Extra Bloggage: The World According to Jill Davis

One year later: New Bloggage!

2012-01-25T03:50:00.003-05:00

I looked at this page for the first time in a year. I am sorry, my dear blog. My fault, I fear. In the 12 months I spent not blogging, I completed a 57-page paper on the idea of QUIRKiness in writing for kids (thanks, Polly Horvath, Nathalie Babbitt, and Anne Ursu) and I completed 116 polished draft pages of my middle-grade novel. I had to give the book a name. The title AGNES VON KLINER, FASHION DESIGNER no longer worked since my MC (main character) changed to Agnes's pal, Carly Blye. The working title (is it working?) is Leave a Message for Carly Blye.

SO, my friends, you ask: The graduate degree is done. You know all there is to know. Now what? Well the answer is simple: No, I don't! I am still not sure how to finish the novel, all of my picture book manuscripts need overhauls, and I've had a sudden revelation about rhythm! (As in, my writing has none!) I want so much to be one of these people with a rule! What rules? Okay here are some examples: Write every day. Write every day for 7 minutes. Write a poem a day. Come up with a schedule and adhere to it! Okay, done. I hereby promise to write every day. NO MATTER WHAT. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll post some of my new-found rhythmic ditties here. Please stay tuned. You may not feel so lucky if you have to read them. Hah!

One the reading front, I recently read something I loved: GOOD GIRLS by Laura Ruby. It's a full-on YA with love, lust, rumors, and pain. It's very smart and not over the top, but thoughtful and important. It had everything a teenage girl wants. It's also a bit of a primer on teen romance if you have a boy who's willing to go there. I wouldn't give it to my kids (10 and 12) for fear they'll just laugh at me. But maybe if I leave it out, my tween will notice it. Nah. He's still re-reading Matilda. Henry and I have slowly been enjoying The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. While. Oh, the joy of a slow, unraveling simple plot.

On the life front, I lost my dad last year, and it's still so hard to believe. I had school to finish this winter, so I found a way to put my sadness away for a little while in order to focus on writing. But, it's here. It's back. I miss him. I hope to write about him and about my amazing, surviving mom in the near future.

Reading and Writing. Behold!

2011-01-17T20:35:00.004-05:00

I arrived home today from my writing residency--eleven days in St. Paul, and boy, oh boy was it a crazy, wonderful, kooky, insane, inspiring, emotional (did I say crazy?) week. Well, it was. Indeed. I am happy to be home in NYC, but find myself telling stories no one wants to hear about people they've never met. Do you know how that is? My older son (Gus) is walking around the house exclaiming: BEHOLD! (This exclamation comes from the game Dixit--an awesome game that uses the other side of the brain--courtesy of Kiel Phegley, a first semester writing student.) And Henry (8) who read the new Mo Willems, now feels he has unlocked the secret to successful illustration: "It's the expressions!"

I came home with signed books for them, including Godless by Pete Hautman, The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt--and others not signed, but purchased at The Wild Rumpus Book Store. These include a Moomin picture book, Who Will Comfort Toffle? also a lovely, quirky, sad short novel called Against the Odds, and a stunning picture book called Lola and the Rent-a-Cat. The latter two both about serious subjects: fear of losing a parent in war and then death and loneliness.

This semester I begin work on a critical thesis, so beginning tomorrow, I begin looking for very quirky middle-grade books that address serious topics. I plan to look at how extremely unusual writing and voice allows children to access difficult topics. Should be an emotional tilt-a-whirl. If anyone has any favorites, please tell me. I am going to look at The Pushcart War, an all-time favorite.

At school this residency, we learned about writing for character. The faculty was (were?) fantastic and came up with original and evocative talks. Everything from helping us to think about the meaning of work in our writing and what works when one chooses to anthropomorphize and recognizing your antagonist and how to use subtext in dialogue. This was a lot of the real CRAFT stuff of writing, and because of that--very exciting. ME FEEL SMART!

Before leaving on my trip, my grandmother died. I went off in the shadow of her funeral, and a eulogy I wrote that gave me an opportunity to look at the family's immigrant heritage (the Hochs arrived in 1920 from Kunkalevka, Poland via Antwerp.) While in St. Paul, I thought more than once or twice about writing historical fiction. It seems like it would be so much fun--at least the research.

So now I am home, and what are the boys reading? Henry is finishing the last of the Fudge books. Gus had a choice between a few books, and chose Godless. It's a National Book Award winner about a boy who starts his own religion, and then realizes how hard it is to control. Pete Hautman, the author, spoke to us at school about some of his writing epiphanies. A fun, irreverent, charming and smart speaker, he shared some great ideas. He learned a lot from Elmore Leonard.

One of the highlights was Gary Schmidt's graduation keynote speech (we had four splendid grads who will each have a novel ready to publish soon! Take note, editor friends!) in which he told heartbreaking stories of the kinds of kids he urged our four grads to write for, before anyone else. He always refers to kids as kiddos. Hearing Gary speak or read is something to behold. (Behold!) He wove together his many poignant, funny, delightful stories--stories about Nathaniel Hawthorne's journey from loneliness to marriage; disadvantaged damaged kids he'd reached; the women of Terezin concentration Camp who fought over the correct ingredients for their favorite recipes while they were dying of starvation. He read three scenes to us from his new book, Okay for Now--forthcoming in April. Watch out for it. I can only think of cliches to describe how involved we became with the three scenes he read.

Also spellbinding were our fourth semester critical lectures. We heard about Zen and writing, turning dreams into writing and understanding dreams to better understand yourself, a practical guide to the intrusive narrator (amazing!), and we learned and learned until our brains were stretched like balloons, I tell you!

In my morning workshop, I was Jane'd. That means that Jane Resh Thomas, one of the founders of the program, made an example out of my sloppy lard-ass writing. I found out (the hard way) that I use "filters" which distance my writing from my reader. Who knew? I felt hurt, defensive, and whined like a baby. But I promise you--I will avoid them now. In workshop, when we're up, we listen. No talking until the end of the hour. So if you want to explain something to your fellow writers, you have to wait until the end. I think my jerking body betrayed my attempt to appear unhurt. But it hurts. And I know how much I have yet to learn. And yet, yet, YET--every reader reacts differently. If that weren't true, we'd all read the same book. I only recently found out that those Dragon Tattoo books have violent sex scenes in them. No wonder they're so popular. Jeepers. Who knew?

Back to life. I have to go give the boys their good dreams and maybe read them a story. More to come--and I hope to add some books jackets and pictures to match this.

Oh yeah. I can't sign off without publicly thanking my dear friend and pal-o-the-month, Peter Pearson. He was a dear friend to all of us at the residency. I think he has a heart four sizes too large. But to me especially. He played his guitar while we sang an adorable song my lil Henry wrote about a book he'd read a few months ago. The song was for a school project. The book was Because of Winn Dixie, and we performed a funny interpretation of it at the graduation banquet. Little did we know that the author of the book, Kate DiCamillo would be sitting directly in front of us. It was a hit. We laughed. We were really happy. I think this happy feeling will last at least until tomorrow. I hope so.

Five months off

2010-12-06T16:47:00.002-05:00

People, I took five months off blogging. I think it was because I was writing the
guts of my novel. Yes, you heard correctly, my novel--directed at the very sophisticated audience of 10 year old girls. If all goes as planned, the book will have suspense, excitement, fashion, witty banter, love, loss, and what everybody wore.

As a matter of fact, I had to change the title. It was originally called Agnes Von Kliner, Fashion Designer. But Agnes is now the best friend. The protagonist is Carly Blye. I would hate to be someone who has to run a title contest, but I promise you, dear readers, that not one decent title for this book have I thought of. NOT ONE.

Enough about me and my writing (though I am also working on a book I sold called Carry It, Harriet) enough about my life (I go back to school in a few weeks you know!) how could I possibly go on and on , with complete disregard for the tediousness of the self-referential blogger (aren't we all?)

Anyway, there has been a shift for me in this blog. I find myself seldom reading to my children anymore. Why is this? I am frightened to ask. It's probably neglect. Gus (11) reads about a novel a day, if he has a new one, and Henry (8) vigilantly reads 20 minutes per night for his third-grade reading log. He has read some C.S. Lewis, Garfield, Fudge books by Judy Blume, a great book called Weird Stuff--and more. Gus just finished Rick Riordan's new book in a day. Yup, he brags. And he's lined up some Anthony Horowitz and Susan Cooper.

So I won't say to much about what they're reading until I start paying very close attention again--but I will say that I have continued to read for school (my MFA in writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline)and I have read Saffy's Angel (loved) Absolutely, Positively Not Gay (an important book), Somebody (suspenseful quick read), The Higher Power of Lucky (misplaced it 3/4 way through, so very upset)and a galley of Betsy Partridge's wonderful new novel Dog-Tag Summer (luscious) and I am also reading Darkness Over Denmark by my friend Ellen Levine who was just diagnosed with Stage 4 lung Cancer, which is so very devastating. She is so loved by so many. She is my Jewish mother in the city, and I already miss her as she struggles with treatments.

Signing off to go pick up kids, but I have not disappeared--I just needed to write a draft of a novel, and so I almost have one. I'd say another 30-40 pages, and I'll have something you can read!

Comfort in familiarity

2010-07-24T22:25:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a "getting the car fixed in New Jersey" day. Gus had nothing to read (finished Anne Ursu's Siren Song in two days), the hood of the car needed a new part, and so we were both understandably panicked. I'd been thinking about giving Gus some teen fiction, though he's not yet 11. This, because he's suddenly in that in-between age where he can enjoy a picture book or an Eyewitness book (about Knights in this case)as well as a juicy novel--fantasy or realistic. From my shelf I plucked a young adult novel called "Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film about The Grapes of Wrath" by Steven Goldman. I had edited the book at Bloomsbury just before I left, and loved it so much. It's a terrifically funny book about a boy named Mitchell, whose best friend, David, realizes he's gay--and despite everything they discover together about life and themselves, they remain close. And, of course, they have a typically disastrous prom--involving horrible yellow stains on white tuxedo pants. You guessed it.

Gus had devoured it by the end of the day when the car was fixed ($1300), and I loved asking him what part he was reading every hour or so--so I could reminisce about what a charming book it had been for me to work on. Thinking about it, I realize "Two Parties" was a great book for boys who are beginning to see the fun and humor about more grown-up issues, but who also feel the fears that come with becoming teens.

I learned at Hamline last week--thanks to Chris Campbell's critical thesis--that for boys, fear plays an enormous role in growing into a teen. Sure, 'tween and teenage boys may be curious about girls, socializing, and their own changing bodies, but honestly! The big problem is more about being seen naked in the boys' locker room (Thanks for the image, Chris!) and not feeling humiliated about a squeaking voice, the way you smell, or being over or under-weight. I think Judy Blume had it right when she said: Then Again, Maybe I Won't. These days when I ask Gus if he's excited about something, his answer is usually: "Not specifically." I chuckle, but I realize how indifferent he feels. And why? Because the things an eleven year old wants are the not the things we parents think are "good" for them. Ever. He wants to play video games, talk about whatever matters to him, be sarcastic, read great books, and basically never HAVE to do anything he doesn't want to do. I imagine there are many other things he does want to do, but those probably aren't the things you tell your mom! This topic has become a big theme for me lately as I try an navigate this new phase along with my growing-up son.

Tonight I walked into his room to find him reading yet another book. "I know, I've read it sixteen times," he said as he showed me the cover of Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great. See what I mean? I always feel caught between two worlds, and now he's feeling it, too. It always goes back to Judy Blume, doesn't it!

Now I must go begin revise fifty pages from the novel I am trying (very slowly) to write, but I invite you, my friends, to suggest any great books or films for boys of this age. It's a question that's been stumping everyone in my MFA program. I will say this: Now that I realize that there are big fears and apprehensions that accompany the new-found curiosity and need for exploration, at least I can turn to books such as Fat Kid Rules the World and others, where kids Gus's age are facing the feelings that come with this nerve-racking time in a child's life: he knows he is really starting to grow up for good, and there's nothing he can do to make it go faster or to stop it from happening.

Summer Reading, New Books

2010-06-15T03:29:00.003-04:00

My new book was released last week and we celebrated with PS 87 by having a reading and book fair to raise money for the school. Peter Ackerman had already arranged to read his new book, The Lonely Phone Booth, and he kindly allowed me to share the stage. His book is hilarious and terribly clever.
My book is called Orangutans Are Ticklish: Fun Facts from An Animal Photographer--and it's really a beautiful book. The photographer is Steve Grubman, who takes studio shots of every animal imaginable. The book features his photos, and my job was to find facts to go with the photos. I learned so much about the most common animals in this process, and now I can actually walk around town discussing where various species of elephant come from and the fact that a tiger would beat a lion in a fight. The book is available anywhere, so if you buy it, I will be happy to sign it for you.

I have been wanting to start a good list for summer reading. Almost everyday, I am asked about this topic. What can my son read? What would my daughter like? I love to do this and yet it's not always easy to come up with an answer on the spot. One of my favorite ways to find the right book for a child is to pull something off the shelf and read the first line, or the first paragraph, or if you can do it--the first page. This has been my secret reading weapon with my older son. I pretend I am going to read him a novel, and after one chapter, I say I am going to bed and we'll continue tomorrow--but then --HA! I trick him and he takes the book and keeps reading!

Here are some perfectly brilliant books for the nine or ten year old! (Most of these authors also write for younger kids, too, so check out their Amazon pages!)

Realistic Fiction:

Swindled and Zoo Break by Gordon Korman
Born to Rock by Gordon Korman
Schooled by Gordon Korman

With a very slightly historical bent:

Al Capone Does My Shirts and Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Jennifer Choldenko

With a British bent:

Skellig and Kit's Wilderness by David Almond

With superpowers and the internet:
A series in two forms: Hero.com and Villain.net by Andy Briggs

More for Girls:

Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen (three separate titles) by Lauren Myracle. She also has a series with titles such as TTYL

Sarah Dessen's books are sort of the Judy Blume books of today--friendship, family, romance...fun!

I will be back soon with lists for the younger ages--7-10!

beautiful art and storytelling

2010-05-20T02:18:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I journeyed to Canal street in dirty damp the rain to preview an art show by my friend Serge Bloch. The gallery is Living With Art. 153 Lafayette. The opening is Thursday evening, and the prices are human. Anyone who has been to my apartment knows that I have been collecting Serge's work, but this is the first original piece for me. My friend Vincent Kirsch came, too. Vincent, being the other astonishingly gifted illustrator for whom I keep a shrine in my apartment, helped me pick out a piece called The Baroness. She is reminiscent of William Steig. (I digress to mention there is a show of Jewish picture book illustrators coming to the Eric Carle Museum/Amherst in October! It includes, Serge, Steig, Mordicai Gerstein and the wonderful Simms Taback.)I will pick the Baroness up next week. I will have to ask her where she wants to go. Clearly it's her decision. Just look at her!

I wanted to write about the love affair I experienced a month or so ago when I read The Secret Garden, but I can't because I have moved on to books about boys. But I can recommend that if you haven't read The Secret Garden, you should do it right now. Promise?

I re-read The Giver by Lois Lowry. I read it along with my fifth grader, and we chatted periodically. The book is about a boy who is chosen in his bizarre Utopian community to receive all of the memories from a man called the Receiver. What moved me about the book were the descriptions of experiences the boy has never known. Makes you think. The one that choked me up was the description of Christmas. Maybe because the scene involved grandparents. The boy in the book has never heard of grandparents, but he feels connected to the idea of it. Good for fifth grade and up.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli surprised me. Being a book about a tough homeless orphan who runs around between and black neighborhood and a while neighborhood and belongs to both and neither, it really made me think about kids today and how it all looks to them. Told as a tall tale, Maniac Magee feels more like a superhero than a regular child. A very clever concept and story. Good for 4th grade and up.

The big winner this month was Skellig by David Almond. This book crosses age ranges. I might read this to my second grader, while handing a copy to my fifth grader to read to himself. (He did, by the way.)David Almond is a favorite writer of Betsy Partridge. Betsy is the third person to whom I have a shrine in my home, but her shrine is photographic. Her new book Marching For Freedom is the story of the kids who marched during the Civil Rights Movement. This is the type of deeply affecting book you can read to your children, and feel you've done your job as a parent for the whole week. Go Betsy! Back to Skellig. I won't say too much about Skellig except for that it's the story of a boy and his baby sister, whose health is bad. His family moves house (yes, it's British) and Michael finds a man or something in the garage. He also meets up with a neighbor girl named Mina, sort of a sassy superego, and of course home-schooled. The little things and big things that happen to them and change them are magic.

Today is Lewis Carroll Day. Two weeks ago, our second grade book club took a retreat to Central Park where the children climbed on the Alice in Wonderland Statue. We had scones and sandwiches, and read parts of Alice in Wonderland out loud. It was a moment. And it was not raining! On the way back, we met some men who were making bubbles with giant nets. The perfect ending to the picnic.

MIA BLOGGER

2010-03-03T22:41:00.003-05:00

This is the first time I have ever sat down to write--with little or no sense of what I want to say. I just read my friend's Varda's blog. With twins and a dying father, she is very relatable to most of us, she writes like a poet, and she has a voice that thrums. Her blog is The Squashed Bologna, and I am following it. You should, too.

This blog is about what I read to my kids, but now it's also about what I read to myself. As I pursue my MFA in writing for children and young adults, I must read a list of 120 books supplied by Hamline. This month, I re-read Are You There Gd, It's Me, Margaret for the first time since I was twelve. I read Charlotte's Web and Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963.

This type of book is referred to as "middle-grade." My definition of a classic middle grade is that it's basically a long chapter book that's not old enough to feature romance or cursing. Middle grades are the wonderful clean read-alouds that your teacher read to you in fourth grade. This is the age level I am trying to write for, too, though I have had several false starts and am beginning to wonder if I'll ever actually write anything.

Aside from my new-found enthusiasm and complete adoration of middle-grade novels, I have also fallen hard for books that teach writing. I read From Where You Dream by Robert Olen Butler and am working at this moment with Donald Maas's Writing the Break-out Novel Workbook. If only there were an online version so you could fill in the workbook again and again!

I wonder if I love these books so much because they have so many great practical tips I'd have loved during my years as an editor. I find myself wanting to call my friends who are still editors and say: "Having trouble with a novel? Try this!" Or I'd tell them: "Don't sweat it, just give the author this workbook! Let them do the work, not you!"

I realize that some of these books may be formulaic or pat or whatever you wish to call them, but they teach the nuts and bolts. Writing is a craft in many ways, and while no one can put the thoughts in your head, a good teacher can explain some of the most important rules. So these days, I find myself in a state of ecstasy several times a day as I come upon ideas on how to develop characters with more depth and internal conflict or even how to use index cards to put a novel together. I love it!

A note on Judy Blume: if you have a middle grade kid who is confused about religion, Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret is your book. What a genius Judy Blume was--to create a character with grandparents of different religions, both battling for her soul. Yes, we always knew it was the "period" book, but as an adult I was touched much more by the idea that poor Margaret goes to synagogue and church in search of religion--completely ignoring the inner knowledge that she already has her own unique relationship with God. Maybe she doesn't realize it, but you can bet the reader does. The book truly stands up all these years later.

Similarly with Charlotte's Web: E.B. White pulls a fast one, letting his reader worry that poor Wilbur is going to be murdered for bacon, when all along he knows that it's Charlotte and not Wilbur who we will soon lose. Charlotte does die at the end, and the only reason I must mention it is that if you don't remember the last line of the book, I will include it here. It is simply stunning: "It is not often someone comes along that's a true friend and good writer. Charlotte was both."

Thank you, E.B. White.

A New Chapter

2010-01-28T04:01:00.003-05:00

In January I went away to school to learn
how to write. It all happened when I was
about to apply for the MFA in writing at
The New School, and a writer and good friend
named Ellen told me to apply to a program
at a school in St. Paul Minnesota called Hamline.
That way, it sort of fell from the sky and landed
in my lap, and for December, I got my application together,
got accepted (a nice feeling!)and on January 7th,
I packed hundreds of fleece layers, my new Sorels, and left
for this place called St. Paul. (Home to both
Scott Fitzgerald and Garrison Keillor)

The program takes two years to complete and involves
going to St. Paul five times, all in Januaries and Julys.
Each residency has a theme--this time it was setting.

The faculty consists of seasoned children's book authors who have
been teaching writing over the years, and it was hard
not to be very impressed by the program--which is run
by a group of logistical savants. In my next life, I
will organize an MFA residency and will be rewarded handsomely!
In other words, it's a lot of planning, logistics, therapy,
question-answering, etc.

The fun part is that I got to go to workshop in
the mornings, lectures in the afternoons, and readings in the
evenings. By day four, I began to feel my brain
stretching like a balloon. I was learning how to stop acting
like an editor and start acting like a writer. (That means being less
bossy and acting like less of a know-it-all and just trying to help one another improve our writing.)

Children's book luminaries came and gave talks (Wendy Lamb,
Anita Silvey, Roger Sutton, Jane Yolen), writing exercises were sprinkled
throughout the lectures, and I met person after person who came to
the program with different life stories and crazy, incredible stories
to share.

To show you who some of the faculty are--all women this time--
I am posting their pictures in the margin. I wish I had copies of all of their books, but some day I will! Each one of them was dedicated, luminous, and
open to the silly first semester students--and for someone who never
really felt the need to connect with professors in college, with these women
I felt like I was being given a second chance!

There were two Marshas, a Claire, a Kelly, a Lisa, a Mary, a Liza, an Alexandria, a Phyllis, a Jane, a Jackie, and an Anne. I hear that in the summer, this is a Ron and a Gary.

I left the residency 11 days later after meetings with
my adorable semester adviser, Marsha Wilson Challs. So now my job
is to read and write. A lot. Marsha suggested a book I have fallen hard for.
The Art and Craft of Storytelling by Nancy Lamb. If you are trying to write, get this book! I am calling it my bible.

Friends and family asked how Eric coped while I was away, and
I think he did really well. The boys seemed to thrive and survive,
and know I missed them more than they missed me. I cried about ten times more than any of them did!

I go back in July--when the snow will be gone. The theme will be theme, and by then I will feel like
a Hamline veteran.

My reading list for the program has 120 books on it, and although I have
read several already, I will refer to them as I read them, and give
suggestions--but first I wanted to tell you about my new adventure!

The reluctant blogger

2009-12-13T22:37:00.002-05:00

It's been a long, long, long time. (The Beatles said this. What did the Beatles NOT say?) Well, it has been too long. I apologize, dear readers. Why do I resist?

I meant to share the experience I had at the Hunter Elementary School book fair lecture. Sean Qualls and Carin Berger came in, both picture book illustrators, and both so talented. They showed pictures/slides of themselves as children and talked about their influences. Carin came from a designer background. She does collage. She showed us the first book she wrote when she was little and then we saw her work and realized how little many of her concepts had changed. Sean Qualls was terrific. He explained how he ran out of money during art school and had to quit--taking a full-time job at the Brooklyn museum, where he first learned about off-beat artistic folks like Ben Shahn, Romare Beardon, Jacob Lawrence--and other self taught artists.
He is married to the illustrator Selina Alko.
I will post their book jackets here soon.

I have discovered a few Hanukkah books and some nice Christmas books, as well.
The Runaway Dreidel by Leslea Newman and Moishe's Miracle by Laura Krauss Melmed both looked hip and current with gorgeous illustrations. I also ordered Mrs. Greenberg's Hanukkah by Linda Glasser. I will report back with reviews. My all-time favorite is When Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Barbara McClintock. You will love this book.

Two more books I found on several sites and heard folks talking about are: a reissue of the 1959 picture book The Blueberry Pie Elf by Jane Thayer. This is so adorable and the look will remind you of Garth Williams.

Another book being talked about is by Eden Ross Lipson, who recently passed away. She was in charge of the children's section at the NYT Book Review. She finished a book before she died called Applesauce Season, illustrated by the great Mordecai Gerstein. The woman in charge of Henry's afterschool program told me about the book with tears in her eyes. That's how much she adored it!

These days, in order to get Henry to read I have to literally shut of the television and say: "It's time to read." Tonight we read a translation of a French book--a Stepping Stone easy-to-read called The Ink Drinker by Eric Sanvoisin, illustrated by Martin Maatje. It was the story of a boy who hates books, but whose dad owns a book store. He notices a client drinking the ink out of books one day, and goes off to solve the mystery of why. Henry liked it, but it wasn't the most satisfying experience, I am sad to report. But it's a great introduction to creepier books meant for older kids! The cover really got me, and the art is pretty spectacular!

For the first night of Hanukkah, Gus got ABC-3D--also an import from France by Marion Bataille. If you haven't seen this video on youtube, it's very quaint and lots of fun.
But the next night he got The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science Experiments by Sean Connolly. He loved it!

He is finishing up a chess tournament, and when he comes home, I hope we can do some of the experiments...

Happy Holidays, and I will be back soon to post book jackets to go with this post.

Wild Things and World War II

2009-10-25T09:01:00.008-04:00

I am sorry I haven't blogged in so long!
I have thought of you, dear blog readers, and
I apologize.
A recent visit to my son's second grade class
gave me a reminder to read all genres. We were
ignoring nonfiction, so I pulled something off the
shelf by a French illustrator named Jean-Louis Besson.
I don't know where or when I acquired this beautiful
book called October 45: Childhood Memories of the War
but his illustrations capture everything I have
always admired about French (and British) illustrators.
Friends often ask me when is the right time for The
Diary of Anne Frank. Well, that is a book for older kids--
ten and up. This one is perfect for kids from second to fifth
grade. It is told from the point of view of a French boy who
is not Jewish. What an introduction to World War II! The book
is fully illustrated in color and contains dozens of vignettes
that show what it was like for a child in France to be displaced
by a war--the details of which he is learning first hand.
It is not graphic/violent at all, but more like a slice of life
from those days--it reminds me of Au Revoir Les Enfants--the film by Louis Malle--about the
director's childhood in France during the war--at a Catholic
School where Jewish children are being hidden.
I also recommend this film as a wonderful introduction
to WWII if your children aren't quite ready for a film
set in a concentration camp. The Jean-Louis Besson
book is also terrific for parents to read aloud. I learned a lot.
I would also add that the reason The Diary
of Anne Frank is such a beloved book (besides the obvious) is that is tells the story of WWII and the Holocaust without bringing the reader inside the horror of the camps.
If you are looking for a great book for older kids--one which
is incredibly compelling and quite graphic, you may want
to look at The Fighter by Jean-Jacques Greif. I had a great experience working on the American
translation with the author. And it's the story of
Polish Jew taken by the Germans from Paris, a semi-professional boxer,
who survives Auschwitz. It's based on a true story, and it's utterly unbelievable.
The first chapters paint a lively portrait of anti-semitic Poland before the war--and it's got a great sense of Yiddish humor. It's a page turner, truly.
Now, if your child--or you--want to read another book about the war,
I recommend The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. This award-winning book changed the way I saw writing, and lives with me. Though my son Gus (ten) found it too boring to read, I fell madly in love with it, and have a signed copy that I will leave to my grandchildren. The book is written from the p.o.v. of death, and Death as a narrator is not at all dry, but ironic, and very matter of fact about doing his job. I believe the book begins with a line that goes like this:

FACT: You will all die.

The story takes place on the German home front and is one of the most beautifully written, magnificently creative books ever--though I might add that some readers find it a bit over the top and show-offy. Because yes, it is mannered--but that was what I loved. I remember calling my dad to read him a section called The Jessie Owens incident.

Now just a few thoughts on the film version of Where the Wild Things Are.
I was apprehensive about seeing it because it looked very sad and I was afraid it would be boring. Well, it was very sad, but not boring at all.
I suppose I now realize (I saw it with Henry, seven)that kids like to see films that are sad and that we don't give them many opportunities to do this. The movie was chock-full of conflict--I mean, it's 90% conflict. The Wild Things--as characters--are jealous, oversensitive family members--or some type of commune--who have been pushing one anothers' emotional buttons for eternity. And I think the beauty of the film is that you are allowed to see all of these complicated, often ugly relationships through the eyes of Max--who has just run away because of conflicts at home he never knew how to escape. Wouldn't you run away sometimes? It's one things we forget kids can't really do.
So I watched and was completely absorbed--with a wad of tissues in my hand. And yup, it's very raw. For adults, there's hardly a feeling or reaction we don't deal with every day--jealousy, territoriality, disappointment, excitement, bragging, and the whole gamut--but for kids it's not often that so many of these emotions are enacted in one film. And it's only the rare animated film that even wants to approach these basic everyday issues. If you have been wanting to talk to your child about his emotions, this movie brings many of them to the surface. There is a lot of beauty in the film, and the original lines are spoken in several places. If you know the book, your heart will jump each time you hear a line. I wondered how the writers decided how extremely obnoxious to make the Wild Things. I mean, I found them to be a truly dysfunctional mess. I suppose it had to get pretty bad, or else Max wouldn't have wanted to go home at the end. I wondered if Maurice Sendak described some of his relatives to the writers to give them an idea of how far to go. When I think about it, it reminded me of sleeping over a friend's house when I was a kid--and the relief I would feel when I got to leave the next day, returning home to my own family and my own space and the familiarity of my own life. We had our dysfunctions, but at least had my own room to escape to and my own things, and they were mine.

Mr. Catalonia Had Pneumonia

2009-09-11T02:14:00.002-04:00

This summer, I tried to photograph kids
reading. I managed to find some kids reading on
bikes and one on a hula hoop. But I must admit that
while my family vacationed in and around Barcelona,
reading was not the main activity I noticed. I would
say the north east coast of Spain, known as Catalunya
was all about the swimming. Alternating between day
trips to Barcelona and beach towns and coves in the Costa Brava,
our base was in a sleepy beach town called Premia de Mar.
It was six or so villages up the coast from BCN, and we used a
train to get to the city.

I began the trip reading Middlesex by Jeff Eugenides, and finished it half way through.
I read it on my iphone kindle,and read it obsessively.
It's not a perfect book, but the
narrator's gender switches around, and this detail makes the
book fascinating and unique. It reminded me a little bit of
The Danish Girl.
PLease read this book and then call me so we can talk about it.
Its theme of immigrant life in America was fitting for a stranger
in a new land--i.e. me in Spain.

Gus read the entire Septimus Heap series (4 books) very speedily.
He read whatever else I had. He read Half Magic, The Doll's House by Rumor Godden,
the second Benedict Society book, and many more. We are running out of books for him to read.

I picked up When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, who lives on the Upper West Side. But for the end of the trip I read The Family Markowitz by Allegra Goodman. She is a strong, interesting writer, but the voice reminded me too much of Middlesex, and that was confusing. Also, there seemed to be no child characters, and that seemed foreign to me.

While in Spain I never ran out of things to notice.
I kept making lists in my head.
And so I will try and recreate one of these lists below.

Things I noticed in Spain:

1. A lot of piercings, tattoos, and chic hippie clothes.
2. Muslims comfortably enmeshed in every day society.
3. Almost no artificially colore blond hair on women or men.
3b. The mullet is alive and well and stylish in Catalunya.
Also, long braids and many a dreadlock.
4. The "x" makes the "she" sound. Chocolate = xiocolate
5. Everything closes from 2 to 4:30, and from around 5 to 9 pm
everyone seems to be outside relaxing after the hot sun takes a break.
6. 30 to 50% of women are topless at the beaches, depending where you are.
And there are beaches up North with castles on them.
7. I never saw a childrens book store, nor did I see children reading.
8. The grocery store sells many types of sangria and bubbly spring water.
9. The salt is chunkier and very tasty. The coffee is stronger. Fanta tastes a bit like Orangina and is an acceptable beverage. Coke Light is very popular!
10. Donuts have replaced the fried dough Churros, known as xurros in Catalunya!
11. Most fashions can be found at the flea market and (some)clothing is inexpensive.
12. Cured meats are everywhere and delicious and addictive.
13. We (USA) wear more solid clothing, they don't. The big fashion right now is genie pants in all shapes with "t" back t-shirts.
14. Nacho chips are not easy to find.
15. The following fashion companies are from Spain: Custo, Zara, Desigual (new in Soho!!) Camper shoes. They have outlets similar to Woodbury Commons.
16. There is a Catalunyan national shoe we saw on hundreds and hundreds of people. It is a type of leather sandal.
17. In Barcelona, there are a lot of people in commuter train stations to help you.
18. You can swim in the Olympic pool which was used in the 1992 Summer Games and it's really fun.
19. The big artists of the area are: Dali, Miro, Picasso, and Gaudi. This combination makes for a very funky artistic p.o.v.
20. Barcelona is like Paris + Nice + San Francisco and more. It was really, truly, a beautiful city.
21. Instead of having Sponge Bob everywhere, they have the Simpsons everywhere!

Soon I will hunt for photos to add to this posting and write some more about the trip. In case I didn't mention, Henry had pneumonia while we were away. But that is a story for another day. Good night!

s u m m e r r e a d i n g

2009-07-26T20:55:00.003-04:00

Summer is half over and it's proven to be a great summer for reading.
In Riverside Park, I spotted a little girl reading while hula hooping.
Extraordinary, I thought to myself. I remember being a kid and it was probably Pippy Longstocking I was carrying around--or Judy Blume. I wish I had thought to hula hoop and read silmultaneously! More summer readers spotted: My little friend Ethan is so excited by Louis Sachar's Wayside School Stories, he reads while riding his bike. Bumping into the park steps, he probably doesn't even realize his training wheels are responsible for this superhuman ability. His birthday was today and we gave him a set of Melvin Beederman books. His twin brother Jake got a lovely Uri Shulevitz picture book called Dawn and one more.

A lot of parents have been asking me what to suggest for the seven year old reader--and Melvin Beederman is great. My son is reading them and reporting everything that happens to this unlikely superhero. The series is a chapter book series, but good for beginning readers. Predictable, funny, big type, lots of white space and the best part--illustrations. I can also suggest the MY WEIRD SCHOOL series. They start with Miss Daisy is Crazy and go on forever. The author is Dan Gutman, a true kids book veteran! I bought some recently and they are sold at the price of four for three, at least on Amazon. Henry and his friends are wild for them.

My local independent book store is the delightful and ridiculously irresistable Bank Street Books. For Henry (7) I got some Stink books--also perfect for the almost-second grader. Stink is Judy Moody's little brother. Apparently he has his own website! Shock! I picked up a few books for my soon-to-be ten year old--but they were each read in one day. Middle-grade books are wonderful, but for a fast reader, they are the kiss of death. The ones I bought? When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (about time travel and friendship) and The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin (about a boy who finds puzzles everywhere. Gus also read the 4th book in the 39 Clues series in a day. This fall, we are going to get a library card--how else can we support this habit? I considered a kindle for him, but alas, he's only almost ten!

I told my friends today that when their kids ask to do anything electronic (tv, Nintendo DS, Wii...) you should just tell then "YES, dear--but first you have to read two chapters." Many times they will be too hooked to stop reading. Try it!

I continue to develop my own chapter book targeted at third grade girls. In so doing, I have learned a lot about procrastination. I have 14 chapter summaries down--and now everything is...shall I say...simmering. I often mention a book called How Fiction Works by James Wood, but I must reiterate how much I have enjoyed it. I recommend it as a source of pure joy and entertainment for anyone who loves to be amazed by writing. Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, and more than anyone--Flaubert is discussed. And always with examples of their magnificent writing. An excerpt from To the Lighthouse (Virginia Wolff) was so lovely.

In a few weeks we are off to Barcelona--and getting very excited. The books Gus and Henry read there will always remind them of Spain, so I hope we pick some good ones!
Happy summer.

How did July get here so quickly?

2009-06-29T04:14:00.004-04:00

Life imitates art, especially for kids, right?
The other morning, my younger son was heading
to his friend's for a carpool (subway pool in our case).
"Does Henry like pancakes?" his friend's mom asked me on the phone.
"Because we're eating an awful lot of pancakes just like Nate the Great
does." That just made me giggle. Nate the Great really is great.

As first grade ended, many moms were realizing
their kids are really truly into reading--and they
are looking for great books to learn about.
We talked about Louis Sachar's Wayside
School books, and of course the kids ignored us and played
sports in the yard, without the littlest
inkling that summer might include reading. But it will.

Off to camp for one week went my older son--with a nice
stack of books, as well. He took Schooled by Gordan Korman,
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, When Zachary Beaver
Came to Town, Redwall by Brian Jacques, the complete Marlys comics by Lynda Barry (LYNDA BARRY!!! YUM!)

He told me that the one friend he met on a pre-camp weekend
also loved reading. I heard myself saying to a mom this morning,
"He likes to read when he's stressed." And it's true.
This past week he read The Neddiard by Daniel Pinkwater,
and loved it--but it was no good for night time--too scary.
He also read a Louis Sachar book--Sixth Grade Secrets.

I am still reading Circle of Friends on my Iphone, but I also began
reading Olive Kitteredge, a gift from my mom, which is very nice. Plus
I have begun my own personal study of how the heck to write for plot.
So the book is called How Fiction Works by James Wood--and though
I have only read ten pages, I have picked up a few good literary
nuggets already! The book starts by explaining a lot about
the narrator's role. It's a teeny bit dense for my simple brain,
but mostly written to be understood by average humans.

Last but not least, I heard the most beautiful MOTH podcast by an Australian journalist named Susan Duncan. It was about her realtionship with her elderly mother. I didn't want the story to end, and I then tried to find her memoir,
but it seems only to be available in Australia. Is anyone going to Australia?
If you go, can you please pick one up for me? I promise to post a photo of the book tomorrow. Good night!

June blog

2009-06-02T21:22:00.002-04:00

As I visit lots of used book sales at school fairs, I find the most delightful surprises. I found an old James Marshall picture book called Yummers. (I love James Marshall, oh how I wish I could have met the man who uses words such as collosal in his Three Little Pigs book!) I found a Simms Taback picture book from 1967. I found a pop-up book of limericks by Bennett Cerf. TOO MUCH! Oh, it doesn't get any better! I have now purchased both Tomi Ungerer Phaidon reissues: Moon Man and Three Robbers and cannot wait to read them. At PS87 we had Everybody Reads Week, and four authors I invited were so nice to come. Ellen Levine, Megan Montague Cash, Pattly Lakin, and Jessie Hartland. The kids were awesome and fascinated and would have crawled into the writers' pockets if they could have! Meeting writers is the best way to get kids excited about books. Several of the authors mentioned having been poor students or poor spellers. The kids loved that. Ellen Levine mentioned having wanted to be a hobo. That got a roar!

Gus is plowing through books. He is in a David Lubar phase right now with Hidden Talents and True Talents. He read both books by Pseudonymous Bosch. (Who is he, anyway?) He came for a school visit. After that is the final Lightning Thief book. My job is being his book supplier. I do it pro bono.

Henry has discovered the Cam Jansen mysteries--and chapter books in general. This is huge!! For book club, we are reading Stuart Little and finding it very sweet and sometimes worrysome. I love how the illustrations hardly take Stuart into account at all. He is tiny in every one of them!! That would never happen today!

Today I spent the day combing Manhattan for a silversmith-esque costume for Gus's Colonial Day project in school. I wish I'd been twittering or tweeting--because I covered a lot of miles and couls have picked up lots of stuff for other Colonial parents! I went from the garment district (buttons and shoe buckles) to Halloween Adventure (tricorn hat) of 11th Street to Cheap Jack's on 32and and Fifth (leather vest). I even hit Daffy's for the under layer (Knickers and white shirt. He is to be a Colonial Silversmith!

I am finishing a picture book for Lee Wade to be pubished by Schwartz and Wade. It's a book of funky & gorgeous animal photographs by Steve Grubman. I wrote the accompanying text. Once a title is finalized, I will expound more. It was lots of fun to write--I learned heaps (LOVE ELEPHANTS!)--and it required a complete revision. And then another. That's okay, though. Now I got a taste of my own medicine.

As I ponder how to stay involved in kids books, I ask myself: Can you just sit down and write a chapter a day for one week for your OWN book? Just one week. I think I can do it, but when do I have to start? That's the question. Please let me know.

Everything seems funny

2009-05-12T21:28:00.003-04:00

I am traveling on a bus up Madison Avenue today at
3:30 watching little girls in private school
uniforms get on the buses with their moms.
The moms look so terribly preoccupied.

I hear one playing ISPY and I begin to imagine:
Little girl: I spy something yellow with the word taxi on it.
Mom: I spy a migraine.
Little girl: I spy a tall building.
Mom: I spy an exhausting evening ahead in
which I don't want to be doing this with my child.

It's sad.
And I hear the mom ask:
What did you do in school today?
And the little girl says: Nothing.
And the mom says: Nothing again?
And I think to myself: Don't you even know how
to ask a question? You have to be specific with
children or else they say: Nothing!
I just wonder
about these East Side families who seem to wear this incredible
wealth like someone else would wear a raincoat or an umbrella.
It's not just in what they have, it's who they are, it's how
they see the world and the rest of us in it.
Everyone on the East Side is not like this, but there
is a species of private school child with a mother dressed
up for the Junior League that curdles my milk.
Maybe this is how they were raised? Who knows?
Maybe I am just jealous. That's probably it.

Anyway, I started to imagine the interchange
between mom and girl as a Saturday Night Live skit and I
was cracking up. The contrast between what each of them "spies"
would make it clear that they weren't both thinking about the same things.
Not at all!

I met the wonderful author Patty Lakin today. She lives on the
block where Henry goes to school and showed me some of the
books she is planning to read during Everybody Reads Week at PS87.
The stories of her involvement with that block over the years
is the stuff of classic socially forward thinking children's book writing.
I can't wait for her to share her memories and experiences with the kids and
to talk about the books in Henry's school.

In other news, Gus has read the Sherman Alexie book: The Absolutely True
Diary of a Part-Time Indian as well as Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
by the awesome Christopher Paul Curtis. I mentioned he has been into realistic fiction, and these are great, great examples. Henry and I read Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins--which is perfect to read to kindergarteners and first graders who
truly believe their toys have lives of their own. It's scrumptious. The next book for his book club is Stuart Little. That will be fun to re-read. It's only been about thirty years since I have read it!

Gus is always trying to get Henry to read. He loves playing the role of older, wiser brother. Luckily Henry does love to read. On his Mothers Day list of top ten things about his mother, the book he mentioned I read to him was Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton Trent by Lauren Child. If you haven't read this one, order it. It's just the most delighful and cheeky picture book ever. It's about a boy who discovers that his fabulously rich parents aren't so rich after all. But the details are the greatest! Their house is so big that the hot chocolate turns cold by the time he reaches their room.

This makes me want to go back to reading the book my friend Vincent told me about: Don't Tell the children: The Subversive Power of Children's Literature by Alison Lurie. It reminds us that children love and need to feel like they have their own secret little worlds away from parents. This is also why the Pigeon books by Mo Willems are so loved by children. It's all about what you can try and get away with when your parents are standing around somewhere else being clueless!

Goldilocks and the Three (or more) Book Suggestions

2009-04-28T23:30:00.006-04:00

I read to Henry's first grade class the other day. What joy.
I get so crazy silly when I read, I sometimes fall off
of the little chair they give me to sit on.
I read some of Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein.
This very unique book has won me over, especially
the poem with all of the inverted menu items (chied fricken?)
You will truly crack up, after you recover from confusion.
I also read another book, one I just love. I wish I had a hundred copies
to give as birthday presents. It's Who's Afraid of the Big
Bad Book by Lauren Child. Anyone who ever felt they weren't
very creative should NOT read this book because it will make you
feel worse. It is funny, clever, entertaining, and it needs
to be turned over several times during its reading! I want to
live in her brain just for an hour. Too much, Lauren Child!!
I also have the best solution ever for the much needed "very
short bedtime book" which makes the point! It's
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems.
It is hilarious and entertaining while not once letting the
kids forget that they are going to sleep pronto!
A natural segue to the tuck in. Another book that calls
kids on thair stubborn behavior is Love You When You
Whine by Sergio Ruzzier. It's the best.
No longer in print, but I have several copies I would give to you!
Happy reading! I will try and report soon on Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. (For teens with an anorexic protagonist)

of art and puzzles

2009-04-14T21:28:00.005-04:00

Well I have been a bad blogger, but nothing cures that like
April vacation at the beach with the kids. Life supplies
coincidences and this week it's that both boys were reading books
with themes of art and puzzles. Henry had to read The Eleventh Hour
by Graeme Base (is there a better name on earth?) and Gus was re-reading
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (oh, I guess there is a better name
than Graeme Base!) I read along with Gus and just can't stop talking about
Chasing Vermeer. I am calling it the From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs.
Basil E. Frankweiler of this generation. It is!! Leslie Badoian, if you are
out there, this book is for you! (Leslie was my bff in first and second grade
and a math genius! She loved that book!)

So Gus (9) is doing a book project on CV, and it's going to be fun because the
book is so terrific. It takes two characters--Petra and Calder. One is left brain and one is right (this is not stated) and they work together to solve an exciting art mystery. Some books have great plot and great character. This one has a lot of both, but what it really has is an author who was bursting with ideas about art and puzzles and a need to share her experiences as an art historian and teacher--her ideas about how teachers HAVE TO be creative and think outside the box, that we should look closer at everything from art to unexplained ocurrance, that math and art and life are all woven together into a big exciting world--a world of innumerable ways of looking at everything.... I am going on a bit I know. But it is such a good read aloud. And it's inspiring me. Whether I decide to go back into publishing or write more books or take steps toward becoming some type of teacher, I will try and remember the feeling of how excited Blue Balliett must have been when she wrote this book (in five years while working!) and how she infused it with the all important Rilke-esque message: Live the questions!! YUM!!!

As for The Eleventh Hour--a picture book with so many puzzles to solve that my husband is exhausted--I have yet to dip in. So much work goes into a book like this--a picture book with countless puzzles and a mystery to solve that is truly work to accomplish! I never did anything like that when I was little. Maybe madlibs or something with invisible ink... the occasional code in Dynamite Magazine, but this has Morse Code, anagrams, and much more hidden everywhere!!(PS: My husband tells me that Henry just burst into tears when Eric mentioned that he was "done" with the book. The book means so much to Henry, but it turns out that Eric (after hours of working on solving the mystery) read the answers in the back and he is SO SO SO disappointed with the answers he felt he had to cut his losses. But Henry crumbled, so now Eric has to go back to it! It just seems unfair to make a child work so hard for a set of unsatisfactory answers--and maybe I would even say the puzzle answers are self indulgent. Sorry, Graeme Base, you will have to explain this to Henry, a crying seven year old beginning reader! What if he never reads again because of YOUR self indulgence!)

In my own reading world I just finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, a story that takes place in China during the height of the foot binding tradition. The story is pretty good. The writing is somewhat frustrating, but you can't help needing to know what happens to these young women who are married into strange families and have teeny feet! I mean, just the descriptions of how it was done (toe bones cracking!) and understanding why they considered it to be beautiful is worth the price of admission. I also appreciate understanding more about Chinese culture. It's a very very difficult mindset for a typical American to relate to.

I watched the film Circle of Friends when I was sick in bed with a cold and I loved it (Minnie Driver, Alan Cumming, Chris O'Donnell!) so I downloaded the Maeve Binchy book. It's lots of fun, and easy going and wonderful, and I am reading it on my i-phone, so it's about twenty words a page. I think I am on page 100 out of 15,000pages or something...

Today we went into Southhampton (Long Island) village and walked around and happened upon a teeny old house on the main drag. Eric noticed it said "Silversmith" with an historic town-made sign. Coincidentally Gus was given the role of silversmith for his class Colonial Day project (June 17, please come!) What fun. The little house dates back 300 years and was the workshop of a real silversmith back in the day. The person who is there now--Eric--is a French jewelry maker who started decades ago at VanCleef and Arpels and let Gus and Henry try on his various goggles, and hold the blow torch he uses to make stuff. Henry, a budding pyromaniac, was entranced, and I think Gus felt lucky to stumble on something so rare that he is connected to. Most excited was Eric, who felt like he had traveled back in a time machine three hundred years. It was completely charming! And we got a lesson in wax and molds for jewelry.

Start a book club for your kids! We did!

2009-03-23T04:20:00.003-04:00

On Friday night, six or so children and moms in first grade
had the first meeting of the Worldwide Book Club. It was not
without drama. Earlier in the day one boy in the club had his
sneakers stolen by some feisty girls and it was awful for him.
So who should be invited to the book club? Both the culprit
and the perpetrator of the sneaker kerfluffle! Needless to say,
it was awkward. But the first graders handled it well
described a few paragraphs below!) and the
meeting started with an agenda everyone could handle and lots of snacks.

No one knew what to expect. We looked at lots of books and
went around the room and shared some of our favorites.
Mentioned with passion were: The Toys Go Out books,
Superfudge by Judy Blume, Helen Keller,
Courage in the Dark,Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller,
How Does the Show go On? an incredible interactive book
about life in the theater, The Magic Treehouse Series, Calvin and Hobbes, Captain Underpants and more!
The children talked baout their favorite kind of books.
They mentioned exciting adventure, facts, biographies,
funny books, books about trouble makers and of course--dogs!

One mom read from The Toys Go Out and everyone listened
and thought about what would happen if our stuffed animals were actually
living creatures with personalities. One boy read from a Magic Treehouse
book and showed us how the tension and excitement of an
adventure book thrilled him. The boy whose sneakers had been
taken earlier in the day sort of "self medicated" through bibliotherapy
with some Calvin and Hobbes, but while reading the page, he replaced
the situation going on in the book with what had happened to
"the boy whose sneakers were taken" that day. This was amazing to witness.
The girl who had taken the sneakers just sat listening and giggled.
Truly a literary confrontation among first graders.

I have to say I just loved it. Hearing first graders talk
about books they love is pure joy. Most were eager to particpate.
Others were more cautious--just like in school and in the world.

The children voted on a name for the group--World Wide Book Club.
And another meeting was called for April 3rd.

Too busy to blog?

2009-02-27T12:28:00.003-05:00

Life goes on and we have read so many great books.
Henry is in love with Madlenka by Peter Sis and we
picked up Ellie McDoodle last night which is a graphic
novel not unlike Diary of Wimpy Kid but from a girl's
p.o.v. We still have not gone back to How to Steal a Dog.
It creates an unmentioned mystery between the three of
us, but I like that so much. For her birthday, I gave a
copy of Fashion Kitty to Henry's friend Chloe, and I
want ten copies for myself. This is the perfect girl book gift.
You have to see this book!

Tuesday night we went to see a memorial for Odetta
at Riverside Church. Now I am fascinated by Maya Angelou.
She may actually be GOD. I am not joking. The things she says,
the way she sounds. If she started a church, I would go.
Speaking of GOD--Pete Seeger was there and I stalked him
taking lousy pictures with an i phone. Someone laughed at the
idea of stalking Pete Seeger, but it seemed very natural to me.
He is turning 90, or already has, and when he goes, I think
my childhood will officially be over. I took him for granted when
I was little. He came to Unitarian coffee houses
in churches in Massachusetts.I thought he was sort of
old fashioned--and yet I think I knew that
he was also someone very very important and true.
Now I am riveted and want to sing with him day and night.
Has any singer ever been able to compel the other
people in the room to join in? So effortlessly?
Asking others to sing becomes a part of his lyrics.
My kids don't listen to him, but your kids should.
But they are going to have to now and then.
Pete! Stay with us!

I just had a snack with a sculpter who is putting
together a bookof photographs of the middle of
Australia, and these photos... jeesh!
They are truly other worldy. I thought:
It's like MARS or someplace far a way.

Sorry to be so fast but life is steamrolling
me and I will add pictures of the books and
Pete Seeger later on!

Special, Special Husband

2009-02-14T05:44:00.001-05:00

My husband is something. He moved all of the books out of the left-hand column where they would have stayed for eternity and matched them with the blog entry where they were discussed. Thanks, honey. You are a true Valentine.

I am appearing in Larchmont tomorrow!

2009-02-13T21:24:00.010-05:00

Come join me when I appear in Larchmont
on Valentine's Day (Saturday)
at The Voracious Reader at 10:30 am.
It's KIDS HEART AUTHORS DAY,
which supports children's books and
independent book stores.
Final count is 44 bookstores and 172 authors
and illustrators!

I will be signing my book!

1997 Palmer Avenue
Larchmont, NY

http://www.thevoraciousreader.com/

Guest blogger

2009-02-13T21:11:00.010-05:00

I "guest blogged" for a blog called
I.N.K. (Interesting Non-Fiction for Kids).
I was asked to do this by a wonderful writer
named Susan E. Goodman. I worked with her
on a terrific book about the elections
that came out in 2008 and was a smash!
That books was called See How They Run.
All of her books are great, especially
The Truth About Poop and Gee Whiz! It's All
About Pee.

Visit her at http://www.susangoodmanbooks.com/

Here is the link to the blog--this post
is more for writers, but feel free:
http://www.inkrethink.blogspot.com/

If you want to learn about good nonfiction
for kids, this is a great place to start.

Under Pressure

2009-02-07T21:19:00.005-05:00

I visited a school in the East Village where my friend's
son goes every day. I don't know about you, but my kids
are under plenty of pressure. This is a school for special
kids. I can't say why any of them were there, and when you
go there to observe or visit, you certainly don't ask . . .
but you can imagine--autism, learning disabilities, all the labels.

Without going on I will just report that at Manhattan
Free School, I got to see what it would be like if kids were
allowed to just BE. Not pushed, not ordered around,
certainly not yelled at. And I tell you--it was like being
at the zoo and seeing a rare beautiful animal in its natural
habitat. It gave me a lot to think about. One thing we forget to
do is check out how others live each day. If we did, maybe
we would realize there are other ways.
Too much preaching.
Sorry!

Henry continues to read Ivy and Bean, but he is now switching off with
Captain Underpants. (Tra La La!)
He is thrilled with being an independent reader.
Keeping up with his big brother remains his full-time job. Sometimes
he actually deserves to get paid.

On Monday we are starting a little first grade book group,
so I will report back after that. I have been too busy to read
anything worthwhile, so for anyone who reads this blog
for book suggestions, here are a few picture books:

The Journey That Saved Curious George by
Louise Borden (a ture story about the creators)

And To Name But Just a Few: Red, Yellow,
Green, Blue by Laurie Rosenwald

Different Like Coco by Elizabeth Matthews

I wonder if anyone ever wrote a picture book
about the childhood of a chess prodigy. Maybe I will...

Good Night.

So Sleepy Story . . .

2009-02-02T21:52:00.004-05:00

When you push a child to read (or hear)
books beyond what they are used to, you
can get some wonderful results. As we come
closer to the end of How to Steal a Dog by
Barbara O'Connor, my younger son has decided he
needs a break. I don't think he's ever heard or read
a story with quite so much tension. He babbles:
"Let's take a break. There's just so much going on
in that story! I mean, let's just take a break
for tonight!" I dare not mention that I, me, moi,
am dying to find out what happens in this book
that tells the story of two kids who steal a
dog, hoping to get the reward for returning it.
Then, being almost seven, he spouts off lots
of irrelevent details as a form of rationale.

So I say fine and grab Ivy and Bean by Annie
Barrrows and offer to read a few chapters.
I also grab a picture book by Uri Shulevitz that
I got before I left FSG, where it was published.
(Uri just won a big award for his newest book
called How I Learned Geography.)

I have never read Ivy and Bean, so I have no idea
what to expect. Also, I am trying to write a book
for this exact audience, so I am paying very close
attention. After four chapters, we were ready to move
on to the picture book. I liked Ivy and Bean.
It's heavily illustrated, making it great for kids who
are more comfortable with pictures. The two girls
in the book are just getting to meet by the time we
finish a few chapters and there seems to be lots of
potential for mayhem. That's what kids love.
They love crazy schemes!

I pulled out So Sleepy Story. My older son had his
head in a book of tricky tricks or something or other. He reads
things like the Monopoly Player's Handbook for fun.
I am not kidding at all. He would read an entire book
on card tricks. He has!

We opened up So Sleepy Story, and I will tell you
exactly what this kind of book is--it's a poem.
And it's beautiful, and if you couldn't see the
illustrations, but only heard the text, you would
never imagine the story being told in pictures:

Sleepy chairs
by sleepy table
sleepy pictures
on sleepy wall

Henry really liked it and felt music in the words.
He is a little bit of a rock star, I might add.
And next thing I know, he's twisting like Elvis
and making up a jazzy old tune for the
lines in the book, and he makes it sound
like that's how it the book should always be
be read. I know--he's my own kid, yes, I know--
but I have watched him go from having absolutely no
connection to reading on his own--to this--in about
one year. It's startling.

When we finished he told me he was bringing
Ivy and Bean up to bed to read more.
And he did. Reading gives him a kind of
confidence that kids can only get by
really truly accomplishing something.

Seeing Old Friends and Paul Blart, Mall Cop

2009-01-31T00:00:00.010-05:00

Tonight was the annual cocktail party for
children's book folk hosted by the SCBWI.
It was fun to see friends, but I wish they
were still my colleagues. (I was laid off
from my job as a kids book editor a month ago.)

On Monday, the big book awards were announced--
the Newbery and the Caldecott (www.ala.org)
That always makes kids book people feel crazed.
Especially now, when publishers are struggling
to sell anything. You can see them here:

http://www.hbook.com/resources/awards/ala/default.asp

The Newbery was won by Neil Gaiman. If you want to
know more about him, check out his performance on
The Moth. You can download it for free.

http://www.themoth.org/mainstage

On Wednesday two children's book librarians from
Greenwich, CT. were killed in a drunk driving
accident on their way to the airport in Denver
heading home from the American Library Association
Conference. They were Kate McClelland and Kathy
Krasniewicz. If there was one librarian to know, it
was Kate. She was beloved and outspoken and if
memory serves, she loved chicken jokes. I never
met Kathy, but I wish I had. Some people may not know,
but librarians are celebrities in the book world.
They judge prize committees. They make things happen.

On a happier note, I took my boys to see Paul Blart,
Mall Cop--and I laughed a lot, especially at the
choice of cheesy oldies on the soundtrack. I fell in
love with the funny scooter Paul Blart rode around on.
What are those called? He could really move on that thing.

I must go to bed, and I didn't read to the kids tonight,
so I have no right to blog. Though I must admit
after seeing old friends who wondered how I was doing in
my state of unemployment, I truly felt like I had "extra
bloggage."

RIP John Updike, Crash, How to Steal a Dog, Movies

2009-01-27T22:06:00.006-05:00

Today John Updike died. This man was very busy. He must have
been very very disciplined. I wish I could say I'd read
his books, but I can't.

So . . . I guess I am starting to understand why kids
enjoy reading fantasy. Reading fantasy lets you
admit/believe/realize that lots of crazy problems exist,
but fantasy lets you think they exist only in OTHER WORLDS!
How comforting, right?
In school, Gus is reading Crash by Jerry Spinelli.
The unit is "realistic fiction." He calls it re-fi.
Btw, historical fiction is known as hi-fi.
Funny.
This kind of fiction makes kids face things that
happen in real life--which is fine when you're a
book editor--you're paid to think: Yes, kids!
Face the facts. Life is harsh. Life hurts.
Bad stuff happens. Read on!
But when it is your child, you think:
Oh, honey, let's read about fairies.
That will give you nice dreams.
The truth is they like both and they need both.
Right? They do need to escape into worlds that
don't correspond to every day life,
but they also need to feel things that are real.

In Crash (have not read, but dipped in) the Grandpa,
Scooter, has a stroke after his grandson Crash tackles
him in a football game. Is it Crash's fault? It certainly could be.
(I will have Gus review the book for the blog later this week!)
But what child will not feel to blame for something tragic
that's happened some time in their childhood?
They will. We all did.
I wonder how Gus feels when he reads this,
if he relates at all. He is very literal,
so he probably doesn't see himself at all.
But I wonder if he relates to another
character in the book.
I'll ask him tomorrow and let you know . . . .

Each night we have been reading a few chapters from a
wonderful novel called How to Steal a Dog.
Looking at the cover, you'd think it was light and funny,
and though parts of it are, it's actually about a girl
and her little brother (and their mom) who are living in a car.
We are about six chapters in, and both kids (mine)
are feeling what it might be like to be ashamed of your life,
to have to try and hide the truth from your friends,
and to want something so badly you're willing to do
something crazy, like steal a dog...only to try and
find it in order to get the reward.
It just makes you think. Sure there is an evil villain,
a Voldemort--but he's nothing more than an absent
father. So there are no battles to fight or spells to cast.
The kids have to figure out how to feel about sadness that can't be named.
Hmmm. It's the same in picture books--but the novels take time and sink in.
I would love to have a book club for kids.
Even if it was just to allow them to tell their stories.

Last weekend I saw four movies in two days,
and I warn you--there is a danger. I now have so many
people's points of view and stories in my head,
that whenever a friend tells me something,
I instantly compare it to a character I met in one of these films.
A friend having a hard time taking care of an ailing
father was compared to the father/daughter relationship in
The Wrestler. Another friend mentioned the burden
of taking care of both child and husband, and my
response wasn't: "Oh, it's so hard." Nope--
instead I said," Yup, that's why Kate Blanchett
knew she couldn't take care of her own child plus Benjamin Button!"

In any case, all four films--The Reader,
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Wrestler,
and Last Chance Harvey--all gave me
plenty to think about. The oddest thing being that Last Chance Harvey and
The Wrestler had A LOT more in common than one might expect . . . . really . . . the themes of feeling like a man without a family, feeling like a has-been, and especially (spoiler alert) heart ailments! (One big difference, however were the physical incarnations of the respective love interests: It's hard enough comparing a sixtyish fairly-odd smirky DustinHoffman with a skanky stapled plastic-faced Mickey Rourke, but a naked stripper version of Marisa Tomei with nipple rings vs. the wholesome Londoner with pony tail and a scrunchy from the 80s, Emma Thompson? Gulp.)

My friend Babette told me today that in Greek, the work hysteria
means wandering womb because Greek women were supposed to be happy
all the time, especially taking care of kids. But that when they
acted "hysterical" it was because the womb was traveling around
taking control of other parts of the body.

Good night. By the way, to comment on the blog, you have to LOG IN.
Sorry about that. It's something to do with spam comments that feature viagra!!

Harry and Bill

2009-01-21T21:15:00.008-05:00

Obama's in the White House, my kids are off to bed, all's right with the world.
My friend Vincent and I always write to each other like this.
One sentence per line.
It's less jumbly.
He does it always.
I only do it with him.
He wrote a book, but I am going to talk about his book in a few days.
You can visit him at http://www.vincentxkirsch.com/
He is currenly into all recipes having to do with Obama. I love that.
Today he sent one for sangria!

Remember in college when you'd take two seemingly unrelated courses?
Then something would come up and you'd realize they had so much in common?
This happened today with two books.
I read a biography of Bill Gates written by Marc Aronson.
Yes, it's for kids--but believe me, it's for eveyone!
He did something really cool.
He made the book sort of interactive by structuring it as a HOW-TO.
I am not sure I can explain it, but basically, the idea is that he tells all about Bill Gates'
childhood, personality and everything else you'd want to know--
but he structures it in terms of the principles Bill Gates used
to accomplish his dreams, which were: 1) To computerize the world and 2) to get rich.
The book is terrific and any kid would love it--especially a nerd or geek,
many of whom I know and now want to give this book to!
But it's also about how he made himself seem like the best, strongest, etc.
even when there was nothing behind what he was saying.
The mere thought of competition would make Bill Gates
say he could do something better. Then he'd do it.
I wondered how we could apply this better to book publishing.

I read this book because I was asked to write a review for it.
Not really a review, but some catalog copy for my nice
friend Susan at the Junior Library Guild.
Don't ask me to explain.
One word: Freelance!

Well, like I said--a great book. But then it was time to read to Gus and Henry.
Gus was in bed reading his favorite type of book: an illustrated Simpson's book.
Gus is currently obsessed with any flow chart that is funny. I am not kidding.
Henry was reading Night Shift by Jessie Hartland,
which is the perfect book for a six-year-old beginning reader.
It's all about the jobs that are done at night.
Each job is linked to the next and the book features
my favorite job of all--window dresser! (How did I not get that job?)
Jessie Hartland was once a window dresser. So was Vincent Kirsch.
See? S e e m i n g l y unrelated and YET!
Visit Jessie at http://www.jessiehartland.com/
She is fabulous.

So, I pulled a graphic novel off the shelf. I had never read it.
It was Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi.
Brought to us by the Center for Cartoon Studies via Hyperion.
The book is about 88 pages, and the boys loved it.
At first Henry was worried it looked too long--and some of the language isn't for kids his age--
but he got into it and I explained some of the references.
In it, Houdini refers to the fact that in those days some people thought Jews had horns.
This made no sense to Henry.
Maybe if they had said Jews have lice, it would have made sense.
The entire book is about one handcuff escape that took place
in Boston in 1908 in Cambridge on the Harvard Bridge.
Great suspense, lots of credit given to his wife Bess, and the entire book is in black and blue ink.
Gives you that cold feeling when Houdini is in the water in the middle of winter.
Kind of like last week in the Hudson River!

As I was reading and thinking about Houdini,
and how concerned he was with what everyone thought of him--
and how he thrived on risk--I thought of Bill Gates.
Okay, so it's not that profound, but if you read both books,
you will see the similarities.
So much is smoke and mirrors.
So much is REALLY about the marketing.
It's fascinating. Isn't it??

Now I have to go and put all the jackets of the books on for you to see the books,
so this might take a while.
If I don't return tonight, adieux!

BTW--Thanks for the nice comments on my first blog entry,
especially the comments about my mother's comment asking
me not to reveal to much or overcommit myself.
That received "the most mail!"
Moms!! You gotta love them, right?

Wait--I already added the book jackets (Sorry, no Simpsons)
so I just have to say one thing:
I now know how Dav Pilkey came up with Captain Underpants,
because just tonight, Henry ran into the bathroom wearing
three pairs of underpants OVER his footsy pajamas
and as he ripped each pair off he got more and more hysterical--
very VERY pleased with his own antics.
Everyone should have their own Captain Underpants--
even if it's just you putting them on.

Henry's Freedom Box

2009-01-20T03:18:00.002-05:00

A book I talk about in my first blog entry! See below!

I'm Not a Baby

2009-01-20T03:12:00.003-05:00

I am trying to put in a picture of the book jacket.
Please have patience...

The accidental BLOG

2009-01-20T02:39:00.002-05:00

My name is Jill Davis.
I am starting a blog.
I know--I am the last person to start one, but that's okay.
It was an accident.
My husband Eric told me to do this.
I'm not usually so late--but I am no techno-wizard.
Hi MOM! Hi DAD! Hi ERIC!

I live in an apartment in NYC.
I have two boys and no pets.
I work in the big wide WONDERFUL disfunctional world of children's books.
I work at home since publishing is a mess.
I just unpacked 12 boxes of book and I feel as though
I should start a book group for four-year-olds.
Does anyone want to come? I will serve cookies and juice.
I can even water it down!

Tonight I read two great books to my kids.
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, which is
the story of the slave Henry "Box" Brown who mails himself to freedom.
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson, it is an eye-opener for kids.
It is stunning and clever and an important piece of history.
Ellen is a great storyteller. The book brought up the quandary
of how to explain the Underground Railroad--which was in literal terms
neither underground nor was it a railroad.

Then we read I'm Not a Baby by the fabuloso Jill McElmurry--
even though Gus (older) wanted another one like Henry's Freedom Box.
I felt I would lose the younger one if we stayed so serious.
He was leafing through a Laura Vaccaro Seeger book
( BLACK WHITE DAY NIGHT) and wanted more fun, less fact!

I'm Not a Baby is the definition of quirky, and as often happnens
when I read a picture book to Gus and Henry (9 and 7)
they get rambunctious, riled up--and begin to speak in loud British accents,
cracking themselves up--as I have taught by example--
until they fall asleep unwillingly. It's the story of a little boy who
remains a baby in his family's eyes (bonnet and romper!) until the every end of the book
when his family finally notices and exclaims: THE BABY'S HAD A BABY!
This is a hilarious crowd pleaser. My crowd is only two--
but it's a great one to read in the classroom, too!

Jill is illustrating a book I signed up--written by Ruthie
Knapp (a first time picture book author) about
when the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911. It's going to be fantastic
and coming in 2011 from Bloomsbury, where I once worked as an editor.

Blogging is fun. I think I will do it again. Until then, good night!