Rachelle Burk, Children's Writer and Entertainer

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AUTHOR VISITS TO YOUR SCHOOL and other services

Rachelle is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, & poetry for children, and regular contributing writer for Scholastic Science World classroom magazine. She is available for affordable SCHOOL AUTHOR VISITS and MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES. Rachelle, a native of New Orleans, lives in central New Jersey with her husband and daughters.

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RESOURCES FOR WRITERS

Award-winning treasure trove of helpful links in 31 categories:

(1) Articles (2) WARNING sites (3) Publishers (4) Agents (5) Editors (6) Query&Cover Letters

(7) Websites: Sources&articles about writing for children (8) Newsletters&E-zines (9)Forums(10) Critique Groups (11) Critique&Editing Services (12) Author Visits (13)Nonfiction Writing (14) Work-For-Hire&Freelance (15) Reference Resources (16) Rhyming&Poetry (17) Writing ORGANIZATIONS, Workshops, Courses&Conferences (18) Legal Advice (19) Contests&Awards(20) Teacher’s Guides (21) Book Reviewers (22) Illustrators&Images (23) Self-Publishing (24) Print on Demand&Subsidy Publishers ("self-publishers") (25) Electronic Publishing (26) Book Marketing&Promotion(27) Author Sites for Book Promotion (28) Books on Writing for Children(29) Resources for Kids Who Write (30) National&International Writers' Organizations (31) Blogs

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Critique & Editing Services

Click here for information on Rachelle's book,

Tree House in a Storm

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Children's Entertainment Services

This is a book cover for Tree House In A Storm.

TREE HOUSE IN A STORM

My first children's book, TREE HOUSE IN A STORM (illustrated by Rex Schneider), was released by Stemmer House Publishers in September. Set in my hometown of New Orleans, two children build a tree house where they play and imagine all summer long. But then Hurricane Betsy blows into New Orleans in 1965, and their beloved tree house becomes one of its victims. This story of loss, hope, and resiliency was inspired by actual events from my childhood. It explores universal themes of natural disaster and rebuilding. In the classroom, this book serves as an effective discussion tool. A free Teacher's Guide and book related activities are available through a link on this site. I am available for School Author Visit programs!

A portion of the proceeds will go to Hurricane Relief organizations. Click here to learn more, and to purchase.

New manuscript complete! Children's biography of a blind painter

After 2 years of research, interviews, writing and revising, I have completed my children's biography about a remarkable blind painter. I am currently in the process of seeking a publisher.

Who is Esref Armagan?

Esref Armagan (born 1953) is a contemporary Turkish painter who has been completely blind since birth. He grew up poor and uneducated, and never had an art lesson, yet he paints detailed pictures in bright colors and 3-point perspective without assistance. For decades, Armagan was the subject of curiosity, awe, and skepticism in his native Turkey. Then in 2004, he became the subject of scientific brain studies in the United States. The astonishing results have been published in science journals, magazines, and newspapers around the globe. In 2008 the DISCOVERY CHANNEL aired a documentary which featured Armagan (and three others with extraordinary abilities) called The Real Superhumans. Click here to view the Discovery Channel documentary on Esref Armagan.

The HISTORY CHANNEL is scheduled to begin filming a documentary about Armagan in the summer of 2010.

I discovered Esref Armagan quite by accident three years ago when an article about him popped up in an unrelated google search. It caught my eye, and I was immediately hooked. I knew I had to write a book and share his inspiring story with kids everywhere. After 18 months of research, interviews, and writing, I have finally completed my children's biography about this remarkable painter. The manuscript, Painting in the Dark: The Esref Armagan Story, has been favorably reviewed by members of the Arts and Disabilities organizations, as well as national and international organizations for the blind. (Click here to read reviews). I am currently seeking a publisher.

I know that Armagan's fascinating story would be a valuable addition to both science and art curricula, and an inspiration to children with disabilities and those who care for them.

I am excited to now be a part of a wonderful kids' newspaper, which is distributed free to elementary schools throughout NJ. I write an interactive column called "The Write Stuff." The monthly themes and prompts encourage kids to write creatively and see their work published. The newspaper is a FREE, quality alternative to classroom mags such as Weekly Reader or Scholastic. Check it out! www.KidsvilleNews.com

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

SCHOLASTIC SCIENCE WORLD (Classroom magazine for grades 6-10. Multiple articles, May 2011-present).
BLIND AMBITION (Nonfiction. Highlights for Children Magazine, Jan. 2009) A teenage boy doesn't let his blindness slow him down. He zips down expert ski trails & describes his father's innovative guiding techniques. HIGHLIGHTS MAGAZINE AUTHOR OF THE MONTH AWARD, and SCBWI letter of Merit.
THE HOLIDAY HOUSE (Fiction. Highlights for Children Magazine, Fiction). A little girl and her widower neighbor bond by decorating his house for every holiday, including those of other cultures and religions. Things change when he must move into a nursing home. (Publication date TBA)
THE VICTORY COOP (Fiction. Highlights for Children Magazine) Rather than grow a "Victory Garden" as President Roosevelt urged to help with the food shortage, this city family builds a chicken coop in their backyard. But how will they deal with their crabby neighbor? (Publication date TBA)
THE COME BACK (Fiction, secular. Catholic Forester Magazine, Spring 2008) An adolescent boy who has undergone recent cancer treatment is apprehensive about returning to school and other activities, until his friends take extreme efforts to prove to him that he's still one of them.
FROM THE INSIDE OUT (Nonfiction. Birds and Blooms Magazine, Sept. 2006) The fascinating but gruesome relationship between the tomato hornworm and a parasitic wasp. (Original title: "I Ate Your Guts!")
THE SKI'S NO LIMIT (Nonfiction. Scholastic Scope Magazine, Jan. 2008) Inspiring profile of three teenage skiers and the director of the Adaptive Ski Program at Camelback Lodge. They use various equipment that allows them to ski with blindness, cerebral palsy, and amputations.
TO CATCH A FAIRY (Poetry. Dragonfly Spirit e-zine, Sept. 2005)
MISMATCHED SOCKS (Poetry. Pockets Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008)
MICHAEL'S DANCE (Poem. Itty-Bits of Bliss poetry anthology, 2006)
The Write Stuff (monthly column: Kidsville News--various New Jersey counties 2008-2013))

COMPLETED WORKS (Seeking Publication)

PAINTING IN THE DARK: THE ESREF ARMAGAN STORY (Picture Book Biography). A contemporary, Turkish blind painter captivates the world with his inexplicable talent.
THE BEST FOUR QUESTIONS: For the first time, Tillie will get to ask the Four Questions at Passover--but which questions will she ask?
MISS CRUMPS FUNNY BONE (Chapter Book). Three third graders make a high stakes bet to see who can get their grumpy teacher to laugh.
BE A TWIG: A stick bug tries her darnedest to escape her enemies by blending in, but looking like a twig is more trouble than she ever expected..
THE TOOTH FAIRY LETTERS (Chapter Book—sequel to The Tooth Fairy Trap—work in progress). Told through letters left under the pillow over several years, this is a story of a friendship that transcends two very different, but oddly similar worlds.
A DOG, TWO CATS, A BEAR AND ME (Rhyming Picture Book). A child’s menagerie of stuffed animals are her accomplices in endless bedtime dawdling. Co-author Cara Barouch--my daughter)
THE RUBYFRUIT TREE (Picture Book). A young, greedy princess wants the single thing she can’t have, and foolishly risks everything to get it.
THE ICE CREAM PIRATE (Picture Book). A cone-stealing seagull creates havoc at Maw-Maw’s Ice Cream Shack, and Jackson is determined to stop the "pirate gull."
ARTISTS OF THE RAINFOREST (nonfiction magazine article). Story of the Embera, skilled carvers and basket weavers who live in the rainforests of Central America.
FUN WITH THE FUNDY TIDE (nonfiction magazine article). Imagine heading to the beach, only to find the sea has disappeared! This is low tide on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, site of the most extreme tides in the world. Six hours later, the sea that had receded as much as three miles will come rushing back in. If you make your way to a nearby river that flows into the bay, you can take a wild boat ride into nine-foot waves created by the incoming tide.