Hi guys!

I'm going through the Project Guide and these are my Unit 1 answers:

What type of picture book you plan on writing:

A concept book.

Post the title and book cover of one of you favorite picture books:

Lost and Found, by Oliver Jeffers.

Unit 2:

• How many pages is it? 36

• What’s the word count? 471

• What elements are in the front matter? Dedication, Title, Author/Illustrator, Publisher, Copyright Info, Publishing Date, a vignette and a full bleed illustration.

• On what page does the story begin? Page 6

• On what page does the story begin? 15 spreads

• Do any pictures get caught in the gutter? Yes. There are 4 full spread full bleed page spreads.

• Is there an author’s note? No.

• How are the end papers treated? Green couloured paper. No illustrations, notes or patterns.

Unit 3:

First manuscript draft

This is Nina. She likes to run and jump over things and climb trees. Her best friend is Cookie, a teddy bear she got from mommy and daddy. Together, they play house, cooking, drink tea, watch TV and they even share the pillow for sleeping. Nina is very sad today: Cookie is gone!

“When I woke up this morning he was there by my side and then we went out to play and suddenly he wasn't there anymore! What could have happened? Where did he go?”

Nina looked for Cookie through the whole house: she looked under the bed: he wasn't there. Behind the cushions on the couch: he wasn't there. Inside granny's closet: he wasn't there. She even asked the kitty: “Haven't seen him”, he told her. She looked even inside the fishbowl and Cookie wasn't there. Then she went shouting through the house, the garden, the garage: “Cookie! Cookie! Coooookieeeeeeee!”. Nothing. Nobody answered.

“Where did he go?”, Nina asked. “I know! He must be waiting for me at the dollhouse!”. Nina ran over and went inside the bedroom saying, “Cookie, look what I brought for our te...”. Nina froze and stood there in the middle of the room: the dollhouse was empty.

Sad, Nina sat down and sighed a long sigh and felt like crying: “Cookie went away and left me behind”.

Nina laid down on the rug and started fiddling with the fringes, the way she always does when she is sad. Suddenly, something red came out from under the rug and got caught on her fingers: it was Cookies's tie!

Nina remembered that the night before her mom told them a story about a fairy with beautiful wings and that could fly so high... Cookie loved the story and wanted to fly too. So, Nina waited her mom say goodnight and she put her butterfly wings on Cookie and they played and played and... “I remember!”, said Nina. “Cookie flew and I fell asleep...”. But where was Nina's teddy bear?

Nina ran over to the window but he wasn't on the tree's branches and he didn't fall on the grass either... where did he land?

So Nina looked back inside and she noticed a brown bundle with shiny wings on top of the closet and... it was Cookie! “Cookie! You're there! Now we can play!”. But... how is he going to climb down? It's so high up there... “I'll help!”. Nina stretched her little arms and didn't even get close. Then she got on the tips of her toes and it wasn't enough either. She threw her jumping rope up, but Cookie couldn't catch it and the handle fell right on her head.

With a tiny head ache and already a bit discouraged, Nina sat on her bed and stared at the wardrobe. “It's too high. I can't reach Cookie”. Not knowing what to do, Nina kicked the chair and it fell over. “That's it!”, Nina shouted, looking at the chair. “Nana always climbs on this chair to put the suitcase up there!”. Nina got the chair up and pushed it close to the wardrobe. She climbed it and even on the tips of her toes and stretching up her little arms, she still couldn't reach Cookie. “Now what?”, Nina thought, looking around and searching for something else to help her reach up there. “Books! I'll make a pile with them on top of the chair, then I'll climb it and get to Cookie!”. Nina put all of her books on the chair and when she climbed all of them she reached up and grabbed Cookie's leg. He was stuck between the suitcase and the wall, so she pulled and pulled and... THUMP THUMP THUMP THUD!!!!! Nina and Cookie fell on top of the pile of books and she said: “I missed you, Cookie! Let's have some tea!”. And so Nina spent all afternoon telling Cookie about her adventures trying to find him.

Second manuscript draft, with page numbers (after Christine's comments):

Page 5: This is Nina. She likes to run and jump over things and to climb trees. And this is her best friend, Cookie.

Page 6: They like to play house, cooking, drink tea, watch TV and they even share the pillow for sleeping.

Page 7: But Nina is sad today: Cookie is gone!

Page 8: “When I woke up this morning he was there by my side and then we went out to play and suddenly he wasn't there anymore!

Page 9: What could have happened? Where did he go?”

Page 10: Nina looked everywhere for Cookie. She looked even inside the fishbowl and Cookie wasn't anywhere.

Page 11: Then she went shouting: “Cookie! Cookie! Coooookieeeeeeee!”. Nothing. Nobody answered.

Page 12: “Where did he go?”, Nina asked. “I know! He must be waiting for me at the dollhouse!”. Nina ran over and went inside the bedroom saying, “Cookie, look what I brought for our te...”.

Page 13: Nina froze: the dollhouse was empty.

Page 14: Nina sat down and sighed a long sigh and felt like crying: “Cookie went away and left me behind”.

Page 15: No text, only the illo of Nina feeling abandoned and lonely.

Page 16: She laid down on the rug and started fiddling with the fringes.

Page 17: Suddenly, something came out from under the rug and got caught on her fingers: it was Cookies's tie!

Page 18: Nina remembered that the night before her mom told them a story about a fairy that could fly so high... Cookie loved the story and wanted to fly too. So, Nina put her butterfly wings on Cookie and they played and played and...

Page 19: “I remember!”, Nina shouted. “Cookie flew and I fell asleep...”. But if he flew, then where did he land?

Page 20: Nina laid back down but this time something caught her eye: a bundle on top of the wardrobe. She squinted her eyes and... it was Cookie! “Cookie! You're there! Now we can play!”

Page 21: But... how is he going to climb down? It's só high up there...

Page 22: “I'll help!”. Nina stretched and jumped up but she didn't even get close. She threw her jumping rope up, but Cookie couldn't catch it and the handle fell right on her head.

Page 23: Dizzy and already a bit discouraged, Nina sat on her bed and stared at the wardrobe. “It's too high. I can't reach Cookie”.

Page 24: Suddenly she kicked the chair and it fell over. “That's it!”, Nina shouted. “Nana always climbs on it to put the suitcase up there!”.

Page 25: Nina got the chair up and pushed it close to the wardrobe. She climbed it but she still couldn't reach Cookie. “Now what?”, Nina thought.

Page 26: “Books! I'll make a pile with them on top of the chair!”. She climbed all of them, reached up and grabbed Cookie's leg. “He's stuck...”, she said . So she pulled and pulled and...

Page 27: THUMP THUMP THUMP THUD!!!!!

Page 28: Down they fell.

Page 29: “I missed you, Cookie! Let's have some tea!”.

Page 30: And so Nina spent all afternoon telling Cookie about her adventures trying to find him.

Page 31: No text. Thinking about illustrating the words "The end", with Cookie and Nina playing around it.

Page 32: No text. Thinking about putting a little vignette, maybe of Cookie's tie or the pile of fallen books.

--------- UPDATE ON 3rd September, 2015: I'm almost done illustrating this book! Please check out my progress at "Picture Books II: Illustrate a Story" -----------------