I’m thrilled that PBParty’s Ninja Superstar and judge Sylvia Chen is the last monthly PBParty New Draft Challenge & Critique Train Guest Crit Master in 2025. What a great way to end the year.
Sylvia signed with her amazing agent when she was a PBParty finalist…and has helped so many dreams come true as a judge and Ninja Superstar since then. I honestly can’t imagine running the PBParty contest without her support and amazing spreadsheet skills that have made my job so much easier (and more fun with her helpful automatic color coding)!
Sylvia will critique a picture book manuscript for the first passenger to write a new PB draft and add their name to the Google doc. This train runs from December 18 – 20 Eastern. *Remember: You must write the entire first draft during this challenge for it to count. It’s okay to flesh out the plot ahead of time.
In this challenge, everyone is a winner! First of all, you’ll have a shiny new draft (or two). Wahooooo! When you complete the challenge and hop on the Critique Train Google doc, you’ll receive a critique from the passenger above you and give one to the passenger below you. Many writers have told me they’ve met trusted critique partners they continue to work with, which makes me SO happy!
Scroll down for a generous giveaway everyone can enter, even if you don’t hop on the PBParty Critique Train. 🙂
PBParty Contest News!
Save the date, and start preparing for the annual PBParty contest. Wahooooo!
The contest dates are later this year to try to avoid agent and editor conflicts with Spring Break and Bologna. We hope we’ll have more of them than ever…and tons of Success Stories. They’re still coming in from last year. 🙂
We’ll hold a PBParty Contest Prep Zoom before the event–probably in February. Keep your eyes open for information about it. We’ll answer questions and share tons of helpful tips, stats from last year, and the Google forms so you’ll be 100% prepared.
If you want to learn more about the PBParty contest now, check out the info from last year (but please make sure you mark the correct 2026 dates on your calendar).
*I added the contest info to the amazing graphic Melissa Escobar created.
Welcome to the World, Sparkles for Sunny!
My glitter-loving heart is so excited about Sylvia’s newest book.
Lunar New Year is coming up, and Sunny is stuck wearing hand-me-downs to the party AGAIN.
“This warm family story will resonate with youngest children everywhere, regardless of a particular holiday or season. Highly recommended.”–School Library Journal
The Lao family has four rules:
1. Make what you can yourself.
2. Get good deals.
3. Share extras with others.
4. Never waste anything.
…which means that every year for Lunar New Year, Sunny winds up wearing a hand-me-down qípáo from her sisters. Just once Sunny wants to wear something that’s so her and not so one of her sisters! Can Sunny uphold the Lao Family Way while also staying true to herself? Take a peek at this sweet and funny sister tale to find out!
From author Sylvia Chen comes a heart-warming tale about Sunny, a creative and boisterous little girl desperate to make her mark. With gorgeous illustrations from Thai My Phuong, Sparkles for Sunny is sure to delight readers everywhere. Perfect for fans of Fancy Nancy and I Am Golden!
Check out Sylvia’s upcoming events for Sparkles for Sunny!
If you haven’t read Tricky Chopsticks yet, you’re missing out. I love, love, LOVE this book! Psst–you can find out more about Sylvia’s journey and how this book morphed during submissions in her PBParty Success Story. Check out trickychopsticks.com to discover more about this amazing book, fun activities for kids, and upcoming author events.
Sylvia’s Interview and Tips for Coming Up with PB Draft Ideas
What inspired you to write Sparkles for Sunny?
I noticed that there hadn’t been a picture book featuring the Chinese traditional dress (called a qípáo in Mandarin and a cheongsam in Cantonese), and wanted to see if I could find a way to tell a story about it.
Can you share a bit about your writing, revision, and publishing journey for your amazing new picture book?
Sure! Sparkles for Sunny went through many arc transformations and revisions. My first draft attempt was in February 2023 with a missing qípáo, which then morphed into a version with a mixed-up qípáo that had many revisions February through July, leading to a closer-to-submission-ready manuscript with a Lunar New Year tie-in that August. We went out on sub in late October, heard back interest from the editor in mid-December, and got the offer in mid-January 2024! The editor didn’t ask for an R&R, but provided some notes for a “heavy edit” and loved how it turned out when I reworked the manuscript to address her (super helpful) notes.
Yay! It sounds like this is the perfect editor for your amazing book. What surprised you the most?
It’s been so very exciting to receive three lovely industry reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal along with recognition as a January/February Kids’ Indie Next List Pick by booksellers at independent bookstores nationwide via the American Booksellers Association. Not to mention the illustrator Thai My Phuong getting featured in the Society of Illustrators’ The Original Art exhibition for her illustrations in this book too! Each of these accolades has been delightfully surprising and so touching!
Wahoooo! I’m happy dancing for you, Sylvia.
Since this is the last PBParty New Draft Challenge and Critique Train in 2025, I’d love to inspire everyone to write at least one more picture book draft this year. Can you share some tips for coming up with new ideas…and figuring out which to write first?
I’m hoping I can help with this question since I’m facing this challenge myself! This year has been a lot to work through from a personal standpoint, so I haven’t had as much time to focus on new picture book ideas as much as I’d like. So when I met with my agent to discuss possible projects to focus on next, I ended up revisiting our previous discussion. There were some prior ideas that still felt fresh and exciting to pursue, and also distinct from what I’ve seen for new books coming out and deals announced for upcoming books. And actually, during our discussion as we were catching up on life happenings, that casual chat ended up sparking some new ideas too. So I think my advice here at the moment would be to:
1) review what you jotted down as possible story ideas in the past year and see if those still resonate with you, and…
2) when you’re chatting with anyone and especially someone in the #kidlit community, see if there are any interesting topics or circumstances that come up in your conversation that could lend well to a picture book story idea.
Wow–thank you Sylvia! Such a wealth of information.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Sylvia Chen has also lived and worked in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Paris, and Tokyo, and now resides in Essex County, New Jersey. As the picture book author of TRICKY CHOPSTICKS (illus. Fanny Liem; Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) and SPARKLES FOR SUNNY: A Lunar New Year Story (illus. Thai My Phuong; Flamingo Books/Penguin Random House), Sylvia is also the creator of #PBStudyBuddy, which features amazing picture books on social media for fellow creators, teachers, and librarians. Sylvia loves crafting picture books that spark kids’ interest in STEAM and creative thinking. To connect more, visit her at sylviaichen.com or follow her @SylviaiChen.
Please thank Sylvia for her generosity!
Tip: It’s a HUGE help to mark a book ‘want to read’ on Goodreads, then change it to ‘read’ plus rate/review a book if you love it!
Follow Sylvia on social media and her website:
Twitter/X: @SylviaiChen
Instagram: @sylviaichen
Threads: @sylviaichen
Bluesky: @sylviaichen.bsky.social
Author Website: sylviaichen.com
Author’s Goodreads Profile
SAVE THE DATE!
The next New Draft Challenge & Critique Train will be… January 15 – 17 Eastern!
Psssst…did you see that I have special holiday packages for my PB Fairy Godmother Critiques?
I want to help you start the new year full of hope…and add extra fairy dust to your holiday season. I can’t wait to help your picture book dreams come true. E-mail me for more details!
Holiday Bonus
Still $450 (worth over $700)
If you’re one of the first three to pay for the Upgraded Super-Start the New Year Right Rank 3 PB Manuscripts…you’ll receive one more picture book manuscript ranking plus overall notes and extensive line feedback and a query critique – so I’ll rank and give detailed feedback on 4 PBs total!
Generous Giveaway from Sylvia!
Submit a review for SPARKLES FOR SUNNY on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or elsewhere (e.g. Edelweiss) and you can enter this Super Review Giveaway to:
- Ask me 1+ AMA questions (1 per site review) and receive my answers to all AMA questions by entrants in this giveaway
- Have a chance to win your choice of:
- A ranking of 3 PBs (<700 words each) with high-level notes
- OR A 1:1 45-min AMA
- OR A 30-min virtual class visit
Fill out this form by Wednesday, January 14, 2026 11:59pm ET to enter the giveaway!
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