Imagine if Eloise were African American and lived in New Orleans instead of New York. Meet Delphine Denise Debreaux!
Delphine Denise resides in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, where she runs the city alongside her mom, Mayor Maude. Vivacious Delphine Denise is always in search of adventure and fun and what’s more fun than Mardi Gras? When Mayor Maude announces the prize for the best float in this year’s Mardi Gras parade, Delphine Denise decides she will stop at nothing to win that big, shiny crown. But when Delphine Denise’s plan to build a prize-winning float goes all wrong, can she find a way to still make this the best Mardi Gras ever?
Delphine Denise and the Best Mardi Gras Ever is a character driven picture book about a young African American girl, who despite her Mom being Mayor, just wants what all kids want… to have fun with her friends. Fans of Eloise and Fancy Nancy will fall in love with this unreliable yet lovable narrator who lives life to the fullest and whose personality and adventures are as big as the Big Easy.
I am submitting my manuscript to you as a result of research that you are actively seeking and find value in books with diverse characters. I was a voracious reader as a child and craved a character that personified my voice and my experiences. Now as a mother of an African American little girl, three decades later, I still have not encountered a character that shares my daughter’s story and identity. I created Delphine Denise Debreaux for her and other little girls who deserve to see faces, hear voices, and experience adventures that mirror their own and represent them in ways that make them proud.
Per your submission requires, you will find the first 50 words pasted below. I look forward to hearing back from you and thank you for considering my work.
(Art note: African American girl dressed for Mardi Gras; curly hair piled high atop her head. She is in her bedroom which is decorated for Mardi Gras).
I’m Delphine Denise Debreaux and there are three absolutely important things to know about me.
My favorite letter is D.
My favorite color is purple.
Hello!
Delphine has such a great personality from those first three lines. I’d love to see a query and full manuscript for this. Could you please send that over via the following link: http://QueryMe.Online/jmcgowan? Looking forward to reading!
Hello James,
A great personality indeed! I would be honored to share the full manuscript with you. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy learning more about Delphine Denise!
I need to know that third very important thing! And I want to learn more about this interesting character and her story. Please send to submissions@bluewhalepress.com. Please put PBP Delphine Denise in the subject line and paste your query and manuscript on the body of the email.
Hello Alayne,
Thank you for the opportunity to share more of Delphine Denise with you! I have submitted the full manuscript per your request. Enjoy learning more about this precocious character, Delphine Denise!
Yes! This sounds awesome! Feel free to send me a query with the full manuscript pasted in the body of the email to clelia@martinlit.com. Please indicate #pbparty in the subject line with the title so I can spot you. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your interest and taking the time to learn more about Delphine Denise. I hope you enjoy her Mardi Gras adventure!
I’d like to take a look at this! Please send a query letter and the manuscript as a Word document to childrensubmissions@pagestreetpublishing.com. Your query should contain: 1) synopsis, pitch, age range; and 2) a bio that describes your occupation, publishing history, social media presence, whether or not you are represented by an agent, and any other information relevant to your submission.
Also, please include PBparty and my name in the subject line.
Sending query letter and full manuscript your way now. Thank you so much for allowing me to share Delphine Denise with you!