It's almost time for the #SpringFlingKidLit contest, hosted by Ciara O'Neal and Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez! The idea is to write a 150-word spring story inspired by a gif. Read all the details here!

It can be hard to find gifs that aren't duds, to be honest. I used Procreate to draw and animate one for my entry, and then got addicted to the process and couldn't stop making more! So I'm posting them here in case anyone needs inspiration! 

If you end up using one for your entry, I'd love to be tagged so I can see what you came up with! You should be able to right-click on these and download them. Enjoy!

It's time for another Valentiny contest hosted by Susanna Leonard Hill! This year's theme was "pride", and as usual, entries should have kid appeal and adhere to the word count limits. (214, in this case.)

An excerpt of my entry is below! Be sure to visit the contest page where you can read all entries in the comment section.

by Allison Strick
213 words

Peacocks lookin’ fancy! (Gasp!)
Peacocks lookin’ fine! (Oh my!)
Tonight’s the night they'll strut their stuff
and score a Valentine! (Aww!)
 
The ballroom is aflutter.
The party’s at its peak.
But Percy watches all the others
chatting cheek to beak. 
​

Fellow Kid Lit writer Tonnye Fletcher is launching a new blog series called PBJamz, where she'll explore all the magical connections between picture books and music.

In preparation for her endeavor, she held a logo design contest. She wanted an image that included picture books, musical elements, and bonus points for including a nod to peanut butter and jelly. These are ALL some of my favorite things, so I got to work on an entry. 

I'm delighted to say that my logo was the winner! What an honor to have my artwork attached to what is sure to become a popular Kid Lit hub of information and inspiration.

Make sure you head over to Tonnye's blog to subscribe to the PBJamz newsletter--you won't want to miss out on any of the fun!

​And keep me in mind if you ever have a similar need -- I'm open for commissioned projects!