd Grade) is where our concentrated readership lies. We are the publisher of the “We Love First Grade” series by Miriam Cohen, books that have become a “must” series for educators and parents to share with young students. Other notable books for pre-K to early elementary readers are Brian Wilidsmith’s picture books. Animal characters in his stories teach compassion and tolerance, and with such brilliantly colored illustrations, they are a visual feast as well!
Big Universe: We’d love to hear about what you’re doing at your company? What are some of the most popular items that you’ve published in the last three years?
Deborah Shine: Isabel Hill’s Building Stories and Urban Animals have been a hit among young readers. These books explore the familiar yet, overlooked buildings in the neighborhood (NYC for these books). You can see many buildings decorated with animals in the facades or elsewhere. Why? You will find it out when you read the book! Buildings have faces and stories 
just like us! If we look at them carefully, they tell us their stories and histories.
We publish books in many other languages, not just in English. We believe that all children should see themselves in print, and we make a concerted effort to include children of all colors, nationalities, and abilities in our books. Readers love our books for that reason. In addition to seeing themselves, children should also hear familiar language in the books they choose. So, we publish engaging books in more than twenty languages. And these books have been the most sought after books from families who migrated to America with young children.
Big Universe: In looking at the current front list and the upcoming season, are there any specific themes that you’ve focused on in the catalog?
Deborah Shine: Many of our titles are geared toward responding to STEM and SEL. “We Love First Grade” series is strongly recommended books for Social and Emotional Learning. You can find most titles in the “We Love First Grade” series on Big Universe. We are also building a strong nonfiction list, books that are educational, fun and meaningful. Our focus is on the fields of zoology, math, history, and biography.
Big Universe: Do you have a personal favorite from the current catalog that isn’t getting lots of ‘buzz’? What is it about that book that sets it apart for you?
Deborah Shine: They are not from the current list. We think Lorna Balian’s books deserve a much wider audience, and we are eager to talk about her books. They are wonderfully imaginative, and sweet tales, yet with a very clever twist that children are sure to fall for. Many readers say that they read her books when they were young, and as a parent, aunt, or teacher, they want children to experience the joy they felt when they read Balian’s books.
Many of her stories celebrate unique American culture and holidays. She has books for Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas! Sundaywas St. Patrick’s Day. Check out Lorna Balian’s Leprechauns Never Lie from Big Universe site or your local libraries. A leprechaun is caught by a lazy girl, who is searching for gold. But this mischievous wee man’s not a pushover. You will see Loran Balian’s delightful twist at the end. Children and adults alike will love the tale.
Big Universe: What is the book that has been the biggest surprise to you (can be a sleeper, new series that has gone like wildfire, a book that was the cover but not as popular as others, etc.)?
Deborah Shine: It’s not a surprise per se. But we are very heartened and happy that Cradle Me has received warm, enthusiastic, and wonderful reviews from librarians, educators, booksellers, and the Native American communities. It’s a book that celebrates Native American tradition and families, showing how mothers carry their babies safely, comfortably and close to them in cradle boards.
Big Universe: What’s next for your company? Are there changes coming in the following year? Do you have any new series or product lines that you’d like to share with us?
Deborah Shine: Isabel Hill is doing another wonderful architectural book for children. This time it’s on Washington D.C. Washington D.C is full of wonderful, historical buildings. We are excited about what her new project will bring us!
We are also building a Beginners Reading series––with simple words and rhymes, yet with interesting and smart plots, so that children who are beginning to read won’t be frustrated with big words or bored with too simple storylines.
What you can ever expect from Star Bright Books is high quality. The story, the illustration, and the message. We are very excited about our E-books. You will see more of our books on Big Universe and other places, including the Apps store.
Big Universe would like to thank everyone who participated in our first writing contest. We were so impressed by the wonderful entries from students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. It was obvious that a lot of time and work went into the entries. We would also like to thank our judges, children’s author Rick Walton and children’s librarian Meredith DeSousa for their time and effort.
You can visit our contest page and read all of our winning entries here.
First Place Winners
Seng Gwen Graham, a second grade student from Portland Oregon, had the winning entry in our Kindergarten through Second Grade age group with her book, I Love Diatoms. Seng took a unique topic and brought it to life with pictures and information.
Elena Valencia was the top winner in our Third through Fifth Grade age group with her book, The Little Magic Tree. Elena’s book brought together a bit of magic with a sense of realism, that magic can’t solve every problem. She is in Roze Alvidera’s third grade class at St. Joachim School in Hayward, California.
With so many wonderful entries, we also chose the following runners-up and honorable mentions.
Runners-Up – Grade K-2
My Tank by Andrew Spinosa (Grade 2, Teacher Ashley Ramsay) from Sevierville Primary School in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Four Pigs and the Bear by Kyle Page (Grade 2, Teacher Denise McLaughlin) from the Merrimack School District in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
Runners-Up Grades 3-5
Nature by Jacqueline Jaran (Grade 4; Teacher Christine Davol) of Gilford Elementary School in Gilford, New Hampshire.
Nature Alliterations by Kaylee Wild (Grade 5; Teacher Jennifer Lee) of Knox County Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Honorable Mentions
Fred the Gorilla by Andrew Green (Grade 2, Teacher Denise McLaughlin) of Merrimack School District in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
The Four Seasons by Maya Stubbs (Grade 1, Teacher Denise McLaughlin) of Merrimack School District in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
Journey of the Midnight Wolf by Sofia Quintal (Grade 4, Teacher Denise McLaughlin) of Merrimack School District in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
Buster’s Coffee by Brady Rund (Grade 4, Teacher Allison Randolph) of Nineveh Hensley Jackson School Corporation in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Story Behind the Story
With four winning books from Merrimack School District in New Hampshire, we had a chance to ask Computer Technology Educator Denise McLaughlin how she went about having her students work on their entries. Here is what she had to say:
“When I learned about the Big Universe Contest, I invited every teacher in our school to pick one student from their classroom to participate. They chose students who really loved to write. The whole event was a pretty long process. All the students came to my room routinely three days a week from the beginning of January up to February Winter Break. I had three first graders, two second graders, two fourth graders, and one third grader.
I pretty much followed the suggestions in the contest email on the first day with all the students. We brainstormed what nature meant to them and compiled a group list that I projected on the white screen. Then we previewed member created books on nature as well as professionally created books in the nature category. After viewing some of the books, the students added more ideas about nature to their lists.
The next couple of times we met we did some visualization exercises to get the kids to understand how powerful verbs and adjectives can be in writing. We sat around in a circle. I would suggest a setting in nature such as a pond for example. Then the kids would go around the circle taking turns contributing what they would hear, smell, see, touch, and feel if they were at the setting. We virtually brought the settings to life to the point we almost felt as if we were really there. The students then took and applied this exercise to their own settings in their stories. I gave them a graphic organizer that had the five senses written on it. They filled in adjectives and verbs that brought their setting to life.
Soon after that the students began their rough drafts. We would take the time during our meetings to pause and share what they were writing with the whole group. Sometimes the group members would ask clarifying questions and make suggestions. It was totally up to the authors whether to accept the suggestions or not.
Once the students were done with their drafts, they would read them to me. I would ask them questions if anything seemed really unclear. This would allow them to draw out their details and go back and edit their stories. All the students typed their original rough draft in Microsoft Word. Students don’t naturally want to go back and edit their writing, especially by hand. Using Word made the process painless. They simply cut, paste, or typed in their revision.
Once they completed their stories, I asked them to go back and break their stories up into pages. I told them to to try group sentences so an illustration would go with what the sentences depicted. They were then ready to use the Big Universe Write program to input their stories. First, they typed out all their pages and then went back to illustrate them. Some of the students were able to find exact matches of what they envisioned for their illustrations in the Big Universe clipart gallery. They absolutely loves previewing the many choices that were available to them. Other students’ illustration ideas were too specific, so they used KidPix or Microsoft Paint to create their drawings and then uploaded them to their books.”
Big Universe would like to congratulate all of our winners, and we look forward to our next writing contest. Keep those terrific books coming!
We are excited to now offer titles from MaryRuth Books on the Big Universe site. Take a moment to check out the books from MaryRuth Books that are featured on Big Universe, or visit their website for more information.
Founded in 2005, Bellwether Media has a mission to improve literacy around the world. The company publishes engaging and accessible reading materials for beginning and struggling readers. Its products, published under the Blastoff! Readers and Torque Books brands, can now be found in most libraries throughout the United States. The company also has a significant international presence including Canada, South Africa, and the far East.
We’re sitting down with John Martin, President and Founder of Bellwether Media for the third in our Publisher Profile series celebrating companies who, like BigUniverse.com, are dedicated to literacy in all its forms.
Big Universe: How did you come to be involved in the children’s publishing industry? What is your role within the industry?
John Martin: Upon graduation from college with an English degree, I came into a very tough job market. I had a degree but little experience, so finding a job was difficult. I worked long hours for low wages at an office retail products store as well as a sandwich shop. It was my passion for Apple Macintosh computers that landed me my first job in publishing. During that time, educational publishers were still using traditional typesetting methods. My knowledge of the Mac as well as Pages and Quark X-press software enabled me to show a small startup publishing company how to speed up the publishing process–as well as save a lot of money along the way.
After setting up the office with the technology for desktop publishing, I progressed to fact-checking, then design and layout, and eventually editing. Originally, I worked on large, collective biographies of important historical figures. After a couple of years, I was approached by another company to help them publish sports books for struggling readers. It was my dream job–and still is.
Big Universe: We’d love to hear more about what you’re doing at Bellwether. What are some of the m
ost popular items that you’ve published in the last three years?
John: It is amazing how much has changed in the past three years. We’ve gone from our two foundational imprints – Blastoff! Readers and Torque – up to five imprints. A year ago we created Pilot, which is an imprint that focuses on reluctant readers. The two newest imprints that were just released this past August are Epic and Express.
Epic books are designed to have an interest level of grades 3-7 but are written for students that have a reading level of grades 1-2. We had been hearing about older students in need of books with a mature design but low reading level. This is what motivated us to launch Epic.
Express is our creative imprint that shows students how to do amazing things with arts and crafts. Our first series in this imprint is a drawing series that shows readers how to draw different subjects and also teaches about these subjects. We wanted to start creating titles that not only help children read but that will allow them to use and develop creative skills.
Big Universe: In looking at the current front list and the upcoming season, are there any specific themes that you’ve focused on in the catalog?
John: We don’t normally focus too heavily on any one specific theme, and I believe that is evident in our upcoming season. We are expanding a large variety of subjects across all imprints instead of focusing on any one or two subjects. That being said, we are expanding our newer imprints – Pilot, Epic, and Express – more aggressively this season than Blastoff! Readers or Torque.
Big Universe: Do you have a personal favorite from the current catalog that isn’t getting lots of ‘buzz’? What is it about that book that sets it apart for you?
John: I think my favorite series that doesn’t do as well as some of our other series is Outdoor Adventures. This series is a part of our Pilot 
imprint so it is for students who read at a fourth grade level. These titles are beautifully designed with great artwork and great photography. You can get a sense of what it would feel like out in nature. In this age of technology, I think a lot of students have probably never experienced what it is like to canoe down a river, go rock climbing, or hike amazing trails. I think this is a hidden gem of a series that will inspire students to put down their digital devices and go explore the outdoors.
Big Universe: What is the book that has been the biggest surprise to you?
John: I think the biggest surprise has been how popular Pro Wrestling Champions has been. This is the first series Bellwether has done that has focused on one particular sport, and it appears to be one that boys really enjoy. We have spent a lot of time researching each wrestler, their personal history as well as their character in the ring, and have searched far and wide for the best images available. I am glad to see that the librarians and students appreciate the effort we put into it.
Big Universe: What’s next for Bellwether? Do you have any new series or product lines on the horizon?
John: Much of what we’ll be doing over the next year is extending existing series and filling out our new imprints. There are plans to create some new series down the road that will pertain to geography, animals, and the unexplained.
Big Universe: And now some questions about you. Who or what turned you into a reader?
John: I have been an avid reader as long as I can remember. I think it largely had to do with my parents, as they loved to read to us as kids. As we got older we also had reading time every night before we went to bed. I think growing up in that kind of atmosphere had a huge impact as all of my family members share a love for reading.
Big Universe: Have you had the opportunity to personally share your books with the target audience? Do you have a 
favorite experience? What have kids taught you about publishing books for young readers?
John: When you make a product to create a better experience for children, there is an endless number of great experiences. Here is the e-mail that I received regarding a little boy who had lost all will to read:
“Last week, during the hectic March Break, I had parents drop a young lad, Grade 1, off to a program and then ask my advice. They reported that his teacher told them he was one of the poorest readers in her class. He has been struggling, and is of course, very discouraged andunhappy about his reading. The usual evening battles to get him to read a page, no enthusiasm at all left in the poor kid. Of course, his older brother is a super reader, so what were they doing wrong? The teacher had suggested, of all things, a novel! Even a short chapter book was going to just hammer home failure to this kid.
So I talked to them about things he likes, and sure enough he enjoys learning about animals, nature, and fixing things. Real guy stuff. I gave them three Blastoff! Readers to try. That was Thursday.
They were back yesterday with big grins all round. Who knew? Boys like fact books, and fact books with pictures. These three books had been
read four times in five days with great success. He chose six more, asked if he could start them in the car on the way home, read one while his
parents chatted with me (and he really read it, we could hear him!), and smiled the whole time. He actually talked to me about what he liked! His parents are thrilled and relieved, but the best news is that he was happy about books and reading.
I would never have discovered the value of these books without you sharing them. It makes my job that much easier and enjoyable, and the best part, it makes a real difference in the life of one small boy or girl.
Thanks so much.”
This is why I started Bellwether Media, and to hear stories like this just confirms that we are on the right track.
Best wishes in 2012 from Big Universe.
Happy New Year from Big Universe Learning!
It’s been a joy to be part of the blogging team for this unique educational website, a global online reading and writing community for teachers and pre-K-Grade 8 students. I’ve watched its library shelves fill with high-quality children’s books, its membership grow, and its focus evolve to meet the needs of educators and parents devoted to raising the next generation of readers. What a privilege!
As we put 2011 to bed and welcome in 2012 and its possibilities, I leave you with a RESOLUTION – an acrostic set of tips to maximize your interaction with Big Universe Learning and promote literacy in the new year.
BIG UNIVERSE ACROSTIC for 2012
R is for Reading Levels. Use them to find “just right” books.
E is for Edit. Our Authoring Tool lets you write stories. Don’t forget to proofread.
S is for Share. Message others about favorite Big Universe books on our safe network.
O is for Online. Get online and stimulate dialogue about literacy on our Facebook page.
L is for learning something new every day. Log on and READ!
U is for Unclutter. Remove former pupils’ names from accounts and streamline bookshelves.
T is for Twitter. Follow us!
I is for Images. Use our clipart or upload your own photos to customize your books.
O is for organizing your day. Make time to read in 2012.
N is for navigate. Use the Help page or watch a tutorial to hone your Big Universe user skills.
Posted on December 28, 2009 by Big Universe in Uncategorized.
Tags: balance, books in verse, children's authors, children's books, picture books, poetry, Shutta Crum, titles, working with editors, writing
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Sometimes we need a little imbalance in our lives to make us think about how to get centered again. Writing a picture book in verse is like that, too.
When writing in poetical stanzas (With all those good things that any picture book needs—characterization, setting, and a plot, for goodness sake!)the writer has an additional concern. That is, a sense of balance. Oftentimes we can sense imbalance but we are not quite sure why something doesn’t work.
For example, the magical number in most western literature is three. Tasks, bad luck, good luck, etc. come in threes. If this is violated, somewhere down deep we readers feel a bit uneasy. Things are not quite what they should be.
Most picture books are thirty-two pages in length. (Some are forty, or twenty-four; all are a number of pages that can be divided by 8.) Working with thirty-two pages, a writer of picture books has to be able to envision action for approximately 13 double spreads (26 pages), and two single pages (first right page and final left page). The remaining four pages are front and back matter.
The job for the verse writer of picture books is partly realizing how the stanzas, with or without a chorus, play across these pages in a balanced way so the reader feels, yes! This is right. Early in my writing career I wrote a book from which my editor wanted me to remove one stanza to get it into a 24 page format. But which one should I remove?
This manuscript also contained a repeated chorus at precise points in the story. In my mind it was designed like one might a beaded necklace. There was an opening, three strands (stanzas) of a certain rhyme pattern and rhythm, a chorus strand with a different rhyme and rhythm, three more of the basic strand, another chorus, three more of the basic, and then a closing. So the original pattern went: Opening, 3 stanzas, chorus, 3 stanzas, chorus, 3 stanzas, closing.
How could I remove just one and keep the whole thing working in a balanced way? Well . . . obviously, I had to remove the center stanza so the central strand of the basic pattern contained only two stanzas. Now my pattern was Open, 3, C., 2, C., 3, Close.
You might think at this point that I am being just too fussy. But am I? Certainly a reader sometimes is not aware of all the work a writer does behind the scenes to make a story flow as though it were effortless. However, if we jarred the reader rudely at a point in the flow—he/she would certainly feel it, even though the reader might not be exactly sure why it didn’t work for him/her.
For example, lets look closely at a title from a friend of mine’s manuscript (Hope Vestergaard) that recently sold to Candlewick: Digger, Dozer, Dumper. Obviously, this is a book of large machines for little readers. And the title is perfect. Why is that?
First, we have the very descriptive words that tell exactly what each machine does. Second, we have the wonderful alliteration so beloved in children’s books that helps the title just roll off our tongues. But there is more . . . a third thing. This is something an author would think about and deliberately design, something that just feels right.
Notice the vowels? Each one progresses down in tone and where they said in the mouth. The “i” is higher, said using the tongue up near the roof of the mouth. The “o” is said in the round chamber of the middle of one’s mouth, while the “u” is said more in the lower back of the mouth near the throat. It feels good in our mouths to say it. It’s memorable, it’s musical. It’s perfect!
Now you know a little about why I fume when someone comments, “Oh it must be so easy to write those books. They’re so short.” When this happens I grit my teeth and remark that often the things we love most in the world are short, but they are not easily written. Think of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods,” Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” or the 23rd Psalm.
The best writing is precise and balanced.
Here’s to the beginning of a new writing year! Happy Holidays, all!
Shutta
