Welcome!

Welcome to the Bookshelf Detective, a site packed with tricks and tips for readers and writers of children's literature. Thank you for visiting!
Cheers,
Kim Tomsic

Monday, December 4, 2023

11 Tips to Properly Format Your Picture Book Manuscript or Novel Before Submitting to an Agent or Editor


Curious about how to format a picture book manuscript? How about a novel? The age of your reader might vary, but your formatting will remain consistent. Here are 11 tips to properly format your manuscript before submitting it to an agent or editor. Check out the two bonus tips I include at the end.


11 Formatting Tips Before You Submit

1.      double-space

2.     12-point font

3.     Times New Roman—this is a profession font choice (you don’t want this to be a distracting choice, nor do you want reading hard on the eyes).

4.     One-inch margins

5.     Add contact details. Include your name and contact information on the first page in the upper left corner:

Name

Email address

Mailing address

Phone number

6.     Center your TITLE and the manuscript's word count on the first page (title in all caps or cap first letter of words)

Place your name and word count centered under the title:

 

Name

email@address.com

mailing

mailing

phone number

 



This is My Title and it’s Really Great

 

by Kim Tomsic (488 words)



 

7.     Include page numbers starting on the second page and forward. HOW: Select the “Insert”  and click “Page Number” and then choose one or the other - "Top of Page" or "Bottom of Page" -I prefer bottom) and select based on the positioning you like (usually "Plain Number 3", then type your title/last name, and then choose the box “Different First Page” so it starts numbering on the second page forward. It should be formatted like so:

This is My Title and it’s Really Great/TOMISC            Page 2

 

8.    Indent new paragraphs and/or new stand-alone lines within the manuscript. Also indent new lines of dialogue (watch for my dialogue post to come next week).

9.     When you change which character is speaking, make sure you create a new line break and indent it.

10.                        Black ink (please don’t get distracting with colors).

11.  Use brackets [  ]  to indicate when something is in the illustrations and not in


the text. For example my nonfiction book, The Elephants Come Home is a true story, and so the facts needed to remain factual. The elephants arrived during a downpour, it was part of the mood and tone, but I did not write it in the text. Therefore, I left a note for the illustrator [raining]. Avoid illustration notes unless absolutely necessary.

 

Hitting the Tab Key to Indent:

         

          Each line that comes after a purposeful line break will be indented like so. This means that the first line in the paragraph will be indented (as you see in this paragraph example). However, once you move on to a new line of text or new dialogue and hit the return key, you’ll indent the next paragraph or the dialogue that follows.

          “Now,” I say. “Does this make sense so far?”

          “Yes,” you say. “Tell me more!”

          And so I will 😊. Next week, I will cover dialogue, dialogue tags, where to place the tags, how to add punctuation, and more. Let’s go! By the way, I am a card-carrying exclamation point abuser. However, I urge you to avoid getting carried away with punctuation in your manuscripts. Let your words carry the weight and meaning of your prose.


Sidenote for novelists
– the first paragraph of a new chapter is served in a block (the first line is not indented), but then each new paragraph after the first paragraph is formatted with the first line indented.     

Good luck!

 Kim

P.S. Here are two bonus notes:

 

An ellipsis is three evenly spaced dots (periods) and stands in for an unfinished thought or action. It looks like this

 

An em dash is when a character or thought gets interrupted or abruptly cut off for another reason like a car crash or a cake shoved into a mouth. The em dash name comes from the fact that it’s the typeset length of the letter “m”. It looks like this

 

 

 


Thursday, November 2, 2023

3 Ways to Ignite Readers' Connections With Your Characters and Give Them a Shoulder-to-Shoulder Experience

Story is about 

  • emotionally compelling characters
  • who face seemingly impossible hurdles 
  • because enormous stakes are on the line (thank you Christopher Vogler and Michael Hague)

WEARING THE PROTAGONIST'S SHOES: Readers want to be entertained and to feel something. They want to put their feet in the shoes of the protagonist and have an experience - brain science + Lisa Cron's book Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence has proven this. 

So let's deliver that! 

3 WAYS: Here are three ways you can pull your readers in for a shoulder-to-shoulder experience with your protagonist:

 

1.      


1.  HUG CLOSE: Delete words (when it makes sense) that keep the reader at arm’s length. To draw the reader closer, so that they have a shoulder-to-shoulder experience alongside your protagonist, consider deleting:

·       She heard

       She saw

       She felt

       She knew

The reader does not want to be a spectator who is told what is happening and what the character feels, the reader wants an experience, they want all the feels.

 

Be judicious. Only remove (saw, heard, felt, knew) whenever reasonable. It’s not an “always” rule, it’s a try-it-and-see-if-you-give-your-reader-a-closer-experience exercise.

 

Questions to ask yourself:

·       Does keeping or removing such words make sense at that moment in your plot?

·       Is the reader being held at arm’s length?

·       How can I invite the reader closer?

  

2.      2.  REAL TIME: Put reader in “real” time. To prioritize the reader in storytelling, keep them


close and allowing them to have experiences at the exact same time as the protagonist(whenever possible).

 Putting a reader in “real time” allows the reader to experience an event alongside the protagonist, even if you’re writing in past tense.

 

For example, rather than saying:

 

"She heard snakes hissing in the castle turret … …” instead, put the reader  shoulder-to-shoulder with the protagonist, and let them hear the hissing at the same moment.

 

Example from The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonkers illustrated by Mark Pett.

 

“Hiss, Hiss, Hiss,”

“Snakes,” said Ibb’s grandfather.

Notice that not only is the reader experiencing the snakes at the same time as Ibb (even though the story is in past tense), but also the story transforms into more of a performance piece!

 


3.     
FEEL don’t NAME: Let readers feel emotions rather than hearing you, the author, name the emotion. Give us those gripping, exciting, threatening, heartfelt moments whenever possible by selecting strong verbs rather than by naming the experience. For example:

 

Instead of “He was excited” you might change to “He pumped his fist” or “He bounced from foot to foot.”  

 

Search your manuscript for “to be” verbs and see how you might transform those verbs to workhorses for your story.

 

STRONGEST CURRENCY IN STORYTELLING: “In storytelling, emotion is the


strongest currency. It lasts longer than novelty or tension, and it makes the rest of the story more engaging…” but for emotion to work, there “has to be something in the scene worth getting emotional over…Readers should witness characters reasoning and coming to conclusions, rather than simply hearing a summary of their thought process…
Readers need the context provided by thoughts and feelings. Without understanding what the character is thinking and feeling, they won’t know what to think or feel either.” Quotes from Narrating a Close Point of View and The Power of Close Perspective by Chris Winkle.

Don’t cork up the character’s feelings and don’t belabor feelings either. Pay attention to what the illustrator is going to deliver and note when simple and/or power verbs deliver the emotion!



 

Reminder: The Emotional Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression  can help you with ideas for using body feels and/or movements for expressing emotion.  

 

Happy writing!

 

Cheers,

Kim

 

Friday, October 27, 2023

Sensitivity Readers and Knitting


When you write outside of your lived experience, a sensitivity reader is someone who helps make sure that your writing delivers accurate and authentic representation rather than perpetuating a stale, harmful, or even wrong stereotype. 

The best presentation I've attended on this subject was given by the Newbery Award-Winning author Linda Sue Park. Park says that it's hard to accurately write a character from a different culture if you've never sat at their kitchen table. She used knitting to demonstrate her point.

Park has been a life-long knitter. She showed the audience an image of the proper way to hold knitting needles—ends down, tips up. Then she showed us images featuring illustrations of characters knitting but holding the needles the wrong way (ends up, tips down). Clearly, the illustrator of the inaccurate images isn't a knitter. In fact, they've probably never held knitting needles. It's not their lived experience.

💡This was a lightbulb moment for me. When Park gave this simplified example, I thought


of all the times I've seen purported yoga instructors (aka actors) on television holding a pose the wrong way. Knitting needles and yoga poses are minor mistakes, but Park's point demonstrates how easy it can be to get the details wrong. Sometimes, inaccurate details harm the suspension of disbelief, and sometimes they are culturally wrong and/or offensive errors.

AVOID ERASURE: Erasure is when an author shies away from featuring an inclusive cast of characters, because they are only comfortable writing in their lane. Writing takes work. A lot of work. I am not suggesting appropriation or writing a protagonist from outside your experience, but I am urging you not to erase a group of people either. 

In my upcoming 2024 novel, The Truth About 5th Grade (HarperCollins, summer 2024) co-written with Mark Parisi,  I've written a scene where a supporting character celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month. I am not Latinx, so I hired sensitivity readers to take a look at my manuscript. I also leaned into my critique partners who are Latinx. The sensitivity readers and critique partners were able to share valuable insights on ideas and issues that I would have never thought of on my own (e.g., adding a cumbia playlist).  

Here is a fantastic four-minute video (4:21) that explains why a sensitivity reader can be a great idea if you are writing outside of your lived experience.  

If you have time for an 18-minute video, this TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie called “The Danger of a Single Story” is excellent! 

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Classroom Activities for World Elephant Day and National Elephant Appreciation Day with The Elephants of Thula Thula

Hello and Welcome! 🐘

You have arrived at the right spot to find information, a puzzle, or fun projects for your students. I hope you enjoy celebrating two special awareness weeks:


  • August 12, World Elephant Day  
  • September 22, National Elephant Appreciation Day

Here's a list of activity ideas and links. Also, scroll down to find a printable word search puzzle as well as some ecology definitions.


Classroom Activities & Resources

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READ: I hope you enjoy reading The Elephants Come Home , a 2024 finalist for several state awards!

LISTEN: Elephant Voices How do elephants communicate with one another? What does the position of their trunks mean? Why do they flap their ears?  What is infrasound? Learn all this and more at “Communication between Elephants Voices and Sounds.” Elephants in Zoo and Circus Elephant Encyclopedia. *Bonus, scroll to the bottom of the page and hear recordings of elephants! https://www.upali.ch/communication_en.html. MORE: Ear flapping. Head Waggling. What does it all mean? Check out Elephant Voices.

WATCH: Elephants aren't puppies yet watch eco-warrior Lawrence Anthony call for the herd featured in The Elephants Come Home(seven-minute YouTube video). 

EXPLORE: The five senses: Would you like to learn more about an elephant’s vision, hearing, or their keen sense of smell?  Check out elephant senses: https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/elephants/senses/

Warm Blooded vs. Cold Blooded CreaturesAt this link, Sea World features a classroom activity for teachers and students to discuss warm blooded vs. cold blooded animals. Make sure you add elephants to the conversation!

SPELL: Animal Spelling Bee: The SeaWorld website features another fun activity. You can host an  animal-centered spelling bee – just add “elephant” to the list. You’ll discuss words like “conservation”, “habitat”, and more. Consider adding “Zululand, South Africa” to the list, and discuss the difference between a continent and a country.

SCHOOL VISIT: ❤I love chatting with students. Please check out the “Contact” page on my website (KimTomsic.com ) for a full menu of school visit options (live or via Zoom).

MEET: “Meet” the Elephants of Thula Thula (pronounced toola toola). Learn the names of the elephants that live in the wildlife sanctuary.

BECOME AN ECO-WARRIOR: Consider a classroom fundraiser, “Pennies for Protection” and adopt an elephant.


Word Search Puzzle (High-quality Printable version at this link) :



Definitions:


Habitat –A habitat is an environment where an organism lives for normal life and growth. The habitat contains all an animal needs to survive such as food and shelter. 

 

Biome – biome is a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.” – National Geographic. A biome is a community made of all the habitats in a region and climate.

 

Boma“Boma” is a word borrowed from the Swahili language. It is a coral that is built as a space to help animals get used to their new home prior to letting them enjoy the entire wildlife reserve. Read more about bomas and how they are built at Our Planet, My Lens.

 

Reserve: A “reserve” is a managed area meant to protect wildlife and their habitats. There is no hunting on a wildlife reserve. Lawrence and Francoise Anthony started the wildlife reserve called Thula Thula.   

 

Thula Thula: Lawrence and Francoise Anthony started the wildlife reserve called Thula Thula. Thula Thula is a Zulu word that means “peace and tranquility”.

 

Elephants – seven elephants came to Thula Thula. The matriarch’s name is Nana. Her sister’s name is Frankie.

 

Eco Warrior –someone who makes hands-on effort to protect the environment.

 

South Africa: South Africa is a country just like the United States is a country. It is located on the continent of Africa.

 

Province: Some countries are divided into provinces which are, according to Merriam Webster,  “an administrative district or division of a country.”

 


MAP
: From zoomed out to zoomed in (biggest to smallest) here’s where ThulaThula and its elephants are located:

Africa is the continent.

South Africa is one of the 54 countries on the continent of Africa.

KwaZulu-Natal is one of the nine provinces within South Africa.

Zululand is the region in KwaZulu-Natal where the elephants lived on the reserve.

Thula Thula is the game reserve in Zululand where the elephants live.

 

 



Awards & Critical Praise
:


The Elephants Come Home 
by Kim Tomsic illustrated by Hadley Hooper. The amazing true story of a herd of elephants, the man who saved them, and the miracle of love that brought them home. One day in 1999, Lawrence Anthony and Françoise Malby Anthony receive word that a herd of wild African elephants need a new home. They welcome the elephants to their wildlife sanctuary—Thula Thula. But the elephants are much less sure they want to stay. How will Lawrence prove to them that they are safe and loved? What follows is a gorgeously illustrated real-life story of friendship . . . and the story of the miraculous way that love given freely will return—greater and more wonderful than it began. Chronicle Books,  ISBN: 978-1452127835

2022 Norman A. Sugarman Children's Biography Honor 

2022-23 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Primary Grade Winner

2023 Minnesota Comstock-Gág Book Award Winner

2022 Blue Grass Award Finalist

2022-23 Alabama Children’s Choice Camellia Award Finalist grades 2-3

2023-24 California Young Reader Award Finalist

2023-24 Iowa Goldfinch Award Finalist

2024 Utah Beehive Award Finalist

2024 Connecticut Nutmeg Award Finalist

2024 Illinois Bluestem Award Finalist grades 3-5


Resource - free!


Book available for purchase at:

The Wandering Jellyfish: Click Here

Changing Hands Bookstore: Click Here

Barnes and Noble: Click Here

Indiebound (or to check your local bookstore): Click Here

Red Balloon Bookshop: Click Here

Amazon: Click Here

Or simply ask your local bookseller!

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Friday, July 14, 2023

Awards and Classroom Resources for Elephants!

THE ELEPHANTS COME HOME
THE ELEPHANTS COME HOME

(Chronicle Children’s Books, May 18, 2021) ISBN: 978-1452127835

**Printable Classroom Activities & Resources Page

**Book a School Visit 

The amazing true story of a herd of elephants, the man who saved them, and the miracle of love that brought them home.

One day in 1999, Lawrence and Françoise learn that a herd of wild African elephants needs a new home. They welcome the elephants to their wildlife sanctuary in Zululand, South Africa—Thula Thula—with open arms. But the elephants are much less sure they want to stay. How will Lawrence prove to them that they are safe and loved? What follows is a gorgeously illustrated real-life story of a friendship . . . and the story of the miraculous way that love given freely will return—greater and more wonderful than it began.

Classroom Resources and Activities

Elephant Voices: How do elephants communicate with one another? What does the position of their trunks mean? Why do they flap their ears?  What is infrasound? Learn all this and more at “Communication between Elephants Voices and Sounds.” *Bonus, scroll to the bottom of their webpage and hear recordings of elephants! 

THE FIVE SENSES: Would you like to learn more about an elephant’s vision, hearing, or their keen sense of smell?  Check out more about elephant senses.

Warm Blooded vs. Cold Blooded Creatures: At this link, Sea World features a classroom activity for teachers and students to discuss warm blooded vs. cold blooded animals. Make sure you add elephants to the conversation!

Animal Spelling Bee: The Sea World website features another fun activity. You can host an  animal-centered spelling bee – just add “elephant” to the list. You’ll discuss words like “conservation”, “habitat”, and more. Consider adding “Zululand, South Africa” to the list, and discuss the difference between a continent and a country.

Meet the Elephants of Thula Thula (prounounced toola toola). Learn the names of the elephants that live on the wildlife sanctuary. Read about their conservation efforts or the history of the reserve. Perhaps you will decide to work together to save “Pennies for Protection” and adopt an elephant. 

 Video (7:12): See Lawrence Anthony call for the herd like you might call in a puppy from the yard. This seven-minute video titled “Lawrence Anthony's Rehabilitation of Elephants”, will be sure to delight you and your students. You will see all the stars of The Elephants Come Home.

Elephant Voices: This webpage takes a deep dive into identifying elephant behaviors, defining terms, and naming modes of communication.  

Awards & Critical Praise

Awarded the Norman A. Sugarman Honor in Children’s Biography

Winner!    Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Primary Grade Winner

Winner!  Minnesota Comstock-Gág Book Award Winner

Finalist for Alabama Children’s Choice Camellia Award Finalist grades 2-3

Finalist for CYBILS Award

Finalist for the Kentucky Blue Grass Award

Finalist for the 2024 Connecticut Nutmeg Award

Finalist for the 2023-2024 California Young Readers Medal

Finalist for the 2023-2024 Iowa Goldfinch Award

Finalist for 2024 Illinois Bluestem Award grades 3-5

Finalist 2024 Utah The Beehive Award


Showcased at the Bologna Children’s Book Festival’s BRAW Amazing Bookshelf of “100 publishing gems” chosen from a selection of 2,200 books submitted by publishers from around the globe.

“The story’s flawless, gentle pacing illuminates the animals’ initial fear and the time, patience, and compassion it takes for attentive Lawrence to earn their trust…Hooper’s…shades of rich blue and soft rose heighten the story’s emotional impact.”—Horn Book Magazine

“In brief action-packed sentences, Tomsic informs readers of all the steps taken to bring [the elephants] back, with the text placed against Hooper’s beautifully realized illustrations of African animals and the vast, gorgeous landscape…with its focus on the elephants and the protagonists, this book is lovely, tender, and moving.”  —Kirkus Reviews

This touching true story portrays conservationist Lawrence Anthony’s relationship with a frightened, hunted herd that found a home at his reserve in South Africa, Thula Thula..The importance of conservation shines through the friendship story here, and both themes are beautifully complemented by Hooper’s detailed, atmospheric drawings of the elephants and their surroundings.”—Booklist

 “The illustrations are expansive with a limited color palette of warm oranges and cool greens and blues. The animal characters are dynamic, humorous, and emotive…A sentimental but high-­interest story based on true events of the bond between wild animals and the humans who care for them.”         —School Library Journal

Where to Find:

Your local library. If they don't have a copy available, please request that they carry!

Available at

The Wandering Jellyfish: Click Here

Changing Hands Bookstore: Click Here

Barnes and Noble: Click Here

Indiebound (or to check your local bookstore): Click Here

Red Balloon Bookshop: Click Here

Amazon: Click Here

Or simply ask your local bookseller!


*Printable Resource Page: CLASSROOM RESOURCES
 available here.  

**Book an in-person or virtual  School Visit!

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