GENRE: Diverse, SEL, Lyrical
WORDS: 470
Query:
Dear Agents and Editors,
Thank you for your interest in my manuscript. S IS FOR S’AGAPO, a 470-word picture book for children ages 4-8, is an intergenerational story about remembering traditions.
Spiro wants to bake koulouria with Yiayia for her birthday, the way they did before she lost her memory. But when it’s too hard to bake with her because she lives in a care center, he cooks up a creative way to make koulouria with her. Combining the themes of resilience. intergenerational relationships, memory loss, and Greek culture, S IS FOR S’AGAPO is for fans of MEATBALLS FOR GRANDPA, by Jeanette Fazzari Jones, and SOUL FOOD SUNDAY, by Winsome Bingham.
I was inspired to write this story by my life as a second-generation Greek American, my childhood memories of baking with my mother, and my adult experience of caring for my father who had Alzheimer’s.
I work at my local public library as a page in Adult and Teen Services. I am an active member of SCBWI and Julie Hedlund’s 12×12, and was a student of Storyteller Academy (2022-2025). I was also chosen for a mentorship with Jim Averbeck.
Please note that additional manuscripts are available.
Thank you again for your time.
Excerpt:
Tomorrow is Yiayia’s birthday.
She doesn’t remember.
But I do.
I start cooking up special plans.
“I want to bake koulouria with Yiayia, like we used to. Can we bring her here?” I ask Mama.
“Her wheelchair ramp isn’t ready, Spiro,” Mama says.
My mind quickly stirs up another idea.
I begin boxing up baking supplies to bring to the care center.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
Being a second-generation Greek American, baking with my mother, and caring for my father inspired this story. In my childhood, I baked countless Greek sweets with my mother and have fond memories of times spent with her in the kitchen. As an adult, I cared for my father who had Alzheimer’s. As he became more like a child because of the illness, I bonded with him through play. I discovered that although he lost his memory and ability to speak, he never lost his muscle memory to do things like use a wooden hammer or “cook” play food.
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