Book Review: URBAN ANIMALS, by Isabel Hill

Urban Animals, by Isabel Hill

Published by Starbright Books 2009

For all ages

ISBN 978-1-59572-209-6

This review courtesy of NetGalley.com.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.



A photo picturebook, Urban Animals is a visually attractive collection of animal motifs used in urban architecture. The author/photographer does a fine job of inviting the reader into a world most adults (and probably children, too) pass obliviously through, reminding us all of the simple wonders that remain hidden in plain sight.

Each "creature" is introduced in a pair of photographs, a longer shot and a close-up, with simple, playful and informative rhyme that can be easily read by most younger readers. Often, the term for the architectural structure that the animal adorns is also provided. Rounding out the book is a glossary of architectural terms included in the text and a list of the buildings photographed along with their addresses in and around New York City.

The book accomplishes much, and so it succeeds on several levels. Educators will find it a wonderful introduction to architectual terms. For rural students, it's a nice way to point out contrasts, while for city kids a great reminder of the "wildlife" around them. The simple rhyming text shows how poetry can be used in conjunction with more "prosaic" themes.

This is not, however, a story book, so those seeking a tale won't find one here.

A couple observations:

The rhyming meter doesn't always work, but this is a minor consideration and doesn't detract from the book's other qualities.

I also found the glossary could have been made a little user-friendly, as I initially mistook the number associated with each term to represent the number of the page on which they appear. They don't. Again, a minor issue, but one that some children might also find confusing.

In summary, Urban Animals is sure to delight children while piquing their curiosity and educating them, all at the same time.


This review is also posted on the Amazon product page here.

December Monthly Rejection Roundup

Happy 2011!

OK, so still no news on the YA undergoing developmental edits. Expected to hear back by middle of Dec, but not surprised when I didn't, this being the holiday season. Even twitter has been quiet.

Some exciting news. Different MS that I'd thought was a no-go with another house turns out to still be alive and well. Reader report returned as very favorable. Editor requested revisions, which will be done end of Jan. So, I get to take that one off the R list and put it back in the active list.

Also, subbed a third YA to the Delacorte. Slim chance, but just getting it polished really improved it and brought out some great new tropes.

Not many R's; everyone's taking the holiday to catch up on important stuff, I guess. Like being with family.

Total manuscripts out: 16
Unique PB titles: 11
> New subs this month: 0
Unique MG/YA titles: 3
> New subs this month: 1

Total rejections: 1
Form/No response means "No": 1
> Personal*: 0
> Positive: 0
> Negative: 0
* anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 0
Partials: 0
Fulls: 1

Offers: 0
PB: 0
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 4.2

Change from last month: +0.4

OK, so radio-silence on the one YA, but a +0.2 after hearing back on another I thought was dead, plus a +0.2 on a new sub I'm very optimistic about.

2011 has got to be the year.

November's Monthly Rejection Roundup

Happy December, everyone. Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving.

YA book is undergoing developmental edits. Should hear back in a couple weeks. Yay!

Agent Two also rejected the MS, citing exactly what I thought was the reason Agent One gave me the R: publisher is small and likely not to budge much on terms. Double Phooey. Had hoped not to have to review and negotitate the contract alone (well, if it comes to that).

No new subs out. Nearly halfway through writing my YA fantasy (no, it's NOT not for NaNoWriMo!).

As always, most of the "rejects" are actually "no responses" on old subs.

Total manuscripts out: 16
Unique PB titles: 11
> New subs this month: 0
Unique MG/YA titles: 1
> New subs this month: 0

Total rejections: 5
Form/No response means "No": 4
Personal: 1
> Positive: 1
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 0
Partials: 0
Fulls: 0

Offers: 0
PB: 0
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 3.8

Change from last month: +0.1

Getting excited to hear back from publisher, tempered of course by the constant radio-silence on all my other subs. Looks like January will be another round of subs. So hate to do this after NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo Wondering if I should put on the envelope: "This is not a product of NaNoWriMo."

Hoping for an early Christmas.

October's Monthly Rejection Roundup

November already? Sent requested revisions back to publisher on my YA. Agent One replied with a turn down. :( Possibly because the publisher is small and likely not to budge much negotiating terms. Phooey. Still waiting on the other agent.

One new sub out. Dumped trying to outline my new dystopian (well, my old dystopian than I'm now getting back to) and started outlining a fantasy (not for NaNoWriMo).

Most of the "rejects" are actually "no responses" on old subs. Et... voila:

Total manuscripts out: 21
Unique PB titles: 13
> New subs this month: 1
Unique MG/YA titles: 2
> New subs this month: 0

Total rejections: 13
Form/No response means "No": 11
Personal: 2
> Positive: 2
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 0
Partials: 0
Fulls: 0

Offers: 0
PB: 0
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 3.7

Change from last month: +/-0

No change, even though I had to mark off nearly a dozen MS's as rejects due to no response (hate that) and even got a reject on one PB after a couple rounds of revisions; but positive news with publisher interested in my YA, so still in "wait and see" mode. Also, it's Thanksgiving month. Gotta be happy for that.

Will November will be the month?

ETA Dec 1, 2010: how did this not get published? Must have saved as a draft. Oh well. Better late than never.

September's Monthly Rejection RoundUp

Well, yet another month has passed. Still waiting to hear from two agents. Finished upgrading my MG to YA (publisher requested revisions); just letting it sit for a few days before I go back and polish. Plan to send it to the Publisher by middle of October. Same MS is also being used to teach editing and revision at a major university's lit program this fall! Exciting. More details to follow. Also finished revisions on a second YA and critting my reading partner's MS.

No new subs out as I've been focused on revisions and outlining my new dystopian (well, my old dystopian than I'm now getting back to). Most of the "rejects" are actually "no responses" on old subs. Et... voila:

Total manuscripts out: 34
Unique PB titles: 20
> New subs this month: 3
Unique MG/YA titles: 2
> New subs this month: 0

Total rejections: 20
Form/No response means "No": 16
Personal: 2
> Positive: 2
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 0
Partials: 0
Fulls: 0

Offers: 0
PB: 0
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 3.7

Change from last month: +/-0

No change, even though I had to mark off a lot of MS's as rejects due to no response and even got a reject on one PB after a couple rounds of revisions; but positive news with publisher interested in my YA, so feels a lot like "wait and see."

Crossed fingers that October will be the month.

August Rejection Roundup

Wow, is it September already tomorrow? Where did August go?

Actually, August was a pretty good month, all-in-all, even though it's still quiet. I finally got word back on an tween novel from a superstar agent; though she declined, she really liked it and offered some ideas on how to revise it and asked to see other material (which I took advantage of). The very next day, I got an email from a publisher on the same MS saying they were very excited about it and suggested only one very minor revision and would I be interested in revising and resending? You bet I would! Also, sent in two novels to fantastic agent who loved a PB I'd sent.

Not a lot of new subs out (only 3), but the ratio of personal positive rejections to forms is very good (3 personals:4 forms), so I'm pretty happy about that. Here be les numéros:

Total manuscripts out: 54
Unique PB titles: 24
> New subs this month: 3
Unique MG/YA titles: 2
> New subs this month: 0

Total rejections: 7
Form/No response means "No": 4
Personal: 3
> Positive: 3
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 3
Partials: 0
Fulls: 3

Offers: 0
PB: 0
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 3.7

Change from last month: +1.2

Even though August was a quiet month (everyone still getting over the summer conference schedule and back-to-school), the positive feedback more than made up for it.

Hope to be back next month with good news.

July's Rejection Roundup

Back by popular demand, the Rejection Roundup. I've decided to go once a month as things have been moving ve-e-e-e-ry slowly this summer.

I reported in my last post that I'd turned down an offer to pub one of my PBs. Since then, I've subbed a bunch more (over 30 new subs went out). Here be los nombres:

Total manuscripts out: 54
Unique PBs: 23
> New subs this month: 36
Unique MG/YA: 2
> New subs this month: 0

Total rejections: 15
Form: 12
Personal: 3
> Positive: 3
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 0
Partials: 0
Fulls: 0

Offers: 0
PB: 0
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 2.5

Change from last month: +1.7

(Last month was a low point, but I'm convinced I made the right decision. +0.5 for that. Another +2.0 for getting out another 30+ subs. -0.5 for not hearing anything back from anyone. IS EVERYONE AT CONFERENCES? Also, -0.3 for not going to #LA10SCBWI)

Been a busy month with the kids, too, so I'm not feeling I got much writing done. Once the kids go back to school, that'll change.

Weekly Rejection Roundup

Okay, skipped another week, but that's because I have a good excuse. really. I do.

After the excitement of getting my first contract on a PB, the past two weeks have been rather quite the downer. That's because I turned the offer down. I'll explain why tomorrow. Anyway, here're the nombres:

Total manuscripts out: 33
Unique PBs: 17
> New subs this week: 0
Unique MG/YA: 2
> New subs this week: 0

Total rejections: 2
Form: 2
Personal: 0*
> Positive: 0
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 0
Partials: 0
Fulls: 0

Offers: 0
PB: 0
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 0.8

Change from last week: -3.5

(-2.0 for what I went through that led to my declining the PB offer; -0.2 for the form rejects; -2.3 for having whooping cough and not getting anything done; -1.0 for not having written a damn thing for the last month)

Barely managing to stay on the plus side of total apathy. If I don't get some positive news or accomplish something positive in the next few days, I'm really not going to be that nice to be around.

Just sayin'.

Weekly Rejection Roundup

Erm, actually, this would be the Semi-Weekly Roundup. After a week at the Happiest Place on Earth, I returned with a nasty case of whooping cough. Four days straight in bed and saved only by prescription-strength cough medicine. I feel funny....

A rather up and down two weeks. And, no, I'm not just talking about the rides at California Adventure. Here's the tally (pay attention this time, because there's NEWS):

Total manuscripts out: 35
Unique PBs: 18
> New subs this week: 0
Unique MG/YA: 2
> New subs this week: 0

Total rejections: 7
Form: 5
Personal: 2*
> Positive: 2
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total manuscript requests: 0
Partials: 0
Fulls: 0

Offers: 1
PB: 1
Novel: 0

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 4.3

Change from last week: +1.1

(-0.5 for the five form rejects; +0.2 for the nice personal rejects; -2.3 for having whooping cough and not getting anything done; +3.7 for getting an offer)

Woot!

Paradigm Shifts - Epilogue

I'm always amazed whenever the subject of paradigm shifts comes up, people seem to be in one of three camps: there are those who are aware and open to the idea of the "book" evolving, those who seem, by virtue of their knee-jerk reaction to decry it, and finally those who seem to think this is old news.

Some comments from Absolute Write members my post on the subject:

Quote: Originally Posted by JudScotKev
I think people love to shriek about one medium REPLACING another, but in reality that doesn't often happen. True, TV makes more money than radio, but people are still listening. Even in the iPod age, radios are still included in every new car.

My first graders love a website called starfall.com that has interactive books. But I've never had a single student complain about "real" books. They LOVE picture books. They LOVE reading. AND they love video games.

My son has an iPod Touch, an Xbox, a PS2, and satellite TV. And he reads every day, over 2 million words this year alone. He will actually turn off the TV to read.

I don't think it's a competition. I think it's a smorgasbord of choices. Some stories and activities work well in one medium; some work better in another.

Personally, I thank my lucky stars I'm alive in an age that gives me Google, iTunes and Harry Potter, all at once.

My response:
I hope my post didn't come across as alarmist. In fact, my intent was not to bemoan the evolutiontoion, but to 1) celebrate the changes we're seeing and 2) to inform and encourage providers of children's content to think beyond the printed word (and, as I've blogged about before in the case of picture books, the illustrated page). I don't think anyone can deny that information content is reaching us in new and varied ways; our children will have access to more knowledge brought to them in more forms than we enjoyed as children. This is a good thing. But as providers of content, we must evolve as well in order to stay relevant.

Anecdotal claims to the contrary aside, these new forms do compete with one another for our attention. To put it in modern terms, it's about bandwith. Believe it or not, our ability to take in information is limited, and when the preferential mechanism for doing so shifts, it does so at the expense of something else. This is not a bad thing, but it is real. And while I do believe (and have consistently stated in the past) that traditional forms of the book will be with us for a long time to come, we cannot simply recite History and claim that these new paradigms won't change anything. That is simply naive.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ineti
I think it's pretty much a given, and business as usual. Books compete against movies, television, video games, and plenty of other forms of entertainment. Electronic readers that can do color and sound and so on are just the latest hotness. Some new technological marvel will come out, and print books will have to continue to compete. Nothing really earth-breaking here.

My response:
It's a disservice to those new to the business, as well as veterans firmly entrenched in traditional written forms, to understate the significance of the phenomenon by implying only earth-shattering events warrant notice. The evolution of literature, and especially children's content, is an on-going process. It's not something that happened at some point in the past and we've moved on from, but rather something that is happening and continues to happen. Children's lit is especially susceptible to flux as its forms are so varied, from picturebooks and videos to GNs to novels; children today are much more keyed into digital (NOT, I firmly believe, at the exclusion of analogue), which means that they are actively seeking content in these forms. It is our responsibility to meet those expectations.

A thorough read of my blog would have shown that it's not a call to arms against change, but a call to embrace changes, to broaden our horizons as content providers and to stretch those boundaries.

Weekly Rejection Roundup

Happy Mother's Day!

A good week, all in all. Here's the tally:

Total manuscripts out: 47
Unique PBs: 21
> New subs this week: 4
Unique MG/YA: 2
> New subs this week: 1

Total rejections: 2
Form: 2
Personal: 0*
> Positive: 0
> Negative: 0
* meaning anything that directly references my submission by more than title

Total requests: 3
Partials: 2
Fulls: 1 (YA)

Mood Meter (on a scale of -5 to +5 with -5 being downright rotten and +5 being ecstatic): 3.3

Change from last week: +0.1

Feel like I'm gaining momentum.

Everything I Know About Writing, I Learned in Kindergarten

Here's a challenge: write a story in 600 words or less, one that'll make me laugh or cry (or, even better, make me do both in quick succession). One with fully developed characters, a mature plot and a complete story arc. And then make it the kind of story I'll want to read six dozen times in as many nights, laughing or crying each and every time.

That's what makes writing a good children's picture book so challenging.

It's also what has helped me become a better novelist. No writer agonizes over every single word - not just the meaning and appropriateness of the word, but the sound of the word as well - as the writer of the successful picture book. No author is so attuned to the melody of a story, the tightness of the plot, the bare essentials-yet-completeness of the characters.

Now, to be honest, I don't give my novels the same level of scrutiny as I do my picture book manuscripts. It would be impossible to finish anything if I did. But the habits I learned in writing picture books have conditioned me to more readily recognize weaknesses in my longer works, to listen to the sounds of the language, to write tightly.

Writing is, to mangle a phrase, ten percent inspiration and ninety percent constipation. We all know how hard it is to produce good writing. For me, developing the skills and habits to write a good picture book has helped (ahem) loosen the process of writing novels.

And if you don't believe me that shorter is harder, then why is it so damn difficult to synopsize your novel in just a few pithy sentences? Well, PBs are pretty much like that.

PB Writers and Agent Angst

Sometimes we do things that don't make much business sense. Sometimes business exists despite this. Or, perhaps, it exists in part because there are those who dare to buck what the pros say.

Picture book writers often operate, and even flourish, using practices that seem at odds with the market, such as ignoring trends and working without an agent. Why? Passion is the most obvious reason. But there are other practical reasons for not seeking the services of an agent. First, so few take on new PBs writers. Second, most that do, won't rep the whole body of a PB writer's work, opting to push books that they have a strong connection with themselves. Third, I've heard many writers complain that agents try to drive them into writing only on certain topics. Some PB writers don't operate well under such constraints - or won't.

Those are only a few of the reasons.

To get a sense for the firestorm Caren Johnson Agency's Elana Roth's Thursday post about the relationship between agents and PB writers has caused (which I responded to yesterday here), check out this thread at Verla Kay's Children's Writers and Illustrators Discussion Boards.

Picture Books, PB Writers and the Chicken Little Syndrome

Elana Roth of Caren Johnson Literary wrote yesterday what I felt was a rather reflexive post about the disparity between the attitudes of children's books writers in their career development and the realities of the publishing market for those books. Heartfelt? Absolutely, but it missed the point.

She expressed shock that PB authors, even well-established ones, would eschew representation, but then she went on to provide reasons why it's so hard to gain representation in the first place. Having thus identified the real reason for this (poor financials for publishers, authors and agents all around), Ms. Roth then pondered why so many writers choose to write the dang things, and why we push so hard to get them published.

The easy answer is that we're driven to do it. We derive pleasure from writing those little nuggets. We relish the feeling knowing that our words will engage and entertain and excite readers and listeners. The realities of the market - all doom and gloom - do not and will not ever change that.

Okay, I also accept that pretty much anyone who doesn't write PBs (and even a large number of writers who do) thinks that to write a picture book story is proportionately easier than writing longer works. Yes, those who cling most avidly to that belief provide the bulk of the grist subbed over the transom. I know most of it is garbage. Or otherwise unmarketable. But you know something? This is not a phenomenon unique to the picture book market. It's not likely to change either.

So, Picture Book Writers, the end is not near - or no nearer than it has been in the past, anyway. Sure, if you're one of those who thinks this is easy, pull your head out of the, um, sand. But most importantly, don't give up. Continue to write and revise and submit. Get better at all of these things, and your dream will come true. And if you decide to get an agent and are lucky enough to sign with one, well, kudos to you. But if you don't, just remember this: The sky is not falling.

At least, not today.

If you want to read Elana's post, it's here.

Gleaning Hope on the Overcrowded Publishing Highway

Jim Milliot of Publishers Weekly posted some interesting numbers today about how self-pubbing is overtaking traditionally pubbed books. I was shocked to see that that ratio is nearly 3:1 with a total of over a million titles published last year. Wow.

My first impression that there's a hell of a lot of people out there who want to see their name on a cover. Yes, I have a bias, but it's been my experience, so I think it's safe to say - and I know I'll catch heat for this - but a lot of self-pubbed stuff is total crap. No, I don't deny that traditional houses don't publish crap, too, but when you have agents and editors filtering through it all, it does tend to raise the overall quality. Not sure where the trend to self-pub is going and what it'll mean for the future of publishing as a whole, but one downside of having access to so much is it tends to have a numbing effect on us.

Which makes me wonder: How are people supposed to find the best titles to read? I suppose there are processes in place to help, professional readers whose opinions we learn to churn through the muck, raising the cream to the top (to mix metaphors). But how well will this work when the publishing pond becomes an ocean?

I did find some encouraging news in the numbers. Areas that saw growth in titles sold last year include children's books (up 6%). Presumably, this includes all ages and genres. Well, I think this only substantiates what agents and editors have been telling us for the past 18 months. Let's hope the trend continues.

Also insightful, nonfiction (technical) rose by 11%. I think this is across the spectrum, from children's books to adult, but I'm wagering that if you write children's NF on a technology subject, you'll stand an easier chance of finding a home for it. It doesn't surprise me that tech should fare well, given how rapidly it's evolving. Just make sure the subject you're writing about is as up-to-date and forward looking as possible, or else it'll be out-of-date before it hits shelves.

Now, I think I'll go work on that emerging medicine series for children I've been thinking about...

Crossroads: Children's Picture Books in a Digital Age

I downloaded the free Kindle app for PC this morning, mostly to see what free content I could find (yes, I'm cheap). I don't own an ebook reader, nor do I plan to buy one in the near future. I like my analogue versions just fine. It's not that I'm against the technology, it's just that I don't think it's finished maturing just yet. I made a point a while back that with mobile devices incorporating more and more functionality, dedicated devices such as ebook readers will become obsolete. Apple's iPad is a shift in that direction. I like the idea of the iPad, but I'll wait until the competition catches up.

In searching Amazon's classics catalogue for free books, I was disappointed by the lack of children's picture books. There are none (or none that I could find). Understandably so, I guess, since most of the free content is from over eighty years ago, but even the Beatrix Potter stories were all text. But when I checked out some of the pay products - and there are a few dozens of picture books you can buy for the Kindle - I was disappointed, both by the selection as well as the experience.

Which raises a question. Are children's picture books immune to digitization? It got me thinking about why paper picture books work and how it may or may not translate to the screen.

First, let me just say that I think a shift of picture books to the screen is inevitable. Second, neither is it a bad thing. Okay, so maybe the Kindle and other ereaders aren't the right format for such books, but that doesn't mean the technology or the promise of a technology capable of bringing a picture book alive doesn't exist. Heck, if you think about it in broad terms, picture books have been on screen for decades. I mean, aren't Saturday morning cartoons just picture books on TV? Remember "Fractured Fairy Tales" on the Bullwinkle Show? How long did "Reading Rainbow" run?

I know, that's not exactly the same as taking a picture book and digitizing it. Why? Interactivity.

The joy of reading a picture book is in the fusion of image and word, the bond formed between parent and child and between child and book. Can a screen do the same as a printed page? What if that screen is large and in high resolution color? Well, for standard PBs, probably, but certainly not for pop-up and touch-and-feel books. That's why the technology can't stop at a point where the screen acts simply as a proxy for the printed page. Picture books are intended to be interactive, and picture book stories conveyed digitally will never replace the tactile experience, not alone at least. Minimally, picture book digitization will require a device that can allow a child to manipulate the text and image.

I'll make some predictions, and we'll see whether or nor they play out in the coming years.

1. Television will become the first digital device of choice for picture book stories, not ereaders. That's because,

2. Portable devices capable of delivering the quality of experience a paper picture book provides are a long ways off from being affordable.

3. First-to-market technologies that enable a child to navigate the story on-screen with a simple inexpensive hand-held device (controller) will set the standard.

4. Adaptation of, or development of apps for, current gaming systems, such as Wii and PlayStation, for picture books will likely be the first generation products.

5. Illustrators and publishers will need to rethink how they go about designing and publishing picture books to be more amenable to the new formats.

6. This will open up a whole new world of possibilities for how authors conceive and write their stories, not restrict them. Writers receptive to these changes will be more successful.

So, anyone interested in starting a joint venture?