GENRE: *STEM/STEAM, Lyrical, NF
WORDS: 505
Query:
Dear PBParty Judges, Agents, and Editors,
You’re invited to an immersive evening of doggie delight – a midnight moment for brave, heroic pups and their owners in New York City’s Times Square.
Tonight is the night! One night only. A first-ever paw-formance for pups in the city that never sleeps. Inspired by Laurie Anderson’s 2016 “Concert for Dogs” that honored rescue pups and September 11th service dogs, readers are given a front row seat to a sensory art experience, showcasing an event they’ll remember fur-ever.
ONE NIGHT ONLY: A PAW-FORMANCE FOR PUPS is a 505-word, lyrical, narrative non-fiction picture book for ages 4-8. Think the magical, sensory-forward experience felt in This Magical, Musical Night (Little Bee Books, 2021), mixed with Maurice’s musical tail-ent and fervor for sharing with the world around him (Chronicle Books, 2023). As an added bone-us, this book includes STEAM-filled back matter on the science behind canine hearing and how a dog’s ear is shaped differently than ours.
As a classically-trained vocalist and neurodiverse creator living with Tourette syndrome, music to me is grounding and a source of rhythmic regulation. When I am focused on singing, it lessens the intensity of my tics. I wrote this story to show and share the power of music and the comfort it brings. Music belongs to all of us, no matter the audience.
I’m a second-grade teacher in Washington, DC, active member of SCBWI, and author of The A-to-Z Teaching Toolkit for Early Childhood and Elementary Educators (Routledge, 2025), and Tic-errific Me (Free Spirit, coming in 2026). I’ve published pieces with Highlights’ High Five Magazine, Edutopia, SCBWI, Little Thoughts Press, The Toy Press, The Dirigible Balloon, and McGraw-Hill’s Art of Teaching blog. I was also a PB Party showcase finalist in 2023 and received Honorable Mention in 2021 and 2022.
Per your submission guidelines, my first 60-70 words are included. Thank you for the op-paw-tunity to share this piece with you!
Excerpt:
Tonight’s the night.
One night only.
A long-awaited paw-formance for pups
in the city that never sleeps.
Furry friends file into the square
in their finest attire,
as good boys and girls
sit and stay
to earn their treat.
All dogs are welcome,
but first-responder pups
are the guests of honor.
Every tail tunes in
as violins vibrate
with low, s l o w sounds.
Notes only dogs can hear.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
As a classically-trained vocalist and neurodiverse creator living with Tourette syndrome, music to me is grounding and a source of rhythmic regulation. When I am focused on singing or listening to music, it lessens the intensity of my tics. When researching the science of how dogs hear and respond to music, I came across Laurie Anderson’s passion for pups, and her desire to share and express gratitude through melodic art. Like Laurie, I believe everyone deserves to hear, feel, and experience the joy of music–including our beloved pups.
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