GENRE: Lyrical
WORDS: 402
Query:
Dear PB Party judges, agents, and editors,
Thank you for making the PB Party event possible and for sharing your time and expertise. I’m excited to share A Forest is Just a Forest Until. . ., a 402-word lyrical picture book with environmental themes.
When a forest beckons visitors under its magical canopy, a forest becomes many things including a playground, science lab, and art gallery. With each activity the forest transforms, but when the children leave, will the forest just rest?
A Forest is Just a Forest Until. . .highlights the beautiful way forests invite visitors such as in Frances Gilbert and Amy Hevron’s book Can You Hug a Forest (2023) as well as a nod to the creative power of outdoor play in Deborah Underwood and Cindy Derby’s book Outside In (2020). My story stands out with its focus on the power of a group of children to transform the forest into various realms through their imaginations.
I am a Forest Kindergarten teacher, and my students are natural innovators like the children represented in this story who constantly find new ways to experience nature. I was selected for the 2021 SCBWI Utah/Idaho regional picture book mentorship program. One of my stories placed in the top 50 of Vivian Kirkfield’s #50PreciousWords contest in the spring of 2022. I owe credit to SCBWI, Storyteller Academy, 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge, and my critique groups for the development of this story and many other manuscripts.
Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity to submit via the PB Party event.
Excerpt:
The FOREST beckons
Calling visitors to discover
Magical mossy stones,
Swishy swirly grasses, and
Twisty twirly tree trunks
And a FOREST is JUST A FOREST until. . .
Children dart like dragonflies
Climb like cougars, and
Scamper like squirrels
They are
Sailing pirate ships,
Building castles, and
Zipping into a round of
“Tag you’re it!!”
As they create a
FOREST PLAYGROUND
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
I teach Forest Kindergarten at an outdoor school, and my passion is to encourage and support outdoor play for all children. Like the children in this story, I grew up enchanted by the magic of the nature.
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