Sara Nesbitt Capstone

I chose to write a children's book. I wanted it to be whimsical and fun, but with an underlying allegory. I wanted to write something that children would find amusing, but the older people would understand the meaning behind it. I gathered memories/things that my grandfather and I did together, and based my story on our adventures together. I chose to write in the perspective of a hat, so it was more fun for the kids. It's my grandfather's hat. I teach the days of the week by adding an adventure to each day, and made them relatable. At the end of the story, the hat "blows away" which is to resemble death. It's teaching children that when someone/something you love isn't with you anymore, you can take the memories that you had with that person/thing and hold onto them to keep happiness and memory of those times. I'm really glad that I wrote this book dedicated to my grandfather, because now I have physical documentation of the fun times we spent together, and I can share it with others.

Annotated Bibliography:

1. "Top Ten Children’s Book Publishers @ JasonCarnrike.com." SelfPublishing Creative Writing Poetry and More. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

This source provides top publishing companies for specifically children’s books. I found two really great companies that would be perfect for me. They specialize in children’s picture books. The names of those companies are Templar Publishing and Flashlight Press.  I also found a few companies that I shouldn’t send my material to, because they are no longer accepting picture books. This was helpful because I can eliminate companies and find the one that’s best for me.

2. "Publishers and Getting Published." About.com Children's Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

This was another publishing company site; where there are links to numerous companies that you can click onto them, and they give you a synopsis of the criteria they need. They inform you about their policies, what you need to send to them, and what the final product will look for you. They can also give you a quote, which is an estimate price for the specific book you envisioned. I selected this source because I thought that the information was informative and helpful.

3. "Allegory The Giving Tree." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

This site was a presentation on the underlying allegories that were in the children’s book, The Giving Tree. This introduced new ideas that I hadn’t seen before. It provided a new perspective to me, and insightful things to add to my own book. I selected this source because I think it’s helpful to learn how to add an allegory that children don’t pick up on but others do, as well as something that’s unique and powerful to me. It helped me gain ideas of how I can impact the audience with my message.

4. "Self Publishing, Book Printing and Publishing Online - Lulu." Self Publishing, Book Printing and Publishing Online - Lulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

I selected this source because it was the best self publishing/printing company I found. They were organized, helpful, and professional. They gave you an estimated price which is nice. Also, the site is supportive. They have sponsors, (Barnes and Noble, amazon, and Ibooks) so you feel like you can be successful with your final product. Another benefit of this source was that they provide online support for anyone with questions that aren’t answered. One limitation of this source was that it’s very expensive.

5. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar =Khubaja Bhukyo Keḍarapilara /." Free Library of Philadelphia. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

I chose to look at the Very Hungry Caterpillar for inspiration because it was always a favorite of mine when I was younger. I analyzed it and looked for allegories. I really liked the fact that the author used the days of the week to tell his story, but it was also structure (which is good for the children) and it helps them learn the days of the week. I used this for my storyline, and incorporated the days of the week through it. This book gave me great ideas. One limitation that I thought the book had was it was too short. It was like a cliffhanger in a way which made me have more questions about the authors choices.

6. "Where Do Balloons Go? :an Uplifting Mystery /." Free Library of Philadelphia. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

I chose Where Do Balloons go? as one of the books to analyze because it was in my family history. The allegory of this book is about death, and questions what happens to people when they die/what happens to their loved ones. This helps me because I want to incorporate the message “How to deal with death/Can we move on?/How do we move on?” into my story. This book also helped me on ideas for illustrations, because it is so beautifully illustrated and the colors are so vibrant. This book was very interesting and beneficial to my writing process.

7. "The Giving Tree /." Free Library of Philadelphia. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

I chose The Giving Tree to source because it’s an amazing classic. The book not only demonstrates the process of life, but the selfish characteristics that we have, and how we can take advantage of the people who care about us the most. It also portrays how we can become more and more complicated and greedy as we live and find new things. This book is simply wonderful, and demonstrates the qualities I want to show in my own book.

8. "Goodnight Moon /." Free Library of Philadelphia. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

Most people don’t know that Goodnight Moon was written in 1947, and the book is about the Cold War. It uses tactics like saying “goodnight” to everything in the room. It’s the perfect bedtime story, but the deeper allegory is very hidden. A limitation of this source was that I had to research the allegory, which I thought older people would understand automatically. Overall, it was beneficial to see a different type of book with a different message then the rest.

9. "Twenty Steps to Writing a Children’s Book." Confessions of a Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

This source provides step by step instructions on the children’s book that a woman wrote. Her’s was focused primarily on working with her illustrator, and every detail that went into getting the final product the way she wanted it. I selected this source because I wanted to know the process from another person’s perspective, and see how I can plan my time accordingly to get everything completed. One limitation of this source was that she didn’t talk much about writing it, which I wish she did because her illustration notes were so great.

10. "Pat Mora." Pat Mora. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

I chose this source because I need tips on how to organize my time, and what I should dedicate more time to/less time to during my writing, illustrating, and printing process. This website gives quick tips on how to successfully write a children’s book. I agree with the tips they cover toward the end, because you do have to love what you’re writing about or else the book will not be as amazing as it could be. This source was beneficial to me because I take note of them when writing my book, and they really come in handy.