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Cheryl B. Klein

@cherylklein.bsky.social

3.2K followers 150 following 1.6K posts

I notice things for a living. Editorial director, Workman Kids; author of THE MAGIC WORDS: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS and five picture books, most recently IT’S HARD TO BE A BABY; 6yo mom; Virgo/goofball. Opinions my own.

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · Nov 11

Hello, new followers! I'm a children's book editor with 24 years in the business & author of THE MAGIC WORDS: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS and five picture books. I post about books, writing craft, politics, publishing, NYC, my 5-year-old son, & things that make me laugh.

The cover of my fourth picture book, HAMSTERS MAKE TERRIBLE ROOMMATES, illustrated by Abhi Alwar, featuring the head of one manic white hamster hanging upside down and one irritated brown hamster with heavy eyebrows, both inside the bars of a cage. Despite the sound of that description, this is not a metaphor for America in any way the illustrator or I intended. It's actually about introverts vs. extroverts and learning to communicate with the people around, and it's pretty funny.

The cover of my most recent picture book, IT'S HARD TO BE A BABY, featuring at least 10 cute babies in colorful clothes, illustrated by Juana Medina.

The cover of my adult nonfiction book THE MAGIC WORDS: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS, featuring a white book open with pop-up houses and trees inside, against a blue background with a pale yellow sun and white clouds. If you want to know more: https://www.cherylklein.com/the-magic-words

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 7h

It's a lovely book! And I'm really proud of how it offered representation to all of us girls with curves, as they say.

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 9h

Many years ago I wrote on Twitter that I wanted to publish a MG novel about scoliosis (which I wore a brace for from ages 10-16). @katemckean.bsky.social said “I rep a manuscript for that!”, she sent it to me & I bought it, & it became BRACED, the debut by now-bestselling author Alyson Gerber.

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 22h

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

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Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Wandering Hoo @wanderlib.bsky.social · 1d

“One of the chants that has become ubiquitous at these protests at Broadview is, ‘Love your neighbor, love your God, save your soul and quit your job,’” said Black, who pastors at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. “Everybody chants that.”

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 15h

This morning I was thinking about Chekhov’s gun

And then — what if you set a story in a minefield

And then — that’s what it feels like in the US right now:

waiting for the civil war

or the economy

or the government

or the environment

or the next pandemic

or or or

to go off.

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Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 1d

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 1d

Tonight I learned the secret for transferring text from one Word doc to another with the tracked changes intact: Turn off Track Changes in both docs first, then cut & paste. Easy peasy!

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 1d

2000!

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 1d

*high-fives in Carleton alum*

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Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 10d

Whether your state officially recognizes Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day, this month is an important time to share the true history of Columbus and the Taino People with kids (and smash the myths!) bookshop.org/p/books/hist...

History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People

Check out History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People - <b>Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth about Christopher Columbus, and learn all about the Taino people. Perfect for ...

bookshop.org

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Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 1d

Today’s favourite proof note:

Replace ‘this’ with ‘that.’

Which feels like a short summary of the entire process.

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Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 2d

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 2d

I like the work of both of them, but Taylor has barely had to think about anyone besides herself since high school & it shows.

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 2d

"AI is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be re-consumed" so succinct! so good!

Chibdm @chibdm.bsky.social · 2d

Robin Williams' daughter has some quality thoughts on AI slop

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Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Micah @rincewind.run · 2d

as always, the most accurate summation of modern politics ever created

comic from webcomicname.com, "different"

panel 1: pink blob creature: "I want things to be different"

panel 2: creature smashes everything

panel 3: creature stands in wreckage: "oh no"

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 2d

A magical sport? Why not!

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 2d

I just mistyped "teammate" as "teammage" and now I'm envisioning a YA fantasy series about group-based competitive wizardry. (Obviously if you write this you should send it to me.)

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 2d

I read it for the first time recently shortly after finishing WINTERSMITH and it was like "WOW, we really went from children's books to young YA to older YA quickly here!"

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 2d

The Toast, RIP. I went looking for the Roxane Gay review of MAGIC MIKE XXL there recently— the funniest movie review of all time — and was sad to find it & the archives gone.

Reposted by Cheryl B. Klein

Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 3d

If you live in New York City, you've got to start your day by reading this @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social x @bradlander.bsky.social conversation!

Brad Lander Wants New York City to Resist

The NYC Comptroller talks ICE, Trump, Zohran, and Brooklyn.

www.hamiltonnolan.com

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

* fewer than

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Robin Bradford @tuphlos.bsky.social · 3d

Happy Sunday. Have a snack. (Not me, a different snack.) 🤭

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

Really good interview with S&S adult editor Yahdon Israel on publishing — what he says about an MFA applies to kids’ books too (somewhat less so, but it’s smart about how to think about the investment): open.substack.com/pub/aliahabi...

Merchants of Culture: A Conversation With S&S Editor Yahdon Israel

"We’re talking about is what it means to be in an industry where we’re not allowed to admit that the very thing that makes us professionals is the thing that, which is money."

open.substack.com

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Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

I’m editing one about the Declaration coming next year, THE DECLARATION DECODED: perhaps the earlier book, THE CONSTITUTION DECODED, by Katie Kennedy, would be useful to you too?

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

I think basically (and this may just be the nature of the submissions I get) I would like to see fewer books trying to win a Newbery &
more going for old-fashioned stick-it-to-the-adults entertainment.

Cheryl B. Klein @cherylklein.bsky.social · 3d

I’d love to see more of this spirit in kidlit again, with protagonists who Do Things and defy adults in solving real-world (albeit slightly fantastical), interesting problems, in less than 256 pages. If you’re submitting MG right now: it would feel refreshing to see something like this.

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