I’m having a great time at school and library visits sharing my debut picture book, Sadie Does Not Like Sorries. As a reminder, it's about a girl who needs to say she’s sorry after behaving badly on the playground. Kids I’ve been reading to have been shocked by her pushing her friend. It surprised me a little, but also made me happy. When I was small, I think pushing and shoving may have been more accepted. That doesn’t seem to be the case with our littles now. Hooray!
Another nice thing I’m hearing is kids advocating for themselves. Toward the end of the book, when Sadie does finally say she’s sorry, her friend still doesn’t want to play with her. When I ask the kids why they think that is, here are some of their answers:
- Because she’s mean.
- You don’t have to play with someone if you don’t want to.
- Why should he have to?
You go kids! Stick up for yourselves and your friends!
I won’t tell you the actual ending of the book, you’ll have to pick up a copy and find out. Insert cheshire cat grin here.
Another thought that struck me is how I wish I could hear kids’ comments during the draft stage. They are so insightful. What if I had a little kid critique group? That could be fun.
One last thought, one of my readings was during a book fair. The marketing done directly to kids is so much different than the marketing to parents, teachers, and/or librarians. Think bold colors, toys, recognizable cartoons and action figures. At first, I was a little disgusted. How is Sadie ever going to stand out in this world? When I got down off my high horse, I realized I’m no better. How often do I pick up a book from a debut author? Aren’t I reading my old standbys? And how about TV and movies? Don’t I watch the latest thing by my favorite actors? Of course I do. I need to do better at trying new things, too.
Overall, reading to kids may be the best part of this book process. What a joy it’s been.
Until next time, Susan
What I’m making for dinner: Drunken noodles with shrimp and broccoli. Except I just noticed I’m out of the noodles I thought I had. So it’s drunken rice. It’s okay. My dog will be happy. He loves leftover rice.
What I’m reading: The Clackity by Lora Senf. This middle grade novel is just the right amount of scary and twisty. I’m not done yet and I need to go now and do that. I can’t wait to see how Evie outsmarts the ghost of a serial killer. Farther than the Moon by Lindsey Lackey is another middle grade novel and just wonderful. It’s the story of two brothers who want to be astronauts, except the little brother has cerebral palsy.