GENRE: Lyrical, NF, Rhyming
WORDS: 285
Query:
Dear Judges, Agents, and Editors,
Thank you for taking the time to read our submissions for PB Party 2022!
On outdoor explorations, we often find clues about the animals who reside around us. THIS EMPTY NEST is an intimate peek into these lives, and encourages readers to synthesize word and picture clues to answer the question, “Who nested here?” Each lyrical stanza is followed by the answer and facts about each animal family. Using repetitive rhyming structure and a surprising connection at the end, THIS EMPTY NEST keeps readers of all ages engaged and learning.
This manuscript is a work of lyrical, expository nonfiction aimed at nature-loving audiences aged four to eight. It is 285 words, plus additional non-fiction facts.
THIS EMPTY NEST combines the structure of “Whose Track is That?” by Stan Tekiela (Adventure Publications, 2020), the lyrical feel of “Being Frog” by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane Books, 2020), and the informational quality of “Common Critters: The Wildlife in Your Neighborhood” by Pat Brisson and Dan Tavis (Tilbury House Publishers, 2020). THIS EMPTY NEST stands apart through its inclusion of humans as a part of our natural world, as ones who may find or experience an empty nest, and as a reflection into what we may leave behind.
My lyrical informational fiction book Under in the Mud was published in November 2020 by Orange Hat Publishing and was a #1 New Release on Amazon’s list of Children’s Environment and Ecology Books. I am an active member of SCBWI and follow numerous children’s author development blogs. I also actively work with classrooms, nature centers, and libraries to connect kids with our Earth through my work as an environmental educator. Additional nature writing is published through “The Phenology Phorum” on my website, and I am active on social media.
Please contact me if you are interested in discussing THIS EMPTY NEST or other manuscripts further. Thank you again for your time and consideration.
Excerpt:
This empty nest
A wispy pile of softest hair
Hollowed out with mother’s care
Memories of warmth still there
Who nested here?
Cottontail Rabbit
Rabbits nest on top of the ground in open areas to better avoid predators.
The nest is lined with dead grass and fur the mother pulls from her dewlap, which is a fold of skin beneath her chin.
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