GENRE: Humor
WORDS: 470
Query:
Dear Judges, Agents, and Editors,
Thank you for lending your eyes and minds to PBParty!
Jojo doesn’t like storytime because it takes too long to get to “The End” – and recess. So one day, he takes things into his own hands, by writing the book he wishes his teacher was reading. Problem solved! But when his classmates get in on the act too, the stories get longer, the bookshelf gets fuller, and recess ends up even farther away. Only Jojo, inspired by his beloved recess time, can find the path to happily ever after.
THE END is a playful 470-word picture book about telling your own tale. It combines the book love of Debbie Ohi’s I Want to Read All the Books (2024) with the storytelling humor of The Wrong Book by Drew Daywalt (2024) – but it also offers a call to adventure to encourage young writers and illustrators to be the heroes of their own stories, and to make a difference by sharing those stories with the world.
I am a SCBWI member and a 2025 PB Rising Stars mentee as well as a children’s book reviewer for my regional newspaper and author of a middle-grade science fiction novel published by Holiday House. A former newspaper reporter, I am now a preschool teacher – and my two favorite times of the day are recess and storytime!
I appreciate your consideration, and I would love to share more stories with you. I wish you the very best!
Excerpt:
Once upon a time, there was a kid named Jojo who didn’t like stories, because it took too long to get to
THE END.
Every day, it felt like the books got longer, and recess got shorter.
Until one day … Jojo had an idea.
“Hmmm,” Mrs. Brown said. “I don’t remember seeing THIS book before. Should we read it?”
The class said, “Yes!”
So she did.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
My bookcases are overflowing with books, and I adore them all. But the books I love the most are the ones my children created. Right next to the mermaid and firetruck books are raggedly stapled homemade copies of “The Adventures of Big Hair Girl,” “Splattering Heroes,” and “A Manual for Superheroes.” As a teacher, I encourage my students to create their own stories too, whether they’re exploring their world or their imagination. I am convinced that anyone at any age can be a creator – and everyone deserves to share their stories with the world!
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