Librarians and Teachers: Please Help!

Hello book people! I am sending a call-out to librarians, teachers, and others who are versed in what different ages of humans like to read. I would appreciate your help so much!

People are assuming Poetry by the Iguana is for an audience who actually would not appreciate it, tiny children, and so I need to know who its audience actually should be. I will gift my book to you so you can please help me with this, because it's a bit frustrating seeing it go to little persons who won't care, and ignored by those who would like it.

I'm asking because for some reason, on its Amazon page, Iguana's poetry is being bought by people who "also bought" picture books and really cute, adorable stories for very young children. While I didn't write it with any age in mind, I do understand why people assume it is for small children - I mean, usually anything from the point of view of a critter is for tiny beings, ones who normally can't read yet on their own. And I do love seeing those cute books next to my own, it just makes me smile!  :)  It just isn't...where it should be.

What concerns me is that I think aside from the first chapter, most of the poems would go completely over the heads of people so young. Plus, at this stage it isn't a picture book, because it is an ebook, although I guess people are reading it out loud to their kids.

I love to think of Poetry for the Iguana as being for tiny children, but I'm not sure that is who should read it (or have it read to them). Iguana is a character in a much larger story. The larger story, written in prose, will be more for kids than anyone else, but kids who can read on their own.

So could any book-people and kid-people help me out? I really need to know who the actual audience is for my little book! Thank you so much! You can reach me either through leaving a comment here, or go to my email zantippyskiphop@gmail.com or twitter @ZantippySkiphop, and I will gift it. Then please let me know what your recommendations are! Thank you so so so much!

Duckus scribbulus

For the next 6 weeks, I'm doing the Clarion West shadow writing workshop! My duck seems to understand: he has made a nest out of my fuzzy boot, and yells at me to keep still, too. I figure he either thinks I am nesting or knows I'm writing, and in either case he has his job and I have mine, so I better do what he says!

My specific goals are to write several short stories and many poems (20?) in the 6 weeks. The short stories are to submit to a sci-fi/fantasy children's e-zine, Spellbound, and a grown up Baltimore e-zine, Smile Hon, You're in Baltimore. The poems are for both those e-zines, and for a couple of upcoming Iguana books, to become a series with his first book, Poetry by the Iguana. I've already written two Iguana poems, another poem that I'll submit to either Smile, Hon or a writers' zine, and have gotten a start on 2 or 3 more. I did start a short story but have changed the focus and tone of it and turned it into one of the poems.

My more general goals are to work on my chapter books unrelentingly. It is much harder for me to write prose than poems, and so I am determined to use this workshop time to become more comfortable writing in prose!

So there is a lot of exciting stuff happening for Iguana and Zantippy's other friends, getting their lives into words so that other people can share in their adventures!

The main workshop helps fledgling science fiction and fantasy writers focus, with help from more experienced sci-fi writers. Ursala le Guin has been there! They always have different sci-fi writers come to speak and teach! This costs money, and many potential students can't afford it, so Clarion West raises some of its scholarship funds through a shadow workshop.  Any of us can join online and work on writing goals, while raising money for future scholarships!

This year over 200 people are involved in the shadow workshop, which runs from June 18 - July 27. It is really interesting to go to the main page of participants and see what people have as their goals. Here is my page!

*The pic of my duck is by my friend, who I call Widders :) *