It’s a special day, Picture Book Builder folks! It’s pub day for the adorable TIC, TAC, AND TOE, written by my dear friend Sheri Dillard! ššš Sheri and I first met when I joined the online critique group that she was in, about fifteen years ago now. š„° I’m so excited that her newest picture book is out today, and that she has written a guest post for us. Take it away, Sheri!
Tic, Tac, and Toe are always three in a row. Whether climbing a tree or sipping tea, they are the best of friends until one day when they find a bike made for two. What will this trio do?
Itās always exciting to get a phone call from my agent. For most things, she will email or maybe text. But a phone call is usually a sign of good news.
So when I saw the call coming in from Liza, I was excited and optimistic. And I was rightāshe was calling to let me know that we had an offer from Reycraft Books for my manuscript, TIC, TAC, AND TOE. (Woohoo!)
“But thereās one curious thing,” Liza continued. “In the contract, it says, ‘early reader,’ not ‘picture book.'”
Oh!
Really?
Now, Iām a big fan of early readers. One of my biggest childhood memories is when I was in kindergarten and my teacher asked me to stand in front of the class and read THE CAT IN THE HAT. Big day! I felt so proud.
And I remember my own kids learning how to read. I watched as the simplest sentences brought smiles and even laughter. It was magic. And you could see the pride and excitement as they advanced to longer and more challenging stories.
But Iāve always considered myself to be a picture book writer, so this was curious news. I had written an early reader?
Soon after we received the offer, I met Winsome Bingham, a Reycraft editor, at our regional SCBWI conference. She wasnāt the editor of my story, but I was still excited to meet her and hear her thoughts on my book. Our conversation that day was a BIG MOMENT for me! That sounds like an exaggeration but let me explainā¦.
We talked about picture books and early readers and how the categories can overlap. āI think this might be your lane,ā she said. Then she suggested I look up the list of Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winners. I pulled it up on my phone, and on that list were some of my very favorite picture books for storytime.
In addition to being a childrenās book author, Iām also a preschool teacher/librarian. My job involves managing our schoolās book collection and having weekly storytimes in each classroom. (Love it!) The classes range from 1- and 2-year-olds up to preK and kindergarten classes. I also host regular storytimes at my local indie bookstore, and because the sessions are during the school day, my group tends to be very young.
As the years passed, I found myself drawn to certain types of picture books. The best storytime books vary for each storytime reader, of course, and there is no specific style for the perfect storytime book. But for me, I loved reading shorter texts, particularly funny books. And as I read through the titles on the award list, it occurred to me that some of the same qualities that make a successful storytime book also make a successful early reader.
Itās all about engaging the child, whether through humor, surprises, interesting facts, heartfelt emotions, impactful page turns, or a fun refrain. The same things that keep the attention of young children in a storytime can also be rewarding for a child who is practicing their reading. They are all eager for that moment that comes with the next page turn!
Iāve since looked through all my manuscripts and see that many of them āreadā like early readers. And the ones that donātāIām having fun playing with them to see if they might work that way, too. As Winsome told me that day we met, āI think this might be your lane.ā I agree!
I had the opportunity to meet my Reycraft editor, Wiley Blevins, in person, too. And not only is he a prolific writer and thoughtful editor, but he is also a Doctor of Education with a focus on literacy. How perfect is that??
I love the idea of a child hearing my book at a group storytimeāor maybe sitting in a cozy reading spot with a parent or grandparentāand then spending some time afterwards with the book on their own. They could take their time, turning the pages at their own pace, and linger on the illustrations that interest them. And maybe, just maybe, they try to read it themselves. What a big day that could be! š
Thank you so much for this fascinating look at the intersection of picture books and early readers, Sheri! And now, onto the giveaway! Leave a comment below by November 25th to enter the giveaway for a copy of TIC, TAC, AND TOE. You know it will be purr-fect for storytime!
Sheri Dillard is a childrenās author and preschool teacher/librarian, and she hosts regular storytimes at her local indie bookstore. She is the author of several picture books, including two game-inspired ones, COWHIDE-AND-SEEK and TIC, TAC, AND TOE. Sheri lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband Mark, and has three sons who are always (mostly) happy to join her for a board game or two. Find her online at sheridillard.com and on IG @sheridillard.
Thank you so much for helping me celebrate, Andrea! Writing-friends are the BEST!! XOXOXO š
Congrats & Happy Book Birthday, Sheri š»šš„³š!!!!
Thanks, Maria!! XOXOXO š
Congratulations and thank you, Sheri. It was fascinating to read your story of how this book came to be and how even an experienced writer and school librarian can be surprised to find her manuscript in a different category, with a slightly different audience than she intended. Honestly , it gave me comfort to read your post and hear that the lines between PBs and early chapter books can blur. So thank you so much, Sheri!
P.S. I also related with you on another level as I am an educator who has spent the past 12 years teaching Pre-K and K.. As an indie PB author-illustrator, Iāve done several book readings at schools, local bookstores, libraries, and book festivals. š
Congrats & Happy Book Birthday, Sheri š»šš„³š!!!!
Hooray, hooray! Happy book birthday, Sheri! Love this post & can’t wait to celebrate your new book with you!
Thanks so much, Katrina! Looking forward to it! š
Congratulations, Sheri!
Thanks, Jody!! xoxoxo š
Congratulations on your delightful book and book birthday, Sheri! I loved hearing how picture books and early readers can overlap, especially books like the ones you write which work well for a wide age span — from listeners to almost readers.
Yes, it’s so interesting to me, too! I’ve been writing PBs for YEARS, and I had never thought of it this way. Love it! š
Congratulations Sheri! These feline friends are just purr-fect for storytime!
TOE-tally š Thanks, Cathy!!
So cute! Congratulations! And thanks for the descriptions of early readers. Perfect for storytime!
Yes, I read early readers in my storytimes all the time! Love them! š
I love early readers…and yours looks adorable! I’m taught many a kid to read using them.
How wonderful! Watching a child learn to read is an amazing thing to see! š
Grateful to hear your thoughts on Early Readers and the overlap with picture books! Happy book birthday!
Thanks, Julie! It’s so fun to celebrate my book birthday here! š
Congrats, Sheri! Your book looks adorable! Loved Cowhide-and-Seek!
Yay! Thanks so much, Kim!! š
To a librarian, this is a read-aloud winner!
Ooh, that’s so fun to hear!! xoxo Thanks, Robin!! š
Congratulations! I think picture book/early reader hybrids offer lots of room for creativity. Thanks for this thought provoking post!
Yes, I think so, too! And I find that now when I’m writing with young readers in mind, I’m extra-mindful of the page turns and the idea of a good refrain, so that when a big moment is happening at the turn of the page, the young reader can just enjoy it, versus having to work to understand the text. Fun to think about! Thanks, Lynn!! š
Happy book birthday! I enjoyed reading today’s post and learning about the author’s experiences with editors as well as early readers versus picture books. I enjoy reading funny books and one of my favorites is See the Cat by LaRochelle.
Oh my goodness, I LOVE See the Cat! And See the Dog! And I just read See the Ghost at my preschool storytimes last week! So fun!! š
So cute! My granddaughters would love this! Congrats!
Thanks so much, Quinette!! š
Congrats, Sheri! This looks adorable.
Thanks, Deb!! š
Yay!!! Congratulations Sheri! This book sound adorable and I can’t wait to read it.
Yay!! Thanks so much, Deb! xoxo š
Best of luck with the new book
Thanks so much, Cindy! š
What a cute trio these three are! Love the title; love the illustrations! Congrats on your latest book.
Thanks, Marty! š
How fun! Thanks for sharing!
Thank YOU for reading! š
I enjoyed hearing about the difference between picture books and early readers! It makes me think I should look at my stories and see which ones are early readers. Congratulations!
It was such an interesting exercise for me! Have fun! š
COWHIDE-AND-SEEK is so much fun. I’m impressed that you could create such a satisfying and funny story with so few words. I’m looking forward to reading TIC, TAC, AND TOE.
Thanks, Janet! I hope you like it! š
This post is well-timed. My critique group was recently discussing how some books may fit into a different categories than we would anticipate, or even into multiple categories. We are all newbies! we noticed that our original intentions for stories may morph over time and revisions. Sometimes I am too close to my story to see where it really falls, or where it could fall with tweaks. Also there seem to be PB’s (often nf) that are aimed above the 4-8 target audience, but aren’t really early readers. It’s helpful to know that experienced writers can be surprised by interpretations of where books fit. TY for sharing!
So interesting! Thanks for sharing, Sherry! I could “talk children’s books” all day long! š
A threesome often causes problems. I canāt wait to see how Tic, Tac and Toe solve their dilemma.
Great names!
A threesome can cause problems. I canāt wait to see how Tic, Tac, and Toe solve their dilemma.
Great names!
Thanks, Tricia! š
What a great story! I taught reading in the primary grades for years. Books like this are perfect for those emergent readers. I’m interested to find out how they solve their dilemma! Congratulations!
Thanks so much, Debbie! I love the idea that one of my books might bring that big moment for a child! š
Can’t wait to read Tic, Tac, and Toe. And I love the sneak peek behind the acceptance! Congrats!
Thanks so much, Della! š
This looks adorable. You had me at the title and the characters’ names! Very clever.
Thanks, Susan! Titles and character names can be so inspiring! š