GENRE: STEM/STEAM, Non-Fiction
WORDS: 422
Query:
Dear agents and editors,
Dock your head on your pillow and two journeys begin. One of mind. One of body. My picture book manuscript, SLEEP VOYAGES (422 words), takes children on parallel nighttime journeys to explain what happens when we sleep.
During the night, your mind and body take different paths. Sometimes your mind rests while the body walks and talks. At other times, your brain twirls with colors, while the body remains still. This book lets readers dive into the four main stages of sleep, metaphorically described as the Sleep Sea. As they do, they discover answers to this fundamental question: why do we sleep?
There are many picture books about animal sleep, for example Summertime Sleepers by Melissa Stewart. There are also wonderful picture books about the body, for example Your One and Only Heart by Rajani LaRocca and This Is My Brain: a book on neurodiversity by Elise Gravel. However, there are few picture books about the biology of human sleep. This book answers curious children’s questions like “why do I sometimes have bad dreams?”, “what happens to my body when I sleep?”, and “what’s up with sleepwalking?”
I’m a children’s author with an engineering degree, and my books reflect my scientific curiosity. I’m also a member of 12×12, SCBWI, and Storystorm. In addition to writing picture books, I have a nearly complete MG graphic novel.
Additional manuscripts available upon request. Thank you for your consideration.
Excerpt:
Dock your head on your pillow and two journeys begin…
of mind
and body.
[Perhaps a buoy labeled – Entering N1 SLEEP, less than ten minutes]
Plip.
Dive into the Sleep Sea
and dreams flit about like minnows.
Now you see them.
Now you don’t.
Your body rolls, turns.
[Entering N2 SLEEP, 10-25 minutes]
Splooshhhh. Sink into a deeper doze…
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
I became interested in sleep after experiencing extreme sleep deprivation including daytime hallucinations after the birth of my twin girls. Even after my babies started sleeping through the night, recovery took time. Knowing what I know now, I would have asked for more help sooner and not tried to push through by staying awake.
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