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Bunion Burt
By Marsha Hayles
Illustrated by Jack E. Davis
Margaret K. McElderry Books
November 2009
32 pages

Bunion Burt has sore feet. Everyone from Cousin Kurt to Sister Vert and even sweet sow Pert offer wacky ways to soothe his pain. But it’s up to Pappy Spurt to save the day.

The characters’ exaggerated heads and feet in the brilliant watercolor illustrations accentuate the whimsical nature of this story. My favorite illustrations are those in which the artist adds another layer which is usually humorous. Jack Davis rewards watchful eyes with the antics of a comical cat who alone keeps readers turning the pages.

Bunion Burt is a limerick story full of charm and silliness. Marsha Hayles masterfully captures the enchantment that happens when story meets verse. Children are never too young to appreciate the magic of language and they will fall in love with these wonderful words.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Weezer Changes the World
By David McPhail
Beach Lane Books
December 2009
40 pages

Weezer is a cute little dog who does normal cute little dog things until one day he gets struck by lightning and everything changes. Suddenly Weezer can do extraordinary things. Then Weezer gets sick and it is up to everyone in the world to show him what they can do to change. The watercolor illustrations are comical and engaging.

Weezer Changes the World is not so much about how one person can change the world but how everyone together can make a difference if they really want to. This simple story grabs the great big scary world by the horns and tames it for young readers. It is meant to be read again and again as young children will gain more insight with each repetition.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Tales from the Crypt #8: Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid
By Stefan Petrucha, Maia Kinney-Petrucha, John L. Lansdale, Jim Salicrup
Illustrated by Rick Parker, Miran Kim, James Romberger, Marguerite Van Cook
Papercutz 
November 2009
96 pages

This graphic novel is a collection of four stories, “Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” Parts 1 and 2, “Dielite” and “Carrier”. Each story is introduced with sick commentary from Crypt cartoon characters.

“Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid” is a zany parody of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Follow the adventures of Glugg as he is accidentally killed by his brother then returns as a zombie to haunt those who tormented him in life. The story layout is unique and the artwork is comical.

“Dielite” is a hilarious send up of Twilight. Dedward is a pathetic vampire with a hopeless crush on Lou Anne Lugosi who wishes he would just drop dead. The artwork here is detailed and extraordinary.

“Carrier” is the wacky story about Dan Warren, a truck driving, reluctant werewolf and his murderous friends. The style is classic comic book and the artwork is action-packed.

Fans of Mad Magazine will love this book. Once they read it, middle school age boys will be hooked on the Tales from the Crypt series. Caution: You could die laughing.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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American Girl is a bimonthly, four-color magazine for girls ages 8 and up.  American Girl readers are girls in the formative years, girls who dream big dreams.  We hope to encourage that dreaming and to reinforce each reader’s self-confidence, curiosity, and self-esteem as she
prepares to navigate adolescence in the years ahead.  Our lead time is approximately six to nine months.

Fiction
We’re looking for contemporary fiction up to 2,300 words. The protagonist should be a girl between 8 and 12 who captures the hopes,  thoughts, and emotions unique to that precarious age between childhood and teenager.  We look for top quality writing and thoughtfully
developed characters and plots.  Stories should engage readers quickly and have a satisfying conclusion.  We are always looking for humor and seasonal stories. We don’t publish science fiction, romance, or horror stories.

Nonfiction
We’re looking for individual girls or groups who are doing something other girls would love to read and learn about.  Find a topic about which girls are passionate.  Past pieces have featured synchronized swimmers, rhythmic gymnasts, ballerinas, and girl bands.  Some of our most successful pieces are sports-related, but that doesn’t mean we won’t consider other contemporary topics or profiles.  Look for new twists on familiar topics.  Please send queries rather than finished manuscripts.

Girls Express
This section offers the most opportunities for freelance writers.  We’re looking for short profiles of girls who are into sports, the arts, interesting hobbies, cultural activities, and other areas. We are also looking for true stories about girls who have had unusual experiences.  The girl must be the “star” and the story must be from her point of view. Be sure to include the age of the girls you’re pitching to us.  Let us know if you have any photo leads.  We also welcome how-to
stories: how to send away for free things, hot ideas for a cold day, or how to write the President and get a response.  Stories should be no more than 150 words. In addition, we’re looking for easy crafts and recipes that can be explained in a few simple steps, ideas for contests, and current products and trends for girls to review.

Craft and Cooking
We welcome original craft and cooking ideas that are new and exciting to our readers. Projects should require limited parental involvement and supplies should be inexpensive and readily available.  Keep in mind the skill level of our readers.  Safety is a priority. Query with a short
explanation of the project and an example, photograph, or sketch.

Brain Waves
We’re looking for visual puzzles, mazes, math puzzles, word games, simple crosswords, cartoons, and other ideas. Seasonal ideas are especially welcome.

Sample Issues
American Girl costs $4.95 per issue at the newsstand and is available in many children’s bookstores. To get a sample copy, send a check for $5.95 made out to American Girl. Please include your mailing address.

Payment: $500 minimum for stories; $300 minimum for articles

Rights:  FNASR (first North American serial rights)

How to Submit
All queries and requests for sample magazines should be addressed to:
Magazine Department Assistant
American Girl
8400 Fairway Place
Middleton, WI  53562-2554

Please Note
American Girl cannot reply or return a manuscript unless you enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. Please allow 12 weeks for a reply.

For more information go to Writers Guidelines.

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Kung Fu Kitty
By Lauri Bortz
Illustrated by Marianne Nowottny
Abaton Book Company 
September 2009
112 pages

In the Monkey Kingdom, all cats live as slaves of the monkeys. Wu Zhua was born with five claws into a family of six-clawed cats. The Monkey King denounces her and demands she be drowned. Her mother, Ma Mao cannot bear to see her special kitten destroyed. With the help of Zhi Shui Zhi Shen, the Water God, she sends Wu Zhua upriver to live with the exiled Monkey Princess Shuang Wei who was banished for her own particular deformity. Wu Zhua and Shuang Wei live together like sisters for many years until one day the Monkey King becomes ill. Shuang Wei is called upon to fulfill her duties as Heir to the throne.

The sudden calling thrusts Wu Zhua and Shuang Wei back into the Monkey Kingdom where monkeys and cats are not friends. They are master and slave and Wu Zhua’s master is the Princess. Wu Zhua learns the truth about her past and the plight of the oppressed cats and kittens. Zhi Shui Zhi Shen makes an unusual return appearance and shows Wu Zhua the path to her destiny. Must Wu Zhua go to war with Shuang Wei in order to liberate the cat kingdom?

Based on the story of Exodus, Kung Fu Kitty illuminates a different way to achieve courage and strength. Bortz has created a mystical tale – in more ways than one – of self-discovery and friendship. Wu Zhua will pounce into the hearts of readers. Nowottny’s black and white drawings add just the right amount of Chinese flavor to spice this up into an original and appealing graphic novel.
 
As an added bonus, this book comes with a DVD. The video presentation of the story is narrated by Lauri Bortz. It stars four talented live cats, a horde of mischievous stuffed monkeys, and eye-popping special effects. Altogether this makes a uniquely charming package.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas
By Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills
Illustrated by Wilson Swain
Chronicle Books
October 2009
40 pages

When Fritz Stahlbaum breaks his sister’s favorite nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve, his parents take away his favorite video game, Mouse Hunter 5000. Adding insult to injury the rest of the family rushes off to see the Nutcracker ballet and the boring neighbor Mr. Drosselmeier comes to babysit. But Fritz sneaks off, unlocks the toy closet and plays with his video game anyway. And that’s when the real adventure begins. Can Fritz defeat the Mouse King and save Christmas?

Wilson Swain’s illustrations are reminiscent of Tim Burton’s animations and contain dialogue banners and humorous character antics that add layers of fun to the action-packed story.

This book also comes with a CD which includes the audiobook of the story plus fun, sing-along songs from the hit musical “A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas”.

A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas is part Nutcracker, part Night Before Christmas, part Year Without Santa Claus, all rolled into one wacky adventure kids will read again and again. This has all the makings of a Christmas classic.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Toy Story Storybook with 3-D Viewer
By Disney/Pixar
Reader’s Digest Children’s Books
September 2009
24 pages

The two stories in this book are based on the films, Toy Story and Toy Story 2. In the first story Woody the cowboy is worried that the new toy Buzz Lightyear will become Andy’s favorite. But when Sid the evil neighbor kid steals Buzz, Woody comes to the rescue. In the second story Andy rips Woody’s arm by accident and winds up at the yard sale. Al the toy collector steals him but Buzz sees the whole thing and pulls off a daring rescue. While Toy Story is a huge favorite with kids these stories contain too much exposition and not enough dialogue. They seem more like plot synopses than stories. Older readers (ages 8-10) will appreciate the action sequences more than younger children.

The book comes with a 3-D viewer and 3-D image cards. The viewer is difficult to remove from the book and can easily be damaged in the process. There is no pocket in front of the book to keep the cards. The 3-D images are fun to look at and add much detail to the stories. However they are small and must be viewed in bright light.

This is an attractive book with popular characters children love. Its most redeeming quality is that it’s designed to be read to a child while he watches the images in the viewer, which sets it apart from other novelty books and makes it a suitable gift.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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At U.S. Kids we’re always in need of high-quality stories, articles, and activities with a broad health and fitness focus that includes kids’ emotional lives, interests, and educational needs. We offer our readers material in a variety of formats: fiction, nonfiction, poems, puzzles, crafts, recipes, games, and activities.

We are most interested in wholesome, positive, lighthearted, and well-written pieces that encourage and educate our readers and, in the words of our mission statement, promote their “healthy physical, educational, creative, social, and emotional growth in a format that is engaging, stimulating, and entertaining at each stage of development.” Although our emphasis is on health, we certainly use material with more general themes, including holiday and seasonal poems. Please avoid reference to sugary foods, such as candy, cakes, cookies, and soft drinks. Please send seasonal material at least eight months in advance.

Turtle Magazine for Preschool Kids (ages 3-5):
We are accepting short fiction stories (350 words or less); nonfiction activities that introduce and reinforce measuring, counting, reading, nature, simple science, etc. (200 words or less); poems (4-12 lines); short rebuses (100 words or less); easy recipes; crafts; and finger plays/action rhymes (250 words or less).

Humpty Dumpty’s Magazine (ages 5-7):
We are accepting poems (4-12) lines; crafts; recipes; activities; rebuses; and simple, age-appropriate fiction and nonfiction of no more than 450 words.

Jack and Jill (ages 8-12):
We are accepting queries and full manuscripts for fiction, nonfiction, poems, puzzles, crafts, and activities. Fiction and nonfiction should not exceed 700 words. Poems should be no more than 30 lines. We are especially interested in profiles of regular kids in our age group who are engaged in unusual, challenging, or interesting activities. No celebrity pieces.

Payment
Turtle & Humpty Dumpty: up to 35¢/word
Jack and Jill: up to 25¢ a word
Poetry: $25 to $50
Photos: $15.00 minimum
Puzzles and games: $25 minimum

Rights: All rights

How to Submit: By mail to U.S.Kids, P.O. Box 567, Indianapolis, IN 46206

U.S. Kids Submission Guidelines

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Should, Could, and Would
By Kel Thompson, Casey Thompson, Charlotte Thompson
Illustrated by Rebecca A Lowe
Tate Publishing 
November 2009
24 pages

Should, Could, and Would are three little gnomes who live in a house on a rock. But they aren’t happy gnomes because they fight a lot. Together they set out on a hike to find the Knowing Gnome. Will he be able to help them find the happiness they seek?

Should, Could, and Would tackles the tough issue of how to get along well with others. This is a delightfully simple story that shows very young children how to change bad feelings into good feelings. The colorful, detailed illustrations contribute to pre-schoolers’ understanding of the concept of a positive attitude.

As a special added bonus, in the back of the book there’s a coupon code which can be redeemed at the publisher’s website for a free download of the audio book.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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