GENRE: Character Driven, SEL, Contemporary
WORDS: 390
Query:
Dear Agent,
I’m excited to send you YOUGO YETI’S RAINBOW COLLECTION, my 390 word picture book filled with friendship, sharing and making the world a little brighter than you found it. This book combines my love for design, puppetry, toy making and drawing into charming characters and a ridiculous world for them to play in. I make physical 3D stop-motion puppets and add 2D illustrated embellishments on top of photographs. This book would appeal to fans of GUSTAVO THE SHY GHOST, LOVE MONSTER and IN A JAR.
Yougo the Yeti loves his jars full of magical rainbows more than anything. When they accidentally get loose and bounce all over town, Yougo tries to get them back. But when he discovers that his friends have found and used them first, he must decide if he wants to share his precious rainbows and make the whole town brighter, or keep them all to himself.
Before I started my small business making humorous stuffed animal faux taxidermy in 2008, I worked for over ten years as a graphic designer and creative director at Big Blue Dot for clients including Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, National Geographic, VIZ Media and MoMA. I also designed and fabricated the Lockheed puppet for X-Men: The New Mutants. I’ve contributed sewing patterns and instructions to THE SOFTIES KIT by Therese Laskey (Chronicle) and DIY KIDS by Ellen and Julia Lupton (Princeton Architectural Press). I have a BFA from MICA, am a member of SCBWI, and have taken writing and illustration classes with Make Art that Sells, Storyteller Academy and The Writer’s Loft. I am an active member of Illoguild, an international writing and illustration critique group.
My goals are to create joyful characters, tell imaginative stories and build ridiculous worlds that can translate from books into toys and film/tv. Additional picture book and graphic novel manuscripts are available upon request. You can view my full portfolio at: http://jengubicza.com
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Excerpt:
Every time it rained, Yougo the yeti added another rainbow to his collection.
He tilted his jar to the left and to the right so he could see all of the colors.
“I just love rainbows! And these are all mine.”
Collecting rainbows was serious business.
It took patience, a keen eye for color, and the right tools for the job.
But one day Yougo wobbled.
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
As a kid, I felt the magic in the Muppets, the Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated holiday specials and want to connect with the kids who also love to craft and build and make. I’ve had my own creative small business for the last 14 years, making custom toys and connecting to customers. I know how it feels to bring a bit of joy to the lives of others, and I’m bringing that same energy with me into this story. Yougo’s rainbows represent creative joy, that when shared with others multiplies and makes the whole world brighter.
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