If you've ever tried to write a story of your own, you know it's not as easy as it looks. Words get tangled, pencils get broken, piles of pages get crumpled up. It's so much easier just to read all the lovely stories other people have written. . . . But their stories aren't your stories, and your tale is worth telling.

A mostly empty page
Then another.
And still another.
There are squiggles.
There are doodles.
But the words won't come.

With the gentle reassurance of experience, two-time SCBWI Golden Kite Award Winner Deborah Hopkinson writes a story that encourages persistence, and celebrates the strength of every child's unique voice and the story they have to tell. Charming illustrations by Hadley Hooper detail the child's efforts-- and the stroke of inspiration that helps him get going.

This is the perfect picture book for kids who love stories and have big ideas of their own. Young readers who don't know where to start will be encouraged by the gentle humor, and a page of story-starting ideas offers the opportunity to expand the experience beyond the book.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A CCBC Choice