Children’s Books

Scarecrow’s Dance – Jane Yolen and Bagram Ibatoulline

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

When I first planned on buying this book, I admit it was largely for the magnificent illustrations of Bagram Ibatoulline. I first came across Scarecrow’s Dance as a yet-unbound copy and part of an illustrating exercise at the NJ SCBWI Illustrators’ Intensive in 2008.  I was, and still am, utterly entranced by the rich, yet soft, colors at dusk, and the beauty Ibatoulline has created in the cornfields and farm setting. If you are an illustrator or one who appreciates excellence in illustration, this book is worth the cost of that alone. And the story, in the brief exposure I had to it at that time, was so touching as to bring me to tears, and it still does.

I eagerly awaited it’s publication with my primary interest in the art. It finally arrived so I could appreciate both story and text. Jane Yolen is the author of Scarecrow’s Dance, and recipient of the Caldecott Medal for Owl Moon, and many, many other awards in her rich and extensive writing career for children. As I examined this book more closely, several thoughts did cross my mind … as beautiful as I found the illustrations, would they appeal to the target age group, 4 – 8? Would a child that age lose interest in the dusky light’s subtlety on page after page? Would a barn described “as red as blood” be disturbing to a small child? Might some parents find both a child and scarecrow kneeling and praying to God a predominantly Christian message they may not wish to read to their child in a picture book story?

I don’t actually know the answers to these. I found the overriding message to be of the greatest importance, and that is finding who we are and knowing our place in the world to be unique and one of value. I think a parent reading this story to a child with the feeling Yolen has put into it, will easily impart that as the primary message, and it is very beautifully done in both word and image.

I visited Jane Yolen’s web site, and found a wonderful section just for us writers – lots of sound advice to guide us on our journey to becoming not just published, but still sane when we get there. Kathy Temean, the RA of NJ SCBWI, also posted 20 Yolen writing tips as transcribed from the recent SCBWI Conference in New York. All great stuff.

And then, Bagram Ibatoulline. I kiss the ground this illustrator walks on. His work is simply magnificent. In addition to Scarecrow’s Dance, he has done two books by Kate DiCamillo, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane and Great Joy. He illustrated a beautiful book, Crow Call, by Lois Lowry, The Serpent Came to Gloucester, and many, many others. Next time you’re in a bookstore, I highly recommend you take a look at Ibatoulline’s work.

Dreaming the Dream

/ still a dreamer / 3 Comments

Dreams are very important. Not only do they assist and protect our physical and mental health, but they tell us things. Things we need to know.

Last night I slept an uninterrupted 8 hours for the first time I can remember in a very long time, and had a dream. It is a dream that comes to me at certain points in time, and always has something to tell me. The overall setting of the dream is more or less the same, but the elements and how they relate to my life situation at the given moment are different. I woke up this morning knowing what the dream had to say, and it was all good.

For many months I have been in strictly survival mode, dealing with one ailment after another, none life-threatening, but continually draining me. All my creativity was funneled into my design business and my web business, both at their peak of activity at Christmas, (what there was of it.) At the end of the day, I just faded. My dream of writing and illustrating children’s books was gathering dust in the corner.

And then came the bright spot, helping me pick the dream up, dust it off, and sit it right here next to me, it’s little face beaming with hope again. That bright spot was a meeting with my fellow facilitators of my local writing and illustrating group, HCCWIG. Although it was not my turn to be critiqued, the company of these creative, funny, warm and intelligent women infused my dream with life again, and I believe, helped me to also have that wonderful dream.

So today, I raise my (coffee) cup in a toast of cheer to (in alphabetical order — drum roll please) …. Cathy, Felicia, Laurie, Leeza and Sheri (and yes, even Little O) … for being the inspiring group they are. My dream is wriggling with excitement for when we can next sit down together and create something magical in children’s books. Thanks, guys!

The moral of the story: If you are a writer (or illustrator) feeling the need for support in your craft, be sure to seek out and find a local writers’ group — many are often listed on the SCBWI site. So check out and join SCBWI, too!  Reach out and find fellow creatives that share your dream, and who will be happy to hold its hand through the tough times and celebrate in the good.

Outstanding Picture Book – Pete & Pickles

/ still a dreamer

Pete & Pickles, written by Berkeley Breathed, is one of the most touching picture book stories I know. It is the tale of a very proper pig, Pete, and a very free-spirited elephant, Pickles. The story is about friendship, forgiveness, healing, joy, and accepting the differences in others. But believe me, even this does not do justice to this wonderful book.

Pete, mourning the death of his pig wife, Paprika, finds himself, in the middle of a stormy night, with an escaped circus elephant hiding in his home. Pickles has made a muddy mess from the rainstorm. Pete cannot accept his overly tidy life being sullied. When the nasty circus clown comes to collect the terrified elephant, who had begged Pete for help, he just points in disdain.  Yet she smiles at him as she’s led away.  As Pete disinfects his home, he finds Pickles has left him a gift, and he gets to thinking. He reroutes his daily stroll into town to find Pickles.

A rescue ensues, and a friendship grows between the very unlikely pair. One of my favorite illustrations is that of Pete coming out in his pajamas to find Pickles doing Tai Chi in dawn’s glowing light.  May I say, the illustrations are infused with the richest of color with all the little quirky touches you’d expect from Opus’ creator. On some pages there are also simple 2-color, pen and ink spot illustrations. The whole thing is just brilliant, and I am deeply touched each time I re-read this story.

But here’s what most reviews never mention … Breathed is tuned in to the horrific abuse suffered by elephants in the circus, and reveals it both subtly and on a level that children can relate to without being overwhelmed. When the evil looking clown stands in the entryway shadows to get Pickles, there is a glint on the metal bullhook in his hand. When Pete goes into Pickles’ tent, he finds her chained with heavy padlocks. She is not chained in the way circus elephants really are – chained standing in place 23 hours a day – but in a way which will engender empathy from a child to see so lovable an animal be both shackled and frightened in a picture book way.  Adults unaware of the plight of circus elephants will probably never notice these touches, but for those of us who are, we can be grateful that someone has spoken for them in a children’s book.

Berkeley Breathed went up in my estimation X10 for not only writing a fabulous story in Pete & Pickles, but for opening the door to a child’s compassion for his or her fellow creatures. This is truly a must-have if you are a lover of children’s books – a parent, a writer, lover of fabulous illustrations, fan of Berkeley Breathed – or a lover of animals.

p.s. And a big thank you to one of my fellow PB writers, Paola, who so insightfully gave this to me as a gift.
p.p.s. Should you wish to know more about the abuse of circus elephants, you can check out a video showing the gratuitous violence inflicted by sadistic handlers in just one Ringling Brothers pre-show incident. This is not for children.

Patricia Reilly Giff – Pictures of Hollis Woods and Lily’s Crossing

/ still a dreamer

Here are two books for middle grade readers by the same author, Patricia Reilly Giff, and both winners of the Newbery Honor Award. I think, in addition to their both being very strong pieces of work, they demonstrate how an author has grown in even a few years.

I first read Pictures of Hollis Woods a few months ago as part of a list I’d made to learn more about writing for middle grade by reading Newbery winners. This book is the strongest, most memorable, and deeply touching of any I have read to date. Hollis is an artistic 12 year old girl who was abandoned at birth, and who has been in several different foster homes ever since, ultimately running away from them all. In the present, she is placed with Josie, a retired art teacher and artist who is slowly losing her memory. Hollis develops a real fondness for Josie, and does her best to not let the foster system know that Josie is becoming incapable of caring for her.

Interspersed with chapters of the present, are chapters describing pictures that Hollis has drawn of a situation in the past, where a foster home wanted to adopt her … a home where she was truly happy. However, something terrible happened and she ran again. Giff has artfully balanced Hollis’ present day circumstances with the pictures she’s drawn telling the story of what happened in the home where she wanted to stay. The two juxtapose until they are woven together into the present. The two story lines become one, building to a great climax. I am amazed at how skillfully Giff has done this. I am deeply touched by Hollis’ character; she is so sympathetic, that it never matters a moment that she “is trouble” or can be flip or fresh. I only cared to see what had happened at that special home and how it would turn out. Talk about a book I couldn’t put down! What a wonderful story and group of characters, and what an inspiration, I would imagine, for Giff’s middle grade readers.

I just finished reading Lily’s Crossing, written 5 years earlier. It’s a very different story, and without the alternating of present with past. Again, the story takes place in Queens, (which, having lived in NYC for quite some time, I always enjoy), in 1944 at the time of the Normandy Invasion. Lily’s Crossing brings with it a much deeper glimpse into a period in time than Hollis Woods, and for that I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, and it may not be fair to compare, Lily’s character, while very likable, isn’t as deeply sympathetic for me as that of Hollis.

Lily is cared for by her father, Poppy, and Gram, his mother. Her mother passed away when she was much younger. When school is out they go to Gram’s house in the Rockaways, where Lily meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary. He has escaped the Nazis, but lost his parents and left behind a sister, from whom he was separated, in France. As Lily and Gram prepare to go to Rockaway, Poppy is called into the service and ships out to France to fight the war. Lily is a funny, somewhat flawed but appealing character, who happens to tell lies quite often, one to her new friend Albert that later endangers his life. But for me, the dramatic tension could have been so much stronger. Still, the characters were all well drawn, the 1944 backdrop always of interest, and the ending very satisfying.

What was missing? I think I was spoiled by the strength of Pictures of Hollis Woods! These stories were written 5 years apart, and really are both ones to read. But it also showed me the growth of an insightful author who clearly cares about her characters and their growth over the course of a novel. I like it when I really care about a character and what happens to her. Patricia Reilly Giff earned those Newbery awards for a very good reason.

NJ SCBWI First Page Session

/ still a dreamer / 4 Comments

In our, (and I speak for all my fellow aspiring children’s book writers), desire to be published, or to expand our horizons in terms of who we know or wish to meet, there are plenty of things we can do. One of the best is joining the SCBWI. I belong to the NJ SCBWI, which is a phenomenal chapter.

The NJ Chapter, headed up by Kathy Temean, Regional Advisor, has more exciting events on an ongoing basis than any chapter I’m aware of. This weekend, there is an Illustrator’s Intensive, a Picture Book Intensive and a Novel Writer’s Intensive, all conducted by luminaries in their field, E.B. Lewis, Sudipta Bardhan,  and Agent Scott Triemel. However, I’m writing about one of the smaller of the SCBWI events, a First Page Session.

I attended one of these in Princeton, our Chapter’s usual hosting location, this past Wednesday. We were 22 attendees with two editors – Shauna Fay from G.P. Putnam and Lindsay Winget from Atheneum. For those of you not familiar with First Page Sessions, you submit your manuscript anonymously and properly formatted to fill one page, indicating only your title and genre. Each first page is read aloud and the editors spend their time critiquing it.

While this is not as in-depth as a one-on-one critique received at a mentoring workshop or other event, the input by two editors/agents on just one page can provide great information as to whether your story has a good hook, a good title, appropriate language for the targeted audience, good rhyme scheme, an original theme and so on. Ms. Fay and Winget did a great job of enlightening us to the strengths and weaknesses of our submissions. (One of them even got a little choked up when mine was read, and I am so flattered!) Most definitely worth the very modest price  – for SCBWI members – of only $25. For an additional $25, for members only, you can stay for a delicious dinner and sit and chat with the editors. Another advantage for all attendees is that you may submit a MS to these editors for a limited time period and they will look at your submission as a priority vs. being sent to the bottom of the slush pile.

The humble First Page Session is not only a means of getting a lot of information about your work-in-progress, but also a connection with two editors/agents .. and, if a member, a really good dinner for what today is a pittance. Not an SCBWI member? Check out the NJ SCBWI page for upcoming events and other goings-on – if it looks good to you, click on the kite link up top and join the SCBWI!