Average customer rating:
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- How to write a Children's Picture Book
- A Constant Companion
- Practical, Easy-to-use
- A "must-have" for any aspiring children's picturebook writer
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How to Write a Children's Picture Book: Learning from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Corduroy, Where the Wild Things Are, The Carrot Seed, Good Night, Gorilla, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, and Other Favorite Stories
Eve Heidi Bine-Stock
Manufacturer: E & E Publishing
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How to Write a Children's Picture Book Volume II: Word, Sentence, Scene, Story: Learning from Leo the Late Bloomer, Harry the Dirty Dog, Lilly's Purple ... Purple Crayon, and Other Favorite Stories
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How to Write a Children's Picture Book Volume III: Figures of Speech: Learning from Fish is Fish, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Owen, Caps for Sale, Where the Wild Things Are, and Other Favorite Stories
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The Business of Writing for Children: An Award-Winning Author's Tips on Writing Children's Books and Publishing Them, or How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Book for Kids
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Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children (Write for Kids Library)
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Creating Characters Kids Will Love
ASIN: 0971989885 |
Book Description
This volume emphasizes an aspect of children's picture books that has not yet been thoroughly investigated: structure. Both concept books and picture storybooks employ very distinctive structures that, once mastered, can be applied to any picture book you wish to write. When so many of the best picture books employ the same structures, it is important to analyze these structures, understand why they work, and learn how to incorporate them into your own writing. This volume helps you do all that. You will see that no matter how carefully you labor over the tone, word choice, plot, character, setting, theme and style of your picture book, you must have a thorough grasp of its structure if you wish your book to succeed. Indeed, you will find that an expert command of structure is the key to writing a successful children's picture book.
Customer Reviews:
Very helpful.......2007-10-07
I have at least a dozen books on writing for children and I especially like this one. Not only does it focus exclusively on picture books, which few others do, it provides solid, concrete information that you can apply directly to your own writing. Too many other books offer vague tips that may be helpful in polishing an existing manuscript, but don't help with building your story from the ground up. I've been trying (sporadically) to sell picture book manuscripts for several years now, and I believe that what I've learned from this book will help get me closer to my goal of being a published author. Volumes II and III are on their way to me now and I can't wait to see what they have to offer!
How to write a Children's Picture Book.......2007-03-22
The book takes popular children's book and breaks apart the beginning, middle and ending so that you get a very clear picture of how your story should progess. An excellent resource.
A Constant Companion.......2007-01-02
Eve Heidi Bine-Stock's HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK (VOLUMES I, II and III)is a constant companion and rich resource in the planning and revision of picture books. The deconstruction of picture books, and the detailed classification of crucial characteristics - using classic picture books to illustrate each detailed point - make these books invaluable. Although I particularly use Volume I and II in the planning stage of a new manuscript, all three volumes are again by my side during each revision, and each step of each revision. There is no question in my mind that these books are the biggest resource in pushing my writing to the next level. The volumes are not read-once-and-put-aside books; they are books you will want on your writing desk for constant reference.
Practical, Easy-to-use.......2004-11-11
As an author of many books for children, I found this book to be one of the most practical and helpful tools to format a picture book during the writing process. I'm already using the techniques to structure new projects to make my picture book manuscripts shine! I plan on recommending it to my critique group as well as buying copies as gifts for my writer friends.
A "must-have" for any aspiring children's picturebook writer.......2004-06-07
How To Write A Children's Picture Book focuses especially upon structure as the key to creating a memorable and entertaining treasure for children to read, share, and learn from. Distinguishing between picturebooks and picture storybooks, and closely examining such enduring children's classics as "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Where The Wild Things Are", How To Write A Children's Picture Book is a highly useful and focused guide that dissects the nuts and bolts of writing with a keen eye toward higher achievement and quality. A "must-have" for any aspiring children's picturebook writer.
Average customer rating:
- Exquisite---Awful Publisher Edition
- Will Someone PLEASE Make a Movie Outta This Great Story
- Remarkable Writer of Speculative Fiction
- Stories
- Excellant Book!
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Wild Seed
Octavia E. Butler
Manufacturer: Aspect
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Parable of the Talents
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Parable of the Sower
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Lilith's Brood
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Patternmaster
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ASIN: 0446606723 |
Customer Reviews:
Exquisite---Awful Publisher Edition.......2007-09-22
Butler is an exquisite writer.
BUT, this publisher's edition is filled with errors---not just little periods, but repeated dialogue lines, and then half repeated lines mixed with other repeated lines, misspellings---son, and soon---HUGE difference in Butler's world. This edition sucks. Buy the book, just not this one.I usually endure publisher typos without issue--but this book is so messed up, I have to object. If I weren't short on time and money I'd buy another edition.
The story is amazing and I want to read it and not stop. Kindred I read in three days. This book is fantasy--but it is about people--not just "black" people, but people. I detest Toni Morrison because I feel she has this huge I am a black woman chip on her shoulder. Yuck. Butler has no such chip--inside the book she is compared to Morrison. An unfair insult to Butler. Buy this book. It is about the human condition and slavery---we are all slaves to something or someone. I am actually using her book as an example of HOW TO WRITE FANTASY in my MFA Thesis Project in Creative Writing. Superb.
Will Someone PLEASE Make a Movie Outta This Great Story.......2007-09-21
This book is awesome. My favorite Octavia Butler book. I finally bought the hardcover after re-reading to death my old paperback.
What makes this book so good, is simple - the story. Doro, a man/spirit who can not die and Anyanwu, a woman who can not be killed, in a struggle that mixes sci-fi, with African slave trade, to early America, with an Ike and Tina Tuner type love story.
Unmatched story that is ripe for cinematic gold.
Remarkable Writer of Speculative Fiction.......2007-03-26
Octavia Butler has a gift for story-telling. Anyone interested in speculative fiction should give "Wild Seed" a read. I promise, you won't put it down. Her characters are engaging, and even provocative. Creative, clever, and well-written, this book will remain in my library until it becomes ragged with use.
Stories.......2007-02-28
The stories that I remember the most is the incest one. It was a ok read.
Excellant Book!.......2005-12-19
Excellant Book! I could not put it down! If you are into science fiction you have to read this book! You will not be disappointed. The characters in this book are incredible and unforgettable!
Book Description
A book illustrating and explaining a series of strategems to keep squirrels from eating and ruining yards and gardens when more traditional tactics fail.
Customer Reviews:
Not Remotely Tremendous.......2006-01-11
I'll keep this review short and sweet, since the book isn't exactly the utmost in literary achievement ever produced. The book is decent, probably right on the 3 star mark given what it tries to do and what it does. The intention of the book is to, well, outwit squirrels - a silly notion given a day or 2 observing the little...um, natural friends. Wit isn't what makes the squirrel dangerous. It's the endless effort a squirrel will go through to get your food. The overall effort described here should probably be called, "Outenduring Squirrels," since that's what you will need to do.
Overall, the book is hit or miss with the advice it gives. Living in a neighborhood with approximately more squirrels than blades of grass, you tend to either pick up ways to stop them from getting to your feeders, or you stop feeding the birds. Or as some have done, you throw in the towel and get used to having your seed receptacles ravaged by these tree rats. The advice in this book is sometimes right, and sometimes off the mark. That opinion is based on copious amounts of personal experience.
I got this as a gag gift from my father-in-law, since he knows how much I hate these animals. It was entertaining enough, though at times his sense of humor wasn't exactly what I would call top notch. Other times it was downright irritating. So it goes. I don't think squirrel banter is going to be on prime time television any time soon. Until then, you'll have to make do with books like this, which are good enough but hardly knocking on the door of your local bookstore's best seller list.
Squirrels: More Dangerous Than Nuclear Weapons.......2005-11-22
After the squirrels took over my backyard, car, and washroom, I bought this book to figure out how to take back the mean streets from these evil rodents. Unluckily for me, however, they noticed it when they were reading my mail and now they're after me... I had to move to an unknown Eastern European country just to escape them. Hopefully they won't figure out the combination to my wall safe back home, get enough money to buy plane tickets, and follow me here... that would make them flying squirrels, I suppose. Who would have guessed that squirrels could chew through five metres of lead?
For Determined Bird Watchers.......2005-06-08
This book is a guide to keeping your bird feeder squirrel-free. Adler had a particularly pestiferous squirrel who found ways around every squirrel-barrier Adler could think of to protect his bird seed. The squirrel's notorious feats put Adler on the war-path. In writing this book, he is not only fighting that one squirrel, but all of squirrel-kind. If readers pull-off a successful squirrel battle because of ideas in this book, then Adler can declare victory.
Bird watchers, (or would-be bird watchers) are the intended audience for this book, so the book begins with some suggestions about how to attract birds, along with a list of suggested foods to offer and descriptive profiles of birds who commonly come to North American feeders. Adler then turns his attentions to squirrels and provides a supposedly thorough description of squirrels, their biology, and behavior. Next, he describes and compares common bird feeders according to how squirrel-proof they are. Following this are a list of anti-squirrel devices that can be added to a feeder, and a list of combative actions a bird-viewer can take to ward off squirrels. Adler concludes with "101 Cunning Stratagems" (an attempt at humor?), ideas for squirrel lovers, ideas for dealing with problem cats at feeders, and a list of resources for bird-watching and squirrel-fighting equipment.
It's hard to tell whether this book was intended to be humorous, or what. Certainly, the comparison of bird feeders is far too serious to be funny. (And unfortunately, the feeders are listed by brand-name, rather than by some grouping according to general type or shape.) Some of the "101 Cunning Stratagems" seem intended to be funny, but fall short of the goal. Overall, the entire book reads as if it could have been a decent magazine article, but Adler had to really work to come up with ideas enough to stretch his material to fill out an entire book. For instance, he fills out his list of 101 stratagems with a number of patent descriptions, which are neither funny nor descriptive enough to give you an idea how the devices being described actually work.
Even though he seemed desperate to add to his work count, Adler still left out some key information. Namely, he provides almost no information about different types of squirrels, and how their approaches to feeders differ. Adler lives in a city, where he apparently only sees gray squirrels, which is probably why he barely mentions any other types of squirrels. In our experience, red squirrels are much more aggressive and agile than the grays-with our large population of red hoodlums, grays wouldn't stand a chance in our neighborhood. We also see flying squirrels at our feeder, but they don't bother us since they only come out at night when the birds aren't in the feeder, and they don't seem to gobble as much seed as the reds. They sure can jump, though. Then there are the black squirrels, which are the big gorillas of the squirrel world. I've seen them in Toronto, and I've also heard they haunt Washington, D.C. after escaping from the National Zoo. Do they also make pests of themselves at feeders? Adler leaves us in the dark about these critters.
Adler interviews world-renowned squirrel expert Vaun Flyger in the chapter on squirrel biology, and Flyger assures him that the best way to outwit a squirrel is to treat them like chicken; i.e., use them in any recipe that calls for chicken. In other words, Flyger advocates the "final solution". Adler doesn't consider this approach seriously in this book (but speaking from experience, it works, and better than any squirrel bafflers. Once neighborhood squirrels get the idea you're out for blood, they quickly learn how not to eat from your feeder).
Squirrels are smarter than most humans.......2005-02-19
There are no "squirrel proof" feeders or methods. Most squirrels will figure out ways to get the food from a bird feeder that most humans would never figure out.
In fact, watching humans try all sorts of things they THINK will stop the squirrels, and then seeing the squirrels outsmart them always gets a laugh from me, because humans always think they are so much smarter than the "dumb animals"!
Here is the only thing you need to know, and the BIG SECRET to keep squirrels from breaking your bird feeders.
Put out some food for the squirrels too!
If you leave a pile of food for them, they will have no need to raid the bird feeder!
They like sunflower seeds, so just get a bag of all sunflower seeds, or mixed with corn, and everytime you fill up the bird feeder, put out some food for the squirrels too.
Sure, they like peanuts, but most of the year they are going to just bury those, and they will make a pile of peanuts dissapear faster than the same size pile of sunflower seeds, because they will sit and open each seed, and a pile of those will keep them busy for hours.
In fact, I find it is more of a problem keeping birds out of the squirrel's food, than it is keeping the squirrels out of the bird's food.
The birds prefer the seed on the ground than to having to deal with the feeders too.
The key is to put what each likes the most, in their respective feeders. Thus, when they have a choice, they will rather have what they like better, than to bother with the other stuff.
But if you let their pile of food go empty, then don't get mad when they turn to the bird feeder again.
Just having a regular feeding time everyday is good enough too. My squirrels all know when they are going to get their food, and don't bother anything else. The bird feeders never get busted and the birds get to enjoy thier feeders, while the squirrels enjoy their treats.
Squirrels have "nap time" around noon, so you don't really have to worry about them around that time of day. In case you wonder why you don't see so many squirrels around that time, and earlier and later in the day you see them.
Same thing if you have problems with animals ripping apart your trash. The solution is so simple, even some HUMANS have figured it out! Leave some tasty food scraps for the animals so they don't need to rip apart the trash bags! And don't throw away so much food in your trash, use your garbage disposal unit!
If you have some food you don't want, rather than throw it in the trash, put it outside somewhere for the animals, so they don't have to rip apart the trash bags to get to it. Meanwhile, with no smelly food in your trash bags, no animal will have any WANT to rip apart the bag in the first place!
Believe it or not, just as you can train your dog, all the squirrels in my neighborhood, know what they are allowed to take in my yard, and what they are not allowed.
In fact, one time, I was not able to meet one squirrel for his daily feeding, so I just put the snacks outside earlier so I wouldn't have to go out at that time. Well, when I looked out the window, the squirrel was sitting near the nuts and would not take any of them, she was just sitting there waiting for me. I went outside, and as soon as she saw me, she was happy and started eating. She figured to eat the food without my permission would have been stealing or something, so she waited until she knew it was ok to take the food.
Now every squirrel has a different personality, just like people do, so this doesn't happen with all squirrels, but some have more ethics and morals than others do, just like with people.
On the average, most squirrels are easier to deal with and better to get along with than most humans are on average.
But the more you try to figure ways to OUTSMART these animals, the more you will be defeated as they are a lot smarter than you are. The fact they can get into human designed "squirrel proof" bird feeders should PROVE that fact already.
Instead of having a war with them, why not just make friends and make a deal with them? They can have some treats of their own, so long as they don't bother the snacks for the birds.
Has been working fine without any problems for me for years.
I have several broken, chewed through and vandelized metal "squirrel proof" bird feeders in the garage that I keep to show to "newbies" from the days before I became more educated about wildlife and animals.
With bird feeders, your worst enemies are the sparrows! They just throw all the seed out of the feeders, emptying an entire feeder in only an hour or two, because they throw to the side all the seed they don't like, and most of it ends up on the ground. They don't just eat a bit, and then fly away like all the other birds do, they will stay at the feeder until it is completely empty, and will not let any of the nicer, more colorful birds NEAR the feeder.
Other birds will all get along with each other and eat together and share, but the sparrows are the worst of their race. They scare all the other birds away from the feeders, and empty them dry.
With most birds, you can have a feeder up for many days or weeks, but as soon as the gang of sparrows find them, they are empty every day.
Interesting no one ever tries to market a "sparrow proof" feeder or write any books on how to discourage THEM.
Unlike with squirrels, where you can give them their own feeders and food piles, the sparrows won't just take one. If they are eating at one feeder and other birds go to another feeder, the sparrow will go to that feeder and scare those birds away and eat from it.
Sparrows remind me a lot of humans sometimes.
Inadvertantly increased my appreciation for squirrels.......2001-11-27
I really enjoyed this extremely humorous book. After reading it, any failure on any birder's part to get rid of his sleek, well-fed squirrels is understandable. They're great athletes, motivated and social to boot.
It is great stocking stuffer for your squirrel-obsessed birder spouse or friends!
Book Description
Gardeners who are intrigued by the possibilities of native plants will find this treatment of seed collection and germination---from native annuals to trees---an invaluable resource.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent, useful info. Worth the wait to get it........1998-01-05
Excellent source of info on seed germination
applicable to the novice and expert.
What I liked best were the succinct
pretreatment and planting directions for a
wide variety of trees and shrubs.
I also found the information on collecting
and storing seeds immediately useful and
valuable.
Book Description
As biological diversity continues to shrink at an alarming rate, the loss of plant species poses a threat seemingly less visible than the loss of animals but in many ways more critical. In this book, one of America's leading ethnobotanists warns about our loss of natural vegetation and plant diversity while providing insights into traditional Native agricultural practices in the Americas. This edition features a new foreword by Miguel Altieri, one of today's leading spokesmen for sustainable agriculture and the preservation of indigenous farming methods.
Customer Reviews:
Things we need to heed!.......2001-02-28
Paul Nabhan's latest book is a delight to read. His clear writing style and effective way of illustrating important points gives the reader a pleasant break from the more technical books on the topic of seed evolution and dispersion. But don't be deceived by its ease of reading, the book is full of facts about early native agricultural practices in North and Central America, contains warnings about our loss of natural vegetation, especially rain forests, and tells of our rapid loss of plant diversity.
Dr. Nabhan is the cofounder of an organization called Native Seeds and is currently Assistant Director of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. In these dual roles he has had ample opportunity to observe what is happening to our natural vegetation and to record how the diversity of plants in our world continues to shrink at an alarming rate.
His book is divided into a series of chapters each with names intended to draw the reader's interest. Examples include: "Turning Foxholes into Compost Heaps," "Drowning in a Shallow Gene Pool," and "Invisible Erosion." Each of his 12 chapters focuses on an important point. The first one presents an interesting history of plant evolution from the earliest Paleozoic times through the late Cenozoic and explains how the large, plant gene pool created the wonderful diversity we have all come to enjoy. In the next several chapters Dr. Nabhan first addresses the great diversity of plants found in forests of the wet and dry tropics and next speaks about how this great diversity led to the emergence of many cultigens we now depend upon for our staples. He also points with alarm to how rapidly this diversity is being lost as large areas are converted to agricultural lands or are clear cut for their lumber. Other chapters focus on the need for saving examples of seeds from plants that are becoming extinct and the advantages in tropical areas of using local plant species and local farming techniques instead of introduced hybrid plants and "modern" agricultural techniques. In later chapters Dr. Nabhan chronicles the demise of wild rice in the Great Lakes region, the near loss of a species of rare gourd in Florida, and why the production of maize in many areas of the northern Great Plains is not nearly as great today as it was in past generations. Finally, he offers a word of caution to plant geneticists saying that they could learn a lot from looking at the problems associated with the raising of domestic turkeys.
The main theme of Dr. Nabhan's book focuses on the need for plant diversity and how the maintaining of a wide gene pool for each species is critical for the survival of each species. All of this, he cautions, has direct effects upon mankind because many of these plants form elements of our primary food supply. Throughout the book the author inserts brief warnings for the reader to ponder. On page 27, for example, the author notes the prevailing attitude among many plant geneticists. He quotes one of them as saying, "If we need rare strains to breed a stronger variety of grain in the event of an epidemic, we go out and collect them." The problem, as Dr. Nabhan notes, is that already for many plants there are no longer wild strains to use.
Average customer rating:
- AWE-INSPIRING IMAGINATION
- Living Forever. Curse or Blessing?
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Wild Seed
Manufacturer: SBFC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:
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Parable of the Sower
-
Fledgling
ASIN: 0739456881 |
Customer Reviews:
AWE-INSPIRING IMAGINATION.......2007-01-07
As usual, Octavia Butler, in WILD SEED, has created memorable characters and plot situations that surpass the imaginations of the most creative authors. Although they are able adversaries, it takes Anyanwu centuries to discover her true power over the seemingly omnipotent Doro. In the meantime, they experience phenomenal adventures, enhanced by a myriad of intriguing sub-characters along their journey toward a mutual awakening. In her recent passing in 2006, this author has left behind a legacy of such awe-inspiring fiction that her memory will never fade.
Living Forever. Curse or Blessing?.......2006-10-09
A couple of years ago I've read this book from Ms Butler. I was captivated by her amazing imagination and quality of her prose and became instantly a fan of the author. This first impression was corroborated as I read more of her writings.
Unfortunately for us, her fans, Ms. Butler has recently passed leaving the "Parable" trilogy unfinished and I'm sure many delightful stories unwritten.
She was highly talented writer and win Sci-Fi Hugo and Nebula awards.
All her books showed a rich mixture of imagination, complex and interesting characters and conflictive situations to test their mettle.
"Wild Seed" is a complex story about Doro and Anyanwu, two extraordinary beings, their encounter and relationship expanding over three centuries.
I refuse to say Doro is a male, he may acquire any physical nature, so I think the character as a Self, and each reader may assign he/she/it any attribution. This trait only, is enough to arouse many questions and situations, other writers may stick only to the rich action line. Octavia doesn't, she dig deep into each character, giving them soul and flesh, going into what they feel, their ethical (or unethical) considerations, their whole conception of life, their struggles for power and love.
All this blended in an inspired story full of action.
This is very commendable book for sci-fi buffs and general public too.
Reviewed by Max Yofre
Product Description
Paperbacks
Books:
- I Love You Like Crazy Cakes
- In the Prince's Bed (Royal Brotherhood)
- In This Mountain (The Mitford Years #7)
- Invisible Monsters
- Jasmine
- Judge & Jury
- Just Like That
- Labyrinth
- Lost Girls
- Lost in the Forest
Books Index
Books Home
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