Words of Wisdom

This afternoon I am celebrating the flight of a particularly exciting manuscript from my desk over to my agent’s desk. Hooray!

So, how am I celebrating?

For starters, chocolate.

And I’ve followed up with some quiet moments to meander through my notes from last month’s New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference. There I found this powerful charge from non-fiction author April Pulley Sayre:

Take the reader by the hand and show them what you love.

Yes. Yes. Yes. This is what most of us who write nonfiction for children strive for, I think. Take them by the hand. Show them what you love.

I’ll be away from my desk (and my blog) for a few days, so I’ll wish you all a great weekend now. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who nurture and raise up children!