From award-winning author Elissa Brent Weissman comes a collection of quirky, smart, and vulnerable childhood works by some of today's foremost children's authors and illustrators--revealing young talent, the storytellers they would one day become, and the creativity they inspire today.

Everyone's story begins somewhere...

For Linda Sue Park, it was a trip to the ocean, a brand-new typewriter, and a little creative license.
For Jarrett J. Krosoczka, it was a third grade writing assignment that ignited a creative fire in a kid who liked to draw.
For Kwame Alexander, it was a loving poem composed for Mother's Day--and perfected through draft after discarded draft.
For others, it was a teacher, a parent, a beloved book, a word of encouragement. It was trying, and failing, and trying again. It was a love of words, and pictures, and stories.

Your story is beginning, too. Where will it go?

 

This book has been graded for interest at 8-12 years.

There are 208 pages in this book. This book was published 2018 by Simon & Schuster .

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of 28+ books, including The Undefeated, Booked and Rebound, the follow-up to his Newbery medal-winning middle grade novel, The Crossover. He's also the Founding Editor of Versify, an imprint that publishes fiction and poetry for children and young adults. Elissa Brent Weissman is the author of The Short Seller , Nerd Camp , and Standing for Socks as well as The Trouble with Mark Hopper . She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit her at EBWeissman. com. Tim Federle began crashing New York auditions as a teenager, landing in five Broadway shows, from Gypsy to The Little Mermaid (starring Tim in a catfish costume). Tim has penned columns for Apartment Therapy and Huffington Post, choreographed routines for Sting and James Taylor at Carnegie Hall, and coached the child stars of Billy Elliot on Broadway - Tim's inspiration for his debut novel, Better Nate Than Ever, which was named a Stonewall Honor Book. Tim lives in New York City, USA Find him at TimFederle. com, on Twitter @TimFederle and on YouTube - Tim Federle Reading and many more. #BetterNate Tom Angleberger is the author of the bestselling Origami Yoda series, as well as Candace Fleming is the author of several picture books for children. She lives with her husband and two sons in a suburb of Chicago. Chris Gall is the award-winning author and illustrator of Dear Fish, There's Nothing to Do on Mars, and his most recent, Dinotrux, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2009 Kathi Appelt has written a number of successful picture books. This is her debut novel. She lives in Texas. Elissa Brent Weissman is the author of The Short Seller , Nerd Camp , Nerd Camp 2. 0 , Standing for Socks , The Trouble with Mark Hopper , and the editor of Our Story Begins . She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Visit her at EBWeissman. com. Other contributors include Kwame Alexander, Tom Angleberger, Kathi Appelt, Ashley Bryan, Tim Federle, Candace Fleming, Marla Frazee, Chris Gall, Alex Gino, Chris Grabenstein, Gordon Korman, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Thanhha Lai, Peter Lerangis, Gail Carson Levine, Grace Lin, Yuyi Morales, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, R. J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park, Eric Rohmann, Dan Santat, Brian Selznick, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Rita Williams-Garcia. MARLA FRAZEE has illustrated many beloved picture books, including her own "Santa Claus the World's Number One Toy Expert "and "Roller Coaster. "She lives in Pasadena, California. Ashley Bryan is the illustrator of more than thirty titles, many of them with texts he also wrote, retold, or selected. His books have been richly acclaimed and highly honored. Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum won the Coretta Scott King Award, and four more of his titles have been selected Coretta Scott King Honor Books. Mr. Bryan lives on a small island off the coast of Maine.