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When I think back to my childhood a whole list of books and the imaginings that went along with them come to mind. I remember playing Little House on the Prairie, Little Women, Heidi and of course Mary from The Secret Garden. Other cherished moments that come to mind is discovering that my dad really did know how to make Green Eggs and Ham and that playing in the Snowy Day, just as the sweet little boy in Jack Keats book could bring hours of enchantment.

The other day my kids, who are now quite big, and I while sitting at the dinner table, decided to write down all of the “classic” books we could think of that impacted our childhood. Is what was interesting is that we had some of the same books on our list and some were different because so many more books have been written since I was a little girl.

We had the greatest discussion about old classics and new classics and those books we just can’t live without. I have to admit that some of their “new classics” have become favorites of mine as well such as The Penderwicks, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and The Dark Materials. Actually the classics list is looking very large. So that made up ponder What makes a book a classic and why do we always want to read them and keep them close to us on our shelves ?

10 Reasons We’ll Always Read the Classics

1. Characters We Love
2. Discovering Secret Worlds
3. Opens Our Imaginations
4. Confronts the World
5. Inventive Problem Solving
6. Shared Between Generations
7. Builds Resiliency
8. Teaches Love and loss
9. Have Become Part of Our Culture
10. Have Stood the Test of Time

Characters We Love

Whether good or bad, classic books always have characters that evoke a strong emotion in us. From the Grinch who Stole Christmas, and Lemony Snicket to Pippi Longstockings, classic book characters always invite us to love, hate, and connect. How many times have we read a classic and identified with the main character so much that we wanted to be them or at the very least their BFF ?

Discovering Secret Worlds

“Reading gives us places to go when we have to stay where we are.”

Nothing says adventure like a classic book. It’s an invitation to cultures we don’t know, worlds we never knew existed, and sometimes a glimpse into life that’s not so far a way such as in the country on a farm, or in the intercity, museum or library. Yes the classics are a way to travel when we must stay put.

Opens Our Imaginations

As we envision the characters, stories, and settings in a classic, it opens our minds to infinite possibilities. Imagination is the greatest skill in our tool belt; it is the key to inventive problem solving and creativity. Imagination allows for us to escape the doldrums of everyday life.

Confronts the World

More often than not, the classics are filled with problems. When we confront these problems in the safety of our own home, school, library or wherever happy reading takes place, it creates a sense of confidence and safety in problem solving and expanding our view of the world, or worlds- depending what you’re reading.

Inventive Problem Solving

Children in kids classics have to be inventive. They are faced with the most unique and confounded problems ever. By reading the kids classics, different sets of problem solving skills are learned and that any problem has a solution. You may not like the solution, but every problem has one.

Shared Between Generations

I love this one! My favorite kids classics were shared with me by my mom and grandmother. Because they were such a strong part of my childhood, I in turn shared them with my children. I couldn’t imagine their lives moving forward without knowing Tom Sawyer, The Jungle Book or Treasure Island. Of course Little Bear ranks high up there plus many more. When I asked my kids what books they are going to share with their children, my grandchildren (squeeeee- that thought makes me happy), we have many of the same books but then some great books that we’re written during their childhoods. Great kids classics just have to be shared!

Builds Resiliency

Have you noticed in great kids books, classics, that our main character meets challenge and adversity after adversity? That my friend, builds resilience. It teaches that, no matter what happens, you have to keep your eye on the goal, work together as a team or sometimes just find your inner courage to muster through. By the end of that story everyone, including the reader, has built up resiliency to whatever life or story throws at them.

Teaches Love and Loss

The classics teach that even with the greatest of loss such as the death of a parent, sibling, pet, grandparent, that it’s the memory and love of that person that will give us the courage to move forward. Classic books also teach that we can greatly love a thing and perhaps may have lost it, or have to give it up but that we become the stronger for having survived it.

Have Become Part of Our Culture

If I say TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now) you’ll know that I’m a fan of Winnie the Pooh. Equally if I say it’s time for Elevenses, you’ll know I’m a hobbit or what about “swish and flick” or “mischief, managed!” you’ll know that I’m honing my wand skills taught of course at Hogwarts. Of course if I say, “This…. is a pen !!” you know that I’m trying to summon my inner Greek god. Oh how we love Percy Jackson! Great kid lit becomes part of our daily lives, how we talk and how we think or perceive things. Those around us know exactly who and what we’re referring to.  It’s another way of bringing those imaginative stories to life in our everyday world.

Have Stood the Test of Time

Some of the greatest and most loved classics of all times were written in the 19th century and have been handed down for generations. That’s one sort of “stood the test of time.” Then there is the other test of time, as in how many times they’ve been read AND the time it takes to read them. I don’t know how many time I read Little Bear. Maybe a thousand. I read Green Egg and Ham so much that I finally memorized it. Now even today, all this time later I can still recite it. I will never forget my soon to 12 year-old getting the third Harry Potter book. She sat in the driveway all day long for it to be delivered and then she ran to her room where it took her 4 days to read 600 pages. She only came out for food, water, and a bathroom break. I had never in my whole life seen a child read that many pages in that amount of TIME. So whatever time you choose, kids classics always stand the test of time.

I’ve shared some of our favorite classics, now it’s your turn. I just have to know……

What are your Favorites ?

What books from your childhood can you not live without? Which books are you sharing with your kids ? AND what wonderful new book that are sure to become classics have your discovered ?

Just leave your comments below. I can hardly wait to see them!

**I am an Amazon affiliate which means if you buy anything through my blog, I get a very small kickback at no cost to you. I use this money to pay for postage and handling for my giveaways.

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The post 10 Reasons We’ll Always Read Kid’s Classics #readkidclassics appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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It’s easy to write a children’s book isn’t it? From the huge numbers of new books now appearing, including all the Ebooks and  self published works,  character driven series, tv and movie spin offs, and school reader series, it looks as though it could be an ideal career for anyone, and certainly the publicity given […]

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It’s easy to write a children’s book isn’t it? From the huge numbers of new books now appearing, including all the Ebooks and  self published works,  character driven series, tv and movie spin offs, and school reader series, it looks as though it could be an ideal career for anyone, and certainly the publicity given […]

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However badly he behaves Mortimer is still finding friends… Some readers will always remember Joan Aiken for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, or her heroine Dido Twite in later books in the Wolves series, but many of the letters that still arrive from her fans are about Mortimer – the ‘feathered fiend’ who worries the […]

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Mary Poppins Comes Back. P.L. Travers. 1935. Harcourt. 315 pages.

It was one of those mornings when everything looks very neat and bright and shiny, as though the world had been tidied up overnight. 

In the spring, I read (and loved) P.L. Travers Mary Poppins. I found it delightful and thoroughly satisfying. I also found it quote-worthy!!! I was surprised by how much I loved it.

There are a handful of sequels to the original novel, and I hope to read them all!!!

The first sequel is Mary Poppins Comes Back. Mary Poppins returns when the Banks family needs her most. Mr. Banks is losing it--a little bit--and Mrs. Banks is having putting up with her husband and all four kids. (Turns out there may be a reason! A fifth child makes an appearance halfway through this one!)  The chapters are a bit episodic as in the previous novel, but for me they are even more delightful!!! By far my favorite chapter was the second one, "Miss Andrew's Lark" in which Mr. Banks' governess arrives for a visit...

Some of my favorite quotes (from the whole book):

"I want to know how you've been behaving since I went away," remarked Mary Poppins sternly. Then she took out the Thermometer and held it up to the light.
"Careless, thoughtless, and untidy," she read out. Jane stared.
"Humph!" said Mary Poppins, and thrust the Thermometer into Michael's mouth. He kept his lips tightly pressed upon it until she plucked it out and read.
"A very noisy mischievous, troublesome little boy."
"I'm not," he said angrily.
For answer she thrust the Thermometer under his nose and he spelt out the large red letters.
"A-V-E-R-Y-N-O-I-S---"
"You see?" said Mary Poppins looking at him triumphantly. She opened John's mouth and popped in the Thermometer.
"Peevish and Excitable." That was John's temperature.And when Barbara's was taken Mary Poppins read out the two words "Thoroughly spoilt."
"Humph!" she snorted. "It's about time I came back!"
Then she popped it quickly in her own mouth, left it there for a moment, and took it out. "A very excellent and worthy person, thoroughly reliable in every particular." (22)

"She was called Miss Andrew and she was a Holy Terror!"
"Hush!" said Mrs. Banks, reproachfully.
"I mean--" Mr. Banks corrected himself, "she was--er--very strict. And always right. And she loved putting everybody else in the wrong and making them feel like a worm. That's what Miss Andrew was like!" (32)

"Well?" she said gruffly smiling a thin smile. "I don't suppose you know who I am?"
"Oh, yes we do!" said Michael. He spoke in his friendliest voice for he was very glad to meet Miss Andrew. "You're the Holy Terror!" (39)

"Doing nothing takes a great deal of time! All the time, in fact!" (156)

I would definitely recommend this one!!!

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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Umbrella by Taro Yashima. 1958/2004. Penguin. 40 pages. 

Momo is the name of a little girl who was born in New York. The word Momo means "the peach" in Japan where her father and mother used to live. On her third birthday Momo was given two presents--red rubber boots and an umbrella! They pleased her so much that she even woke up that midnight to take another look at them.

Umbrella by Taro Yashima IS my favorite, favorite, favorite picture book. I can't remember a time when I didn't love and adore this one.

Umbrella is the story of a little girl, Momo, who is oh-so-excited about her birthday presents. On her third birthday, Momo received red rubber boots and an umbrella. But Momo has to learn some patience. For the rain is SLOW in coming. And her parents aren't going to be easily persuaded that her umbrella is a must for dealing with sun and wind.

But, of course, the rain does come. And the wait was worth it. For Momo gets to use her new boots and umbrella. And she gets to walk all by herself without holding onto her mother's or father's hands.

Perhaps it is the rhythm of the rain that makes this such a memorable story? With it's oh-so-lovely refrain:

On her umbrella, the raindrops made the wonderful music--

bon polo
bon polo
ponpolo ponpolo
ponpolo ponpolo
bolo bolo ponpolo
bolo bolo ponpolo
boto boto ponpolo
boto boto ponpolo

all the way home. 

As much as I love the text--and I do LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the text--I must say that I really, really LOVE the illustrations. I do. From cover to cover. Even the end papers. I just LOVE Taro Yashima's artwork. His style made a definite impression on me--and it's one that has stuck with me through the years. There's just something unforgettable about each page--almost each page.

It's just a sweet, sweet book that continues to charm.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2011 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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Mary Poppins. P.L. Travers. Illustrated by Mary Shepard. 1934/2006. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 224 pages.

If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the Policeman at the cross-roads. He will push his helmet slightly to one side, scratch his head thoughtfully, and then he will point his huge white-gloved finger and say: "First to your right, second to your left, sharp right again, and you're there. Good-morning." 

I enjoyed reading P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's a strange novel, that's true. The chapters are episodic. Some chapters are "better" than others, in my opinion. If you equate being better with being more entertaining. (But since what entertains one person may be someone else's idea of oh-so-boring, you can make up your own mind.) And Mary Poppins has more to her than you might expect. She's vain. She's bossy. She can be cranky. She can be great fun, encouraging you to imagine this or that. Or not. Sometimes she's just not in that kind of mood. Sometimes she doesn't want questions; she doesn't want to play around. Sometimes she's definitely no-nonsense. Mary Poppins is nanny to four Banks children: Jane and Michael, the older ones, and Barbara and John, the toddler ones. (The novel sees them turning one.) So overall, I'd recommend it!

Mary Poppins took out a large bottle labelled "One Tea-Spoon to be Taken at Bed-Time."
A spoon was attached to the neck of the bottle, and into this Mary Poppins poured a dark crimson fluid. "Is that your medicine?" enquired Michael, looking very interested.
"No, yours," said Mary Poppins, holding out the spoon to him. Michael stared. He wrinkled up his nose. He began to protest.
"I don't want it. I don't need it. I won't!"
But Mary Poppins's eyes were fixed upon him, and Michael suddenly discovered that you could not look at Mary Poppins and disobey her. There was something strange and extraordinary about her--something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting. The spoon came nearer. He held his breath, shut his eyes and gulped. A delicious taste ran round his mouth. He turned his tongue in it. He swallowed, and a happy smile ran round his face.
"Strawberry ice," he said ecstatically. "More, more, more!" (11-12)

"Where have you been?" they asked her.
"In Fairyland," said Mary Poppins.
"Did you see Cinderella?" said Jane.
"Huh, Cinderella? Not me," said Mary Poppins contemptuously. "Cinderella, indeed!"
"Or Robinson Crusoe?" asked Michael.
"Robinson Crusoe--pooh!" said Mary Poppins rudely.
"Then how could you have been there? It couldn't have been our Fairyland!"
Mary Poppins gave a superior sniff.
"Don't you know," she said pityingly, "that everybody's got a Fairyland of their own?" (28)

When they go Christmas shopping...

"That will do nicely for Daddy," said Michael, selecting a clockwork train with special signals. "I will take care of it for him when he goes to the City."
"I think I will get this for Mother," said Jane, pushing a small doll's perambulator which, she felt sure, her Mother had always wanted. "Perhaps she will lend it to me sometimes."
After that, Michael chose a packet of hairpins for each of the Twins and a Meccano set for his Mother, a mechanical beetle for Robertson Ay, a pair of spectacles for Ellen whose eyesight was perfectly good, and some bootlaces for Mrs. Brill who always wore slippers.
Jane, after some hesitation, eventually decided that a white dickey would be just the thing for Mr. Banks, and she bought Robinson Crusoe for the Twins to read when they grew

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Guess How Much I Love You. Sam McBratney. Illustrated by Anita Jeram. 1994. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.

Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening. "Guess how much I love you," he said. "Oh, I don't think I could guess that," said Big Nutbrown Hare. "This much," said Little Nutbrown Hare, stretching out his arms as wide as they could go. Big Nutbrown Hare had even longer arms. "But I love you this much," he said.

 Are you familiar with Guess How Much I Love You? Are you one of its many fans? I liked this one. I found it sweet and sentimental. If you're looking for a loving, affectionate parent-child relationship--within a picture book--it doesn't get much better than this. The dialogue between Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare--while repetitive--is undeniably sweet and loving.

But. While I liked this one. I don't feel that it is the best book ever. Or the most perfect picture book of all time. I liked it. I think it would be a good fit for most home libraries. And it's a sweet, gentle book that would be nice for bedtime. But. It's not one that I would want to again-again forever and ever.

It's available as a picture book and a board book. Don't forget the book-and-toy gift set and the baby book.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

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The discussion on the comment section of Tuesday's post about authorial intrusion got me thinking about writing trends that have gone out of style but that might deserve a resurgence.

For instance, I would love to see the return of the frame story. You know, books like the Cantebury Tales or Arabian Nights. I belive the recent adult book Hakawati does this, but I can't think of any recent children's books that do the same. I love short story collections, but stories woven together in a frame story are even better.

What bygone fictional trope would you like to see make a comeback?

Join the discussion at Get Me Out of the Slush Pile!.

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Yesterday I wrote about the resurgence of episodic fiction in children's literature. Books like The Penderwicks and even The Graveyard Book exemplify this trend. Both books contain stand alone episodes. However they don't include some other traits found in classic kiddie lit. It turns out that not everything found in those works of bygone days is making a comeback.

For instance, omniscient narrators still don't make appearances in modern children's books. The POV these days is almost very close to the main character. Occasionally, there will be multiple points of view, but those are tricky to do well. Instead, most books use a limited narration that is so close to one character's view point, that it almost can be written in first person.

Another thing you won't find in a modern kid's book is author intrusion (or interruption if you prefer that term). In my favorite of the Narnia books, The Horse and His Boy, CS Lewis makes the following statement (badly paraphrased from memory by me): "In Calormen the children were taught to tell stories much the way English children are taught to write essays. But while people want to hear the stories, I've never met anyone who wants to read the essays."

Now, that is probably my favorite example of all time of author intrusion. It's funny, witty, charming, and horribly true. However, it has no place in a modern children's book. For one thing, it breaks the fictional dream and pulls the reader out of the story. For another, it takes the story off into a tangent. Modern books are written in a more concise, straight narrative form. Author intrusions these days just seem to stick out. I've yet to see one in a manuscript I've worked on that hasn't needed to be cut.

And finally, the various -isms -- sexism, racism, ageism, etc -- are completely unacceptable in modern literature. Gone (mercifully) are the days of perfectly PC books, but blatant or even subtle -isms that aren't in a book to specifically show how bad they are are unacceptable. And you wouldn't want to read them anyway. Reading the sexism in the original Tom Swift or the racism in the original Nancy Drew made me want to gag. Although instructive from a historical perspective of how bad it used to be, there is no need to duplicate those kinds of stereotypes today.

So remember, regardless of the type or style of book you are writing, try to avoid weird omniscient narrators, author intrusions, and -isms. The editor that has to work on your manuscript will appreciate it.

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Now everyone knows that good writing never goes out of style. And the recent resurgence of classic writing styles and techniques would be a great example of this.

It seems that in all sorts of books these days you encounter the kind of writing that you used to only find in books like Little Women or Anne of Green Gables. I am of course referring to the return of episodic children's fiction. You know the kinds of books I'm talking about -- the ones where each chapter has its own plot structure as part of the overall plot. In these chapters the protagonist has his/her own adventure that can also act as its own stand-alone story. Sometimes the book has multiple protagonists and different chapters are devoted to his/her own individual adventures separate from the group.

Now in some ways this type of book is harder to write than the standard novel. There is the overall story arc for the book, but each episode has its own arc. And just like the overall plot, these subplots have to be satisfactorily concluded. If you have the episodes running concurrently, this can leave you with a lot of loose ends to type up in the end.

On the other hand, this kind of book can be great for those people who like to write in bursts. Each episode should generally be able to stand alone. Yes, it's part of the overall plot, but it also is complete on its own. So, the different episodes can be written at different times. In fact they can even be written as short stories. During the revision stage the stories (if they are not to different or separate in time) can be combined into an overall plot.

And so that leads us to the writing prompt for the week:
Write a 500-1000 word chapter that could be a stand alone excerpt. (In other words something that works both as a short story and as a chapter.)

Remember if you choose to participate, post your chapter directly on the site at http://buriedintheslushpile.ning.com/forum/topics/episodic-exercise.

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Milne, A.A. 1927. Now We Are Six. Illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard.

There's something pleasant and charming and wonderfully subdued and just right about A.A. Milne's poetry. True, he's probably best known for his two Pooh books--Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner, but his two poetry books for children are well worth the read. Personally, it's hard to compare his books. Really, Now We Are Six has the best, best poem in the whole world "Us Two"; yet When We Were Very Young contains a greater number of poems that I love and remember. Of course, you don't have to choose between them. There is plenty of love to go around.

Highlights from Now We Are Six include "Us Two," "The Good Little Girl," and "The End."

Here's how "Us Two" starts off...

Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.

Both books are good books. Partly, this goodness is the result of Milne. But part of me thinks that the 'classic-ness' of the books--the timelessness of it is the result of the incredibly magical oh-so-perfect and somewhat inspirational artwork of Ernest H. Shepard. I mean classic pooh is classic pooh. Granted, I guess some folks may not love classic pooh. But still. I would think classic pooh is the epitome of cuteness and rightness in the world.

Have you read Now We Are Six? Do you have a favorite poem?

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

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Milne, A.A. 1924. When We Were Very Young. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard.

I love A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and House At Pooh Corner. And while these two poetry books, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six, can never even come close to the magic of those other books, the all-Pooh-and-friends books, I enjoy them nonetheless. Why? Because Milne can have a way with words. A way of saying the very ordinary in a memorable, sometimes magical way. There's something sentimental about them without being overly sentimental. If that makes any sense at all. Included in this first poetry book, we see "Buckingham Palace," "Lines and Squares," "Independence," "Politeness," "Missing," "Teddy Bear," and "Halfway Down." These are the highlights...for me...the best of the best.

To me, there's no denying the perfection of pieces like "Teddy Bear" and "Halfway Down."

Here's how Teddy Bear starts off:

A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our teddy bear is short and fat
Which is not to be wondered at;
He gets what exercise he can
By falling off the ottoman,
But generally seems to lack
The energy to clamber back.

Here's how Halfway Down starts off:

Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where I sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
it.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.

Have you read When We Were Very Young? Have you read it recently? Do you have a favorite poem or two from it? If you haven't read it yet, you should! Of course, the two Pooh books are most important to read if you haven't read any Milne, but still.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

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Jennifer: Yes I see the very varied sources of inspiration coming through. This particular picture reminds me of some of the works of Japanese hanga woodcuts.

Do you ever develop pictures purely because you want to as an artist and not for an illustrative project? Are there particular themes you enjoy painting more than others and why?

BERNARD: Yes, I also sometimes paint as purely an ‘artist’. But these pictures are abstract, very different from my illustrations and, up to now, only for myself.( http://www.bernhard-oberdieck.com/art.php) As an illustrator, I always try to interpret the text to so that children will get the most from the book. Maintaining the highest quality in my illustrative work is important to me. I illustrate many themes but I prefer illustrations with animals, I don’t know why.

Jennifer: Some of the stunning wildlife and landscape photographs on you website show you to be a skilled photographic artist [see http://www.bernhard-oberdieck.com/en/galerie2.php] .

Are your photographs a source of inspiration or more a reference tool in the studio, especially during winter months? Or are they another form of your art you exhibit&/ or utilise in cards and calendars?

BERNARD: I illustrate a lot from my imagination and my recollection. Only if I must draw something exactly, do I refer to photos and older illustrations.

Jennifer: You have a very strong sense of place. The atmosphere in your landscapes and streetscapes is humming with story.

What I mean by that is you have captured the feel of the moment, the storm is almost audible rolling across the sky.

You can feel the ripple of the waters.

The reader/viewer is able to step into your pictures and observe the story first hand. Have you always had such a strong connection with nature and your surroundings? What are your fondest memories of the outdoors? How has where you live/have lived shaped your art?

BERNARD: Yes, this is exactly right. I have very strong recollections of my childhood. This was lived on the land and amongst the beauties of nature. I grew up in a very small town and also live now in a small village with only 300 inhabitants. This has very much stamped me and my work. And, of course, I was influenced by the books which I read as a child. This is an image of my native landscape, where I was born. ( http://www.bernhard-oberdieck.com/image/Illustration_32.php )

Jennifer: Sense of place also includes interiors. In Germany, you have so much history in your buildings, so much atmosphere built up over centuries that the buildings have character of their own.

Would you share with us your source of inspiration and how and why you chose the particular perspectives for such wonderful creations as the following pictures ?

BERNARD: I don’t believe that here, in my Illustrative work, German history plays any special role. I always try, to make my illustrations a little more interesting for the viewer by using special perspectives. Of course I try to lure the children to explore the pictures more closely by adding in a lot of interesting, curious and imaginative little things. It is certainly more interesting for them to discover a treasure trove of unexpected details.

Jennifer: Your love of nature and keen observation come out strongly in the botanical detail of the plants and trees in your pictures. Do you draw plants and animals from life or memory or from field sketches?

BERNARD: Photos, old books, magazines and also the Internet - these are all things I use.

Jennifer: The ability to give distinctive characterisation to animals/toys is another feature of your work.

As a guide to up and coming illustrators and art students, can you describe to us how you achieve the strength of feeling, the humour and the drama in animal faces or is it something that comes instinctively?

BERNARD: I think it comes instinctively. In addition, the publishing company and the children expect figures (animals) that they can identify with from fiction and their own memories and experience with their soft animal toys. pets and zoo or farm animals. And, in addition, one must sometimes humanize them.

Jennifer: I love the drama and the humour in some of your eye-catching perspectives. Did pictures such as these come to mind spontaneously or did you work through a number

of experimental stages? Do you consciously look for extraordinary angles?

BERNARD: These pictures come to mind spontaneously. If I begin, I generally already have a picture in my head. Not always, but very often.

Jennifer: Many illustrators end up writing some of their own stories, e.g., Ian Beck and Mick Inkpen. Have you ever written any stories of your own, is that something you hope to do at some future stage? What are your plans for 2009?

BERNARD: No, I don’t write books. I simply have no time for this, because, for example, in 2009 I must illustrate 4 new picture books and certainly also other small works.

Jennifer: Time! Yes, I think you speak for all of us. I know I wish I had 24 more hours in each day! We all look forward to seeing your new projects out on the shelves. To have a peak at Bernhard’s stunning latest project go to : http://kibook.blogspot.com/

Jennifer: Finally, do you have a question that I and other interviewers have failed to ask and which you would love answer? Now is your opportunity!

BERNARD: I would only like to say that, unfortunately, the financial conditions of the professional illustrators is becoming worse and worse. Here in Germany, even more than in England or the USA, this is the sad case. Thank you for this interview.

Jennifer: My pleasure Bernhard and, yes, I hear what you are saying. Out in Australia it is a similar situation. We have a small population and competition is tight and money is tight. Most authors and illustrators out here have to hold down day time jobs as well. I have been thinking about ways in which creators might make some more out of their work. Here is what I have come up with so far…..

Become an Associate -

Most of us have websites and blogs and membership of organisations like SCWBI or State/National Writers’ Centres or Illustrator’s Guilds. But there are opportunities to become an associate of a site like Amazon. Place a link on your site to Amazon. [I can give more instructions re this if you would like.] If anyone buys a book via the link to Amazon on your site, you get a percentage of resulting sales; I believe it is 15%. Now there’s a way to advertise and get more from the sale of your own published works!

Join networking sites -

JacketFlap is just AMAZING - free and THE best networking site around for anyone working in any aspect of children’s literature or just interested in children’s books! There is also Published Authors, free to join and growing daily. It has a branch devoted to networking for the smaller publishers which is also free to join via Published Authors [site moderator is Shelagh Watkins].

Marketing blogs -

Carol Denbow’s blog is well worth a visit - she regularly puts up all sorts of useful tips and tricks - even a ‘How to do it yourself free’ virtual book tour.

Cards, Calendars and MySoti

There is the ability to ‘ merchandise’ art with spin offs as posters, cards and calendars [ as Bernhard already does] and there is MySoti and other sites like it that allow artists to add their original artwork to T-shirts that MySoti then markets for them, paying them a monthly commission on sales.

Poster Poems/Micro Stories

This is an initiative I have developed in liaison with Pierre Lapointe and Marcus Riedner of Sharing Books (http://www.sharing-books.com/).

Many of you very talented illustrators have pictures or sketches which -

· you have done for your own enjoyment or

· you have the beginnings of picture books that did not get to publication for whatever reason, or

· illustrations that were not used in a particular project.

These works can be sold at online art auctions, sales sites. [I have noted that many of your do this.] But this need not be the end of their money spinning days!

Form a liaison with a writer [there are a wide variety on JacketFlap] and develop these unpublished illustrations/pictures into a Poem Poster or Micro Story Poster. The writer takes your work as the stimulus and creates something that works with it - something that can then be formatted and uploaded to Sharing Books as a downloadable poster. Your copyright is protected - it remains with you. One third of the proceeds from the poster are split between you and the writer. Check the site out. Marcus is readily available to answer any technical queries [he and Pierre are on JacketFlap].

The advantages are -

· Extra international exposure

· Some $$$s potential for a work that was not generating any income previously.

· A chance to show off a wider range of your skills [if you have concentrated on more serious topics, a humorous text will show the potential for your work to be used with this type of material.]

· You are also helping an extremely worthy cause - Room to Read (http://www.roomtoread.org/holidays.html) - an international not-for-profit organisation that provides literacy tuition and books to children in third world countries.

I have done this with numbers of illustrators in my Wacky Wordages on my WordPress blog (http://jrpoulter.wordpress.com/) . In liaison with the illustrators, I am now about to turn some of these into posters.

I’ll keep you ‘postered’ as to how it goes!!!!!!!!!

Sponsors

We all know that governments and commercial organisations sponsor arts festivals and writing communities in various ways, but how about sponsoring a specific arts project e.g., a picture book. Many ‘iconic’ artists like Norman Rockwell did commercial projects to bring in regular income. The Jim Carrey classic “The Truman Show” had sponsor’s products prominently displayed in the ‘live’ sets of a life lived in public. It is only one step further to feature a commercial product in a picture book, e.g., a character riding a particular brand of motorbike, or drinking Coca Cola. I know publishers and artists are often wary of commercial control of their product but let’s explore this potential!

Mentors and Patrons

Mentors are a more modern phenomenon whereby established artists/writers take an emerging talent under their wing. This works well. Let’s expand it!

How about revisiting the much older concept of “Patron“, not for ‘the arts’ broad spectrum, but for individual artists. This was the survival mode for many artists and writers of bygone centuries [see pp 156-157 in "Literature, Culture and Society" by Andre Milner]. Some folk are already doing just this. It would be interesting to know how successfully! Let’s explore a revival!

Comments welcome- let’s explore options!

      

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Potter, Beatrix. 2007 (this edition). A Beatrix Potter Treasury: The Original and Authorized Editions by Beatrix Potter. New colour reproductions by Frederick Warne.

This treasury contains eleven of Beatrix Potter's animal stories and a nice little introduction that places them all in context. (This little introduction is "The Story of Beatrix Potter" and features plenty of pictures as well as reproducing the original letter to Noel Moore with the first "story" of Peter Rabbit. The intro focuses on her life and her books and the publishing process--their success and reception by the world.) Each of the eleven stories has a one page "about this book" introduction.

The stories include Peter Rabbit (1902), The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904), The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (1909), The Tale of Mr. Tod (1912), The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit (1906, 1916), The Tale of Tom Kitten (1907), The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908), The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or the Roly Poly Pudding (1908), The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan (1905), The Tale of Ginger and Pickles (1909).

The stories of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny were not new to me. I grew up with them. In fact, perhaps they were a bit too well known to me. Unless it's a common phrase for families to talk about "getting put in a pie" all the time. (Let me know if it is!) The phrase in full was a lecture to Peter Rabbit especially (Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail not really needing to be told twice) to stay out of Mr. McGregor's garden. "Your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny (and many of the other stories as well) show that there are consequences to every action. If you're a good little bunny, then nice things happen to you. If you're a bad little bunny, then they don't.

I enjoyed almost all the stories in A Beatrix Potter Treasury. I can't say that Ginger and Pickles would ever be my choice as a read aloud, in fact, I don't quite "get it." Why an economic story disguised as a children's book?

I do wish this collection had more stories. I would have loved to see it have The Tale of Two Bad Mice, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, and The Tailor of Gloucester to name a few. But I suppose for those looking for that thorough an introduction could order The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter which came out the year before by the same publisher. (One is 400 pages and $40 retail, the other is 190 pages and $20 retail.)

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Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobokina was one of my favorite favorite favorite books growing up. (My mom read this one aloud to me. I even have a recording (cassette tape) of her reading this aloud to me.) The book is a relatively simple one, a classic in the field of children's literature being originally published in 1940s. It is a "tale of a peddler, some monkeys, and their monkey business." Here is how it begins, "Once there was a peddler who sold caps. He carried them on top of his head. First he had his own checked cap, then a bunch of gray caps, brown caps, blue caps, and red caps on the very top. Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!" he called." One day when business was slow, he decided to take a walk in the country and take an afternoon (although technically it doesn't say if it was morning or afternoon) nap under a tree in the shade. And here is when the fun begins! Cue the monkeys! If you haven't read this one--or read it recently--I'd definitely say it was time for you to pick this one up!

Caps for Sale is practically perfect in every way.

Note: the image is NOT from the board book edition.

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