GENRE: **Diverse, Character Driven
WORDS: 472
Query:
Dear Judges, Agents, Editors, and Art Directors,
As an author-illustrator, I’m so grateful for this wonderful opportunity to share my manuscript, YUMIKO’S WISH, along with my accompanying illustrations.
Yumiko wishes for a little yellow bird to call her own, but her mom says no. Then one lucky day, she finds a stray chick near her grandparents’, and they agree to keep it. When Yumiko returns for a visit, she’s met with a not-so-little surprise and learns to embrace change in all its shapes and sizes.
At 472 words, this story is suitable for readers aged 3 to 7. Inspired by my childhood in Japan, the character’s journey of loving a pet she didn’t wish for is reminiscent of Not Norman: A Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennet and Noah Z. Jones. The story also carries a heartwarming tone much like Love Is by Diane Adams and Claire Keane.
I’m an author-illustrator based in Florida, a 2024 PBParty finalist, an active member of SCBWI and an author-illustrator critique group. Currently, I’m in a mentorship program with the Illustration Department. My illustrations have been published in Art Book of Selected Illustrations: Girls 2021 and Florida Tech Magazine.
I have a book dummy for YUMIKO’S WISH available upon request. I’m also interested in illustrating others’ manuscripts.
I appreciate your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Excerpt:
Yumiko always loved birds more than any other animal.
Dogs made her startle. Cats made her sneeze. Snakes made her shiver. But birds made her smile.
Yellow birds were her favorite. The color reminded her of Grandma’s sunflower garden.
She wished she could have her own cute yellow bird.
One day after class, Yumiko saw kids crowding around the school entrance.
A vendor was selling fuzzy yellow chicks.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
This story is loosely based on a true story when I was a little girl and desperately wanted a yellow bird. My grandparents kept a chick for me that turned into a rooster, which I was terrified of. So, I prayed for a yellow bird to appear in our yard—and it did! While I wish I could’ve loved the rooster like my main character, I was happy to get a cute, yellow parakeet in the end.
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