Dianne Ochiltree
When I interviewed Dianne Ochiltree who lives in New Jersey, she reported that they had just gotten 4 inches of snow--three of which had accumulated that day. That was more than a year ago, but it could have been written yesterday. In the Washington Metropolitan area where I reside, we just got another 4-inch snowfall to add to the big load that was dumped about 10 days ago. It has been a very cold and snowy winter here in the northeast.
My first question was about her first book "Getting that first book in print was not easy" Dianne stated. She went to a lot of conferences where she met with editors and especially focused on those companies that do not take unsolicited manuscripts. Obviously, Dianne wanted to make an impression, get to the editor and hope that there would be a request to see some of her work. She also became a member of SCBWI, IRA, the New Jersey Reading Council and other groups that held writers conferences or that focus on literacy issues. Meeting those editors was a top priority, as were the things that she learned from the speakers that would help her hone her writing skills. It also didn't hurt to learn more about the business and production processes in the book industry. Dianne also pointed out that these conferences are important to learn what is hot and what is not--the publishing cycle is acyclical--you need to be on the leading edge of the next curve, not at the tail end of what is currently the rage. She tried twenty different publishers before her first manuscript was purchased, and her advise to aspiring writers is to constantly work on improving your craft and make sure that the story you are writing is one that you connect with and that you are going to like working on for a very long time.
Her book Ten Monkey Jamboree was only a 6-page manuscript. Sounds easy--but it took two years of work to edit it down, cutting and thinking about every word and how each worked in the text. The same is true of the manuscript for Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins due out from Simon & Schuster is 2004. Dianne was faced with the following challenges--do the math and make it work within the plot line/problem; make the storyline simple, but it must make sense; really work on the rhyme to make it smooth for reading aloud and to make sure that it really works. The rhyme needs to fun and not awkward or forced. Many people may think that it is easier to write for kids than adults but as Dianee noted "that is just not true."
One of the really valuable things Dianne has undertaken is to record the whole process that she goes through. Since she sometimes teaches writing classes for adults, the files and the information are valuable to help others understand the steps. It also makes it easier for her, since she now understands completely what is involved in every stage of the author and publishing process. During school visits, Dianne can also show kids the creative process and the necessity of revisions. She once worried that she might not have many ideas for books, which is not true--Dianne has more ideas for books than she could ever write. Her ideas are contained in notebooks and she is very disciplined. Everyday, she writes three pages. In addition, Dianne belongs to a critique group of established writers. "It is a great way to develop the craft" according to Dianne.
Dianne is one of those people who can keep multiple balls in the air--something, I have noticed that a lot of writers need to do. First, she was working on the background and note taking plus character profiles for her next book, second, she was writing a picture book text in rhyme, and third, she was revising a manuscript. She has been writing for more than twenty-five years (ads, promotional copy, reviewing, etc.), but it is only within the last couple of years that she has entered the children's book market. "Writing for kids is the best, they are so fresh and I am always looking for ways to connect with them through stories." She loves to meet kids and have them tell her that she helped them get into reading.
As the books reviewed below show, Dianne is forging ahead in the field, and without a doubt many of those ideas that she has been jotting down in her notebooks will one day result in published books.
Contributor: Marilyn Courtot
To visit Dianne at her own web site click here
Reviews
Bart's Amazing Charts Dianne Ochiltree
Illustrated by Martin Lemelman
Math activities by Marilyn Burns
Bart is faced with a tough class assignment; he needs an innovative way to tell his life story. At home he finds Mom busy working on some charts for her job, and that gives him an idea. As his Mom says if you can count it, measure it, or sort it, then you can put the information on a chart. Bart sorts and charts his sports card collection, ranks his likes and dislikes for pizza toppings, and creates a chart to compare his height with the rest of the family. Suddenly, he was making charts for everything he did, even charting his temperatures when he was home sick. As he created his charts, Mom scanned them into the computer and when it was time for his class presentation, Bart used the computer to display his charts and tell his life story. Ochiltree has written an entertaining introduction to charts and her book is especially helpful in that the charts relate to real life activities. There are additional math activities by math expert Marilyn Burns at the end of the story. 1999, Scholastic, $3.99. Ages 6 to 8. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-439-09953-6
Cats Add Up!
Dianne Ochiltree
Illustrated by Marcy Dunn-Ramsey
Math activities by Marilyn Burns
A young girl and her Mama are very happy with their one cat. Pretty soon, one grows to six and a few more are added until they come up with quite a collection of cats--ten to be exact. Mama's allergies necessitate a solution to all the cat hair and dander that so many cats create. A big cat give away brings the number back down to one. But wait, Maxie has a quite a surprise in store. The engaging story with realistic watercolors help kids understand additional and subtraction. Math activities by Marilyn Burns found at the end of the book will help reinforce the concepts. A level 3 book in the "Hello Math Reader" series. 1998, Scholastic, $3.99. Ages 6 to 8. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-590-12005-0
Pillow Pup
Dianne Ochiltree
Illustrated by Mireille dAllancé
Maggie and her owner have a grand chase and tug-of-war over her pillow. It is around the room, back and forth, up and down the stairs, and finally the girl gets the pillow. Only, Maggie captures it and the whole adventure begins again. This sunny, square picture book exudes warmth as the tawny puppy and the yellow pillow stand out against the various parts of the household. The rhyming text has some nice language twists to charm listeners: a "pillow-pulling pup," "a tail-wagging, floor-dragging, zig-zagging ride," and "Maggie shoots down the hall, a puppy bullet." The rhythm does not always work perfectly but the overall-clad girl owner certainly doesn't mind as she tells her story, and neither will laughing readers in this good-natured romp. 2002, McElderry, $14.95. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Susan Hepler
ISBN: 0-689-83408-X
Ten Monkey Jamboree
Dianne Ochiltree
Illustrated by Anne-Sophie Lanquetin
In this rhyming counting book, a group of ten rollicking monkeys leap, twist, spin, twirl and flip their way through a musical extravaganza, briefly interrupted by an encounter with a not-all-that-menacing tiger. The art is colorful and exuberant, filling each page with frenetic activity. Rather than a traditional counting book text, introducing first one monkey, then two and so on, here the monkeys present themselves in different groups, all summing to ten (for example, seven monkeys leap, two monkeys twirl, one monkey hangs by her knees, leading to ten monkeys having "a tail-tangling, tree-dangling jungle jamboree"). Children will enjoy counting the number of monkeys depicted in each scene--"Two monkeys munch mountains of berries. Five monkeys crunch crispy green leaves." But they may also find the arithmetically based structure to the story difficult to discern and miss the more familiar counting-book pattern. The rhymes of the text come and go unpredictably, with no settled rhyme scheme, making the verse somewhat difficult to read aloud. 2001, Margaret K. McElderry Books, $16.00. Ages 4 to 7. Reviewer: Claudia Mills
ISBN: 0-689-83402-0
Added 03/01/03
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If you’re interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.