Do You Mother Goose?

My latest picture book creation imitates a Mother Goose nursery rhyme. It was a challenge to say the least. In fact, I wrote the first half of the book six months ago, and then finished the second half two weeks ago. My brain had to recover from the first half!

When I mentioned the original rhyme to my husband, he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. The conversation when something like this...

Doris: You never heard of that nursery rhyme?

Hubby: No

Doris: Do you know Little Jack Horner?
Hubby: Huh?

Doris: Have you heard of Little Miss Muffet?
Hubby: Who?

Doris: What about Old Mother Hubbard?
Hubby: Are you kidding?

Doris: Did you read nursery rhymes?
Hubby: No

Doris: Did your mother ever read to you?
Hubby: Never

My hubby is Mother Goose illiterate! That pretty well wrapped our conversation.

But my own childhood was full of nursery rhymes and fairy tales. My mother also sang...silly jingles, lullabies, fav songs, Christmas carols and Christmas favorites, and anything else she felt like performing. She even recited The Song of Hiawatha!

By the shore of Gitchee Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.

I even have my own family nursery rhyme! When I got married my name became Doris Lewis Fisher. Oddly, my grandmother had a cousin named Louis Fisher. My mother used to recite this jingle he said. I finally wrote it down and have it memorized.

There once was a fisher named Fisher,
Who fished on the edge of a fissure.
A fish with a grin pulled the gentleman in,
Now they're fishing the fissure for Fisher.

I love saying that nutty rhyme on occasion. Wordplay is just so much doggone fun.

And now it's time for not-so-easy, Mother Goose trivia! Good luck goosies and ganders!

1. Who went to bed with one shoe off and one shoe on?

2. When did the Queen of hearts make tarts?

3. Who sang for his supper?

4. Who found Lucy Locket's pocket?

5. Hark, hark, why do the dogs bark?

6. Who lived in a pumpkin shell?

7. Who came to town in a yellow petticoat and a green gown?
8. How does Mistress Mary's garden grow?
9. Who went to Glouster in a shower of rain?

Mother Goose Rankings!

7-9 correct and you are a Mother Goose gosling!
4-6 correct and you are a birdbrain!
0-3 correct and your goose is cooked!

Answers
1. My son John
2. On a summer's day
3. Little Tommy Tucker
4. Kitty Fisher
5. The beggars are coming to town!
6. Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater
7. Daffy-Down-Dilly
8. With silver bells and cockleshells and pretty maids all in a row
9. Dr. Foster

Watch this blog for more Literature Trivia coming soon!

It's December!

November is over and you know what that means...no not Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, not buying and wrapping and mailing, not cards and cooking and parties.

It means PiBoIdMo is over...YAY! That's Picture Book Idea Month in case you were wondering.

It means I wrote down an idea, title, detail, character or plot for each day in November...you know, 30 wacked out, ridiculous, hilarious, sensational and best selling ideas.

This was the brain child of Tara Lazar and has caught on like hula hoops, pet rocks, and Beanie Babies. Everyday we read a post to inspire our creativity. These were wonderful and meant I could still be as silly as I wanted even though the last time I played Hi Ho Cherry-O, tried to lick my elbow, or turned a somersault was many a year ago!

Oh, the word possibilites to ponder...animals, names, aliens, the ocean, outer space, bugs, yo-yos, sparklers, monsters, and on and on and on. It was a chance to think short and crazy, long and hazey or even square and mazey!

I took my ideas to the Cakers at critique yesterday for an out loud reading. It's funny how they all seemed to agree on which ones appealed the most. And it also showed me which ones to consider first. The support I get from the Cakers is delicious. I'm fired up , ready to write, eternally hopeful as all writers must be.

Look out December, Doris is writing more than she is wrapping!

Author visits

This is a busy week for me with two author visits and a Houston SCBWI Conference this weekend. I only write picture books, unlike the other writers in Will Write for Cake.

What's new that I can mention to you about an author visit? Probably not much, but gosh, they are just so much doggone fun.

My four picture books, published by Sylvan Dell Publishing, obviously have great appeal to students under the age of 8. But lucky for me, my books are also filled with facts for all ages, as well as wacky pictures to find. Even adults giggle while reading my books. Happy Birthday to Whooo? is full of baby animal birth announcements. Guess which baby has been born from word play in the announcement and the art around each announcement.

The best guess I've received from a student(who was three years old) was for an announcement that started, "We are flying high in the sky."It's an octopus!" he eagerly told me. Clearly the little guy knew everyone was telling me animal names, but was he exactly on the right page? Probably not! But who cares? I told him it was a great guess, while the teachers in the room giggled behind their hands.

My other three books, One Odd Day, My Even Day and My Half Day are all Math with a Laugh. Rhyming and full of unusual pictures, readers find oddities in each book, as well as being introduced to odd number, even numbers and fractions. Amazing art and verse involve the reader with all the fun.

When I first started author visits, I wondered what I would do, how would this work, was I a dud before I even opened the school door? But I've found out students love visiting authors. Not only am I visiting their school or the author at a literacy night, but I'm a real "live" author, which I like better than being a real "dead" author.

Teachers and librarians couldn't be more helpful, considerate and excited, too. What fun for everyone. I hope all children's writers have the chance to enjoy this aspect of publishing. What a book blast baked to perfection with sweet memories!