GENRE: *Character Driven, SEL
WORDS: 580
Query:
Dear Agents, Editors, and Judges,
Thank you for participating in PBParty! It was a pleasure reading up on all of your tastes and wishlists. Today, I’m sharing my 580-word character-driven picture book for ages 4-8, THE MASQUED TEA PARTY.
Eloise adores tea parties and desperately wants to host one of her very own. There’s just one problem- tea parties are dainty, elegant, and perfect- everything an elephant isn’t. When Eloise spots the ideal tea party host at the waterhole, she comes up with a marvelous plan: a masquerade tea party, where she can host in disguise! But when a catastrophic elephant-sized sneeze sends cookies careening, teacups toppling and blows away her mask, Eloise discovers that no one’s perfect, and that’s okay and that being who you are is something to be proud of.
THE MASQUED TEA PARTY blends fun commercial appeal with SEL topics of overcoming negative body image and perfectionism. Sprinkled with warm themes of friendship and believing in yourself, this story would be marketable to fans of Piglette by Katelyn Aronson for its chic tone and chasing your dreams and If Only by Mies van Hout for its gentle approach to comparing ourselves to others and celebrating our differences.
Formerly a children’s librarian, I now work as a Children’s Behavior Therapist for kids with ASD. I enjoy reading and writing across all genres of kidlit (PB-MG) and have a soft spot for SEL stories. When I’m not reading or writing, you can find me hosting interviews with publishing professionals on my literary blog, participating in writing contests and events (like this one!), and sharing resources with parents, educators, and librarians on my website. I’m a member of SCBWI and The Writing Barn- Courage to Create Community, 2024 Write Submit Support Graduate, and a current student of Write Academy. I have one independently published work and am looking to further my literary career exclusively with traditional publication. If you are interested in seeing my portfolio, more manuscripts are available on request.
Excerpt:
Eloise adored tea parties.
They were dainty, elegant, perfect!
She studied all the teatime rules and etiquette
and even taught them to her stuffed animals.
Eloise dreamt of hosting her very own tea party,
surrounded by her closest friends,
but something always got in the way.
Her long trunk.
Her intrusive tusks.
Her clunky feet.
They were a teatime catastrophe!
Having dainty dreams was hard for a big elephant.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
Being a neurodivergent person who realized at a young age that I was “different” from the majority of my peers made me very self-conscious about the idea of standing out. Eloise was a labor of love to create because, in many ways, she is my kindred spirit. She’s me as a little girl, desperately wanting to do something fabulous but worrying about what others will think. I only wish I had known her story as a young girl. The magic in this book for me is two-fold because not only does Eloise realize, “Hey, being myself is actually great!” but also, there’s a subtle message about identifying “true friends.” True friends are people who will always love you for YOU. Exactly as you are. All those quirky things about yourself that you may not always love- THEY WILL LOVE. And having those friends in your life to cheer you on can actually help boost you up and learn to LOVE YOURSELF even more!
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