Theme Versus Subject in Fiction

A common misconception – and sometimes even a challenge even for seasoned readers – is differentiating between a written work’s theme and subject. In order to help students understand a literary work’s theme, teachers must first make sure that the students understand what the subject is.

Early reading fiction usually keeps the subject simple. For example in We Share One World, the subject is about all children, from all nations, sharing one Earth. The author, Jane Hoffelt, throughout the story’s words and beautifully illustrated depictions of children of the world, crafts a theme, or reinforces an opinion or message of multicultural peace.

Young readers need to gain the important skill of differenting between the topic (subject) and author’s theme (opinion).  We as educators — and parents — must present subject and theme not as one-in-the-same but instead as related concepts, in order to increase critical thinking skills for young readers.

SUBJECT       VS         THEME

(topic)                             (Author’s opinion or main point)

For the younger children who are trying to grasp the subject, asking them, “What is the author saying?” is too abstract. One concrete approach is to ask “What details did the author provide?” For example, every page in We Share One World supports a multicultural theme of living in peace. The author reinforces her opinion (theme) through the book’s words (children all sing songs, play with friends, go explore nature) and Marty Husted’s illustrations of Asian, Africa, Arabian, and other children happily living indigenously and within a multicultural community. The author shows readers that as many nationalities and races share the physical world (air, land and sea), we also share universal traits – and living in peace is the central message.

More advanced fiction, however, may include a variety of subjects, and the theme about one of those subjects may not be so straightforward and, many times, even difficult to discern. Readers must dig deeper to understand what an author is saying about the subject – and not impose their own set of values and opinions onto an author’s work. It is important for teachers to communicate to students that a reader’s personal views may not be implicit in a work of literature, and may even be contrary to it. Also an author’s theme is not always a universal truth, it is merely one’s opinion. Knowing this is a cornerstone to critical thinking skills applied to reading comprehension.

What has worked for my students in literature-based writing classes is helping them separate the subject from the theme by setting up a rubric, drawing the line between both (see below). Fact gets a narrow column, whereas the author’s opinion about that subject gets a much larger column. When the theme is complex, sometimes we work on the third column (listing details) second – and can glean the theme after the details are in place. And this segways neatly as the basis of a theme-based essay assignment.

The Early Reader Library: Books for the Developing Reader

This is an updated version of a post I wrote for the PBS Parents blog Booklights as part of my “Bookworm Basics” series. The original article appeared in August 2010. Although geared toward parents, teachers and librarians may find these posts valuable as hand-outs on back-to-school nights or for sharing in parent-teacher conferences, or even on their classroom blogs!

Oh, how I have procrastinated filling the early reader shelf! This is a very fluid period, not unlike your child’s transition from crawling to pulling up to walking independently. Looking back, one probably came pretty quickly on the heels of the other. Finding easy readers that have longevity on your bookshelf can be a challenge, but not an impossible task.

As the kids in our lives start learning to read, they are quickly moving beyond recognizing individual letters to combining them into words. Students move fairly quickly from books with one word per page to two or three sentences on a page. From there it transitions to short paragraphs and then short chapters.

There are days when it seems like the process moves at a snails pace, but then comes the moment when it looks like we got there in the blink of an eye!

Should I Buy or Borrow?

Aggie and Ben series by Charlesbridge

The short answer is both. Because kids will move through these books at a steady pace,quickly, variety is definitely an ally!Your local library and your child’s school library have lots of excellent choices that will engage young readers.

You definitely want an early reader bookshelf at home, too. It is important for kids to own their own books and to have fun reading at their fingertips. Remember when your toddler “read” a story to you? It was probably one you read over and over.

That same level of repetition and reading aloud are what helps reinforce what those letter combinations look like as we see them over and over again. Beginning easy readers have lots of “sight words,” also called high frequency words that we see all the time. They often use rhyme, as well, to help kids understand word families.

Recycle & Repurpose

Did “rhymes” remind you of any books? If you still have them, pull out some of those toddler books that have pictures and simple words. They are established favorites, but now your daughter can read them and use them to build a “bank” of words she recognizes. Bonus idea: Let her create picture/word cards that she can hang up or make her own book with.

You might pull out some favorite picture books, too. If you think your son has memorized the story, then ask him to point to each of the words as he reads. That will force him to look at the page and the content. You might also try reading the book from the last page to the first.

Recommended Classics and New Titles, Too

Although easy readers are not generally literary classics, Dr. Seuss has shown us that there are are always exceptions! Just like Hop on Pop and The Cat in the Hat, there are easy readers that we keep and enthusiastically wait to share with our grandchildren.

Dr. Seuss is the master of the easy reader classic, but there are other authors who ascribe to his philosophy of great books for new readers. Some of those books, like Mo Willems’ Cat the Cat and Elephant and Piggy series have the “I Can Read” imprimatur on them. But some – like Duck! Rabbit! and Little Oink! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal – don’t scream “easy reader” but are delightful choices for new readers, too.

When searching for books that can double as read-along stories and developmental readers, look for simple illustrations and lots of white space on a page; short sentences; and/or rhyming text.

Do you have any favorite easy readers … or picture books that can double as perfect selections for developing readers? What’s most popular in your early elementary classroom?

Terry Doherty is a Stay-at-Home Mom, reading mentor, and a family literacy advocate. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Reading Tub(r), and is the force behind Share a Story – Shape a Future, an annual blog tour for literacy. You’ll find reviews by families for families on The Reading Tub website; and her ideas for reading on Family Bookshelf, her blog.

Book Talks, Boys and Girls

Book talks are one of the most important tools in our literacy toolbox.

Whether its educator to child, parent to parent, or (most effectively) kid to kid, that enthusiastic description about a book and why you should read it is oh-so-effective in getting a child interested in reading. [Image Credit: Picasa Web Album]

When I read author Shannon Hale’s recent blog post Why Boys Don’t Read Girls (Sometimes) I started thinking about how we craft those pitches. She starts with this observation …

[Boys] are looking around at each other, trying to figure out what it means to be a boy—and often their conclusion is to be “not a girl.” Whatever a girl is, they must be the opposite. So a book written by a girl? With a girl on the cover? Not something a boy should be caught reading.

She continues by offering examples from her book signings: boys who read her books on the sly because they’re too embarrassed to acknowledge it publicly.

Ashamed to read a good book? Beyond heartbreaking.

Within the blogosphere you’ll find many re-posts and commentary about Hale’s original piece. I particularly liked Boy Books or Girl Books  by author, librarian and YA reviewer Liz Burns, whose blog is part of the School Library Journal family of blogs. [Image Credit: Nicola on Flickr]

So how do we change the paradigm? Is there a way to acknowledge the perceptions and make the boy book v. girl book irrelevant to the goal of hooking kids on a book that is a just-right story for them?

For me it will mean …

1. More emphasis on the plot and less emphasis on the book as a prop so that the cover doesn’t become a visual deterrent.

2. Sharing more information about the author as a person: how they fit within a family, what experiences they bring to their writing, etc.

3. Beating a drum that a good book is a good book – regardless of the gender of the characters or the author.

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear what you think about the concept and/or if you’ve got ideas on ways to engage readers of all types.

Terry Doherty is a Stay-at-Home Mom, reading mentor, and a family literacy advocate. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Reading Tub(r), and is the force behind Share a Story – Shape a Future, an annual blog tour for literacy. You’ll find reviews by families for families on The Reading Tub website; and her ideas for reading on Family Bookshelf, her blog.

20 Horse Books to Trigger Love of Reading

“Horses lend us wings we lack,” remarked contemporary author Pam Brown. Just like books. Put the two together and you get a dynamic duo.

In all of the animal kingdom, I doubt there has been a creature more able to elicit a poetic response in humans than the noble horse.  “A horse is the projection of people’s dreams about themselves – strong, powerful, beautiful – and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence,” Brown said.

Primitive man drew horses in caves. Chinese artists put paint on paper and fashioned glazed pottery during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D) to capture the essence of equines. Italian Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci designed a colossal 24-foot horse sculpture, and while the original clay structure was destroyed during war time, the piece has fostered speculation and stories ever since.

A retired American was so enamored that he raised funds to have Leonardo’s “Great Bronze Horse” reconstructed and cast in bronze centuries later. Problems ensued. Eventually, with the help of dozens of artisans and corporate financial backing, the towering sculpture was completed. It is displayed in Milan and a companion sculpture – the American Horse – resides in Michigan’s Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

Even William Shakespeare heard the sirens’ call of the alluring beast. “When I bestride him, I soar. I am a hawk. He trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it.”

Shakespeare’s words ring true with me – a horse lover since my earliest years. I just KNEW there would be a pony under the Christmas tree each year…or at least a promissory note. Come Boxing Day, I would return to my horse books and secretly vow to wish a little harder, dream bigger and be better behaved for at least three months – 12 if necessary. (My birthday is in March.)

“Children the world over are fascinated by, and drawn to, horses,” said the author of the article “Ponies Belong in a Homeschool Curriculum!” on Sharon’s Corner Bookstore website. “Books about horses are fun to read. As an educator, take advantage of your child’s interest.”

I couldn’t agree more. That’s why I was happy to see the recent addition of “Horses” on Big Universe. Written by Emily K. Green, “Horses”  is aimed at Level 1 beginning readers and K-3 interest level. It is part of Bellwether’s Blastoff! Readers series and features light text, predictable sentence patterns and strong visual support.

Rourke Publishing, another Big Universe publishing partner, also has a drawing book titled “Horses.” It is written by Ann Becker and is aimed at 9- to 12-year-olds, reading at Grade Level 4, Reading Level R. Several Big Universe members have also written and illustrated their own horse books with the website’s Authoring Tool.

Here’s a list of 20 other classic horse tales and picture books for younger readers.

20 Horse Books to Trigger Love of Reading

1. “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell
2. “Seneca” by Karen L. Baker
3. “The Sleep Ponies” by Gudrun Ongman
4. “My Friend Flicka” by Mary O’Hara
5. “Gib Rides Home” by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
6.  “Smokey the Cowhorse” by Will James
7. “The Black Stallion” by Walter Farley
8. “The White Pony” by Sandra Byrd
9. “Fritz and the Beautiful Horses” by Jan Brett
10.  “The Island Stallion” by Walter Farley
11.  “My Pony Jack” by Cari Meister
12.  “King of the Wind” by Marguerite Henry
13.  “Runaway Radish” by Jessie Haas
14.   “Misty of Chincoteague” by Marguerite Henry
15.  “Born to Dance” by Katherine Reynolds
16.  “Hot on the Range” by RD Jentsch
17.  “Mrs. Mack” by Patricia Polacco
18.  “Justin Morgan Had a Horse” by Marguerite Henry
19.  “The Wild Little Horse” by Rita Gray
20.  “I Wonder Why Horses Wear Shoes: And Other Questions About Horses” by Jackie Gaff

I Don’t Like Dr. Seuss

It’s true. I don’t like Dr. Seuss.

There, I said it…on his birthday, no less. I imagine this is a form of blasphemy, a veritable act of treason, but I just had to get it off my chest!

 While I mean no disrespect to Theodor Seuss Geisel himself – who was born on March 2^nd 106 years ago in Springfield, Mass. – I have to be honest. His books creeped me out as a child. (They sit on the same memory shelf as “The Wizard of Oz” and all those flying monkey things.)

The stories involved naughty characters and scenarios of impending doom. It was a little much for a sensitive kid with a highly developed imagination, a quick trigger finger over the “Guilt” button, and a hyperactive sympathy response. (If my brother got in trouble, I would be the one crying when it was all over.)

In my world, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Horton Hears a Who” were horrible stories. A thief was going to steal Christmas, my very favorite day of the year, and a little miniature civilization was going to be crushed despite the efforts of a well-meaning elephant. Don’t even get me started on “The Cat in the Hat” stories or “Green Eggs and Ham!”

Those siblings in the Cat story were going to be in BIG trouble when their mom got home and found the house a disaster. The Cat and Thing One and Thing Two were uninvited guests and did not jibe with my inner “voice of reason” or my healthy fear of strangers.

And, for goodness sake, green eggs and ham? That entrée sounded particularly disgusting to a girl from a “clean-your-plate-or-you-do-not-leave-the-table” household.

The illustrations were particularly creepy to me, too. I did not find them funny or cute. I loved animals, but these characters didn’t look like the soft furry ones I knew and adored. A one-humped Wump? A virtually hairless Zed? Zaxes, zooks and sneetches? No siree, bob. Not for me.

Yup, childhood memories are powerful things. Although I grew up to be a reasonably well-adjusted adult, I simply could not overcome my feelings about Dr. Seuss’ books. So, I refused to read them to my children. (Did I just hear a gasp on a global scale?)

Lest you think my children were deprived, think again. The books would end up in our take-home baskets at the library, although I never personally placed them in there. Unlike me, my husband reveled in reading “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham” to our girls – over and over and over again. He can still quote passages by heart as can my girls!

 I kept my prejudice to myself. An anti-Seuss sentiment just seemed so, well, un-American. I confided in my husband, but no one else knew. But, years have gone by and I have felt the urge to unload this heavy burden. My daughters are big girls now, young women of 16 and 19 years. I think it’s safe to purge. I think we are past the risk of leaving permanent psychological scars on them or impeding their education.

My name is Suzan, and I am a Dr. Seuss book hater.

I guess that means  The Cat is out of the bag.

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Dr. Seuss” wrote and illustrated 44 children’s books during his lifetime. His works were turned into numerous TV specials, a Broadway musical and feature-length motion pictures. His honors have included a Pulitzer Prize, a Peabody award, two Academy Awards, two Emmys, and a whimsical sculpture garden was built as a memorial to him in his hometown. Despite my lack of appreciation for his well-loved rhyming schemes and quirky illustrations, his biography is fascinating and his contribution to children’s literature is unquestioned.

• To read more about this children’s literature giant, go to www.catinthehat.org.
• For a Level One Seuss word search puzzle, click here.
• Visit Seussville, a fun, interactive educational site for children.
• For additional  reading fun, visit Big Universe, a source of children’s books online.

Books Introduce Black History Month Heroes

Stunted though it may be, February is an overachiever. Its 28 days are jam-packed with holidays, birthdays and observances – surely enough fodder to fill those bulletin boards with meaningful material all month long.

 While Groundhog’s Day may be a bit frivolous and Valentine’s Day a tad frilly, the Black History Month observance is fertile ground for broadening our children’s understanding of American history. It moves beyond waddling rodents and rotund cherubs with a fondness for archery. Rather, it provides the framework to introduce heroes, men and women with athletic, artistic and academic gifts and a vision for a better tomorrow.

 “In the centuries since African Americans first arrived on our shores, they have known the bitterness of slavery and oppression, the hope of progress, and the triumph of the American Dream. African American history is an essential thread of the American narrative that traces our nation’s enduring struggle to perfect itself. Each February, we recognize African American History Month as a moment to reflect upon how far we have come as a nation, and what challenges remain.”  – President Barack Obama

 What better tool to introduce this facet of American history than books? Who better to introduce the books than acclaimed poet and autobiographer Maya Angelou, who understands their power so well?

 “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading – to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs – is good for him.”  –  Maya Angelou, African American poet

 A Starter List of Biographies for Kids

 –        “A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman,” by David A. Adler and Samuel Byrd, traces the life of Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery to become a conductor in the Underground Railroad. Grade 4. (Scholastic)

 –        “Jackie Robinson Graphic Biography” details the life of the first African-American Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. Grades 4-6. (Saddleback Educational Publishing)

 –        “George Washington Carver,” by Eva Moore and Alexander Anderson, tells the story of a man who overcame tough beginnings to become an accomplished botanist. Grades 3-5 (Scholastic)

–        “Rap a Tap Tap,” by Leo and Diane Dillon, is a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book about Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, a popular tap dancer from the 1920s-30s, who “talked with his feet.” (Blue Sky Press)

–        “Martin Luther King Jr. Graphic Biography” is a biography about an influential man who fought against prejudice and injustice. Grades 4-6. (Saddleback)

–        A Picture Book of Sojourner Truth,” by David A. Adler and Gershom Griffith, traces the life of a well-known abolitionist and crusader for the rights of African Americans in the United States. (Grade 4) (Scholastic)

–        “A Picture Book of Jesse Owens,” by David A. Adler and Robert Casilla, is a simple biography about track star Jesse Owens, who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  (Grade 5) (Scholastic)

–        “I Am Rosa Parks,” by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins, tells the story of a brave woman who acted upon her convictions. Grades 1-3. (Puffin)

–        “A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass,” by David A. Adler and Samuel Byrd, explains the role of this escaped slave, who went on to become a writer, speaker and leader of the abolitionist movement. Grade 5. (Scholastic)

–        “A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall,” by David A. Adler and Robert Casilla, lets children learn more about the life of the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Grade 5. (Scholastic)

–        Reading Rockets offers its own list of Black History Month reads. Check them out.

Other African Americans making significant contributions to our society include neurosurgeon Ben Carson, sports legend Bill Russell, Pulitzer Prize poet Gwendolyn Brooks, Tuskegee Institute director Booker T. Washington, Medal of Honor soldier Vernon Baker, baseball legend Buck O’Neil, surgical technique pioneer Vivien Thomas, track great Wilma Rudolph, Oscar-winning actress Hattie McDaniel, choreographer Alvin Ailey, and too many others to count.

Big Universe, an online children’s picture books website, has lots to offer to supplement Black History Month discussions. Let your students explore the Bill of Rights by reading “What Are Citizens’ Basic Rights?” Grades 4-6 (Weekly Reader), or read  “Civil Rights: An Acrostic Poem”  by Big Universe member BlockB. “Slavery in America” and ”Reconstruction” are other options for older students. 

Books and Such – Hold the Mayo

It’s January and bazillions of people are dragging their loaded chassis to the gym. Carrots and yogurt are “in.” Sugar cookies and high-octane eggnog are “out.”

My Inbox is getting a workout too. Work memos, sales notices and email replies beg for attention as the new year gets underway. My news alert system is huffing and puffing too, and if sheer numbers count for anything, it would appear that the children’s books industry and literacy movement are alive and well!

I know you are an information-hungry bunch, but are as busy as all get out and are trying to scale back from the onslaught. …So, I did the work for you. For your dieting pleasure, I offer Literary News Lite:

• Newbery medalist Katherine Paterson has been named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She wrote “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Jacob Have I Loved” and the 2009 title “The Day of the Pelican.” 

• Retired teacher Warren Williams of Bucks County, Pa., has put pen to paper to record a local legend about our first president. “A Basket of Pears for General Washington” relates life as it was during the American Revolution – just in time for President’s Day.

• Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has co-authored a children’s book about his cat and dog. “Jasper and Abby and the Great Australia Day Kerfuffle” debuts Jan. 26 with proceeds going to The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

• Red carpet seats are being auctioned for the 16^th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 23 in Los Angeles to benefit the children’s literacy programs BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) and Storyline Online.”

• Monica Brown’s new book “Chavela and the Magic Bubble” will be available to the public May 3. Although written in English,  the heroine is a Latina girl who loves to chew chicle. Ms. Brown  is also the author of “My Name is Gabito” and other award-winning bi-lingual books. She has four additional upcoming releases.

• India’s disadvantaged are the beneficiaries of new solar energy projects and various micro-loan businesses, which provide free or affordable light to those with no electricity – promoting literacy, improved health conditions and stimulating cottage industry development.  An estimated 76 million homes in India are unconnected to the power grid, according to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

• Author Ann M. Martin has written a prequel to her gargantuan “Baby-Sitters Club” series (213 titles from 1986-2000). “The Summer Before” is set for publication in April along with revised versions of the first two books in the series.

• Big Universe, an award-winning children’s education website, recently added dozens of titles to its collection of 1,000-plus online picture books from nationally recognized publishers. Reading quizzes, Fountas and Pinnell and DRA leveling, and browsing for books by language, topic and reading level are just a few of this site’s many features.

• Prolific author Marilyn Helmer just had her 27^th children’s book published. “The Fossil Hunters” mystery is the second in her Orca Echoes series. She is perhaps known best for her multiple-award-winning picture book “Fog Cat.”

• Read-a-thons, book drives and celebrity story readings will mark Canada’s Family Literacy Day on Jan. 27, a national initiative to promote learning and reading together as a family.

• Media Source Inc. sold Darby Creek Publishing, publisher of almost five dozen kids’ books, to Lerner Publishing Group Inc. of Minneapolis.

• The Chicago Cubs’ literacy-themed Caravan Tour is scheduled for Jan. 13-14. Players, coaches and staff will visit seven cities, making numerous stops at schools, kids clubs, a library, a hospital and elsewhere. This is the sixth year the team has participated in the “Cubs Spotlight on Reading Program,” which is designed to promote reading enthusiasm and reward reading achievements.

Blue Moon Special: ‘In Every Moon There is a Face’

For the past 18 years, I have given a special ornament to each of my children on Christmas Eve. Each trinket signifies something about their lives in the previous 12 months.

After almost two decades, we have a litany of stories and mementos hanging from metal hooks among the pine needles – ballet slippers, handprints, ponies, pianos and tokens from trips. It’s like a 3-D version of scrapbooking.

The first in this collection was a handcrafted moon with a little baby girl nestled in the lower curve of the star-bedecked crescent. The infant is asleep with her tummy facing down, her knees tucked in and her bottom poking up – my first-born’s position of choice when she snoozed.

Between that ornament and the lunar beauty on recent winter nights, I’ve had the moon on my mind. Last evening its light was so bright, it penetrated the curtains in my bedroom, leaving moon shadows on the floor.

On New Year’s Eve we will experience the second full moon this month – the celestial event known as a “blue moon.” The last time this occurred on a New Year’s Eve was 19 years ago in 1990 – two months before the birth of my first baby. The next one will ring in the new year in 2028.

This afternoon I heard my second daughter humming “Fly me to the moon. Let me sing among the stars.” So, it shouldn’t really have surprised me when the children’s book “In Every Moon There is a Face” caught my attention as I surfed Big Universe’s website for some of the latest additions on its virtual bookshelves.

While the book has been on the site for some time (480 others have read it) I somehow missed it. Its poetic verses were penned by renaissance man Charles Mathes, and his talented wife, Arlene Graston, gave the text wings with her fanciful paintings. Published by Illumination Arts, the book received the Gold Medal for Best Children’s Picture Book of the Year by Foreword Magazine.

I made the mistake of reading this book for the first time in the same way I would have recited the words to “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” for the umpteenth time. When I finished, however, I knew I had missed the mark. I hit the Read Again tab and gave this book another shot.

The second time I read Mathes’ poem I set off at a gentler pace, using a softer voice appropriate for a lullaby or soothing bedtime story. I took my time as the text circled in a dream-like fashion and lingered to absorb the illustrations, which expanded the story with their intricate detail.

This time I savored the collaboration of text and art like a fine wine – instead of treating it like a Big Gulp from the corner 7-Eleven. This time I arrived at a different impression entirely! I invite you to give it a read, too.

Other Lunar Favs on My Mind:

• Van Morrison’s song “Moondance.”
• “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown.
• The 1987 Oscar-winning movie “Moonstruck.”
• Cat Steven’s song “MoonShadow.”
• Keith’s Moon Page trivia.
• Mobile, Alabama’s new year’s celebration. The city raises a 12-foot, lighted mechanical moonpie replica above the city at midnight.  Think Times Square with a hint of marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate.

 Happy New Year!  May you enjoy many hours of good reading in 2010 and a sprinkling of moon dust, too.

A Balancing Act . . . Writing a Picture Book in Verse

Sometimes we need a little imbalance in our lives to make us think about how to get centered again. Writing a picture book in verse is like that, too.

 When writing in poetical stanzas (With all those good things that any picture book needs—characterization, setting, and a plot, for goodness sake!)the writer has an additional concern. That is, a sense of balance. Oftentimes we can sense imbalance but we are not quite sure why something doesn’t work.

For example, the magical number in most western literature is three. Tasks, bad luck, good luck, etc. come in threes. If this is violated, somewhere down deep we readers feel a bit uneasy. Things are not quite what they should be.

Most picture books are thirty-two pages in length. (Some are forty, or twenty-four; all are a number of pages that can be divided by 8.) Working with thirty-two pages, a writer of picture books has to be able to envision action for approximately 13 double spreads (26 pages), and two single pages (first right page and final left page). The remaining four pages are front and back matter.

The job for the verse writer of picture books is partly realizing how the stanzas, with or without a chorus, play across these pages in a balanced way so the reader feels, yes! This is right. Early in my writing career I wrote a book from which my editor wanted me to remove one stanza to get it into a 24 page format. But which one should I remove?

This manuscript also contained a repeated chorus at precise points in the story. In my mind it was designed like one might a beaded necklace. There was an opening, three strands (stanzas) of a certain rhyme pattern and rhythm, a chorus strand with a different rhyme and rhythm, three more of the basic strand, another chorus, three more of the basic, and then a closing. So the original pattern went: Opening, 3 stanzas, chorus, 3 stanzas, chorus, 3 stanzas, closing.

How could I remove just one and keep the whole thing working in a balanced way? Well . . . obviously, I had to remove the center stanza so the central strand of the basic pattern contained only two stanzas. Now my pattern was Open, 3, C., 2, C., 3, Close.

You might think at this point that I am being just too fussy. But am I? Certainly a reader sometimes is not aware of all the work a writer does behind the scenes to make a story flow as though it were effortless. However, if we jarred the reader rudely at a point in the flow—he/she would certainly feel it, even though the reader might not be exactly sure why it didn’t work for him/her.

For example, lets look closely at a title from a friend of mine’s manuscript (Hope Vestergaard) that recently sold to Candlewick: Digger, Dozer, Dumper. Obviously, this is a book of large machines for little readers. And the title is perfect. Why is that?

First, we have the very descriptive words that tell exactly what each machine does. Second, we have the wonderful alliteration so beloved in children’s books that helps the title just roll off our tongues. But there is more . . . a third thing. This is something an author would think about and deliberately design, something that just feels right.

Notice the vowels? Each one progresses down in tone and where they said in the mouth. The “i” is higher, said using the tongue up near the roof of the mouth. The “o” is said in the round chamber of the middle of one’s mouth, while the “u” is said more in the lower back of the mouth near the throat. It feels good in our mouths to say it. It’s memorable, it’s musical. It’s perfect!

Now you know a little about why I fume when someone comments, “Oh it must be so easy to write those books. They’re so short.” When this happens I grit my teeth and remark that often the things we love most in the world are short, but they are not easily written. Think of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods,” Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” or the 23rd Psalm.

The best writing is precise and balanced.

Here’s to the beginning of a new writing year! Happy Holidays, all!

Shutta

Loved the Fur Off Any Books Lately?

Gasp! The headline from the news feed grabbed my attention. “Copy of Poe’s First Book Sells for $662K in NYC,” it read.

 During the Christmas season, it takes an intriguing headline to get me to slow down long enough to read something for fun. This one jumped out for three reasons.

First of all, it was about a book, and a bibliophile can’t pass by such a juicy hook. Second, it was about Edgar Allan Poe – a literary friend of mine from way back. And finally, $662,000 is a huge sum of money in New York – let alone Greenville, S.C.

The rare copy of Poe’s “Tamerlane and Other Poems” just sold at Christie’s auction house, “smashing the previous record price for American literature,” reported the Associated Press. “The previous record is believed to be $250,000 for a copy of the same book sold nearly two decades ago.”

The collection of poems was published in 1827, but only about four dozen were printed. So, it’s understandable why the 12 that still exist are highly valued. It mattered little that the auctioned 40-page volume was stained and tattered – traits that typically lower the value of antique and rare books.

I have some old children’s books that show distinct signs of wear and tear. They were from my childhood…and my mother’s and my grandmother’s before that. I have since shared them with my children. They include “Through a Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll, “Hans Brinker” by Mary Mapes Dodge, “Heidi” by Johanna Spyri, “Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi and umpteen fairytale books.

The page corners are dog-eared, and the spines are broken. The fonts are uneven, and the tape over the tears (a big no-no among collectors) is quite yellowed. But those books are dear to me. The inscriptions in the front link me to other book lovers in my family, women who gave them as special gifts to the girls in their lives more than a century ago.

While my books probably wouldn’t warrant a second glance by anyone at Christie’s, they are precious to me. Like Skin Horse told the Velveteen Rabbit, “Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off.”

“‘Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse.

 ’It’s a thing that happens to you.

 When a child loves you for a long, long time,

 not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’ ”