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| SMART PIGGY'S NEWSLETTER By Audrey Wood Compiled by Heath Uliasz April 1999 Issue #3 Dear Friends, DON WOOD IS DEAD!------------------------APRIL FOOLS! Good news, Don Wood is not dead and we are not getting a divorce! Whenever there is a publishing break between our books, believe it or not, rumors such as the above abound. I recently received a concerned letter from a teacher who had to know, but tried to put it delicately. In his words; "Is Don Wood well? Someone told me he had been in the hospital. Did he recover from his illness? Should I send flowers?" Right now Don is working on our next "Don and Audrey" book, but don't hold your breath -- he hasn't even shown it to our publishers yet. It will be over a year before it's finished and out on the shelves. -AW ********************************************************************** HOW LONG TO ILLUSTRATE? How long does it take Don to illustrate a book? Our book HECKEDY PEG took Don 2-1/2 years. Most books take a solid year to finish and one year to print. ********************************************************************** PUBLISHING = PATIENCE! Our advice to aspiring authors and illustrators! When you're dealing with the book publishing industry, cultivate one word as your personal mantra -- Patience. *********************************************************************** SMART PIGGY'S AWARD GOES TO: Tonya McCormick of Nevada, Iowa for her suggestion to create a NAPPING HOUSE activity page. We used her idea to help make our new activity page in the CLUBHOUSE. *********************************************************************** NEW NAPPING HOUSE ACTIVITY PAGE! Children can find and count the different shapes on THE NAPPING HOUSE, then color the page in. To get to this page enter the CLUBHOUSE and click on the "Parents and Teachers" link or the "Fan Bag" link, then click on the "Fun Activities" link. Now click on the "Find-A-Shape" link. Download and print out the copies you need. *********************************************************************** FROM BOOKS TO MOVIES! Did you know that there are movies made from some of our books? You may find them in your local video store. To find out which books were made into movies: Go to the CLUBHOUSE page and click on the smiling "TOP SECRET" book. When you arrive at the "Secrets" page, click on the link that says "More Secrets" (at the bottom right-hand side of page). Once you are on the "More Secrets" page, click on the picture of Shelly Duvall. *********************************************************************** IT'S SPRING! TIME FOR BIRD WATCHING! In the book that Robert Florczak and I created, BIRDSONG, you can discover many American birds and read about the interesting calls they make. To learn how to create your own birdsong field guide: Go to the CLUBHOUSE page and click on the "Meet The Artists" link. When you arrive at the "Meet The Artists" page, click on Robert Florczak's name. From the Robert Florczak home page, click on the link that says "Create a Field Guide." Happy Bird Watching!! BIRDSONG has just been selected as a nominee for the Kansas Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award of the Kansas Reading Association. This year the KRA has chosen a list of 11 books for 1998 nominees. ********************************************************************** EXERCISE YOUR CHILD'S IMAGINATION! Cut a picture of a person out of a magazine. Paste it on a piece of paper or in a notebook. Check out a baby naming book or list. Name your character. Try to choose a name that fits the way the character might act or look. Use your imagination. Write down everything you think your character likes. Then write down everything he or she hates. Next write a story about your character using some of the ideas you wrote on your list. Have fun! ********************************************************************* INSIDER'S TIP: SUBMITTING YOUR STORY TO A PUBLISHER! If it's a picture book, and you are the author, don't send in your best friend's art, no matter how great he or she is. Editors like to pair first time writers with illustrators who are known. ********************************************************************* INTERESTING QUESTION! "When writing a children's book, what impact do you hope it will have on the children who read it?" -Denise Fox Reinhardt College Waleska, GA My job as an author is to engage the minds and imaginations of my readers. My hope is that the child will become one with the book she is experiencing, that the rigid boundaries between fantasy and reality will dissolve. Hopefully, the child will lose herself completely in the story. If a child believes a book I've written is hers not mine, then I've succeeded. -AW ********************************************************************* CONTEST!!!!!!!!! DON'T MISS OUT! Each month we will be having a contest. This month one lucky person will win a free autographed book. To enter the contest go to the CLUBHOUSE (www.audreywood.com) and click on the "Contest" banner. If you answer the question correctly you will be entered into a random drawing. The winner will be drawn at the end of the month. Good Luck! *********************************************************************** KING BIDGOOD'S OK!! Thanks from King Bidgood for all of your wonderful letters and art work. The man (Harold Bidgood) who modeled for the King in our book KING BIDGOOD'S IN THE BATHTUB will be released from the hospital soon so no more letters can be sent. Thanks to you and his fantastic doctors Mr. Bidgood's recovery has been a "near miracle." ************************************************************ TEACHERS - SLICE A PIECE OF SWEET DREAM PIE! Scholastic has just released the latest picture-book that Mark Teague and I have done together in a limited edition paperback. SWEET DREAM PIE is available in this new format through the school market. They have also released a wonderfully narrated audio cassette. Both can be purchased separately through Scholastic Book Club. To learn how Mark Teague and I created SWEET DREAM PIE visit the CLUBHOUSE at www.audreywood.com. From the CLUBHOUSE click on the "Meet The Artists" link. Once you arrive at the "Meet The Artists" page, then click on the "Mark Teague" link. ************************************************************ NEW SUBSCRIBERS! If you would like to check out past Smart Piggy's Newsletters, go to the CLUBHOUSE and click on the "Parents and Teachers" link or the "Fan Bag" link, then click on "Smart Piggy's Newsletter Past Issues" link. *********************************************************************** AUTOGRAPHED BOOKPLATE OFFER! For free bookplates- see past issue #1 in the "Smart Piggy's Newsletter Past Issues" page located in the "Parents and Teachers" section and the "Fan Bag" section of the CLUBHOUSE. *********************************************************************** Keep your questions and suggestions coming! Warmest Regards, Audrey Wood |
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