{"id":1706,"date":"2009-06-14T01:27:35","date_gmt":"2009-06-14T07:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2009-06-14T07:53:25","modified_gmt":"2009-06-14T13:53:25","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-119-featuring-our-own-little-mad-tea-party-henry-cole-erica-perl-and-linda-urban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1706","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #119: Featuring Our Own Little Mad Tea Party: Henry Cole, Erica Perl, and<\/em> Linda Urban"},"content":{"rendered":"

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“Now Mouse was really, really, really, really mad. Standing-still mad.<\/font> Mouse did not hop. He did not stomp. He did not scream or roll on the ground. He stood very, very still. ‘Impressive,’ said Hare. ‘What control,’ said Bear.
‘Are you breathing?’ asked Hedgehog.”
— From<\/em> Mouse Was Mad<\/strong><\/a> (Click image to enlarge.)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules:<\/font><\/strong> Welcome to our weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. Say that<\/em> seven times fast. <\/p>\n

This week we have one illustrator, Mr. Henry Cole<\/strong><\/a> (who has worked on more than fifty books and whom Erica Perl calls “a national treasure,” and I’d have to agree), and two authors, Ms. Perl<\/strong><\/a> herself and Linda Urban<\/strong><\/a>, whose stories Henry has illustrated this year in Linda’s Mouse Was Mad<\/strong><\/a><\/em> (pictured above) and Erica’s Chicken Butt!<\/strong><\/a><\/em> Know what? Yeah, I said chicken butt<\/em>. <\/p>\n

If you haven’t seen these titles yet and especially<\/em> if you live and\/or work with preschool children, I’m here to say that if you manage to get yourself copies and take a gander, you won’t be disappointed. Erica (who penned this very funny picture book<\/strong><\/a> in 2006) brings us Chicken Butt!<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, released by Abrams in April. She’s adapted into picture book form the classic school-yard rhyme, turning it into a call-and-response between a frustrated father, just trying to read the newspaper on a lazy afternoon, and his son, who manages to let a tattooed chicken—with, yes, a butt—follow him home. Publishers Weekly<\/em> describes Henry’s art work in this one as “wryly effervescent as ever,” and Kirkus<\/em> calls the book’s romp “a powerful piece of cacophony.” As for Linda’s Mouse Was Mad<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in May and met with great reviews all-around, well…move over, Sophie<\/strong><\/a>. (Okay, so she doesn’t really have to move over<\/em>. That’s a great book, too.) This is a tale of a wee, WEE—but determined—mouse who is literally hoppin’<\/em> mad and trying to find just the right way to vent his anger. Mouse is also painfully adorable, but—as Kelly Fineman’s already put it<\/strong><\/a>—don’t tell him, because “being told one is adorable when one is angry is cause for still more rage.” Linda is the author of 2007’s A Crooked Kind of Perfect<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, and this is her first picture book. <\/p>\n

As you can see, I’ve got a bit of Henry-art today. I had wanted to include this in my posts last week (here<\/strong><\/a> and here<\/strong><\/a>), shining a light on cartoon illustrations, but I knew that Erica and Linda would be stopping by today to say hi. So, here they all are. Let’s get to it — before we go kickin’ . . . <\/p>\n

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Linda: “<\/font><\/strong> So much of our very young lives is spent being told what to do by people who are larger than we are. ‘Let\u2019s go. No, this way. Get in the car. No, in your carseat. Now buckle up.’ This used to make my rather independent daughter very, very mad. Even worse? She was very, very cute when she got mad, and sometimes grown-ups could not help but laugh upon seeing her very, very mad face. Which, of course, made her even more angry. I wasn\u2019t thinking consciously about any of that when I wrote <\/em>Mouse was Mad<\/strong><\/a>, but it was so much a part of my everyday world at the time, that the story just spilled on the page that way.<\/p>\n

Henry\u2019s illustrations were a delightful surprise. I saw the cover first. My editor, Jeannette Larson, pulled it from the envelope and set it on my kitchen table and started talking about how the background color would likely change and how this or that would be different, but I\u2019m afraid I wasn\u2019t listening very well. I was staring at that adorable, stompin\u2019-mad mouse, thinking, ‘is it really you?’ He was perfect.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until I saw the mechanicals that I thought about what a challenge this book must have been to illustrate -\u2013 not that Henry had made it look anything other than effortless. It\u2019s just that you\u2019ve got this little, tiny mouse, and his friends are all so much bigger, but Mouse has to remain the focus of each spread. Plus, every woodland character in the book—Mouse, Hare, Bobcat, Bear, Hedgehog—is BROWN. That\u2019s a lot of brown on the page, not to mention all the mucky mud puddles Mouse falls into. The biggest challenge, however, must have been that the book gets its dramatic power from the difference between motion and stillness, something that Henry had to convey through images which are themselves still. Not an easy task, I\u2019d guess. Except that Henry nailed it. And it isn\u2019t just me talking. This is what <\/em>Kirkus said: ‘Cole’s terrific watercolors reflect Mouse’s emotional growth in spreads and spots brimming with movement. Who knew standing still could be so dramatic?’ Now, I haven\u2019t asked Henry about any of this. Could be that the things that I think of as challenges were first-try easy for Henry. But I can\u2019t help but be impressed by his solutions to what would have been absolute stumpers to me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m working on a novel now, but I sure hope to write something else illustratable in the future. Illustrations are one of the great joys of children\u2019s books. Oh heck, of all books. I wish more books were illustrated. Fiction and nonfiction. How much better would tax guides and diet books be if they had pissed-off mice stomping around the margins?<\/font><\/em>“<\/font><\/p>\n

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“Mouse opened his mouth wide and let out the loudest scream he could manage. No echo. He tried arching his back like Bobcat but lost his balance and fell—SPLOSH!<\/font>—into yet another mucky mud puddle.”
(Click image to enlarge.)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Erica: “<\/font><\/strong> I always liked the goofy repartee of ‘You know what? Chicken Butt!’ and I had this idea about doing a lift-the-flap board book called <\/em>Chicken Butt! with illustrations of a cartoon chicken displaying its parts (e.g. ‘You know why? Chicken Thigh!’). But as I worked on the project and revised it, two voices (parent and child) emerged and I realized I was writing about a classic scenario I had encountered many times as a parent: A child clowning for attention, then letting his natural exuberance get the better of him, thus testing the limits of parental patience and good humor. A comic drama for two characters, if you will (three, if you count the chicken). I worked very hard to develop a four-act structure to this little play and to make the characters’ voices feel real, so the book would work well as a read-aloud for a solo reader, two readers, or a group. Yet, I gave almost no thought to how the characters would look, or even if they would appear at all. (In my original book dummy, only the chicken appears). Which is a real testament to Henry’s illustration talents\u2026 the text is written completely in dialogue.<\/font> <\/p>\n

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(Click to enlarge.)<\/center> <\/p>\n

During the design process, Chad Beckerman<\/strong><\/a> (the art director), Susan Van Metre (my editor), and I sat down and had some very silly discussions about context for the story. We knew there should be a physical chicken present, and we wondered how to ‘explain’ his presence in the story. We liked the idea that the kid would be trying to get the parent’s attention, which is how we decided the parent should be engrossed in the newspaper. Originally, we thought they might be at a playground, then walking home, but this offered no opportunity for the kid to see a chicken or get the idea for the joke. Eventually, we came up with the idea of the newsstand and the chicken-themed titles and images. Henry really had fun with these, inventing periodicals like ‘Feathered Beauties’ and ‘Shake and Bake Weekly’ (see the first page in the book, which may well be my favorite). And he did such an amazing job drawing the father and son—the tone is perfectly captured in the eyebrows alone—plus that wonderful, wacky chicken. Henry draws wonderful animals of all kids, but he has a special gift with chickens, and <\/em>Chicken Butt! is no exception.<\/p>\n

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What is next for me? Two completely different things: My first young adult novel (just received the bound galleys today — woo hoo!), which is <\/em>Vintage Veronica and is coming out Spring 2010 from Knopf. {Pictured below.} And <\/em>Dotty<\/strong><\/a>, which is my next picture book and which is gorgeously illustrated by Julia Denos<\/strong><\/a>, comes out Fall 2010 from Abrams. I have other books in the pipeline as well, plus Henry and I are discussing collaborating on another <\/em>Chicken Butt! book. Stay tuned\u2026<\/font><\/em>“<\/font><\/p>\n

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You know what? Many thanks to everyone for stopping by. (AND chicken butt.)<\/p>\n

{CHICKEN BUTT! \u00a9 2009 by Erica Perl. Illustrations \u00a9 2009 by Henry Cole. Published by Abrams. New York, NY. Posted with permission of publisher. All rights reserved.<\/em>}<\/p>\n

{MOUSE WAS MAD \u00a9 2009 by Linda Urban. Illustrations \u00a9 2009 by Henry Cole. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. New York, NY. Posted with permission of publisher. All rights reserved.<\/em>}<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

Not sure where Eisha is. Maybe she’ll appear later. <\/p>\n

1). Henry. Erica. Linda. And what Linda said about illustrated books. Yeah. Why can’t we have more—for all ages—in this world? <\/p>\n

2). My birthday surprise for one of my friends worked out well: She and her husband and wee babe live on a super tight budget, as most of us do these days, and she was telling me recently how she longs<\/em> for a simple back deck on the back of their home. So, with her husband’s help and knowing her birthday was coming up, I emailed a bunch of her friends and family last month, all shhhh<\/em>-like, and everyone snail-mailed me money for a super stealthy secret Back Deck Fund, a big ol’ birthday surprise. People responded well, and I was able to hand over a decently-sized chunk o’ change to her this week on her birthday for a future back deck — from everyone who lurvs her. And she loved it. I can’t wait ’til that thing gets built. <\/p>\n

3). Michael Caine<\/strong><\/a> in Children of Men<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, a 2006 flick we watched this week. <\/p>\n

4). Good reading. Some of it I’ve already delved into. Some, not yet: An ARC of Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s<\/strong><\/a> Lunch Lady<\/strong><\/a><\/em>. Jarrett’s gonna stop by here in July to talk about it a bit. (And did you see this news<\/strong><\/a>? And the book’s not even officially out<\/em> yet. Wild.) Also: An ARC of Matt Phelan’s<\/strong><\/a> debut graphic novel The Storm in the Barn<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. (I love me some Matt Phelan artwork.) Also: Thanks to Susan<\/strong><\/a>, I’m reading Maureen Corrigan’s Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading!: Finding and Losing Myself in Books<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, which is great. <\/p>\n

A little book fairy<\/strong><\/a> sent me the ARC of Sara Lewis Holme’s<\/strong><\/a> Operation Yes<\/strong><\/a><\/em>. Not only do I love it so far (still reading), but it also just so happens<\/em> that it’s exactly what I need to be reading right now. Not to get too terribly personal, but I’m coming up next month on the ten-year anniversary of my brother’s death, and I found this week that it’s already getting to me. Just when I was feeling really<\/em> sorry for myself—and even about as angry as Mouse up there—I picked up this book, which Sara’s already mentioned<\/strong><\/a> was inspired, in part, by a quote from Philo of Alexandria<\/strong><\/a>: “Be kind, for everyone you know is fighting a great battle.” Which made me feel not-so-alone and not-so sorry for myself. (Which is good. Self-pity never gets you far.) And Sara has a way in her writing (effortless<\/em> is how she makes it look) of getting right to the heart of things, in more ways than one, and that’s been good for me this week, too. And, at the point at which I’m in the story now, I love<\/em> where she’s taking things. Like hell I’m gonna reveal any type of spoilers here, though, so that’s all I’m sayin’.<\/p>\n

That was long. Sorry. <\/p>\n

5). This poem<\/strong><\/a>, which Liz posted<\/strong><\/a> a while ago, but I found belatedly. I printed that out and stuck it in my oldest’s baby book. <\/p>\n

6). Reading Chapter 7 In Which Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest and Piglet Has a Bath<\/em> in here<\/strong><\/a> with my girls. The five-year-old was laughing very hard, and her very laugh makes me<\/em> laugh very hard. Also, thanks to Little Willow’s<\/strong><\/a> recommendation, we’re enjoying Lynne Reid Banks’<\/strong><\/a> The Fairy Rebel<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n

7). After making that mix for my nephew last week<\/strong><\/a>, I re-discovered my love for Ben Folds Five’s<\/strong><\/a> debut CD (from way back in ’95<\/strong><\/a>). “Re-discovered” means I listened to “The Last Polka” about eleventy-hundred times while driving. Really, REALLY loudly. And pretended I had enough piano talent to bang away on the piano like Ben does — or talent on the drums like Darren. Man, I love the very way that song is constructed<\/em>. Best polka song ever. <\/p>\n

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Bonus:<\/font> Tanita’s<\/strong><\/a> second novel, Mare’s War<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, was released this week, you guys! I’ll be getting my copy this weekend at a trip to the nearest bookstore in which a visit from Madeline<\/strong><\/a> is promised. (My girls are excited, and if she’s one of those sweaty-persons-in-an-oversized-hairy-doll-suit, I’m gonna be disappointed.)<\/p>\n

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What are YOUR<\/font> kicks this week?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Now Mouse was really, really, really, really mad. Standing-still mad. Mouse did not hop. He did not stomp. He did not scream or roll on the ground. He stood very, very still. ‘Impressive,’ said Hare. ‘What control,’ said Bear.‘Are you breathing?’ asked Hedgehog.”— From Mouse Was Mad (Click image to enlarge.) Jules: Welcome to our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-seven-good-things-before-monday","category-picture-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}