One of the things I love most about the world of children’s publishing is that the people involved are (generally) very serious about keeping their facts straight. If you write historical fiction for grown-ups, I am told you have lots of latitude to make stuff up. Not in my world. There are legions of librarians and teachers out there who trust us to present accurate information, even in a fictional setting.
You can imagine how tight the rules are when it comes to non-fiction!
I am taking some time off from the new WIP to go back to my historical (non-fiction) picture book, due out next summer. I received the manuscript back from the very nice Expert Historian, and I have the sketches from the artist. At my meeting with my editor last week, we discussed a couple of design changes that should make the information flow more easily. So I have a lot to do this week!
Right now I’m combing through my notes looking for the sources of information about those points that the Expert questioned. Once she and I agree about a couple of interpretations, I’ll work on fixing the text to accommodate the design changes.
This might sound tedious, but really, it is very exciting.
Trust me.