Nancy I. Sanders's Blog, page 28

Book Review: I Will Follow Jesus

I Will Follow Jesus: Bible Storybook

Judah and chelsea Smith

Published by Tommy Nelson

Summary

This is a storybook. There are 14 topics from the Old Testament and 21 topics from the New Testament included. Each of these has one, two, or more stories featured. For example, for the topic of Creation there are 3 stories included: God Makes Everything, God is Our Friend, and A Bad Decision. For the topic of Jesus’ birth, there are 3 stories included: A Baby in a Manger, A Sky Full of Angels, and “Follow That Star.”

The reason these are stories is because they aren’t the exact Scriptures, but rather a retelling of each historical event in a storytelling style that engages very young listeners as well as young readers. In between each story is additional content including “I Will Follow Jesus” devotionals and prayers that help listeners apply the truths they learn to their own hearts and lives. Individual Scripture verses are also scattered throughout and would be good for memory verses.

What I Like

I like how each story includes the Scripture reference it is based on. This is a great idea because then you can look up and read the actual Bible verses that the story is based upon.

I also like the sections, “I Will Follow Jesus” that are included throughout the book. The text is very engaging and is an age-appropriate devotion to help little ones grow in faith and trust as they choose to follow Jesus each step of the way.

The illustrations are also soft and warm which makes little ones feel peaceful, accepted, and loved as they look at the pictures.

-Thanks, BookLook Bloggers for another wonderful free book in exchange for my honest review!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Faith Building Fridays: Surprise!

He was rejected by people,

but he was chosen by God for great honor.

-1 Peter 2:4b, NLT

Has your manuscript been rejected? Was it a manuscript God called you to write? Guess what! God has a special surprise just for you! He wants you to know today that even though people might reject your manuscript, HE has chosen you for great honor. He wants to encourage you that He has an inheritance and a prize already selected and planned for you, and that manuscript you so faithfully wrote is a big part of this plan. His ways are so much higher than ours. He has great plans and great honor for you concerning that specific manuscript, even if you can’t understand or see what it is right now. So be encouraged, scribe! Keep your eyes on God and write the manuscripts He calls you to write. He has chosen you!

Dear God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus, to step down from His throne and live a humble life to fulfill Your purpose and plan. Even though he died an obscure death and seemed to fail in the world’s eyes, Your plan included His resurrection and glory forevermore! Help me never doubt your plan for my own life, whatever it may be. Thy will be done. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

NF PB Journey: Submit

How do you like this quilt? It’s actually a tree skirt for a Christmas tree! As you can see, it has a very unique shape and design.

If you’ve been following along here on my blog to write a nonfiction picture book manuscript that uses DIRTY RATS? as your mentor text, you now have a very unique picture book.

As you finish it and polish it in the days ahead, there will be THE DAY when you feel it is the best you can write at this time in your writing journey. That’s when you’ll know it is ready to submit to a publisher.

But not just any publisher will be interested in it. It’s not a one-size-fit-all picture book.

For starters, we know Charlesbridge will be a good fit for it because that’s the same publisher who published DIRTY RATS and who we’ve been targeting from the beginning of this journey.

So go ahead and submit your manuscript to Charlesbridge. CLICK HERE to read their submission guidelines.

Then look for other publishers to submit your manuscript to. CLICK HERE for a list of picture book publishers who are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts and do not require agent only submissions.

Take a look at each of these publishers to see if your manuscript would be a good fit for them. Then have fun and submit!

And thanks for joining me on this journey to write a nonfiction picture book. It’s been a joy to have you join along. Best wishes as you finish your manuscript and submit it to publishers!

 

Filed under: Picture Books, Uncategorized

NF PB Journey: Critique Buddies

These are my two writing buddies, Pitterpat (the Siamese) and Sandman (the orange and white cat). They’re inspecting a baby quilt I made for my own family to keep.

When you finish writing your nonfiction picture book manuscript, it will be time to take it and share it with your writing buddies.

I belong to an online picture book critique group. We scheduled a Skype in May and I submitted this manuscript I’ve been working on for their feedback. Can I say how helpful it was?

If you don’t yet have a critique group, start one today! Just ask 2 or 3 online writing friends to join you and start exchanging manuscripts. It’s very, very helpful. Plus, it helps us get used to other eyes so when an editor looks at our manuscript it will be an easier process.

Filed under: Picture Books, Uncategorized

NF PB Journey: The End

This is my cat Sandman. Doesn’t he look content and satisfied cuddling up with the quilt I made for our son and daughter-in-law’s nephew?

That’s how our ending should be.

In our mentor text, DIRTY RATS? it starts out by asking a question. On the last page of the main text, pages 26-27, it answers that question based on all the information it has been presenting.

In the beginning of our manuscript, if we followed along with DIRTY RATS? we also asked a question.

So here, on the last page of our text, let’s answer that question. We need to make sure we answer it based on the information we provided.

This should leave our readers feeling a sense of satisfaction, even if we leave the answer open-ended like in our mentor text.

Then, after we write our ending, we can add in back matter to add depth and content. You can add in content that mirrors our mentor text, or you can add in such ingredients as a glossary or a timeline.

So have fun! You’re nearing the finish line! Write the ending of your manuscript and the back matter.

 

Filed under: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Plots, Uncategorized

NF PB Journey: Change 3

I like to make baby quilts. And I love to write picture books. The world of children is a delightful world to be part of.

As we’re working on our children’s nonfiction picture book, we’ve reached CHANGE 3, the change that happens in our manuscript to bring our reader from the middle to the end of the book.

For change 3, our mentor text, DIRTY RATS? sums up on pages 24-25 what life is like for rats. “They struggle each day just to survive.”

So for our own manuscript, let’s sum up what we’ve been talking about concerning our topic.

This is the change that will lead us to the next page, the last page of our manuscript’s main text and the end of the story…

 

Filed under: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Plots, Uncategorized

Faith Building Fridays: Hope!

Lord, sustain me as you promised,

that I may live!

Do not let my hope be crushed.

-Psalm 119:116, NLT

God has His purposes and plans for our lives and for each manuscript He calls us to write. His ways are higher than ours, and often we do not totally understand His full purposes for us. If you are feeling confused or not exactly sure why things are turning out as they are regarding your writing career, ask God to sustain you. Ask God to renew your hope. Ask God to fulfill His promises in His perfect timing, and encourage you each step of the way. He will! He knows just how to encourage His scribes.

Dear God, thank You for Your promises. Thank You for Your hope. Thank You for Your plan for my life as Your scribe. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays, Inspiration, Uncategorized

NF PB Journey: 2nd Half of the Middle

Just as I pieced this CRAZY NINE PATCH quilt together with different blocks, we are piecing together our nonfiction picture book manuscript following the plot structure of our mentor text, DIRTY RATS?

Today we’re talking about the second half of our middle. In DIRTY RATS? the second half of the middle includes 3 examples of how rats are helpful. This section, unlike the first half of the middle that provided specific examples of different kinds of rats, includes GENERAL INFORMATION about rats.

So in our second half of the middle, let’s include 3 examples of general information about our topic that helps guide young readers to learn the actual answer to the question we asked in the very beginning.

Filed under: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Uncategorized

NF PB Journey: Turning Point

As you can see in this photograph, my two helpers love to get involved while I’m working on my quilts!

Think of this next step in your manuscript as a BIG HELPER. It’s called the TURNING POINT. It happens in the exact middle of a manuscript. It’s the bridge that takes us from the first half of the story and crosses us over to head toward the finish line, the ending.

The TURNING POINT points the reader in the direction of the conclusion of the manuscript, and there’s no turning back.

In our mentor text, DIRTY RATS? for our nonfiction picture book that we’re writing, the turning point comes on pages 18-19.

We discover that not only are there rats that aren’t dirty, but some rats can even do good things!

So for our own manuscripts, let’s add in a turning point that is still focused on answering our question from the very beginning, but turns the tables to provide information that will head us toward the answer to that question.

When you write the turning point, you should have the ending of your manuscript clearly in mind. As you can see in the photo below, here’s how this baby quilt turned out in the end.

Filed under: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Plots, Uncategorized

NF PB Journey: 1st Half of the Middle

Here’s a quilt I made that was different than others in that it formed a picture rather than patterns of blocks. The way I STRUCTURED it was different than other quilts I’d made.

That’s what we’re talking about here on my blog this past month…structuring a nonfiction picture book in a different way than perhaps we’ve done before.

We’re using DIRTY RATS? as our mentor text and following its structure to structure our own manuscript.

In the last post we talked about this, we discussed CHANGE 1. This is the change that brings us from the beginning of our manuscript into the middle. The first half of the middle, to be exact.

So today let’s talk about the FIRST HALF OF THE MIDDLE.

Let’s look at the plot chart we made for DIRTY RATS? In the first half of the middle, DIRTY RATS? gives 4 examples of specific kinds of rats that are NOT dirty. One example per spread.

So go ahead and write 4 specific examples of your topic that explores the answer to the question you’re asking, but in a way that is unexpected.

If you want to follow along with DIRTY RATS, you can also add sidebars (or a second layer of text) with information that provides more information to young readers. This adds depth to your manuscript.

Filed under: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Uncategorized