Archive for jimmy

Please Bend, Fold, Spindle & Mutilate!

A happy snap from yesterday’s school visit with 6th-graders in Germantown, NY. A place where they are tough on books . . . by actually reading them. There’s not an author in the world who doesn’t love the sight of a well-worn paperback.

That was my last visit of this school year.

As always, I am beyond grateful to be invited into a school to share my work and hopefully help inspire a love of reading, writing, creativity, self-expression, literacy . . . all the things. 

I’m heading into a busy period with tons of new books coming out, mostly for elementary readers. As a visiting author, I am fairly unique in that I have new and recent books in paperback for grades PreK-8. 

That’s my big pitch.

Please consider me for next year’s author visits. I’m happy to respond to questions, comments, queries. Write to me at Jamespreller@aol.com. Thank you!

NOTE: I especially love it when a school district teams up for 3-4 days of visits, where I can visit and enjoy far-flung places. In the past I’ve been to FL, SC, CA, TX, OH, OK, IL, TN, PA and more. Hit me up and maybe we can figure something out!

                 

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

SHAKEN Named to Bank Street’s List of “Best Children’s Books for 2025!”

 

I’m heartened to share that my middle-grade novel, Shaken (ages 10-14) has been named one of the the Best Children’s Books for 2025 (of books published in 2024) by the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature! It’s a nice honor. Thank you to my publisher Jean Feiwel, who has been there since forever, including my first book in 1986; and my talented editor of almost 20 years, Liz Szabla. And also, of course, thanks to the good folks at Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature.
A number of people generously helped me during the research for this book: Dr. Todd P. Giombetti; Jessica Van Wormer, licensed clinical social worker, certified school social worker; Christoffel Janse Van Rensburg, licensed clinical social worker; Piera McGaughan, girls junior varsity soccer coach, Bethlehem High School, New York; Tracy Gilbert, board certified art therapist, licensed mental health counselor; Maria Lupo, doctor of medical and health humanities, board certified art psychotherapist. 
And for personal insights and shared experiences, for your time and thoughtfulness and generosity of spirit: Jennifer Healey, Olivia Healey, Mark Lane, Amelia Shaw, Erin LaDue, and Erin Svare. 
Special shout out to these books and authors: Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls by Lisa Damour, PhD; Healing Days: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma by Susan Farber Straus, illustrated by Maria Bogade; and The Art Therapy Sourcebook by Cathy A. Malchiodi. 
For the complete list of Bank Street-approved books,  gleefully stomp here: https://educate.bankstreet.edu/cbc_awards/27/
@Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature @Bank Street Library

Thank You, Louisiana Readers’ Choice Awards!

I am happy to learn that Exit 13: The Whispering Pines was among the nominated titles for the Louisiana Readers’ Choice Awards, grades 3-5. For this book, I simply tried to write the most wildly entertaining story I could conjure, which isn’t always my goal. I’m glad that so many readers found & enjoyed this book, beautifully illustrated by Kevin Keele.

I’m also very grateful to the good folks at Scholastic who gave me the opportunity to write it. 

Only 49 states to go . . . and then . . . the WORLD! Bwa-ha-ha!

Readers might enjoy this short video . . . 

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY # 344: “I Usually Don’t Like Reading”

 

When it came time to respond to this note, I was a little baffled. 

I had to try to figure out the writer’s name by the email address. My sense is that I probably botched it horribly.

Oh, well!

The email read . . . 

Good evening. I am in the 7th grade and I recently read the book Bystander. I loved the book and I usually don’t like reading. You probably had others tell you this idea but I think Bystander would make an awesome show or movie. I hope you can reply and take this into consideration. Thank you

I replied . . . 

Licenie,
Did I get that right? Licenie? A new one for me. Or is it Pierre? The reverse??? 
I’m so confused! 
(You didn’t sign the email, so I’m looking at your address and guessing.)
Anyway, yes, thank you, I have heard that observation before. I take it as a great compliment. My goal for my writing is always to be visual, for there to be a “movie” playing in the back of the reader’s skull. For this book, in particular, I really tried to refrain from explaining the action, or getting too interior with different character’s thoughts and feelings. I wanted the action to take place on the surface — we are watching it — and for the reader, like Eric, to have to figure it out on his or her own. So maybe in that way it’s more of a cinematic book?
There’s a sequel to Bystander, a companion book, titled Upstander, which also comes in the form of a pretty decent audiobook, extremely well read by Caitlin Davies. Worth checking out! The two books overlap a little bit: Upstander begins before Bystander and catches up to the ketchup scene, from a different perspective, about halfway through. 
You might like it! Or not!
And, yes, I particularly love hearing from someone who enjoys a book but doesn’t usually “like reading.” Few things make me happier, because reading has been such an important part of my life, giving me so much pleasure and satisfaction. I hate to think of someone missing out on all that great, great stuff. Especially someone with a whole life in front of you. So many books, so little time.
You are never going to like every book. Nor should you. But there are great books out there that are just right for you. Please, don’t give up on books!
My best,
James Preller

BEHIND THE SCENES: All This Work for One Joke!

Today I want to put a spotlight on all the effort that went into a single page from my upcoming beginning reader, Two Ballerinas . . . and a Moose. It took us a while to get it right and, amazingly, I think we did. Believe me, that’s not always the case. Sometimes the more we revise and tinker, the worse things get. Overcooked might be the word for that.

You be the judge.

To begin, a Ready-to-Read is typically 32 pages, not unlike the vast majority of picture books. After dispensing with the title page and copyright information, there are basically 29 pages left to tell our story. That means every word, every page, every illustration counts. 

We meet two ballerinas on the opening spread, pages 4-5.

 

Note the use of ovals. (I’m not sure whether to credit the book designer, Leslie Mechanic, or the illustrator, Abigail Burch.)

Store away that oval feature in your head. 

Next Moose enters our story and he wants to dance, too. But Moose is hardly a ballerina. Ho-ho! That’s the story’s engine, if you will.

For starters, Moose is not dressed properly. Not for ballet.

Hippo points out that Moose is not even wearing the proper footware. 

To which Moose replies . . . 

Now comes the payoff, the visual punchline.

Here’s Abigail’s initial sketch . . .

 

Crocs! I believe that was my original suggestion in the art notes in the manuscript. A humorous idea, but . . . um. 

For me, the crocs weren’t reading. The visual was too subtle, especially for young children. The joke wasn’t paying off. I conveyed that to Elizabeth Barton, the book’s editor, who consulted with Leslie, who then discussed it with Abigail. 

Abigail came back with a revised sketch . . . and new shoes!

 

 

Terrific, now we were getting somewhere! Elizabeth noted that for the final art, they wanted even bigger platforms on the shoes.

I was still troubled by the shrubbery, which I saw as visual clutter. So I wrote to Elizabeth — who sought my opinion — with a further suggestion:

=

PLATFORM SHOES SPREAD: Much better.

BUT WHAT IF . . . the right hand spread is, like, an oval around a much tighter focus on the shoes. 

The next day, I explained in a follow-up email . . . 

This design, in my view, breaks a rule of mine. Early on, there’s a spread with Beaver and Hippo enclosed in ovals. I like that technique. But then it never returns for the rest of the book, and I think that’s a structural design flaw (that no one will notice, mind you!). It’s why I thought the shoes gave us an opportunity to bring back that shape. 

Once again, to her great credit, Elizabeth and Leslie met my comments with an open spirit of collaboration. It was time to move beyond sketches into final art. 

Here’s what Abigail came up with . . .

Nailed it!

Right?

Visually, yes. Now the joke works!

But I had one last minor worry.

I emailed Elizabeth . . .

I realize that a late change might be a hassle, but since it seems possible, I would like a change from “dancing” to “ballet” for this image.
Because obviously those are awesome shoes for dancing.
It’s a case of writing a text and then adjusting when the art comes in. 
If possible!
If not, the world will continue to spin.
Once again, Elizabeth agreed. 
For the record, Elizabeth does not always agree, nor should she. My goal is not to “get my way,” it’s to have a creative voice in the process. After all, I’ve been in children’s books for 40 years. I might have some worthwhile observations along the way. And I can also be massively wrong about things, too. It’s the editor’s job to navigate all of that while keeping on eye on the prize — making the best book possible — and protecting the illustrator’s creative freedom. A balancing act of concerns.
Anyway, that’s one page, one joke in a simple little story. We traveled a distance to get there. Many emails and conversations. To me, today, those shoes make me happy. It’s part of the pleasure of this job. I mean, we’re making a book for young children. It should be fun, right?
Not every creative partnership works this way. Publishing can be closed and many times “they” prefer to keep the writer out of the process. The message: Stay in your lane. Which I also respect, because the illustrator needs her agency, too. As much as I want to be respected, I must also give that same measure of respect to everyone involved. We all have opinions, thoughts, but no one knows. We’re all guessing. The last thing I want to be is a headstrong, interfering writer.
Nobody wants to work with a pain in the butt and I was dangerously close to becoming that guy.
But here’s another thing I’ve learned in this business: The only thing that matters is the final book. There’s not a reader in the world who cares how you got there.
I feel extremely fortunate to work with Elizabeth and Leslie and Abigail on these “. . . And a Moose!” books. And like any relationship, we are figuring each other out.
Next up: Two Astronauts . . . and a Moose!
Addendum: The “final” corrected page just came in:

True story: If it was just me, I’d bring down the word “for” to the next line, to avoid what we call the “widow” (a line with just one word) for ballet.
But I’ll stop for all concerned.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!