RhyPiBoMo (Rhyming Picture Book Month) announces:
The Best in Rhyme Top 20 RPBs for 2015
(listed in no particular order)
Circus Train
By Jennifer Cole Judd
Melanie Matthews (Illustrator)
Two Lions Press/April 2015
City Kitty Cat
By Steve Webb
Magali Le Huche (illustrator)
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books/June 2015
Duddle Puck
By Karma Wilson
Marcellus Hall (Illustrator)
McElderry Books/August 2015
Everybody Sleeps (But Not Fred)
By Josh Schneider
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/April 2015
Interstellar Cinderella
By Deborah Underwood
Meg Hunt (Illustrator)
Chronicle/May 2015
It’s Only Stanley
By Jon Agee
Dial/March 2015
Jampires
By Sarah McIntyre and David O’Connell
David Fickling UK, Scholastic US/June 2015
Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast
By Josh Funk
Brendan Kearney (Illustrator)
Sterling/September 2015
Monkey and Duck Quack Up
By Jennifer Hamburg
Edwin Fotheringham (illustrator)
Scholastic Press/February 2015
Monster Needs Your Vote
By Paul Czajak
Wendy Grieb (Illustrator)
Mighty Media/September 2015
Monster Trouble!
By Lane Fredrickson
Michael Robertson (Illustrator)
Sterling/September 2015
Outer Space Bedtime Race
By Rob Sanders
Brian Won (Illustrator)
Random House Books for Young Readers/January 2015
Pirate’s Lullaby: Mutiny at Bedtime
By Marcie Wessels
Tim Bowers (Illustrator)
Doubleday/August, 2015
Smick!
By Doreen Cronin
Juana Medina (Illustrator)
Viking Books for Young Readers/February 2015
Snoozefest
By Samantha Berger
Kristyna Litten (Illustrator)
Dial Books/January 2015
Spots in a Box
By Helen Ward
Templar/Bonnier/February 2015
Stick and Stone
By Beth Ferry
Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/April 2015
There Was An Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight
By Penny Parker Klostermann
Ben Mantle (Illustrator)
Random House/August 2015
What About Moose?
By Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez
Keika Yamaguchi (Illustrator)
Atheneum/June 2015
Sharing The Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story
By Pat Zietlow Miller
Jill McElmurry (Illustrator)
Schwartz & Wade/September 2015
We will narrow the list to the top 10 with the winner and honor books named at the Best in Rhyme Award Ceremony on December 4th at KidLit TV HQ in NYC!
| By Angie Karcher |
Raise your hand if you have heard one or more of these comments.
“Don’t write in rhyme.”
“We don’t accept rhyming manuscripts.”
“Rhyme doesn’t sell.”
“Rhyme is difficult to translate into foreign markets.”
“Oh…you write rhyming picture books…” smirk.
Okay, now raise your hand if you have heard all of these comments.
My hand is up too!
If you are reading this you must be as hard-headed as I am.
I like to call it passionate, but honestly, there is a bit of bull-headedness in my genes as well. I write rhyming picture books and poetry because it is in my soul. I feel the rhythm of the piece before I even put down the words. I sit for hours searching for the perfect rhyming word, as if doing a jigsaw puzzle. It is a challenging, game-like activity that I thrive on… even though it is frustrating to hear that I shouldn’t write it.
I know why the professionals say what they say.
It is because they receive forests worth of unprofessional, simplistic, non-picture book quality rhyme. A rhyming poem is not a picture book. A rhyming story must have all the qualities of a picture book plus…the meter and rhyme must be perfection!
What goes into a Rhyming Picture Book:
Hook, plot, tension, peak moment, main character solves the problem, satisfying ending, heartwarming story, read-it-out-loud-ability, clever multiple-syllabic rhyming words, something that brings them back, alliteration, consonance, assonance, repetition, internal rhyme, onomatopoeia, lyrical language, humor, universal theme
If you are writing RPBs that contain these pieces of the puzzle then keep at it!
Please notice that I only mention the word rhyming once.
That is because the rhyme is only one piece of a very large, complicated puzzle. ONE piece.
If a writer puts the above mentioned poetic techniques in a picture book, the agent or editor know that it is intentional. He/she knows the writer is a professional who has studied poetry and has an understanding of the genre. This is the rhyming manuscript they desire, search for and publish.
So…let’s write what will actually get into the hands of our readers!
Therefore, I am hosting the RPB Revolution Conference in New York City on December 5th!
This is NOT your typical poetry conference!
This is a REVOLUTION!
Join us at the KidLit TV Studio for this revolutionary conference on how to write a rhyming picture book. You will NOT find a conference anywhere with this desired information! This is a very small conference so don’t wait to register as space is limited. Click HERE for more information and to register.
RPB Revolution Conference Faculty and Schedule:
8:45 – 9:00
Author Angie Karcher
Welcome and RPB Revolution Declaration
9:00 – 10:15
Author Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and Agent Rachel Orr
Reject: What’s NOT working in RPB manuscripts.
10:30 – 11:45
Author Lori Degman and Agent Kendra Marcus
Revolt: The story and meter MUST be perfection!
11:45 – 1:30 Lunch
1:30 – 2:45
Author Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Editor Rebecca Davis
Rules: Poetic techniques and lyrical language
3:00 – 4:15
Author Karma Wilson and Editor Justin Chanda
Rewards: The heart of the story brings them back!
4:30 – 6:00
Hosted by Author Corey Rosen Schwartz
Agent and Editor Schmooze
The Rhyming Picture Book Revolution Weekend 2015 is marching into New York City
December 4th-6th!
On the evening of Friday, December 4th, we will be announcing the 2015 Best In Rhyme at an exclusive award ceremony. This is a red carpet, live streaming announcement of the best Rhyming Picture Book of 2015, nominated and voted on by Angie Karcher’s RhyPiBoMo (Rhyming Picture Book Month) group, which consists of over 400 serious rhymers. One winner and several honor books will be awarded. Thanks to KidLitTV and Julie Gribble for hosting this exciting award ceremony. It will be fabulous!
Saturday, December 5th
The RPB Revolution Conference.
Join us if you write rhyming picture books and poetry!
Sunday, December 6, 2015
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Don’t miss this book signing from our conference faculty authors. They will participate in a panel discussion, read and sign their latest rhyming picture books.
Don’t miss this chance to meet these amazing authors!
Books of Wonder Book Store
18 W 18th St,
New York, NY 10011
This is a great list! Several are favorites in our house and some are on our to-be-read list. Congratulations to all those nominated.
Thx so much Stacy! We are thrilled to have so many lovely RPBs to celebrate!
Super list! I’m happy to say, I only needed to add three to my to-read list to be complete! :)
Thx Juliana! There are some serious contenders for the 2015 BEST IN RHYME AWARD!
This is a wonderful collection of writing…and illustration!
Can someone recommend some publishers who are accepting rhyming picture book manuscripts from unrepresented authors?
Holly, perhaps this information can be of help? http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2015/9/28/five-literary-agents-looking-for-picture-book-submissions-no.html
So many friends on this list! Talented group! Congrats to all!
Yes Carrie! This list is full of MUST READ mentor texts for rhymers!
So many great authors on this list! Yay everyone!
Awesome list!! Congrats to all those hard-working rhymers out there! It’s not easy, but when it’s done well – it’s wonderful! I am even more excited that I know several of the authors on this list, so now I get to do a big shout-out for them for all those times they were probably told not to rhyme and that rhyming doesn’t sell! Yay!!!
What a great list. So happy to see STICK and STONE and MONSTER NEEDS YOUR VOTE.