Bebop Books is currently accepting manuscripts for emergent readers with multicultural themes.
Emergent readers are used by kindergarten and first-grade teachers to help young children develop early reading skills and strategies. Each book is a 12 or 16-page paperback, with full color illustrations and a story specifically written and illustrated to support 5- and 6-year-olds in their efforts to begin reading. The stories should fit within Fountas and Pinnell's Guided Reading levels D-G and Reading Recovery� levels 6-12 (see guidelines below).
We are looking for realistic fiction and nonfiction stories that feature young children of color. We prefer stories that are culturally specific, that is, the content of the story relates specifically to a particular culture or ethnic group, but stories about universal childhood experiences are also acceptable.
GUIDELINES FOR TEXT DEVELOPMENT Stories for Guided Reading levels D-E / Reading Recovery� levels 6-8 should have the following characteristics: Simple story lines and focus on mostly familiar topics and situations, sometimes leading to problem situations/solutions Repetition of two or three sentence patterns, with text variation Both natural oral language and "book (literary) language" Large number of easy, high frequency words Some longer words, including contractions, compound words, and inflectional endings Full range of punctuation may be used; may also include dialogue Complete story contains 50-150 words
Stories for Guided Reading levels F-G / Reading Recovery� levels 9-12 should have the following characteristics:
Topics may range beyond the familiar Story lines and story patterns are more complex, usually with a distinct beginning, middle, and end and sometimes with chronological episodes Story line is completely carried by the text. Require recall and thinking to gain meaning Text becomes more inferential; characters' actions require interpretation Both natural oral language and "book (literary) language" Variety of high-frequency words and challenging vocabulary expands Continued use of contractions, compound words, and inflectional endings Full range of punctuation; punctuation supports phrasing and meaning Longer sentences; greater variety in use of dialogue Complete story contains 100-200 words
Bebop Books is also accepting illustration samples from artists for emergent readers featuring children of color.
Illustrators: � Must have appropriate style for children ages 5 and 6. � Must be able to render children appealingly in realistic settings. � Must be able to develop a story from very minimal text while at the same time making sure the illustrations match the text exactly.
We use artists with a range of styles and techniques. Please look at some of the titles in the books section on our Web site for examples of the kind of illustrations that are appropriate for these books.
We are especially interested in submissions from writers and artists of color. We encourage anyone interested in submitting to get more information on our Web site www.bebopbooks.com.
Writer's Submission Instructions Submissions must be sent by regular mail (please, no email submissions) and accompanied by a cover letter along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE).
Artist's Submission Instructions Please send non-returnable color samples by regular mail (please, no slides or electronic submissions) and accompanied by a cover letter and list of clients.
All materials can be sent to:
Jennifer Frantz, Editor Bebop Books 95 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016
Our next list of books will be published in Fall 2002. We will be accepting manuscripts through February 15th, 2002 and making our final selections in March. All relevant manuscripts will be held for consideration until this time. We will return any manuscripts not selected, as quickly as possible after the selections process.