Today we are celebrating

COWPOKE CLYDE RIDES THE RANGE

by Lori Mortensen!

Spend a few minutes listening to Angie read Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range.

Then…learn how to make your own tiny bicycle!

Click HERE for Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range

“Clyde sure gits my southern twang a ‘goin’!”

 

 

Click HERE for the Rhyme Time craft

Make a tiny bicycle just like Clyde’s

HERE are more ideas for fun with Clyde on Lori’s website.

 

Want to purchase these books? 

Buy it now

Buy it now

 

 

Watch for more Rhyme Time

every Wednesday in April.

 

 

Check out more National Poetry Month Challenges for Libraries, Classrooms and Families HERE.

Librarians, teachers, parents and kids…please comment below

to be eligible to win a prize.

 

 

Teeny Tiny Toady

by Jill Esbaum

Illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi

2016 Best in Rhyme Award Top 10

Congratulations Jill!

See the Top 20 Best in Rhyme Books for 2016

 

 

Is Your Rhymer Ready?

7 Troubleshooting Tips

by Jill Esbaum

Writing a character-driven rhyming story isn’t for the weak of heart. Rhyming stories must have perfect rhyme, consistent rhythm, and a story that not only makes sense, but connects with readers emotionally. Oh, and they should be FUN! Of those three things––rhyme, rhythm, and story––the toughest to get right, at least for me, is STORY.

Gleaned from many years of critiquing and writing, here’s a checklist you might use to determine whether or not your story is ready for editorial eyes, along with troubleshooting tips.

1. Have I introduced the conflict quickly? Is my main character’s (MC) problem/goal clear to

readers on the first or second page?

If you worry you may be easing into the story, you probably are. How might you cut text to jump into the action quicker? Is every bit of information you’ve included absolutely necessary to the story problem?

2. Is my entire story focused on how the MC goes about trying to solve his problem or achieve his goal?

If you think your story might be meandering, write a one-sentence synopsis. I often have to do this midway through a story, when I’ve been so consumed with rhythm and rhyme that my story has jumped the tracks. Oops.

3. Does the MC’s problem get worse? Does every stanza reflect that escalation?

If you aren’t sure the problem is getting worse, try jotting a phrase beside each stanza that encapsulates its reason for being there. It’s like writing a 50-word version of your story. Does the problem get worse? Is there a clear beginning, middle, and end? Using the same trick, make sure no two stanzas are performing the same task. If they are, combine them into one stronger (and detail-rich) stanza.

4. Have I shown the story, or am I doing too much telling?

If your story feels lifeless, and you suspect you’re doing too much telling, think about your story as a stage play. How can you tweak to allow readers to feel that they’re onstage, living the story through your MC, rather than sitting out in the audience, watching from afar? A simple trick, whether writing in first person point of view or third, is to filter everything through your MC’s senses/thoughts/emotions. And if your story has no dialogue, add some! Nobody wants to watch a play in which the only one talking is the narrator.

5. Does my story show clear cause and effect, or is it a series of unrelated events that “just happen?”

Nothing in a story should happen without a reason. Ideally, it’s the MC’s choices, good or bad, that drive the story forward, cause “the next thing” to happen. Sounds simple. But it’s not.

6. Does my story have any do-nothing words that are included solely as filler?

If so, brainstorm other, more concise, ways to say things. There’s ALWAYS another way. I have to remind myself of this with every manuscript I write. Look for do-nothing lines, too. Weed out words/lines that don’t add anything new to the story. It’s crucial that every word of every line reveal character or move the story forward. Otherwise, snip-snip!

7. Have I given readers a satisfying conclusion or unexpected ending twist? Has my MC grown or changed?

If you suspect that your ending is ho-hum, brainstorm five different ways your story might end.

Yes, five. Look back through your story. How might your ending reflect your beginning?

Have fun, and your reader will, too. Rhyming and Wacky go together like the Three Stooges and finger boinks.

When it comes to crafting rhyming stories, practice really does make perfect. Besides tinkering with your own stories, examine a variety of published rhyming picture books. To get a feel for meter, type them out and read them aloud. Study their plot structure. Learn to recognize problem areas in your own work. Embrace revision.

And before you know it, you’ll be on the fast (okay, slow) track to publication. Good luck!

 

 Jill Esbaum is the author of 11 picture books, many written in rhyme. Recent titles include If a T. Rex Crashes Your Birthday Party, Teeny Tiny Toady (starred review, Kirkus), and Elwood Bigfoot – Wanted:  Birdie Friends. Several of her books have been nominated for state awards, and her I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo! won SCBWI’s Crystal Kite award. Coming this fall:  Frankenbunny. Jill is also the author of more than 20 nonfiction books for National Geographic.

Buy it Now

 

To participate in Rhyme Revolution:

Read the blog post and comment below

to be eligible for a prize. 

COWPOKE CLYDE RIDES THE RANGE

by Lori Mortensen

Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin

2016 Best in Rhyme Award Winner

Congratulations Lori!

See the Top 20 Best in Rhyme Books for 2016

RHYTHM AND RHYME

By Lori Mortensen

If you’ve ever delved into rhyme, you know rhyming can be a complicated business.  Not only is there a boatload of elements to consider such as true rhymes, near rhymes, forced rhymes, end rhymes, and internal rhymes, but there’s also a slew of specific rhyming patterns with names like iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee. (If you know these terms, you definitely deserve some extra rhyming brownie points!)

The good news is–you don’t have to know these terms to write fun, frolicking stories in rhyme.

For me, writing in rhyme is all about the rhythm.  As a former dance major, I’m drawn to the rhythm of the words and the beat they create when they’re spoken aloud. When I first began writing in rhyme, I thought it was all about creating patterns based on the number of syllabic beats in a line, as if each syllable received the same weight.

But I was mistaken.

Instead, I discovered that each word has its own rhythm depending on which syllables are stressed.  Writing a line creates a certain rhythm that ultimately shapes the rhythm of the stanza.

Picture books contain a variety of rhythms. For example, in the first stanza of She Did It! by Jennifer Ericsson, the rhythm feels like a march that matches the energetic quality of the characters she’s writing about.

Four sisters, different sizes.

            Four sisters, early risers.

However, in Judy Sierra’s book Wild About Books, the rhythm of the text feels steady and lyrical as if the reader is chugging along with the librarian as she drives the bookmobile to the zoo.

It started the summer of 2002,

            When the Springfield librarian, Molly McGrew,

            By mistake drove her bookmobile into the zoo.

 

As the examples also demonstrated, the rhythm you choose should enhance the story you want to tell. In my picture book Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range, I wrote lines with a rhythm that moseys along just like Cowpoke Clyde.

Cowpoke Clyde poked at an ad.

“Looky, Dawg, at this here fad.

            It says that when my chores are done,

            I’m s’posed to ride a bike fer fun.”

 

Once I established the rhythmic pattern, the bigger challenge became finding fresh rhymes that supported the story.  One of my favorite rhyming tools is an online rhyming dictionary. Whenever I need to find a rhyme, I plug in a word and bingo! All the rhyming options appear on the screen. As I study the options, unexpected combinations of rhymes can enrich the story in new and surprising ways as it did in this stanza:

The more Clyde thunk, the more he smiled

at ridin’ something not so wild.

It wouldn’t eat. It wouldn’t stray.

It wouldn’t buck or bite or neigh!

Smiled and wild? Stray and neigh? I hadn’t planned on writing that, but when I made those rhyming connections, the stanza fell neatly into place.

Sometimes rhymes don’t work because good rhyming options simply don’t exist.  When that happens, I have to take a step back and find a word with better rhyming choices. It can be a time consuming process, but with patience and a bit of serendipitous luck, I eventually fit the words together like pieces of a puzzle.

The ultimate test for a rhyming manuscript is to read it aloud. Once you know the rhythm, you’ll hear if a line is missing a beat, if there are too many beats, or places where a reader stumbles. When you’ve written the text successfully, anyone should be able to read it without a blip or a hiccup.

Rhyming can be a complicated business. But it’s a lot easier if you approach it with rhythm and rhyme in mind.

When award-winning author, Lori Mortensen, is not letting her cat in, or out, or in–she’s tapping away at her computer, conjuring, coaxing, and prodding her latest stories to life. All that tapping has resulted in the publication of more than 70 books and over 350 stories and articles. Recent releases include Chicken Lily (Henry Holt 2016), Mousequerade Ball (Bloomsbury, 2016) illustrated by New York Times bestselling illustrator Betsy Lewin, and Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range (Clarion, 2016) a sequel to Cowpoke Clyde & Dirty Dawg, one of Amazon’s best picture books of 2013. Visit her website at http://www.lorimortensen.com for more information about teacher guides, book trailers, reviews, and more.

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Chicken Lily, Henry Holt
“Nice addition to story times . . . and good for anyone who’s a little chicken.”–Kirkus Reviews
Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range, Clarion
“Another doggone funny cowboy caper, chock full of chuckles.”–Starred Kirkus Reviews
Mousequerade Ball, Bloomsbury
“A surefire storytime selection.”—School Library Journal
Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg, Clarion
“Plumb funny fer sure.”—Starred Kirkus Review
Cindy Moo, HarperCollins
“Mo(ooo)ve aside your other cow tales, because this lovable bovine really does take off.”—Booklist

Coming Soon
If Wendell Had a Walrus, illustrated by Matt Phelan, Henry Holt, Winter, 2018
Away With Words – The Daring Story of Isabella Bird, Peachtree, 2018

To participate in Rhyme Revolution:

Read the blog post and comment below

to be eligible for a prize. 

And…another rhyming parody!

Yes, there’s more rhyming song and dance!

Check out last year’s parody HERE by KidLitTV’s Katya Szewczuk, Laurel Nakai and the

adorable kid lit reviewer Rosie Ciuba.

Thank you Julie Gribble and KidLitTV!!

Now you have competing, rHyMiNg ear worms for your viewing pleasure!

Have you registered for Rhyme Revolution yet?

If not, click HERE!

Guess what starts today?

Yes, the Rhyme Revolution Auction!

Check it out HERE!

This year, there is no bidding. Only discounted “BUY IT NOW” options to make things move faster and this will also allow me to mail items as they sell, instead of trying to do it all at once, after the auction. In past auctions, most people waited to bid on the last day and this made the mailing process overwhelming.

Many thanks to all the generous donors and to all who purchase items in support of our rhyming efforts!

Who remembers this rhyming fun

from 2015?

We had to share this clever parody again this year, created by Dawn Young

because…we need to have this song on our minds

all month!!

Follow this link to the

rhyming fun!

Thank you to Dawn and the adorable rhyming dancers!

Oh, and guess who made a cameo?

Yes, I tried to channel my inner Meghan Trainor!

Sheesh…the things we do for rhyme!

Please stop by and visit Dawn’s website!

 

Have you registered for Rhyme Revolution yet?

If not, click HERE!

 

 

Register HERE!

Registration ends April 10th at Midnight CST.

This year’s guest bloggers!

 

Registration runs from

March 27th to April 10th

Register HERE!

 

This year’s event should be less time consuming than previous years. There are 16 days to read and comment for writers. Each blogger will share information on how to write professional rhyming manuscripts.

Rhyme often gets a negative reaction from editors and agents

because it’s frequently done SO poorly.

This event will help you learn how to write what they

are looking for…quality rhyming picture books!

 

Rhyme Time each Wednesday is for parents, teachers, librarians and…kids

to watch and comment for prizes!

 

See you in April!

 

 

 

RhyPiBoMo has a new name!

From now on this celebration of rhyming picture books is called Rhyme Revolution.

The new website is https://rhymerev.com/

Along with the new name, there are a some other changes happening.

This is still a challenge for writers of rhyme but I’ve also added a Classroom Challenge, a Library Challenge and a Family Challenge to bring teachers, librarians, parents and..kids to this celebration of RPBs!

         

PLEASE share these links with teachers, librarians and parents!

We have many of the Top 20 Best in Rhyme Award authors’s guest blogging as well as a few others. The topics will cover how to write professional rhyming manuscripts that editors will love. The blogger calendar is coming soon!

I have also added a fun activity for kids on Wednesdays called RHYME TIME. This is a day off for those participating in the blog challenge. I know we are busy trying to write, so this gives everyone a chance to catch up, plus it gives me a day to bring families to the event. The reason we write is for kids, so my hope is that this will continue to foster the love of RPBs as time goes on. I will share links to author websites and Amazon to hopefully boost sales too.

It’s really a win win!

There will still be daily prizes awarded to participants who read and comment on the blog posts. Watch for the blogger calendar and prize calendars coming soon.

Yes, we will still offer rhyming critique groups but not until after the event ends. I will have a place to sign up in the Rhyme Revolution Facebook Group and then divide the groups in May.

Registration for Rhyme Revolution runs from March 27th -April 10th. You must be registered and comment on daily posts to be eligible for a prize. Unfortunately, I am not able to send prizes to those outside the Continental U.S. due to postage expenses.

In case you missed it, we awarded The Best in Rhyme Award last month in New York City at the KidLitTV Studio. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to The Best in Rhyme Committee for their time and dedication to this award. Also, many thanks to Julie Gribble and KidLitTV for their continued support of what we do!

See the announcement HERE.

I hope to still have Rhyming Parties in the Facebook group but with the additions to the event, I will need to wait and see how much sleep I’m getting. LOL

So, please stay tuned and invite your friends!!

 

 

 

Watch tonight at 8:00 ET for the live announcement of

The 2016 Best in Rhyme Award!

Watch on the KidLitTV Facebook Page

Watch HERE!

Its up!!! The 2016 Best in Rhyme Award Top 10 List!!

Congrats to all the finalists!

Watch for the final award announcement streaming live on February 12th at 8:00 pm ET at the lovely KidLitTV Studio in New York City!

And the finalists are…

The 2016 Best in Rhyme Top 10 List

The Storybook Knight, written by Helen Docherty, illustrated by Thomas Docherty
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Ada Twist, Scientist, written by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
Publisher: Harry N Abrams

Teeny Tiny Toady, written by Jill Esbaum, illustrated by Keika Yamaguchi
Publisher: Sterling

Pirasaurs!, written by Josh Funk, illustrated by Michael H Slack
Publisher:Orchard

Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range, written by Lori Mortensen, illustrated by Michael Allen Austin Publisher: Clarion

Ned, the Knitting Pirate, written by Diana Murray, illustrated by Leslie Lammle
Publisher: Roaring Brook

Good Night, Baddies, written by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Juli Kangas
Publisher: Beach Lane Books

Hensel and Gretel Ninja Chicks, written by Corey Rosen Schwartz & Rebecca J. Gomez, illustrated by Dan Santat
Publisher: Putnam

Mary Had a Little Glam, written by Tammy Sauer, illustrated byVanessa Brantley-Newton
Publisher: Sterling

Grimelda, the Very Messy Witch, written by Diana Murray, illustrated by Heather Ross Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books