Judge, 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Below is a brief commentary for this entry in the 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.

Entry Title: The Popcorn Tree
Author: Catherine Green
Judge Number: 6
Entry Category: Early Readers/Children’s Picture Books

Structure, Organization, and Pacing:   5

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar:   5

Production Quality and Cover Design:   5

Plot and Story Appeal:   5

Character Appeal and Development:   5

Voice and Writing Style:   5

Judge’s Commentary*:

Author writes with an engaging energy, drawing us into a pleasant, lyrical cadence. We’re well placed in the setting via the detailed illustrations brought into greater depth by use of lighting. Claire’s emotions stand out in this story, from disorientation to fear to curiosity to ingenious steps taken to rectify the situation she finds herself in, such as remembering the stash of cookies. Great imagination soars soon, bringing us into the popcorn tree, and it’s at this point that the reader suspects this may be a dream. Author’s instincts in pacing this slide from the expected to the fanciful delivers us smoothly into an acceptance of this. It’s not a trick, and not a letdown. It’s the whirl of a young girl’s imagination. Dialogue is written in age-appropriate language and expression, using the method of questioning that matches so well to Claire’s age (and little ones’ penchant for asking many questions a day.) Very well done. Nice realism. Giving voice to the squirrel provides a fresh level of characterization, and comforts young readers with a sense of company and help. Nicely done. Excellent choice to assign assorted flavors to the popcorn, which adds great sensory detail to the popcorn tree scene. Young readers can relate to popcorn texture and flavors, adding great depth to the story. It’s not just about the things she sees, but about the things she tastes. Satisfying things in her adventure. I also liked that when the dream sequence is revealed, there is no sense of letdown or negation of her experience. Calling it an adventure validates Claire’s experience, and we are happy that she still gets to visit her grandparents and play with the puppy. Author has demonstrated great instinct for the amount of fantasy included in the dream, which focuses on a small number of experiences, not overwhelming the young reader or getting them to second-guess their suspension of disbelief. Nicely structured and well-paced. And nice attention to detail in the illustrations.

A few quick notes~

• Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”.
• The 1-5 scale is strictly to provide a point of reference; the scores are meant only to be a gauge, and are not a cumulative score, nor are they tallied or used in ranking. • A "0" is not a negative score. Our online review system only recognizes numerals during this portion of logging evaluations.As a result, we've substituted a “0” in place of “N/A” when the particular portion of the evaluation simply does not apply to the particular entry, based on the entry genre. For example, a book of poetry, a cookbook, or a travel guide would not necessarily have a “Plot and Story Appeal, and may therefore receive a “0” - indicating that the rating was not applicable.