Substance, meet Style!

Just wanted to let everyone who read yesterday’s Project Runway Junior post on Pajamazon know that we went to the library (to find my clueless child a book about that legendary Black [as in Dress] History Heroine, Coco Chanel) and, low and behold, look what we found:

Different Like Coco.

Yes, it is a picture book biography of Coco Chanel!

Who says the library doesn’t have everything?

As soon as our beloved librarian found it, I suddenly remembered hearing about this book last year. I had filed it away in my overburdened brain and forgotten all about it until I saw the cover. It is a fabulous book (a “fierce” book, dare I say it) and an exemplary biography insofar as it captures not only the facts of the subject’s life, but the essence of what made him or her groundbreaking. I was interested to learn that, in the case of Coco Chanel, she was a woman of style AND substance. She dressed in men’s clothing, ripped up garments to create never-before-seen looks, and did not allow societal conventions to define her. And she helped free women from corsets, gotta love THAT.

DIFFERENT LIKE COCO is author/illustrator Elizabeth Matthews’ first children’s book. I for one am eager to see what subject she turns her pens and brushes to next. I am also eager to see more non-fiction books like this one, which prioritize the style of their book design (don’t you want to eat that buttery yellow cover?) as much as the substance of the text. It is particularly appropriate for a book about a fashion icon, but would be a refreshing direction for books on less-glamorous historical figures (poor queasy Harriet Beecher Stowe, anyone?) and subject matter.

Hmm, there’s a new show for Bravo… Project Runway, Book Design Edition!

Gibbs Elementary!

For two years now, I have participated in a program called Community Nights. Last year, I visited River Terrace Elementary, in NE Washington, DC. And this year I visited Gibbs Elementary, also in NE Washington, DC.

The Community Nights program is run by the literacy organization Turning The Page, and it brings authors into partner schools for author visits with kids and parents. Turning The Page also provides the students who participate with signed copies of the authors' books. So the kids get wonderful momentos of their evenings with the authors.

And so do the authors, as you can see here (scroll down to see more). I received paintings from the first grader "superstars" in Ms. Chu's class. Using watercolors, the students created their favorite scenes from my book, NINETY-THREE IN MY FAMILY. Tyesha captured the family car, packed to the brim with animals and people. And Raven represented the disbelieving teacher. Thanks so much! Great job, everyone!

I also received a lovely illustrated card from the kids at the end of the evening. As you can see, Laura, Jamal and James worked on it. And Mayah, and Imani and LOTS of other kids. Thank you, everyone!

It makes me more than a little sad to note that Gibbs Elementary is one of the schools that will be closed at the end of this year. The DC government is closing many schools, alleging that they are underperforming or underenrolled. Although I was only at Gibbs for one evening, I saw a school where the president and VP of the PTA were still at the school at 8 pm, where many generations of families came to participate in a community event, and where the classrooms were wallpapered with the work of eager kids and dedicated teachers. One of those teachers (not Ms. Chu, who unfortunately had a prior commitment) sat through my reading with her students clustered around her, some even sitting on her lap. In other words, exactly what you'd want to see in a school.

I'm not saying that the closing of this school is part of some big sinister plan exactly. I'm just saying it is a real shame that Gibbs will be closing. I would have really enjoyed going back to visit my new friends there.

Harry Peeper and the Deathly Mallows

What have I been up to this weekend, you ask?

Well, let's see... doing four back-to-back performances of my books at Imagination Stage (sold out shows! too cool!), which gave me newfound respect for professional actors and classroom teachers... going bike-riding, running, visiting Dumbarton Oaks and generally enjoying the lovely spring-like weather here in our nation's capital...

Oh, yes, and sewing clothing for marshmallows.

If you are familiar with the Washington Post's Peeps diorama contest, you won't need to ask what I mean. This year, we struggled for a while before starting our entry. Hannah Peeptana? High School Peepsical? Ooo, how about Peepspray? But when we came up with HARRY PEEPER AND THE DEATHLY MALLOWS, we knew this was the concept for us. As you can see from this photo, a considerable amount of felt in various shades played a role. As did regular marshmallows - plus the sugar coated Peeps - plus frilly toothpicks, floral wire (Harry's glasses... hard to see in this photo, alas), stickers, rubber bands (yes, they can be made into tiny ties... see Ron and Hermione) and yarn. Oh, yes, and pipe cleaners (see Hedwig's wings and talons and Dumbledore's beard).

Anyway, we probably won't win but this was definitely a situation where just playing the game was all the fun. Or at least I thought so... not sure if Mike and the kids would agree with me. They found me particularly insufferable when I art-directed our photo shoot ("Wait, fix Hedwig's wing!").

I Love Mr. Hatch!

Every year, starting on about December 26th, the bookstores start to blush. Not with embarassment, but with books. Rosy, shiny, pink-and-red books, served up all pretty for that Hallmarkiest of holidays, Valentine’s Day.

I never buy them. I rarely even peruse them. Because in my humble opinion, the best Valentine’s Day book has already been written, by the talented Eileen Spinelli (illustrations by Paul Yalowitz). Every year, on February 14th, I pull out my dog-eared copy of SOMEBODY LOVES YOU, MR. HATCH and bring it to my kids’ school, where I read it out loud to a lucky class of kids hopped up on pink frosting. This book never disappoints. The story of poor lonely Mr. Hatch, who gets a life-transforming giant heart-shaped box of chocolates in the mail, always hits its mark just like Cupid’s arrow.

My next-favorite Valentine’s Day book is called I LOVE, which sounds suspiciously saccharin, but is not. It is a translated volume by Brigitte Minne (illustrated by Natali Fortier) and it works because it is simultaneously universal and also wholeheartedly French. There’s no plot per se, just a listing of all of the things - grande et petite - that the young narrator adores. Said narrator goes unidentified (one presumes it is the young girl featured in many of the illustrations, but at times one wonders if it shifts to her brother as well), but her philosophy that life - and love - is in the details is one everyone, young and old, should be able to identify with.

Before I sign off today, I have a couple of announcements:

I’m doing StoryTheatre! Which is a sort of spoken-word-theatre-for-preschoolers thang. It will be on Feb. 29 and March 1 at Imagination Stage (in Bethesda, Maryland, a.k.a. The Cultural Center of the Universe). If you live in the area and your 1-to-6 year old likes animals, books, or pictures projected on a BIG screen, you should call for tickets before this shin-dig sells out!

Also, starting this Wednesday (2/13/08), I will be teaching a class in children’s book writing at The Writer’s Center (also located in Bethesda, Maryland). I invite those of you who live in the area (or are interested in relocating here for the next eight weeks) to join the class, which should be a lot of fun.

Millerbery Photos!!!

As you will recall, I was recently awarded THE gold sticker to end all gold stickers: the coveted MILLERBERY MEDAL. No doubt you read about it here, in my blog, or in other important MILLERTOWN publications. Yes, there were some OTHER big awards handed out recently (way to go, Brian Selznick and Laura Amy Shlitz...) but none of them have the cachet of the MILLERBERY.

As you can see in this picture of me with most of the judges, including the esteemed dignitary, Jennifer Miller (otherwise known as the Mayor of Millertown), awarding the medal was serious business. They read, they debated, they listed their favorite authors (never before have I had the opportunity to sit - on a list or otherwise - between Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling... too cool!) and they narrowed things down. In the end, the choice was clear: NINETY-THREE IN MY FAMILY had won.

I was, of course, incredibly honored. Not many people know how many of my days are spent agonizing over one of my work-in-progress picture book texts, or fretting over when my next book will come out, or hashing through revision number 817 of one of my novels. But in Millertown, it is easy to forget all that. The flashbulbs pop and the kids elbow each other to strategically pose their webkinz next to my book and, well, there's that fabulous gold sticker. It reminds me of why I do what I do and why I love it so much.

So, thank you very much, MILLERBERY committee!!!