A Charmed Life / Una Vida con Suerte, by Gladys E. Barbieri, illustrated by Lisa Fields, Arte Público Press, ages 4-8, bilingual picture book, ISBN: 978-1-55885-827-5, released 05/30/2016.
Toot Your Horn!
09 Friday Sep 2016
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tag Archives: picture book
Volunteer Spotlight: Gina Capaldi
27 Wednesday Jul 2016
Posted in Volunteer in the Spotlight
Tags
community, Gina Capaldi, illustrator, illustrator tips, illustrators, picture book, SCBWI members, volunteers
We love our volunteers at SCBWI and couldn’t exist without them! “Volunteer Spotlight” is a great way to get to know them for yourself and learn more about what they do and how you can volunteer too. Now meet Gina Capaldi, Illustrator Coordinator for the SCBWI’s Inland Empire, also known as SoCal.
Interview with Carl Angel, Illustrator of The Girl Who Saved Yesterday
13 Wednesday Jul 2016
Posted in Illustrator's Perspective
Tags
Carl Angel, how-to, illustrator, illustrator tips, illustrators, Julius Lester, local, picture book, SCBWI members, The Girl Who Saved Yesterday
Our local Angelino and SCBWI member Carl Angel is the illustrator of the beautiful new picture book, The Girl Who Saved Yesterday. In this book, Angel takes on the daunting task of illustrating Julius Lester’s poetic lines in a book that straddles myth, magic realism, and folklore. 
CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome! Please tell us a little bit about how you illustrated trees that talk, lights that felt “as thin as a raindrop,” and stones of the ancestors which “glow a pink as gentle and soft as a first kiss.”
CARL ANGEL: The poetic nature of Julius’s words resonates on both an emotional and literal level, and in such a way where both are equally appealing as imagery. As an illustrator, I chose to address, primarily through color and composition, the aspect on which to best focus for the image. The text is rich enough that some of the words, I felt, were beyond illustrating and were best left in the reader’s imagination, which only added to the depth of the book. The way Julius connected those two dimensions so delicately with such great lyricism was so inspiring that I wanted to share that with the reader visually. Continue reading
Ask an Editor: Why Are Picture Books 32 pages?
08 Wednesday Jun 2016
Posted in Ask an Editor
Tags
Welcome to our newest feature, “Ask an Editor,” where our wonderful SCBWI members send in questions which may be answered in an upcoming Kite Tales blog. You can remain anonymous if you wish.
Have a question to submit? Log in to your SCBWI account, then either click on the “Ask an Editor” image at the left or follow this link http://losangeles.scbwi.org/ask-an-editor/ and fill out the form. It’s easy!
Dear Editor – I write picture books. Why picture books are almost always 32 pages? Is this something I even need to care about while I’m writing? It’s all about writing the best story and staying within the word count, right?
—Notta Paige Counter
SCBWI Los Angeles at the L.A. Times Festival of Books
22 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Industry News, Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, community, illustrator tips, illustrators, middle grade, news, nonfiction, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, volunteers, writer, YA
How do you get 150,000 dedicated book buyers to consider your book? How do you get 50 authors and/or illustrators together to sell their work to those 150,000 eager buyers? The answer is the Los Angeles SCBWI booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Continue reading
SCBWI Members at Wonder Con: Where Many of Us Have Gone Before
20 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, Comics, conferences, Graphic Novels, illustrator tips, illustrators, local, middle grade, networking, picture book, publishing, SCBWI members, Wonder Con, WonderCon, writer, writing tips, YA
Do the words “comic book convention” sound scary to you? Overwhelming? Completely irrelevant to you as a children’s book author or illustrator? Think again. Even if your work isn’t “in genre,” you can still learn a lot. If you want to know what kids are into right now, or your creative juices need a boost, there’s no better place to go than a Con.
This year Wonder Con, the smaller, gentler, but just as fun little sister of the San Diego Comic Con, was held in Los Angeles. In addition to sneak peaks of superhero movies, geektastic T.V. shows, and panels about everything from new anime to the real science in sci-fi, there were kids everywhere!
Debbie Ridpath Ohi: Author/Illustrator Perspective
08 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Author's Perspective, Illustrator's Perspective
Tags
agents, authors, conferences, critiques, Debbie Ohi, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, how-to, illustrator tips, illustrators, Inky Girl, InkyGirl, middle grade, picture book, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, writing tips
Debbie Ridpath Ohi writes and illustrates books for young people in Toronto, Canada. Her first solo picture book, Where Are My Books?, debuted from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in 2015. Her illustrations appear in picture books by Michael Ian Black and in Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade reissues, as well as many others. She gave a challenging and insightful keynote at this year’s SCBWI Los Angeles Writer’s Day as well as a “master class” on social media for authors. She was kind enough to do a follow-up interview with Kite Tales to share her perspective on being an introverted author, networking, and how to attract that magical publishing lightning.
Thérèse Makes a Tapestry, Part 2: Author, Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs
22 Friday Jan 2016
Posted in Author's Perspective
Tags
Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs, Getty, historical fiction, nonfiction, parent, picture book, Two Views, Same Book, writer
Today, we present Part Two of the series featuring the author and illustrator of the historical fiction children’s picture book, Thérèse Makes a Tapestry.
Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs, an SCBWI member, is the author of this beautiful book. Set in the time of King Louis XIV’s reign of France (1643-1715), Thérèse’s father is a painter who travels with the king; their family lives at the Gobelins Manufactory where world-famous tapestries are made (and are still being made today!). Although women and girls are not permitted to weave, Thérèse practices at home. The book reveals how Thérèse surprises those around her.
Alexandra’s background includes historical researcher for American Girl, substitute youth services librarian, and children’s bookseller. She has two young boys. This is her debut children’s picture book.
Thérèse Makes a Tapestry, Part 1: Illustrator, Renée Graef
20 Wednesday Jan 2016
Posted in Illustrator's Gallery, Illustrator's Perspective
Tags
Getty, historical fiction, illustrator, local, nonfiction, parent, picture book, Renee Graef, Two Views, Same Book
Today, we present Part One of the series featuring both the illustrator and author of the historical fiction children’s picture book, Thérèse Makes a Tapestry.
Renée Graef, an SCBWI member, is the illustrator of this beautiful book. Set in the time of King Louis XIV’s reign of France (1643-1715), Thérèse’s father is a painter who travels with the king; their family lives at the Gobelins Manufactory where world-famous tapestries are made (and are still being made today!). Although women and girls are not permitted to weave, Thérèse practices at home. The book reveals how Thérèse surprises those around her.
Kite Tales 