Dim's Write Stuff

All of us wish at some point to be someone other than who we are, ostensibly to improve our lot or in the case of our young protagonist in this spirited new picture book by Trygve Skaug  and Ella Okstad , improve the world around him. If I Were Prime Minister invites us to join in the fantasy and appreciate the way a child-run community could be deployed. Pulsing with dynamic prose that weaves whimsically above and throughout each spread, If I Were Prime Minister , delivers a visual eye-fest of stimulating images each dutifully depicting our erstwhile prime minister's litany of promises. These include guarantees of a swimming pool in every garden, libraries open every day, extra screen time (ahem), spontaneous fireworks, cleaner oceans, and my personal favourite, compulsory playtime as a subject taught to adults (who arguably have forgotten how to play).  This fun foray into fantastical, impulsive desire is more than a catalogue of wishful thinking. It subtly reflects the w...

Maria Marshall is a fellow SCBWI member hailing from North America. She's a seasoned traveller, avid wildlife photographer and passionate contributor to all things Kids' Lit who loves  using picture and chapter books to make reading and nature fun for children . I might never have met her had our paths not crossed at the Sydney Australian East New Zealand SCBWI Conference last February, (thanks to Vivian Kirkfield who introduced us!) As Maria states, encounters like these spur inspiration and that special kind of camaraderie and admiration that lingers long after the flight home. Maria Marshall (left) seen here with fellow conference delegates, authors: Jennifer Loakes and Janet Reid Maria impressed me immediately with her attentiveness and drive to absorb as much of my exuberant volley of picture book love as I could fire at her (rushed exchanges are often the norm at these events). We both knew we wanted to share more and after she allowed me to sign a very perso...

'Books have a powerful way of triggering the imagination of children and building their understanding of the world.' CEO  Elaine Ng of the National Library Board, Singapore This was a sentiment echoed not only in my own seminar at this year's Asian Festival for Children's Content 2017 (AFCC) but in many other sessions I attended and moderated for as well.  The official AFCC 2017 program, which ran from 17 - 21 May 2017, is nearly 90 pages long bursting with over 120 conference sessions and book-related events for delegates and the general public. That's a lot of talking, work-shopping, pitching and exchanging. I was delighted to be in the thick of it having been invited to present and launch my latest picture book there. I can but hope to reproduce the animated vibe and sense of camaraderie I experienced wondering up and down the multi-floored, air-conditioned halls of the mighty National Library, but I'm going to try... Leslee Udwin punchin...