Another DREAM school visit

 A big thank you to all the staff and students of Trinity School in Durham, North Carolina for hosting such a marvelous Author's Visit.

All the children were so very polite, welcoming, curious, attentive, wise and wondering that it was just a joy to spend my day with them and their teachers and parents.  Indeed, it was another DREAM school -like Tumwater Hill Elementary in Seattle.

We explored the idea of seeing a story like a journey.  Here I am talking about how great stories can feed our hearts and give us courage - so we see a heart, because the French word for heart is La Coeur.  When we EN - COURAGE someone, as Felicity did with RAJ, we are feeding the Heart!

 

 

Stefano and his donkey from THE SANDAL ARTIST

With the older children, I talked about one of my favorite writers, C.S.Lewis, and how his book, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, showed me that we need the ordinary and the mundane (a wardrobe) to reach magic and mystery (Narnia).

Waxing poetic about C.S. Lewis

Not only was it a joy to present to all these wonderfully wise and welcoming children, but it was a treat to receive one of the best gifts I've ever had....

Look at this beautiful carving of the giant from my book, THE GIANT KING!! complete with a little gold crown!

THE CREATOR of this beautiful carving - the art teacher, Susy Holloway

Thanks to everyone at Trinity School in Durham - it was indeed - another DREAM visit!!

"RAIN" and BOOKFRIENDS

Friends are a lot like books, I think.

They can cheer you on dreary days.

They can help you see things from a different angle.

They can make a long journey feel short.

They can make you remember things long forgotten.

They can heal the hurt in your heart.

They can make you believe in your best self.

They can make you want to sing or laugh or do a silly dance.

And sometimes, one can lead to the other.....a friend can introduce you to a book, or....

a book can introduce you to a new friend...

which is how I met -Linda Ashman, acclaimed author of numerous picture books. 

 In 2007, Linda and I both had books that were finalists in the Colorado Book Awards, and so we met each other at a book event, and became fast friends.  For years we would meet each other for coffee at our local coffee shop.  We'd chat about this and that, about life's ups and downs and twists and turns. And then, last year, Linda moved from Colorado to North Carolina.

But a few weeks ago, she sent me a copy of her most recent book.  Imagine my delight when I saw that title!

What a treasure - a book all about...RAIN! Look at that reflection in the puddle! I've lived in Colorado  now for many years, a high plains desert with about 320 days of SUNSHINE.  Yet, still, I miss my native Scotland where we have about 300 days of RAIN!  How I still miss the smell of rain, the cloudy skies, and puddles - lots and lots of puddles! 

RAIN reminds me of long ago days in Scotland, where I jumped in many a puddle wearing my wellingtons and....my little rainmate. (yes - believe it or not, back in those days, girls carried in their pockets, a sort of little plastic bag, folded like a concertina with two little straps on each side.  When it rained, you pulled it out, tugged it open and fastened it over your head to keep your hair dry - it was your "friend" in the rain - your "rain mate.")

But this book is more than just a delightful romp in the rain, more than an ode to soggy days; it is a perfect example of one of my favorite quotes from Marcus Aurelius "The color of your thought dyes your soul."  Through humorous pictures and spare text, we see how RAIN affects an old man and a young child in totally different ways, and we see how one little person can spread sunshine even on the rainiest of days!

And of course, being the kind of friend that she is, Linda dedicated the book to me!  Like all good friends, she knows a little about my heart - that I love the rain and still miss it even after all these years.

This is a clever, tender book that you will want to read with a little one - but be warned - when you are finished, you will definitely want to run outside and jump in the biggest puddle you can find! 

Here's to RAIN, PUDDLES, and....

FRIENDS!
Thanks, Linda!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A few years back I happened to be making a school visit on St. Patrick's Day, and was delighted to see all the children dressed up in my favorite color - GREEN.


But I was somewhat dismayed when I asked them "Who can tell me who St. Patrick was?"  One little fellow boldly proclaimed, "I think he was a LEPRECHAUN."

Ah well, no doubt St. Patrick, having lived with the Irish for most of his life, has enough of a sense of humor to be laughing at that line from his heavenly home!

 So, why do I love St. Patrick?

Let me count the ways....


1.  He was born in Scotland -as I was. 

2.  He converted the Celtic people to Christianity but never shunned their love of nature and fairies.  (Indeed, it was easy for the Irish to embrace Christianity, because they already believed in other worlds, like the fairy kingdom, and were quite comfortable with the idea that, often what we cannot see is more real than what we can.)

3. He gave us the first Celtic cross - the ancient Celts already believed in the sacredness of the circle - stories were told in a circle, the sun and moon were circles, and so when Patrick converted them to Christianity, he simply placed the cross over the circle to give us what we now know and love as the CELTIC CROSS.

 4.  He knew what it was like to be homesick for your native land (as I am, sometimes.)  As a young boy, Patrick was captured from his native Scotland, and taken to Ireland as a slave, and for many years, he pined for his own country and his own people.

5. He was a lover of nature and had a tremendous reverence for the earth and all God's creatures...as all the Irish do.


6.  And...he was a....STORYTELLER!



Two of my favorite children's  books about St. Patrick

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

12x12 READ-ALOUD-ABILITY (2)

What makes a great read-aloud Picture Book?

(Presupposing, of course, that all the other hallmarks of any great story, regardless of genre, are in place – i.e. excellent plot, characters to cheer for, and a satisfying ending.)

RHYTHM and CADENCE

The first sound we humans hear from the womb is the beat of our mother’s heart.  So, no wonder that we are all naturally soothed  by cadence and rhythm.  That’s why we expose our little ones to lullabies, nursery rhymes, and playground chants (although, I don’t know that children use these much nowadays – all the pity) 

Even if we do not write our Picture Books in verse (and if we do write in verse, it must be pitch-perfect), we still need to pay attention to our story’s rhythm, as it helps set the “mood” we want to convey.   

So, a jolly, whimsical tale will match well with a rollicking, rousing beat, rather like a jaunty jig. Whereas, a wiser folktale type story will be more serious and sedate, flowing slowly and gently, like a summer’s breeze or a willowy waltz. 

The Name of the Tree is always a favorite read-aloud with children of all ages, and a perfect example of a wise folktale that flows slow and gentle like a summer's breeze.

And...for a more rousing, rollicking tale, what could be better than How the Manx Cat Lost Its Tail?

(excerpt from article I wrote for Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Blog)

Shoestring Children's Theater- The Giant King

Thank you to Sara Brown, artistic director of Shoestring Children's Theater Company for a wonderful production of THE GIANT KING.

In this fast-paced, high-tech world of ours, how refreshing it is to see young children actively engaged with literature.  The world of theater allows them to enter into another world, imagine long ago places, touch with another's skin, walk in another's shoes, see with another's eyes, and feel with another's heart.  What a great way to deepen empathy, foster awareness of other cultures, and experience the delight of bringing a story to life.

Kudos to Sara and all her troop of fine actors and actresses!  May you all continue to "find the King in everyone!"

READ-ALOUD-ABILITY 12x12 Featured Author

What makes a great read-aloud Picture Book?

(Presupposing, of course, that all the other hallmarks of any great story, regardless of genre, are in place – i.e. excellent plot, characters to cheer for, and a satisfying ending.)

 

RICH, LIVELY, FRESH LANGUAGE

Many adults mistakenly assume that Picture Books should only contain words that are part of the average 4 or 5 year old’s vocabulary.  But Picture Books are MEANT to be READ ALOUD by an ADULT to a child.  It shouldn’t matter a whit, if the child does not understand every single word. 

 As long as the adult knows how to read a story well with great love and vim and vigor, then the child will eventually come, quite naturally, to understand any unfamiliar words.  (There is a trend nowadays, though, that defies this notion, and I have had to struggle mightily with some editors over word choice.)

What exactly is a “rich” word?  Have a look at “Amos and Boris” by William Steig, and you will see these “rich” words studded on every page – words like: phosphorescent, frazzle, delicacy, radiance, grandeur. 

Roll them around your tongue.   

What do they feel like?  Majestic?  Full-bodied?  Plump and juicy?  Perhaps Frank McCourt described it best when he wrote about encountering the words of Shakespeare for the first time as having “jewels in my mouth.”

 (excerpt from article I wrote for Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Blog)

"Words that Speak to Us"

There is a lovely little segment on public radio right now called, "Words that Speak to Us," where listeners call in and share their experience of some words (from a poem, story, song, or simply a saying they heard from a beloved parent or friend) that they turn to for guidance or inspiration in their daily lives.

Recently, I came across such words in a quote by Emerson:

 "In the muck and scum of things,
There always always something sings."

Sometimes, my Irish roots, tempt me into dwelling too long on the darker side of life.  After all, "to be Irish is to know that in the end, the world will break your heart."


But on dreary days and long nights, Emerson's words remind me that simmering beneath the sad surfaces of our lives, are chinks of hope and glimpses of beauty, be it in a friend's voice, a lover's smile, a child's giggle, the dog's wag-a-tail welcome, or... a great children's book!

The two most important ingredients of a child's book, according to Yolen, are HOPE and JOY.  And the book that I turn to again and again to banish fear and restore joy is, of course....

 
 

It is the story of a little girl who meets a fairy at Halloween.  Although they both try and live in each other's land, they realize that it is impossible, because they will always miss their own land.  So, they exchange gifts that will allow them, at least to visit one another in their different lands, and remain friends for a long time....


  

It ends with a rousing admonition that if one night you see a fairy ring, "BE BOLD, BE BRAVE, BE UNAFRAID, and join that fairy ring!"

Ah so you see ...beneath the "muck and scum of things" - of having to endure separation from loved ones, of not getting what you want in this life, there is consolation - a friendship that endures time and space and even leads to bravery and boldness, and...even....

believing in what you cannot yet see...

  but might....one day!  

Let HOPE brim!