Catherine Ann Velasco 's Avatar

Catherine Ann Velasco

@cat4

Children's Book Author of BEHIND THE SCENES OF PRO BASEBALL ⚾️ and BEHIND THE SCENES OF PRO BASKETBALL 🏀. Assistant Regional Advisor for #SCBWI- IL Koi Latina Mama National Parks Super Fan Children's Library Volunteer Guru

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Posts 20.10.2023
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Latest posts by Catherine Ann Velasco @cat4

bsky.app/profile/lite...

02.03.2026 14:47 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

bsky.app/profile/lite...

02.03.2026 14:46 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

How many mentor texts do you have for your current PB?
Me: Read 50 Xmas books with three strong mentor texts!

02.03.2026 14:45 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Happy Dance! You rock!

02.02.2026 17:47 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Fun!!! @vickyweberbooks.bsky.social

27.10.2025 21:31 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

@gingerburke.bsky.social @debbieohi.com

27.10.2025 21:30 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Happy dance!

22.09.2025 15:54 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Selection of picture books including WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN, GRANDPA GRUMPS, DON'T TRUST FISH, and THE TACO KNIGHT.

Selection of picture books including WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN, GRANDPA GRUMPS, DON'T TRUST FISH, and THE TACO KNIGHT.

so for #MSWL I am really looking for more commercial, character driven, humorous picture book stories. These are a good sampling of what I am looking for on my list.

03.09.2025 17:52 👍 26 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Behind the Scenes of Being a Literary Agent When people hear that I’m a literary agent, they usually imagine two things:

Behind the Scenes of Being a Literary Agent
open.substack.com/pub/vickyweb...

22.09.2025 15:51 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

The illustrations are MAGNIFICENT!

20.03.2025 21:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Library Lion is my favorite book! Have fun!

20.03.2025 20:59 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

begging for more picture book submissions #mswl

13.01.2025 19:46 👍 28 🔁 7 💬 6 📌 0

Writers -- share this wonderful event!

27.01.2025 16:06 👍 44 🔁 16 💬 2 📌 0

Bidding in the @kidlitforla.bsky.social auction is extended to 1/28. I’m offering a 30-minute AMA. Want to talk about your writing, the current market, how agents work, Big 5 v. indie publishing, the time I drove Kevin Henkes in a circle instead of to his signing? Truly, you can ask me anything.

26.01.2025 15:29 👍 7 🔁 4 💬 2 📌 0

Thank you!!! @gingerburke.bsky.social check this out!

27.01.2025 17:20 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
PB Critique or AMA with Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez Auction item 'PB Critique or AMA with Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez' hosted online at 32auctions.

Helping to raise funds for those dealing with the fires in LA. www.32auctions.com/organization...
Check out all the awesome #kidlit things up for auction and please share!

20.01.2025 21:17 👍 25 🔁 7 💬 2 📌 0

Fantastic talk! Learned so much!

27.01.2025 17:13 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Bravo!!!!

27.01.2025 17:13 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Mint background. Title at the top reads: "Agent's Guide to 'Twas the Night of Santa's Privacy Problem”. The text reads: “It's almost Christmas and Santa has a problem. A big problem. Apparently, kids (and government regulators) take issue with how he collects, uses, and keeps his Christmas intel. If he can't change his ways, Christmas may not happen all together. Through the wise advice of Mrs. Claus, Santa learns how to build and deliver Christmas without invading the Privacy of kids (and adults) around the world. This story was inspired by the authors' own concern that telling the story of Santa claus would teach their children to be complacent with surveillance and bad privacy practices. The story uses witty yet informative rhyme to give adults and children alike a new way to talk about Santa Claus.”

Mint background. Title at the top reads: "Agent's Guide to 'Twas the Night of Santa's Privacy Problem”. The text reads: “It's almost Christmas and Santa has a problem. A big problem. Apparently, kids (and government regulators) take issue with how he collects, uses, and keeps his Christmas intel. If he can't change his ways, Christmas may not happen all together. Through the wise advice of Mrs. Claus, Santa learns how to build and deliver Christmas without invading the Privacy of kids (and adults) around the world. This story was inspired by the authors' own concern that telling the story of Santa claus would teach their children to be complacent with surveillance and bad privacy practices. The story uses witty yet informative rhyme to give adults and children alike a new way to talk about Santa Claus.”

Mint background. Title at the top reads: “COMPS for 'Twas the Night of Santa's Privacy Problem”. There is a bulleted list of 3 works. The Little Trailblazer, by Joan Holub (author) and Daniel Roode (September 5, 2017) Baby Loves Electrical Engineering on Christmas, By Ruth Spiro (Author) and Irene Chan (Illustrator) (August 24, 2021) THE Little Cyber Engineer by Amber Devilbiss (Author, Illustrator) (July 17, 2022) Underneath the list comes the cover images of each of the books. On the right, the image is of a book with a navy cover. Its title is The Little Cyber Engineer is the title in yellow text. The image is of a little girl in all black looking like a ninja or hacker. She's carrying a sack full of money. The author and illustrator is listed in the bottom right hand corner in white and yellow text.

Mint background. Title at the top reads: “COMPS for 'Twas the Night of Santa's Privacy Problem”. There is a bulleted list of 3 works. The Little Trailblazer, by Joan Holub (author) and Daniel Roode (September 5, 2017) Baby Loves Electrical Engineering on Christmas, By Ruth Spiro (Author) and Irene Chan (Illustrator) (August 24, 2021) THE Little Cyber Engineer by Amber Devilbiss (Author, Illustrator) (July 17, 2022) Underneath the list comes the cover images of each of the books. On the right, the image is of a book with a navy cover. Its title is The Little Cyber Engineer is the title in yellow text. The image is of a little girl in all black looking like a ninja or hacker. She's carrying a sack full of money. The author and illustrator is listed in the bottom right hand corner in white and yellow text.

Mint background. Title at the top reads: “Tropes in 'Twas the Night Before Santa's Privacy Problem”. Then there is a list of 5 tropes. Sparkle emoji. Retelling of the Santa Claus Myth, Santa head emoji. female scientist emoji. STEM lessons in witty rhyme wolf emoji. No real villains supervillain emoji. Redemption arcs superhero emoji. open laptop emoji. Digital messages in (mostly) analog format. old style dial telephone emoji. At the bottom of the slide, are two concept sketches. On the left Mrs Claus stands in front of an easel as if teaching Santa. She has a lightbulb over her head and she points to the easel reading: “Christmas Model” with the bullets “privacy,” “optional opt-out,” “consent,” and “notice.” Next to her, Santa smiles on his computer. In the second sketch, Santa sits at his computer looking stressed. Both he and his computer have marks above them indicating confusion and concern. In both Santa is wearing his traditional red and white costume. He has a blue mug that appears to have steam coming out of it. The confusion marks coming from his head appear in yellow. The desk is a dark brown. The background is a grayish-lavendar. There is text on the slide that states: “Re-telling and updating of the Santa Claus mythology utilizing core privacy concepts like consent and data minimization” on the bottom right under the outlined person. Text at the bottom left reads: “Art by Giana Molinari”

Mint background. Title at the top reads: “Tropes in 'Twas the Night Before Santa's Privacy Problem”. Then there is a list of 5 tropes. Sparkle emoji. Retelling of the Santa Claus Myth, Santa head emoji. female scientist emoji. STEM lessons in witty rhyme wolf emoji. No real villains supervillain emoji. Redemption arcs superhero emoji. open laptop emoji. Digital messages in (mostly) analog format. old style dial telephone emoji. At the bottom of the slide, are two concept sketches. On the left Mrs Claus stands in front of an easel as if teaching Santa. She has a lightbulb over her head and she points to the easel reading: “Christmas Model” with the bullets “privacy,” “optional opt-out,” “consent,” and “notice.” Next to her, Santa smiles on his computer. In the second sketch, Santa sits at his computer looking stressed. Both he and his computer have marks above them indicating confusion and concern. In both Santa is wearing his traditional red and white costume. He has a blue mug that appears to have steam coming out of it. The confusion marks coming from his head appear in yellow. The desk is a dark brown. The background is a grayish-lavendar. There is text on the slide that states: “Re-telling and updating of the Santa Claus mythology utilizing core privacy concepts like consent and data minimization” on the bottom right under the outlined person. Text at the bottom left reads: “Art by Giana Molinari”

This slide is a mood board w/ light green background. There are 3 rows of boxes with either text or images. 1st row, from L to R - 1st box has black text on a white background reading “He spies. He collects data in bulk. He never deletes. Really, he's breaking the law.” The 2nd image is a black image with light blue lines and dots and numbers. 3rd image is the image of an elf doll hanging onto a Christmas tree decorated with tinsel. 4th box Has an image of an opulent library. A little Christmas tree made of books with a blue ribbon on top. The image has text crediting the image to Alea Garbagnati. 2nd row, from L to R - 1st box is an image with a white background. There are two hands with white writing on them saying “Yes” and “No.” 2nd box has an image of Santa Claus set against a white background. He is standing with one finger up & as if he were saying “Ho ho ho.” On the ground is a red velvet that looks full. 3rd box is black text set against a white background reading “Santa is bad at Privacy.” Underneath that text reads: “Unless otherwise noted, concept art created or collected from Canva or other publicly available resources” in small text in the bottom left. The Last box is an image of hands holding a tablet computer . In the screen of the tablet computer is a blue graphic with a lock and the word “PRIVACY.” In the final row, from L to R - 1st box is a blurred street video photo. In the foreground of the photo is a giant eyeball. The eye is looking at a series of binary code (1s and 0s) and the code is reflected in the eye. 2nd box is black text set against a white background. The text reads “Can Santa change his ways and embrace privacy-by-design?” In the third image set against a red background are two red elf dolls playing with a red box with numbers 1 to 24 (and Advent calendar box). There are green decorative trees with light snow dusting next to the box. In the final box is an image of a woman and boy set against a white background.

This slide is a mood board w/ light green background. There are 3 rows of boxes with either text or images. 1st row, from L to R - 1st box has black text on a white background reading “He spies. He collects data in bulk. He never deletes. Really, he's breaking the law.” The 2nd image is a black image with light blue lines and dots and numbers. 3rd image is the image of an elf doll hanging onto a Christmas tree decorated with tinsel. 4th box Has an image of an opulent library. A little Christmas tree made of books with a blue ribbon on top. The image has text crediting the image to Alea Garbagnati. 2nd row, from L to R - 1st box is an image with a white background. There are two hands with white writing on them saying “Yes” and “No.” 2nd box has an image of Santa Claus set against a white background. He is standing with one finger up & as if he were saying “Ho ho ho.” On the ground is a red velvet that looks full. 3rd box is black text set against a white background reading “Santa is bad at Privacy.” Underneath that text reads: “Unless otherwise noted, concept art created or collected from Canva or other publicly available resources” in small text in the bottom left. The Last box is an image of hands holding a tablet computer . In the screen of the tablet computer is a blue graphic with a lock and the word “PRIVACY.” In the final row, from L to R - 1st box is a blurred street video photo. In the foreground of the photo is a giant eyeball. The eye is looking at a series of binary code (1s and 0s) and the code is reflected in the eye. 2nd box is black text set against a white background. The text reads “Can Santa change his ways and embrace privacy-by-design?” In the third image set against a red background are two red elf dolls playing with a red box with numbers 1 to 24 (and Advent calendar box). There are green decorative trees with light snow dusting next to the box. In the final box is an image of a woman and boy set against a white background.

'TWAS THE NIGHT OF SANTA'S PRIVACY PROBLEM
Santa Claus Myth x The Little Trailblazer
With the help of Mrs. Claus, Santa rethinks how he operates. Can he fix his Privacy Problem & stay off the Naughty List to save Christmas?
🎅 Santa Claus Retelling
👩‍🔬STEM lessons in witty rhyme
#2025Pit #PB #Kidlit

27.01.2025 17:06 👍 2 🔁 9 💬 1 📌 0

@gingerburke.bsky.social - there is a free mentorship for PB

27.01.2025 17:11 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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🍦✨ Calling all aspiring picture book authors and illustrators! Join us for our Third Annual Virtual Ice Cream Social on Tuesday, January 28th from 8-9:30 PM Eastern!

Connect with the co-directors, meet past mentees, get insider tips on applying to the program + more!

Register at pbrisingstars.com

03.01.2025 18:28 👍 84 🔁 60 💬 28 📌 11

Every year - it's so informative!

27.01.2025 17:11 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

@gingerburke.bsky.social ... a lot of fun!

27.01.2025 17:10 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

🌟But since we can’t wait…we’re hosting a social media GIVEAWAY! 🎁 You could win ONE MONTH FREE of Ebony Lynn Mudd’s PB courses at The PB Retreat!

How to enter:
1. Follow us
2. Repost!
3. Tag a friend in the comments!

A winner will be chosen on Friday, 1/10! Enter on IG too to DOUBLE your chances!

03.01.2025 18:28 👍 14 🔁 15 💬 12 📌 5
Cartoon bear wearing a construction hat and vest walking with pen, pencil, and paintbrush across a background sketch of the LA skyline with palm trees. Handwritten text surrounding the image says: "Kid Lit for Los Angeles" Typewritten words: Kidlit Auction Jan 20th - Jan 26th Raising funds for Los Angeles wildfire relief.

Cartoon bear wearing a construction hat and vest walking with pen, pencil, and paintbrush across a background sketch of the LA skyline with palm trees. Handwritten text surrounding the image says: "Kid Lit for Los Angeles" Typewritten words: Kidlit Auction Jan 20th - Jan 26th Raising funds for Los Angeles wildfire relief.

Graphic with these words "About Kidlit For Los Angeles - We are a group of kidlit creators who have been heartbroken by the apocalyptic scenes in Los Angeles. Some of us are proud Angelenos, with friends and family members who have suffered crushing losses. We are looking to help raise desperately needed funds for wildfire relief efforts in the many communities that have been impacted."

Graphic with these words "About Kidlit For Los Angeles - We are a group of kidlit creators who have been heartbroken by the apocalyptic scenes in Los Angeles. Some of us are proud Angelenos, with friends and family members who have suffered crushing losses. We are looking to help raise desperately needed funds for wildfire relief efforts in the many communities that have been impacted."

Graphic that reads: "How will the auction work? Donations will be listed on our auction page (link coming soon!) Winners will show proof of donation to one of the auction’s four charities as payment for their item(s). These receipts will be reviewed, and winners will be connected with donors after verification. The auction will go live on January 20th (9am Pacific Standard Time) and run through January 26th (9pm PST)."

Graphic that reads: "How will the auction work? Donations will be listed on our auction page (link coming soon!) Winners will show proof of donation to one of the auction’s four charities as payment for their item(s). These receipts will be reviewed, and winners will be connected with donors after verification. The auction will go live on January 20th (9am Pacific Standard Time) and run through January 26th (9pm PST)."

Graphic that reads: "How Can I Help? Follow us here on @kidlitforlosangeles. We will be sharing some sneek peeks of our amazing auction items so please follow along! Spread the word! Share to your Instagram stories, on your social media pages, and in any groups you are in (both kidlit-related and not!) Mark your calendars! The auction will go live on January 20th (9am Pacific Standard Time) and run through January 26th (9pm PST). Thank you in advance for your support!"

Graphic that reads: "How Can I Help? Follow us here on @kidlitforlosangeles. We will be sharing some sneek peeks of our amazing auction items so please follow along! Spread the word! Share to your Instagram stories, on your social media pages, and in any groups you are in (both kidlit-related and not!) Mark your calendars! The auction will go live on January 20th (9am Pacific Standard Time) and run through January 26th (9pm PST). Thank you in advance for your support!"

We are a group of #kidlit creators heartbroken by the devastating scenes in Los Angeles. We aim to raise desperately-needed funds for wildfire relief with an auction taking place Jan 20th - Jan 26th.

Stay tuned for more details!
Follow IG: @kidlitforlosangeles

Logo by @sydhanson.bsky.social

16.01.2025 04:50 👍 168 🔁 111 💬 6 📌 8
Preview
I Want My Book Back: Elbee, Viviane, Miles, Nicole: 9781499811742: Amazon.com: Books I Want My Book Back [Elbee, Viviane, Miles, Nicole] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I Want My Book Back

If you’re looking for #picturebook gifts, I Want My Book Back is currently on sale for under $12 on Amazon - www.amazon.com/I-Want-My-Bo...

15.11.2024 14:08 👍 21 🔁 3 💬 5 📌 0

Definitely!!!!!

27.01.2025 17:01 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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The first #12x12pb webinar is Wednesday with @writeloudly! If you join today, you won't miss it.

@12x12challenge.bsky.social is a wonderful community of #PB writers at all phases of their publication journey. I've been a member for five years!

Find out more here: www.12x12challenge.com

Join us!

27.01.2025 16:06 👍 14 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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17 is hard, but when you're set to take over presidency from your father, survive a ☠️ attempt, are betrayed by the two you love & learn your role is to maintain peace by keeping 200yo lies & manipulating the public or start the biggest war in centuries, 17 is REALLY hard.

#2025Pit #Q #YA #SF #LGBTQ

27.01.2025 13:43 👍 17 🔁 162 💬 17 📌 4