Review of Frederico the Mouse Violinist
19 May 2012 14 Comments
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Publishing Tags: Frederico the Mouse Violinist, Guardian Angel Publishing, K. C. Snider, Mayra Calvani, picture books for children
Together Mayra Calvani and K. C. Snider have brought a sweet little mouse to life. Not only is Frederico sweet and cute, he is extremely persistent and talented. Mayra obliquely spotlights a historically famous musical figure, Antonio Stradivari. K. C.’s pictures are warm and friendly and give Frederico a charming personality as well as showing an authentic-looking workshop. This Guardian Angel Publishing picture book introduces kids to new words and an interesting profession.
Frederico lives in the workshop of Antonio Stradivari, the Italian luthier, that is to say, violin maker. Frederico loves everything about violins—the smell of wood and the oil to make it shiny, the various parts of the violin, and the beautiful sounds that come out of the finished product.
At night, when he has the workshop to himself, Frederico plays around on the violin that Stradivari made. By touching all of the parts of the violin, Frederico gives the reader of the book a guided tour of a violin. We learn about the Scroll, the Strings, the Fingerboard, and the Pegs that tune the sounds to a high or low pitch. When Frederico slides down the strings he trips on the Bridge, which keeps the strings from lying flat on the violin. He peeks into the F-hole “. . . the secret, magical place where the sound comes out!” And he daydreams relaxing on the Tailpiece.
He daydreams about becoming a virtuoso, that is a great violinist.
This is when Frederico’s persistence pays off. Even though it was difficult playing the large people-sized violin, he practiced and practiced. And his talent emerged.
When Stradivari sees Frederico playing the violin, the luthier is impressed with the little mouse’s skill and decides to build a violin to fit little paws. He presents his gift in a beautiful, tiny box.
Stradivari knows that Frederico is pleased with the gift of the tiny violin because:
“Frederico lifted the instrument and began to play. The notes swirled about him in a cloud of pure joy as Frederico moved the bow over the strings.”
This book is available at the Guardian Angel Bookstore http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/frederico.htm , Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
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I purchased this book and give my comments freely.
Omnibus
12 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Guardian Angel Publishing, MuseItUp Publishing, Sites for Writers Tags: Brian Knight, My Birthday is September Eleven, Nicole Weaver
Hi Everyone,
No Monday Metaphor today, as I’m very busy with the Muse Young Adult and Middle Grade Authors Blogathon.
Here is where I will be appearing as guest: Monday, September 12 on Brian Knight’s blog,
http://the-new-author.blogspot.com/ Please visit and leave a comment and tweet. I didn’t mean to give the impression that this is part of the Blogathon; Brian is not a children’s writer.
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Here is news from my other publisher, Guardian Angel Publishing.
Lynda Burch says, “Guardian Angel Publishing’s global presence will continue to grow as Ingram Content Group, both Guardian Angel’s innovative printer and distributor, partner and purchase more facilities around the world.”
Lynda S. Burch, Publisher http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com
Ingram Content Group announces worldwide expansion with the launch of Global CONNECT, a print and distribution program and its first alliance with Brazil’s Singular Digital.
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A colleague of mine at Guardian Angel Publishing, Nicole Weaver, at one time interned in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center for a few summers. Her book, My Birthday is September Eleven, is doing very well at Amazon. She also wrote a post on September 11 (yesterday) http://mybirthdayiseptembereleven.blogspot.com/2011/09/remembering-those-who-perished-on-nine.html
If any of you read her book to your children or grandchildren, please let me know what their rection is and I will pass it on to Nicole.
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See you on Brian’s blog. http://the-new-author.blogspot.com
Review of Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines by Beverly Stowe McClure
25 Aug 2011 11 Comments
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Publishing Tags: Beverly Stowe McClure, Civil War, crinoline petticoats, Guardian Angel Publishing, Twilight Times Books
As a watcher of butterflies, I’m happy to feature Texas writer, Beverly Stowe McClure, who is a watcher of hummingbirds. Roadrunners also occasionally visit Bev’s country home where she and her husband live. I just imagine their children, grands, and great-grands love to visit and watch the wildlife.
Welcome to Stories a la Mode, Beverly. Make yourself at home, and we’ll talk about your books.
Besides her other books, Bev has also written a picture book about an armadillo, another type of creature that hangs around her home. Frankie’s Perfect Home, illustrated by Alex Morris, is published by Guardian Angel Publishing.
Today, I want to talk about Beverly’s young adult novel, Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines, published by Twilight Times Books. For the youngsters among us, here is a picture of a dress pouffed out with crinoline petticoats. I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this period of history and to young adults who enjoy stories with excitement and danger, interesting people, and a touch of romance.
Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines is a rare look at the American Civil War from the point of view of a teen-age girl, Elizabeth, “Lizzie,” Stamford. Living on the bluff above the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Lizzie, her family, and their two black servants, have to endure the bombardment and siege of their city by Union gunboats on the river.
Though her parents try to protect her and isolate her from the war, the war comes to her. Because cannon fire damages their house and threatens their lives, Lizzie moves into a cave with her mother and younger brother, Nat, and the servants. Her two older brothers, William and Joseph, are serving in the Confederate Army in Virginia, and her father, a doctor, spends most of his time at the hospital tending to the sick and injured.
The damp and dirty cave is a comedown from the elegance of their home, but that is not rebellious Lizzie’s worst complaint. She chafes under the rigid restraints Southern society puts on girls. She wants to be a soldier. And she has the resourcefulness and grit to carry out her desire.
Lizzie runs away, wearing some of her brother’s clothes and joins a Confederate regiment. She experiences some horrible things. She stumbles upon a dead body, staring into lifeless eyes. She is almost shot—twice. She walks through a battlefield after the battle is over, avoiding bodies and trying to keep her composure. One wounded soldier lay dying and begging for help. All Lizzie can do is pray for him as he dies.
Battle–noise, smells, death, and fear sicken Lizzie. Deciding to return home, she encounters a wounded Yankee soldier. She takes him home with her and now she begins to see the enemy as a person. This Yankee, Ben, is different from what Lizzie was led to expect; he’s charming and kind. With her father’s help, she nurses Ben back to a semblance of health.
When deserters invade her home, Lizzie faces the muzzle of a gun for the third time. But this time, she gets the upper hand and shoots the man threatening her.
Hunger and living in a cave are not the worst things about war, as Lizzie finds out. Separation of families, death and fear, hatred of the unknown are worse than physical hurts; they are demoralizing.
All these experiences change Lizzie and hasten her growing up. And that’s a good thing. We are left with the idea that the Yankee, Ben, will return some day to pay Southern-style court to the beautiful Lizzie.
Beverly, I’m happy to be connected to you through our mutual association with Guardian Angel Publishing. Thanks for sharing this very interesting and well-written book with us.
Kudos to the illustrator of the cover, as well.
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Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines by Beverly Stowe McClure is available through these vendors:
Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble.com
TwilightTimesBooks.com
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Disclaimer: I purchased the Kindle edition of this book and have not been paid for this review.
Interview with Margot Finke
21 Jul 2011 12 Comments
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Publishing, Interviews Tags: Australia, children's stories, Guardian Angel Publishing, Margot Finke
Hello Everyone,
Let me introduce you to Margot Finke, a writer with varied experiences and a great imagination.
Today we are going to get acquainted with Margo and her latest book, Taconi and Claude: Double Trouble, published by Guardian Angel Publishing.
Margot is an Aussie transplant who writes midgrade adventure fiction and rhyming picture books. For many years she has lived in Oregon with her husband and family.
Gardening, travel, and reading fill in the cracks between writing. Her husband is very supportive, though not interested in children’s books . Their three children are now grown and doing very well – especially in giving her 7 grandkids.
Margot didn’t begin serious writing until the day their youngest left for college. This late start drives her writing, and pushes her to work at it every day. Margot said, “I really envy those who began young, and managed to slip into writing mode between kid fights, diaper changes, household disasters, and outside jobs. You are my heroes! “
Outline: Taconi and Claude – Double Trouble”
My Taconi and Claude Double Trouble, a midgrade adventure, is a coming of age story set in the Australian outback of the mid nineteen hundreds. Beginning on Coorparoo Cattle Station, the story takes readers into the heart and mind of Taconi, a young aboriginal boy and his chatty cockatoo mate, Claude. Taconi has a bunch of serious problems: his upcoming man ceremony, a scary Medicine Man, his dad’s crazed ideas, and a wild emu that turns Taconi into a hero of sorts. Not to mention a walkabout for snake, witchetty grubs and yabbies. Taconi wonders how he can fit into both his tribe and the world of the white man? And his feathered mate Claude is a mixed blessing. The mischievous bird offers great one-liners, but almost gets Taconi eaten alive by green ants. Taconi’s future is resolved when Dreamtime Spirits descend on a huge tribal gathering, and Taconi discovers his calling.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Taconi and Claude – Double Trouble. Taconi’s thoughts about enduring the man ceremony – his fear and apprehension of the unknown – fell very real. It’s probably the way boys in many different cultures have felt over the centuries. Aside from its being specific to an Australian aboriginal boy, it has a universal feel of any youngster’s fear of growing up and finding out what his life’s work will be. And Claude is an amazing sidekick. He has an uncanny sense of knowing what’s going on, and his quips are sometimes hilarious. He’s pretty bossy. The book is like a travelogue for people who’ve never been to Australia.
Margot, when you were living in Australia, did you have personal experience with any of the native people? Just wondering how you became so familiar with the rituals and customs.
Not personal, one-on-one so much, as seeing them around the towns and learning the history in school, as well as from my dad. He had to go outback sometimes, in the cattle and sheep season, to supervise the slaughtering for the government. He brought back many fascinating tales. In those days most of the aboriginals lived in the outback, far from big cities. Some drifted to the smaller towns and fell into drinking and petty crime. Like the American Indian strong drink is very addictive for them.
Their sacred rituals are still secret – not shared with those outside the tribe. Each tribe has a language and traditions that is their own. In Taconi and Claude, I kept to the simple and well known things about most tribes, not wanting to upset any of them by pretending to know more than I did. I adapted the Dreamtime Stories told around the fire into my own words, so they would be easily understood by kid readers. The internet offers a huge amount of detail about Australian Aboriginal lore, so that, combined with what I saw for myself on trips to the outback, plus what I read and studied, was enough to work with.
Have you visited Uluru? Is it awe-inspiring, like the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls?
Yes, I have visited Ayer’s Rock, Uluru as the tribes call it. It is a sacred place for the local tribes, and the caves there have wonderful and ancient drawings. Set in the middle of a vast flat land of blazing heat and fierce blue skies, it an awesome sight. An eerie feeling comes over you as you feel time drifting backwards. Because for thousands of years these ancient people have been worshiping and treating this giant monolith as a sacred place. Like a chameleon, it changes colors, depending on the time of day and the cloud cover – reds, oranges, yellows blacks and grays, all slowing shifting around to form different patterns and shapes of colors. An extraordinary experience that makes you sense the mystery of the Dreamtime that seems to hover just out of sight.
I happen to love opals. My poem, “Opal,” was published in Cricket Magazine. Have you been to the opal mines? Maybe slept in an underground hotel?
I love opals too, and I have read about the underground town where they live and mine opals. My brother-in-law went there when he visited us in Queensland – before we moved to Oregon. Hot as Hell he said, and not pleasant at all – unless you stayed underground 24/7
Have you ever known a cockatoo personally? Do they really talk?
I have seen flocks of them in the wild when I lived up on the Atherton Tablelands, south of the Daintree rainforest area. However when I was small, Mum lived in a flat that was part of a large sub-divided house. The owner had a pet cockatoo that talked up a storm. It exactly copied the lady’s voice calling to my mum, so mum couldn’t tell if it was the bird or her landlady calling out to her. They are well known as great talkers.
It sounds as if Australia is a very varied country, with deserts as well as a rainforest.
I looked it up on Google Earth. The Daintree rainforest is way up at the Northeast.
Was it hard for you to adjust to life in the US?
Not really. Home is where the heart is. So as long as I am with my husband and kids I am happy. Getting used to things being named differently was another matter. For a long time I wondered why so many people advertised Garage Sales. Why would they want to sell their garages? Lots of ordinary foods had different names here, so grocery shopping took quite a while, until I learned all the new names for things. Our eldest daughter had the worst ( or funniest ) experience though. She was thirteen at the time, and one day put up her hand in class and asked, “Can anyone lend me a rubber?” Shocked silence became huge sniggers and giggles. She will never live that down. You see Down-under, they call erasers, rubbers.
Did you ever eat any witchetty grubs?
NO. I have looked at them and touched them. However my religion and politics prevents me from eating anything that is alive and kicking – especially kicking!! If they had been cooked I would have taken a nibble. I have eaten tiepin, a large and deadly snake from the Daintree rainforest. Tasty, tender, and rather chicken like. I also ate snails in France, and rabbit too – yum! Duck eggs make wonderful cakes, but they are a little strong for omelets. The same goes for emu eggs! I will try anything that is cooked and won’t run away.
Tell us about your “time travel” story? You have Ruthie, from Ruthie and the Hippo’s Big Fat Behind and Horatio from Horatio Beats the Big D.
I thought it would be a fun idea to put the characters from my three latest books into a time-travel adventure together. Ruthie and Horatio have to help Taconi and Claude find their way back home to the Aussie outback of the nineteen fifties, where they belong. Everyone who leaves a comment + their e-mail, gets a FREE copy. SAFE Sample: mfinke at frontier dot com
Here is where you can find Margot, Taconi and Claude, and her other books.
“Musings,” – http://www.underdown.org/finke.htm
Her columns for children’s writers can be read in The Purple Crayon.
Her Website - http://www.margotfinke.com
Showcases her children’s books, Manuscript Critique Service, pages of writing help + helpful links.
Margot’s Magic Carpet lists all 11 of her books – http://perfectmagiccarpet.blogspot.com/
HOOK Kids on Reading - http://hookkidsonreading.blogspot.com/
Is for parents and writers, listing books with a WOW Factor that get kids reading –
Margot is also a writing coach for the Children’s Writers Coaching Club (C.W.C.C,), and offers advice and a monthly Teleclass workshop for members. She is also guilty of Twittering, and can be found on Facebook, JacketFlap and Linkedin.
Taconi and Claude Double Trouble
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-61633-130-6; 1616331305
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61633-131-3; 1616331313
Autographed Copies:
http://mysite.ncnetwork.net/restbcm8/Margot%27s%20Books.htm#other
Guardian Angel Publishing:
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/double-trouble.htm
Powell’s Books:
http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=1616331305
Amazon:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/4o2bmyk
Kindle:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3r4h9e4
Thank you, Margot, for being with us today. This has been a lot of fun. And Folks, don’t forget to leave a comment for your free PDF copy of Margot’s time travel story.
And thank you Barbara for introducing me to your wonderful readers.
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Disclaimer: I bought a paperback copy of Taconi and Claude and Margot provided me with a copy of the time travel story. All of my comments are freely given.
Monday Metaphor: Paradox; It Is, and It Isn’t, or Is It?
30 May 2011 7 Comments
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Publishing, Monday Metaphors, Published Works Tags: Emily Dikenson, J. A. Cuddon, J. Aday Kennedy, knowonder magazine, paradox, Robert Louis Stevenson
A paradox is a statement or event that seems to contradict itself, though it is still true, or at least makes sense.
In A dictionary of Literary Terms, (3rd ed. Blackwell, 1991), J. A. Cuddon explains the origin: “Originally a paradox was merely a view which contradicted accepted opinion. By round about the middle of the 16th c. the word has acquired the commonly accepted meaning it now has: an apparently self-contradictory (even absurd) statement which, on closer inspection, is found to contain a truth reconciling the conflicting opposites. . . .”
Paradox occurs often in children’s literature, even that for the very young, as is seen in Betty Ann Schwartz’s What makes a Rainbow? In this board book, a little rabbit’s mother suggests he ask his friends to answer his question. Each animal replies with a color—the color that is associated with the particular animal, “green” for the grasshopper, for instance. By the end of the book, Little Rabbit learns that besides colors it also takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow.
The child in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Bed in Summer” (found in A Child’s Garden of Verses) finds the long summer days and the long winter nights to be a paradox:
In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candlelight.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.
I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people’s feet
Still going past me in the street.
And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?
The paradox of Jessica Aday Kennedy’s Marta’s Garguantian Wings (Guardian Angel Publishing) is that the wings that Marta thinks are a liability are really an asset.
The antics of Artemis Fowl (paradoxical name: does this mean he hunts for foul people?) keep the Middle Grade Reader hopping among alien robots, fairies and dwarfs and imps, multiple personalities, and real stuff like global warming. In Eoin Cofler’s “Time Paradox,” Artemis (now fifteen years of age) and his friends journey to the past to correct a mistake Artemis made about eight years earlier in his eventful life. His mother has contracted a rare disease that can only be cured by an extract from the brain of an extinct lemur, and ironically, that extinction was hastened by none other than Artemis himself. It will be interesting to see how Artemis battles with himself.
Paradox abounds in adult poetry and fiction, also.
We find in the Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson many examples.
XCVII
On the bleakness of my lot
Bloom I strove to raise.
Late, my acre of a rock
Yielded grape and maize.
Soil of flint if steadfast tilled
Will reward the hand;
Seed of palm by Lybian sun
Fructified in sand.
XCV
I many times thought peace had come,
When peace was far away;
As wrecked men deem they sight the land
At centre of the sea,
And struggle slacker, but to prove,
As hopelessly as I,
How many the fictitious shores
Before the harbor lie.
There’s the “rule” painted on the barn in George Orwell’s Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” The idea of being “more equal” is paradoxical, but Napoleon oppresses the other farm animals; he must think he’s more equal than they.
Consider also the paradox of Captain Beatty in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Books have been banned, and Beatty’s job is to destroy any books he finds, but he is obviously well-read because he surrounds himself with quotations from great literature that he uses to convince people that destroying books is the right thing to do.
Shakespeare was the master of paradox.
In Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio speaks,
“One fire burns out another’s burning,
One pain is lessen’d by another’s anguish.”
And Juliet: “Parting is such sweet sorrow. . .”
This brings up a sub-genre of paradox, the oxymoron, a figure of speech wherein contradictory statements reside side by side.
In Macbeth, the witches say, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
The Paradox of Catch-22
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”
(Joseph Heller, Catch-22, 1961)
“Catch – 22” has become an almost every day term.
My story, “A Pet for Foley,” (knowonder magazine, Sept. 2009) turns on a paradox. Here is the beginning and end of that story.
Foley was a Springer spaniel puppy with white and brown and while fur. He lived on a farm until a nice lady came and took him home in her car, his floppy ears streaming like feathers in the wind. The lady gave him food and water and a doghouse in the fenced back yard.
After he explored his yard, Foley felt lonely. “What I need is a pet,” he said.
(Foley meets three animals he asks to be his pet. The squirrel and the blue
bird agree, but things go wrong; it just doesn’t work out. The mole is not
acceptable, so Foley doesn’t even ask him. Now he’s alone again).
Foley lay down with his head on his front paws and thought about his problem. Who could he ask to be his pet? Just then an orange tabby strolled into the back yard. Foley jumped up and ran over to greet the cat. He smiled and said, “Will you be my pet? We can play and have fun together.”
“Sorry,” said Nutmeg, licking his back with dignity and not sounding very sorry at all. “I already belong to Jessica and here she comes now.”
A yellow school bus came down the street. By the screeching sound of the bus’s brakes, it must have stopped in front of Foley’s house. In a few minutes a pretty little girl opened the back door and ran down the steps. The cat purred and arched his back up against her legs. She bend down and scratched him behind the ears. “Hi, Nutmeg,” she said. Then she ran over to Foley. She sat down on the grass and hugged him. “Foley, I am so glad that you have come to live with us and be my pet.”
Foley’s ears stood up in surprise.
He and Jessica were soon having fun. They played Frisbee, fetch, tug-o-war, and tumble-in-the-grass. The treat Jessica gave Foley tasted delicious—much better than worms and grubs!
Life in Foley’s new home was going to be wonderful. He knew he would never be lonely again.
“I guess I don’t need a pet. . .” Foley told himself. I AM a pet.”
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What’s your favorite paradox in literature?
Review of Liam Maher’s picture book Mr. Topper the Lucky Potbellied Pig
28 May 2011 4 Comments
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Publishing, Interviews Tags: Dromoland Castle County Clare Ireland, Guardian Angel Publishing, Liam Maher, potbellied pigs
I’m happy to introduce you to Liam Maher a Guardian Angel Author who lives in Ireland.
Liam Maher grew up in the beautiful gardens of Dromoland Castle in County Clare, Ireland. This and the surrounding picturesque countryside coupled with the old beliefs during his boyhood days of leprechauns, ghosts and fairies were to inspire his children’s stories that were to come in later life and originally written for his grandchildren.
As I told Liam in our correspondence, he seems to have led a charmed life. No wonder he writes about Leprechauns and Lucky Pigs.
Liam spends his time gardening, keeping fit, entertaining his grandchildren and searching for leprechauns.
Liam has had three children’s illustrated books published with Reader’s Eden, well received by reviewers, one of which ‘Blue Paint’ received the prestigious EPPIE Award nomination.
His two recently published picture books with GAP are The Golden Daffodils and Mr. Topper the Lucky Potbellied Pig.
Mr. Topper the Lucky Potbellied Pig is illustrated by Vanda Lavar, showing Mr. Topper as a beautiful, sweet-looking pig, wearing a handsome red scarf.
As Janet Ann Collins observed in her review of the book, Mr. Topper the Lucky Potbellied Pig has the flavor of a folk tale, with the narrator sometimes speaking casually to the reader.
Well, at first it doesn’t seem as if Mr. Topper is lucky. He is caught in a blizzard with no owner, no food, and no shelter. He goes in search of “Someone who will pet and pamper me, and feed me whenever I go Oink! Oink!” This is the kind of refrain children love to join in when a story is read to them and it is repeated several times throughout the story. Hoping to find such a person, Mr. Topper has the idea to pass himself off as a lucky pig.
The first two people Mr. Topper approaches, a billionaire man and a billionaire woman, are selfish and stingy. The man reminds me of the villains in the old melodrama movies; I can fairly see him twirling his mustache. The woman looks much nicer than she is. She is more concerned about keeping her carpets clean than in helping a cold and hungry creature.
Finally Mr. Topper finds a kind woodcutter who takes him in. Their life together is happy until the woodcutter loses his job. And to beat all, the pig gets a tooth ache and has to go to the animal dentist to have his tooth pulled.
Will Mr. Topper be able to come through on his promise of bringing good luck to his human friend?
Now — it appears that Mr. Topper is more clever than lucky — unless you can call getting a tooth ache lucky. He uses his brains to help the woodcutter out of his difficulties.
The ending is fun and very satisfying. Readers 4-8 (especially those who have lost a tooth) will enjoy the surprise ending.
The book is available through these venues:
Guardian Angel Publishing Bookstore and Amazon.com
Disclaimer: I purchased a PDF copy of the book and I have been uninfluenced in my opinion of the story.
Monday Metaphor: Personification: It’s Alive! It’s Alive!
23 May 2011 12 Comments
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Publishing, Monday Metaphors Tags: Bill Kirk, Eugene Rubel, Mnemosyne, The Muses
It’s quite an imaginative feat for a writer to turn an inanimate object, an abstract concept, or animal into a person. But it can be done through Personification, the technique of giving human qualities to something not human. This method of word play is also referred to as Anthropomorphism. Prosopopeia means “giving face,” as in the face of a mountain or the eye of a hurricane.
This picture is the Personification of Constance and Fortitude.
Ancient Greek gods often had human characteristics. The Muses are among my favorites. They collectively represent inspiration for the arts. I’ve always wondered about Urania, the Muse of Astronomy. But I think she is a Muse because the Greeks considered mathematics an art, and astronomy uses math to figure out the heavens. In fact, all of the sciences contain some art and many scientists have been known to be inspired.
“[The Muses] are all of one mind, their hearts are set upon song and their spirit is free from care. He is happy whom the Muses love. For though a man has sorrow and grief in his soul, yet when the servant of the Muses sings, at once he forgets his dark thoughts and remembers not his troubles. Such is the holy gift of the Muses to men.”
~Hesiod~
The Mother of the Muses, Mnemosyne, is the personification of memory. It makes sense because all of the arts require the student to remember vast amounts of facts and practice in order to become proficient.
It was a convention of the Epic Poets to invoke a request of the Muses to inspire them to create the most beautiful poem worthy of their subject.
From ancient times to the present, writers have employed the metaphor of personification.
In the title of this blog post, I am referencing the movie version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Most people (who like old movies) are familiar with that scene. Mary’s scientist gave life to a creature he put together from body parts. In the preface to the novel, Mary says: “I have thus endeavoured to preserve the truth of the elementary principles of human nature. . .” Her monster has both good and bad qualities.
In “talking thing” stories, such as The Brave Little Toaster, by Thomas Disch, it’s the household appliances that are given human characteristics. Their quest to find their original owner has the same adventures and perils as that of a human’s quest.
In Bill Kirk’s The Sum of Our Parts: Circulation Celebration, (Guardian Angel Publishing), the heart comes alive in Eugene Rubel’s amusing illustrations.
My seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Alison, had the class memorize Carl Sandburg’s Fog.
“The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.”
In “talking animal” stories, such as E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte and Wilber and the others talk among themselves, but the people around them do not have the ability to hear them. {I’ll never forget the day I read Charlotte’s Web to my young children. My husband came home from work and found the three of us sitting on the sofa crying. A writer with a deft hand can make the reader believe; and White made us believe Wilber when he said, “I don’t want to die.”}
Closer to home, you might know these people personally: Mr. Clean, Aunt Jemima, Cap’n Crunch, Tony the Tiger, and The Jolly Green Giant. And you’ve bought these products:
Goldfish, the snack that smiles back, Huggies, the diapers that hug supremely, and Kleenex, the tissue that says “bless you.” And you know “you’re in good hands with Allstate.” I like this personification of the printer: “The printer spit out more copies than I needed.” (on MissSpot’s website).
Sometimes just attributing a name seems to bestow humanlike qualities.
Death, The Grim Reaper, a hooded character draped in black robes or a skeleton.
Father Time, an old bearded man with a scythe.
Mother Nature, countless guises.
Aesop’s fables are full of personified characters. One of the most poignant stories is that of the lion and the mouse. The mouse gnaws off the ropes tying the lion to a tree after the lion had done him a good turn. “Little friends may prove great friends.” or “One good turn deserves another.”
Remember the doll, Mrs. Beasley, on Family Affair? and the horse, Mr. Ed. And how about the mule named Mr. Bascom in Earnest J. Gaines’ Just Like a Tree? Here’s the way the short story begins:
Pa hit him on the back and he jeck in them chains like he pulling, but ever’body in the wagon know he ain’t, and Pa hit him on the back again. He jeck again like he pulling, but even Big Red know he ain’t doing a thing.
“That’s why I’ go’n get a horse,” Pa say. “He’ll kill that other mule. Get up there, Mr. Bascom.”
************
In Alice Through the Lookingglass, by Lewis Carroll, the poem, “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” has these lines:
“The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright—
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done—
‘It’s very rude of him,’ she said,
‘To come and spoil the fun.’”
Here is my poem, “A Year in the Orchard” (published in Parents and Children Together Online).
A YEAR IN THE ORCHARD
by
Barbara Bockman
Spring
I am the rain. I drop. I drop. I drop.
My waters gently flow
And help the buds to grow.
Listen to my song: Plop! Plop! Plop!
Summer
I am the sun. I shine. I shine. I shine.
I warm down to the root
And sweeten up the fruit.
When it is ripe, you may dine.
Autumn
I am the wind. I sigh. I sigh. I sigh.
The leaves are now brown.
I blow the fruit down.
Would you like to bake a pie?
Winter
I am the snow. I fall. I fall. I fall.
I am silent and bright.
I paint the trees white.
I am soft as a cotton ball.
The following poem was published on library.thinkquest.org as a project of a student for students:
SATIN DREAMS OF INDIA
By Autumn
Satin dreams of India.
Satin dreams of being
made into a beautiful sari.
A warm, Wonderful sari
Worn on an
Indian Princess.
Swaying in the wind.
Satin tell us to be soft and
gentle like her.
**************
Have you used personification in your work? Would you share it with us?
P.S. Happy Birthday to my daughter Jenny
Talking with GAP author Kai Strand about The Weaver
19 May 2011 12 Comments
in Book Reviews, Guardian Angel Publishing, Interviews Tags: Guardian Angel Publishing, self confidence, storytelling, tween books
My guest today is Kai Strand, a writer whose tween novel has been published by Guardian Angel Publishing.
Welcome, Kai. I’m eager to see what you have to tell us about yourself and your chapter book.
Barbara, thank you for hosting me today. I’m thrilled for the chance to talk with you and your readers about my tween novel, The Weaver, as well as myself. Let’s start with my family.
I am a wife and mother of four. We all live in Central Oregon, except my oldest daughter who has moved away to go to college (a new chapter in parenting that I’m still editing, quite frankly). We are a very close family and do a lot together.
One of our favorite outdoor activities is goecaching. It is like a modern day treasure hunt. Though you can geocache with just a compass and map, it is better to have a GPS. You find cache locations online (www.geocache.com is the site we use). There are different levels of caches, from simple to very difficult. When you decide which caches you want to try to find, you plug the coordinates of the cache into your GPS and make note of any clues the owner of the cache may have given. Then you drive, hike, and/or climb your way to the location of the cache. The search is fun and the discovery of the cache is even better. You usually bring a ‘trade’ item. The cache will have things like dog biscuits, stickers, or happy meal toys in it. You get to trade an item for an item. We’ve left a recipe, a dollar bill and a spinning top for trade in the past. It is such a great activity for the family and we’ve been known to pack the car with the kids’ friends, too.
Here are Kai’s kids Finding the Cache.
What age group did you write The Weaver for, Kai?
The Weaver is written for kids 9 – 12 years old.
About The Weaver: In a town of word weavers, Mary suffers through her third year of Novice Word Weaving. Mary thinks her troubles are over when she meets a gnome-elf who grants her a wish. But instead of weaving a better story, she’s weaving strange yarn charms to accompany her still pathetic tales.
If you read my Monday Metaphor this week, you might recall that I used The Weaver as an example of a book with APTRONYMS. Mary and her mother are surnamed “Wordsmith.” And the village they live in is “The Tales.” And there are other aptly named characters.
The Weaver is a lyrical tale with a little magic and a lot of storytelling. It has been nominated for the Global eBook Awards in the category of children’s literature. Here’s hoping it goes all the way. The print and ebook versions are available through the publisher, Amazon.com, B&N.com, Powells.com. Libraries and independent bookstores can purchase through standard wholesale distributors.
Have you visited any schools or libraries to gi book talks? If so, what was the reaction of the children?
I love to do classroom visits. It really inspires me to continue writing. The one thing that astounds me each and every time is how astute the children are. Usually I read and then take questions. There is always a question or two that strikes me as mature beyond their years (whatever their age may be) and really makes me consider my response. Classroom visits are a great reminder to never underestimate your audience.
Do you write with paper and pencil, or exclusively on the computer?
Really it is exclusive to the computer, anymore. Occasionally I’ll be hit with inspiration when all I have available is paper and pen (not a fan of the scritch-scratch of lead on paper). Unfortunately, the transfer of the idea to computer puts me into edit mode sooner in the story than I like and it messes with my creative process. Pen and paper is fine for shorter things, like blog posts.
Do you have an editing tip you could pass on to other writers?
Well, honestly I think editing is my weakest area in the writing process. However, something I can’t do without is reading aloud. I tape myself reading the story. This is especially helpful in novels, since it is so easy to get pulled into the story when editing. When I listen to the recording later while reading through the text, I can see where I’ve made natural word changes and I can hear where I stutter over choppy sentences or where the story line skips a beat.
I know you have said your main character, Mary, has great determination and uses that to solve her problem. Once you knew what you wanted to write about, how did you decide to make Mary a storyteller rather than have a different talent? Or could it be that you wanted to write about storytelling before you created your plot?
What a great question. A “chicken or the egg” type of thing. I think the storytelling came first. I wanted the town to be filled with storytellers. But it wasn’t until my third draft or so that I realized I needed the secondary characters to have their own unique storytelling voice. So, for example, I went back and really considered how Philip might tell his story, “Shame is a powerful discipline,” and what kind of stories the most revered word weaver, Abigail Wordsmith, would weave. So, even though I wanted the story to be about storytelling, I didn’t really figure out how to make that happen until I was going through and editing.
Did you make up the quotes at the beginning of each chapter?
I did. They still really make me smile. It was so much fun coming up with them and then refining them. The only one I didn’t think up myself is “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” That has always been a favorite phrase of mine and fit that chapter so well. I couldn’t find a source for the quote, though.
Do you read your drafts to your husband and children? Have they made any significant contributions to your writing?
I do, over and over. I wait until the first time I think the story is ready. Which, of course, is never when the story is ready! But they are very supportive. Thank goodness my children are so enthusiastic. I’ve written (and read aloud a few times) the first book in a series and they keep hounding me for the second book. That kind of encouragement is really, really good for a writer! My husband is great at resolving plot holes. If I’m not happy with a resolution or a character motivation, he is so good at fleshing it out and helping me to make it more impactful to the story.
Thank you again, Barbara for having me today. I’ve really enjoyed the interview and I hope your readers will enjoy The Weaver.
It’s been my pleasure, Kai. (Now I’m spelling your name right and pronouncing it “K”). Best of luck in the Global eBook Awards.
Now Readers, let me tell you more about The Weaver. You already know the setting is a village of story tellers and you know the main character’s name is Mary Wordsmith. Although Mary’s mother is one of the best story tellers, Mary’s stories are not interesting. She’s way too old to be in Novice Word Weaving, but there she is. All she wants is to weave a yarn as beautiful as her mother’s. When Mary meets a gnome-elf, he gives her a wish. (That’s a cute story in itself). And her wish comes true. But not in the way Mary expects because of the way she worded her wish. (This little parallel theme illustrates the power of words—you better say exactly what you mean, or else). “The else” is what happens to Mary. She is confused when significant little knitted charms start popping up mysteriously when she speaks. As the mystery unravels, Mary’s stories become more interesting.
Both Mary and the gnome-elf feel out of place in their environments. In fact, the gnome-elf’s name is Unwanted. Though Mary thinks the wish went wrong, the two eventually become friends. I’m sure you want to read the book to see if Mary’s wish comes true.
Another nice thing about this book is that other characters get to tell stories. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and fun book.
Get your copy of The Weaver at these locations:
Guardian Angel Publishing, where you can read an excerpt;
Amazon, where you can read some nice reviews.
Or Barnes & Noble, if you are a member.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of this book.
Interview with J. Aday Kennedy
30 Mar 2011 20 Comments
in Guardian Angel Publishing, Interviews, Muse Conference Tags: children's picture books, Guardian Angel Publishing, J. Aday Kennedy
Hello Friends,
You have met some of Jessica Aday Kennedy’s characters in Klutzy Kantor and Marta’s Gargantuan Wings. Now I want to introduce this talented writer to you. J. Aday lives in Texas in the USA, and the clever little song she wrote to accompany Klutzy Kantor, “Go Me!” sounds like something a Texan would write. With her sense of humor and her desire to make life easier for children, she has chose the perfect career. “Go, J. Aday!”
J. Aday and I are both member’s of Lea Schizas’ critique group for children’s writers: The GradingPens.
J. Aday, Do you have a time management system?
I start each day by writing a list of tasks I need to complete. I just check them off as I finish them. I write specific long term & short term goals on a calendar with dates to complete them. I’m horribly scatter brained and will work on a dozen things and not complete even one. I’ve got to make myself “todo” and goal deadlines to get anything accomplished.
Your system must work really well, because I know you get a lot done.
Since your full time job is writing and you don’t have a boss, how do you stay focused and produce work consistently?
I’m my own boss. I’m very demanding {worse than any “real” boss that I’ve ever had}. I give myself a strict writing schedule and set definite goals. When I don’t reach my goals or complete my “todo’s” I kick my own butt [not an easy task for a quadriplegic lol]
Speaking of your being a quadriplegic, I’ve noticed that your typing has gotten much cleaner over the years, and though it might be difficult for you, you always participate vigorously in both the submission and critique segments of our critique group.
What traits do your books share?
Each is geared to attract reluctant readers. They combine humor with a lesson. All of them try to encourage children to find what makes them different, special, and/or talented.
For example, in Klutzy Kantor, Kantor Pegasus is a total klutz. He uses his brain instead of brawn to battle a leprechaun, because he’s very smart. In Marta’s Gargantuan Wings, Marta has huge wings and buck teeth. A bird bullies her, because of her appearance. Her cheeky monkey friend defends her in a comical fashion. Those are the only stories that are published.
They are fun books, beautifully illustrated. And I know you have a few more in the works with Guardian Angel Publishing.
When did you begin writing for publication and what has been the key to your success?
I began to write for publication in early 2006. I started taking one class after another on writing. I’ve taken 17 since 2006. In the early days I wrote inspirational and Christian articles for adults. I read the type of essays and articles I wanted to write. (When I switched gears and started writing for kids I read children’s books).
What is your favorite children’s book from your childhood?
It depends on the age level. Fudge by Judy Blume for middle grade
Who are your favorite authors?
Avi, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Barbara Park, John Erickson, Max Elliot.
A great list; some of them are my favorites, too.
Who has been influential in your writing and in your desire to become a writer for children?
Lea Schizas oversees several writing groups in her Muse It Up Group and holds the Free Muse Online Writing Conference. These have opened doors for me, taught me the tricks of the trade, and supplied me with a strong support system.
I feel the same way about Lea and the teams she puts together for the Muse Conference. I’ve learned a lot there, and most especially, I’m glad I’ve made friends through the Conference.
Would you like to explain the unusual names of the girls in your family?
My sisters are named Tomorrow, Yestraday, & Taday. My mother was a flower child. Not really. They didn’t have flower children in Texas. My mom heard the name Tamora and liked it. She named my oldest sister Tomorrow. My dad was a jokester. When my next sister was born he thought it would be funny to name her Yestraday. It carried on through the rest of us. My mom’s name is Ada. Her name is in all of ours, but not Tomorrow’s.
I think I know where you get your terrific sense of humor.
I would like to direct our readers to Guardian Angel Publishing: http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/default.htm
And your new blog: http://brainfartexplosion.blogspot.com/
Jessica new blog, Brain Fart Explosion, doesn’t pull any punches. She tells it like it is.
Don’t pay attention to Jessica’s grammar disclaimer. Let’s call them typos.
There's nothing wrong with me a little ice cream won't fix. 
