We have an agent in the house!
Today, we are fortunate enough to have an agent’s perspective on rhyme. Raise your hand if you’ve heard, “We don’t accept rhyming manuscripts.” or “We don’t publish rhyme.”
We all know that’s not true. Brilliant, singing rhyme is published every day and the children who listen to it love it. So why do they say not to write in rhyme?
Answer: shhhhhh….listen carefully…
“It’s a trick so that unprofessional writers won’t send stinky rhyming manuscripts.”
Only the good stuff gets through, is published and blesses the laps of parents everywhere. Today’s guest blogger is here to share why this winning title is one such book.
I’m pleased to introduce
Agent Tricia Lawrence with
Erin Murphy Literary Agency
Agent Tricia Lawrence
Rhyme From Acquisition to Award
It’s the quintessential children’s book ideal. A sweet, rhyming story, sold in bookstores everywhere, something children adore and fall asleep to, quietly, orderly, and did I mention, quietly?
I hate to burst the bubble, but kids today, while still hankering for stories to fall asleep to every night, really want toe-tapping, dancing and singing, RHYME.
Enter Penny Parker Klostermann. Her words tip-tap-toe off the page and dance in your head. You can’t not nod along as you read her rhyming picture books, especially THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT.
We all find ourselves nodding along to music and poetry and the cadence of a really great public speaker. It moves us, inspires us, and it looks SO EASY.
It’s SO NOT.
With Penny, what got my attention was her craft focus on the art of writing a picture book. She was always reading, reading, reading a ton of picture books. And she didn’t force her rhyme onto every single manuscript.
Very few writers START with rhyme. They start with a story, an idea, something that can propel a child to continue to turn the pages, to yell “Again!” when the parent turns the final page. And that’s when the decision to rhyme comes in: Does the story need rhyme? Does it rollick and jump off the page when rhyme is added or does the prose work?
Rhyme has to sing. It has to make you dance. Penny’s THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON makes you feel the rhythm in your head all the way down to your toes. Rhyme added another amazing layer to DRAGON, so much so that it gleamed! Penny set it to song and sang it, over and over and over to herself, and then she sanded off any slow edges and tightened up any laborious stanzas.
Penny wasn’t just a picture book writer; she was also a poet. She inhaled poetry books. She listened to poetry, especially to cadence and stanza length.
And when Penny’s editor, Maria, saw her manuscript, she knew right away. She could feel the craft work in Penny’s manuscript. The melding of two incredible skill sets: the art of a picture book, the story world, the motivating idea and the world of poetry, the beautiful sound and feel of words and language.
Every time I read THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON, I’m tapping my foot all over again.
Bio:
Tricia is the “Pacific Northwest branch” of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 20 years of working as a developmental and production-based editor (from kids books to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist.
As agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won’t let go.
Tricia loves hiking, camping out in the woods, and collecting rocks. She loves BBC America and anything British. She has way too many books and not enough bookshelves. You can find Tricia’s writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) here and here.
Thank You Tricia!
PLEASE like our guest bloggers on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, go to their websites and express your appreciation for their time and wisdom! Many have generously donated multiple prizes and this event would not be successful without their support, so please support them! Oh…and buy their books too!!
To be eligible for today’s prize drawing by Random.org you must comment at the bottom of the page where it says “Leave A Reply” AND add your FIRST and LAST name in the comment. If I don’t have your name or how to contact you via email, you can’t win.
You must be a member of the RhyPiBoMo Facebook Group and if you haven’t officially registered, you are not eligible to win.
Please follow the pledge rules daily to get the most out of this challenge!
The drawings will be done daily and announced on Saturday of each week.
Angie Karcher 
What an amazing blog piece. Thanks Tricia and thanks to Angie, too!
— Balaka Ghosal
Tricia, Thank you for letting us know that rhyme still works under the right blend of circumstances. -Judy Rubin
Jill Giesbrecht – Tricia, thank you for the encouragement in the craft of writing rhyme well. You have a fun book and great example on your list in There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight.
Jill Giesbrecht – Thank you Tricia for your encouraging words. There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight is a great example of the craft of good picture book rhyme.
Lovely to meet Tricia! If you love anything British Trica I hope you would love Me! Great advice! Rhyming is not easy. I’ve been working on it for about three years now along with my chapter books but feel a bit nervous about submitting.
Stephanie Salkin
Amen to all that! I’ve promised myself to listen to a lot of music during National Poetry Month, because I feel it is so important to developing an “ear” for poetry.
Thank you Tricia. It’s so important that a rhyming PB is a poem as well as a story – I’m still working on finding that balance. And singing a manuscript to check the flow is a great idea! – Joy Main
Melinda Kinsman – Thanks for a great post, Tricia! I’m now off to inhale a few more rhyming picture book manuscripts! 😊❤️
Linda Hofke
I am a poetry lover and writer, so I agree with everything you’ve said. People think rhyming is easy. Well, it is. But GOOD rhyme that doesn’t overshadow a story… that ISN’T so easy.
Thank you for taking the time to share really useful advice!
Mona Pease
Thanks Tricia, Angie and Penny. A great story with fine rhyme, sings!
Linda Schueler: Thanks for sharing Penny’s journey with us.
Thank you Tricia for great suggestions of how good rhyme sings and touches the reader. I’m off to read more rhyming picture books to nail my meter:).
Ginger Weddle
Tricia, Thanks for this inspiring post. I love your comment that words “dance in your head”.
Melissa Stoller:
hi Tricia – I will remember your advice that children really want “toe-tapping, dancing and singing, rhyme.” Thanks for a helpful and inspiring post.
Thanks, Trisha, for your insight! Learning how others improve upon their craft is always helpful. And I love the advice you share on your website, too!
I appreciate your thoughts and advice, Tricia. It’s wonderful to know–and hear–all the praise for this wonderful book. Poems and rhyming seems like a simple thing to do, and perhaps 4 or 5 lines isn’t that much of a challenge, but to write and entire manuscript that checks off the points you mention is truly a gift, and one that requires reading, reading, and and more reading to help you hone your craft. Thank you for sharing!
Natalie McNee
Thanks for the blog post Tricia, I better start practicing my toe-tapping, dancing and singing (although I’m sure it’ll be easier to do some butt jiggling and wiggling as I have two left feet and can’t carry a tune, haha) I can’t wait to read that book too!
Great post, Tricia! I love the idea of singing the stanzas. There Was An Old Dragon is a favorite of mine!
Ann Magee Thanks for this advice from an agent’s perspective, Tricia. I’ll remember the points you made here shall I ever attempt a rollicking rhyming story.
Amy Murrell. My current WIP was first conceived and mostly written in prose. I think, and hope, that helped with the points you’ve made here. Thank you, Tricia, for your blog post. I think I’ll try singing too!
Loved the post and I love to write in rhyme. I keep working at it to get it just right. And, I also have too many books (or should I say a lot, because you can never have too many books) and not enough book shelves.
(Katelyn Aronson) Thank you Tricia, it was wonderful to get a little “back story” on Penny’s fabulous piece. You make the very worthwhile point that rhyme is NOT for every manuscript. But I’m so glad that there are still agents/editor out there who appreciate when the rhyme is well-suited and well executed. There is hope! 🙂
Thank you! Very inspiring post. I’m going to start singing my stanzas! -Alexia Andoni
Rhyming words to tell a story is a great challenge, and a fun way to practice word craft. It’s poetry with a flare. I’ve always loved reading and writing rhyming stories. It’s all about the clues and messages hidden between the lines. Less is always more, and when I’m writing a riddle, it’s like my mind becomes the eraser and the scene emerges out from the words.
THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON sounds enchanting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tricia.
I’m enjoying this month of rhyme, Angie! 🙂
Thank you, Tricia. “There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight” is a perfect mentor text. Page turning, words flowing, rereadability.
Thank you, Tricia for your time and expertise. I love this book too — what a great example. (Lynne Marie, LiterallyLynneMarie@Gmail.com).
Thank you, Tricia, for your advice and encouragement. Penny’s book is fabulous!
As someone who has both read Penny’s toe-tapping manuscripts and benefited from her poetic wisdom, I can only nod my head in agreement. Thanks for the post, Tricia!
Thanks for the great post. Let the toe-tapping begin!
Judy Sobanski – Penny’s book is such a great example of a rhyming picture book that meets all the criteria and is a joy to read over and over. Thanks for the encouraging post, Tricia!
I’m hoping the copy of Penny’s book I reserved is ready to be picked up today from the library. I’ve heard so much good stuff about it in the last few days. Hmmm, I wonder why? Oh, yeah, RhyPiBoMo! Thanks for the insight, Tricia. Obviously reading as many picture books as possible on a daily basis will be a positive habit to continue after Rhyming Picture Book Month has ended. – Tim Canny
Thanks for the great post, Tricia, and the reminder to make sure the story sings! La, la, la…. Penny’s book is a great mentor text. Ann Kelley
Many thanks Tricia for the encouraging post. Some excellent points to ponder and put into place.
I hear “we don’t accept rhyme” and then see new books on the shelves that are rhyming. So yes, people want them – but as Tricia says, they gotta be great. Thanks for the post, and the encouragement to get better at rhyming.
Great explanation of Penny”s process’. Thank you:)
Melanie Ellsworth – Thanks, Tricia. Penny’s book is at the top of my must-read list. I remember having that same toe-tapping experience when I read Leslie Helakoski’s DOGGONE FEET! The best rhyming picture books want to be sung aloud.
Sherry Howard. Your opening question rang so true. I’m told all the time to not bother with rhyme. Sometimes it’s just there, and you’re pulling your hair! Seriously, it’s wonderful to hear an agent’s perspective! Thanks!
Donna. Thank you for the encouraging post! Teachers and parents know how much children love rhyme, and educational research supports the notion that rhyme helps new readers.
MaryLee Flannigan – thank you Tricia! I love rhyming books and reading them is always fun. I appreciate your insight into writing rhyme.
So true! I love the unique rhymes and the exacting rhythm of this book!
Lisa Albert – Great post!!
Judy Cooper – “Rhyme has to sing. It has to make you dance.” – What great advice. I liked hearing that Penny sang her manuscript. Even before reading this, I was thinking to do that with my WIP. Thanks for the confirmation. (Re: loving everything British….are you having Downtown Abbey withdrawal? I’m handling mine by watching Midsomer Murder on Netflix and reading the quarterly publication, Daphne’s Diary.)
rosemary basham
Thanks for reminding us that it’s important to study the medium we are trying to write.
Shelley Kinder. Thank you, Tricia, for the encouraging words on writing in rhyme!
Yep, to get story AND rhyme to sing like Penny’s book is a rare gift! (But you hav to put in a LOT of work, too!) Thanks for the reminder, Tricia Lawrence!
Chris M. Regier
Thank you for reminding me that it CAN be done!
Tanja Bauerle – Thank you, Tricia, for a great post. Great Rhyme needs a great story to be successful. Happy creating, T.
Michele Katz Grieder –
Thank you Tricia and Angie! There Was an Old Dragon is a perfect example of a lyrical rhyming story that just plain WORKS!
Thanks for the post on what makes a great rhyming text.
Katie Gast