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Pest in Show: The Buzz of Broadway

Music and lyrics by Victoria Jamieson

Meet a picture book that’s a literal production! And, it has narrative to be sure; but it’s in the guise of a sort of Judy Garland/Gene Kelly, “Let’s put on a Show” themed storyline.

And what do all musicals have? Why, songs of course. And, as in all musicals, it has conflict before the show opens and drama both back stage and on stage.

And here, in Pest in Show, there’s sibling rivalry afoot from the footlights as Ladybug, a diva, if ever there was one, wants a solo star turn.

The “fly in her ointment” is literally her  brother named, of course…Fly! Flies are known to be, well, pests, and the sibling known as Fly, in Pest in Show has honed his character to a fair thee well. It’s a role he was made for, and one his sister abhors!

Young readers may easily identify with either the much longed for solo role diva, or the younger one that’s always trying to literally get into the act here.

When you are the writer, producer, director AND star of your own vehicle, Ladybug naturally wants the full glare of the white hot spotlight on her alone; while Fly is anxious for a stage debut in sis’s production.

I can tell you there’s a lot of begging, bugging and wheedling on Fly’s part to well, get a part in this show of shows. He sees it as his breakout role.

Told to stay put, Fly is sticking like the veritable paper named after him. And by Act 2, when perspective hits such as “The Real Spiders” hummed to the “every kid knows it” tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” the one-ups-manship of these two insects kicks into high wire gear.

Act 3 sees Ladybug atop a cake singing a song named for her alone and has all the style of a Busby Berkley extravaganza with insects on each of the tiers of the cake. She’s the icing on the cake until…disaster ensues with Fly doing his own star turn on an empty hollow garbage drum he’s conveniently emptied on sis’s cake!

Super Fly is doing his own gig and drum solo to the tune of “Popeye the Sailor Man”

Can these two insects ever intersect in a show peacefully?

It takes a Finale with an all-bug dance-off. Victoria Jamieson shows young readers a  shimmying, wing flapping, foot stomping, wiggling, squiggling competition between a host of jumping and jiving insects joining in with Ladybug and Fly to see who wins.

Does exhaustion ensue? Will they be booed off the stage?

Or are two bugs better than one with a star and her more than willing co-star, named Fly?

Roger Fleabert gave it a “Six Thumbs Up!”

And if you hear your kids singing the songs, why not teach them to do Chubby Checker’s “The Fly.” It’s a kick!

Here’s how to do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8XBsNa8EwQ

Olympig!: The Triumphant Story of an Underdog!

By Victoria Jamieson

After Super Bowl 50, there were floods of sports’ analysts, as well as fans, commenting in the media, concerning the post game interview conduct of losing quarterback, Carolina Panthers, Cam Newton.

Never having played on a professional sports team that reaches the zenith of competing for football’s ultimate victory, and with it, the coveted Lombardi Trophy, it’s hard for me to gauge the depth of Cam Newton’s feelings at the loss of it.

But, I do think there were many young readers watching that interview, and I have to wonder what they took away from it.

Let’s face it; today many of the role models for youth are primarily rock stars and sports figures.

Vince Lombardi, famed football coach, for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named, is credited with the famous saying:

            Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only

 thing.

Sounds like Cam Newton’s less than stellar behavior and sulky demeanor was then justified? Maybe not. Because what Coach Lombardi meant by that quote, he later clarified, was the following: that each and every time that you compete, you give 100% effort each and every time you do. And that if you do that, then there is nothing that you need be ashamed of, as you exit the field.

Maybe someone should have reminded Cam Newton of that Lombardi philosophy after his interview, so he could have amended his demeanor just a bit.

I found a picture book by Victoria Jamieson that you may want to read to young competitors before they next stroll out on a field, dive into a swim lane, or skate onto an ice rink in competition.

It’s called Olympig!

This porcine performer, named Boomer, has been training his entire life “for one moment: the chance to win Gold at the Animal Olympic Games.”

And, he has the added burden of being the first pig to compete in the Animal Olympics. That’s a pretty heavy weight for any ham’s hocks to handle.

With a special costume knitted by mom, and his practice schedule priming him for a win, this is one self-assured swine:

            “Oh, I’m sure I will win!” said

            Boomer. “If you practice and try your

            best, you can do anything.

Olympic glory fills his dreams the night before and with these words echoing in his pointed ears, he enters the competitive arena:

              Hard work and practice

              make an Olympic champion.

Boomer is a mere sprint away from realizing his dream, as he lines up with cheetahs, panthers, tigers, zebras and other faster-than-fast types. Uh, Boomer, can we talk?

He is waving at the crowd when reality hits him. The race is over and he has barely started as he’s covered in the dust of his competitors, zooming to the finish line ahead of him.

        Boomer took the loss pretty well.

“Well” is not a pretty sight as Boomer collapses in a heap of heaving tears.

Oh well! Not to be deterred by a camera close-up from a sports analyst that queries to his face:

             Do you think this was all a

             big mistake? asked Mr. Hamstring

Mistake? Hey, that’s the key word Boomer settles on. It’s all some huge mistake. Cheering up and on to the next event …and the next…and the next…all with the same result.

Boomer is not taking this well at all. He’s in high dudgeon, with cries of:

             Lawsuit, buddy!

             This is an outrage!

             You cheated!

             You like them better me!

Are you blind?

 I demand a recount!

In the white hot media spotlight, Boomer’s mom remains proud of her son’s efforts, and reaffirms her love, despite his abysmal behavior, post loss.

May I just comment as an observer, that cannonball into the pool at the dive competition was not your proudest moment, young Boomer.

But wait, there is ONE more event to go; the gymnastics Grand Finale.

Is there hope?

Tangling, tumbling and toppling over mats and beam boards, this pig is trying his darndest to bring home Olympic Animal Gold and glory.

But that final swoop into the Olympic flame,  landing on the analyst, Mr. Hamstring, clinches Boomer’s place in Olympic history as the lowest scorer…ever!

Think this bit of media menacing news can keep Boomer down as he is asked by Mr. Hamstring for his final words to the viewers at home?

Mic in hoof, he does have words for those at home:

           Well, Hammy, maybe I didn’t win

           a gold medal today, said Boomer,

           but I realized something very

           important. I realized …today has

           been terrific practice for the WINTER

OLYMPICS!

Sometimes kids…and adults… have to learn how to lose gracefully…as well as win  laurels and laudatory cries from congratulatory crowds and the press.

Victoria Jamieson has created a character   parents and young readers may recognize as they filter their way through the local organized sports culture of their young ones.

It can sometimes overemphasize competition as a end in itself, and that anything less than a win, teaches these young athletes nothing.

Ever hear of a high school football coach named Bob Ladouceur?

His little known De La Salle Spartan team from Concord, California, had an unbelievable 12-year, 151 game winning streak that ended at a game with the scoreboard showing 39-20.

The movie’s impact is felt not only in how the team handles both unparalleled  success, but how it navigates failure.

Bob Ladouceur’s head and heart is consumed in the film with not merely molding players for a team; he is shaping future fathers, entrepreneurs, CEO’s and just solid character in young men who need to learn not just plays from a playbook for a football game, but how to do broken field running in a game called life!

His team’s experience is played out in a great 2014 movie called, “When the Game Stands Tall” staring actor, Jim Caviezel. Listen to these quotes of Coach Ladouceur:

        It’s not how hard you fall.

        It’s how you get up.

 

 Failure is never final.

It’s a great movie that models behaviors for kids that last a lifetime of overcoming not winning every time out. And hey, that would be…life!  

Character is shaped sometimes in defeat as well as in victory, and I would not count out Boomer…or Cam Newton!

I'd recommend these middle grade novels to kids who enjoy ... [a] strong voice and humor and who might like a peek into someone else's world.

Real roller derby girl Victoria Jamieson presents this fantastic graphic novel about 12-year-old Astrid, who has fallen in love with roller derby and enrolled in junior derby camp at Portland's own Oaks Park. This is a wonderfully heartfelt story of evolving friendships, personal growth, and the world of Portland's Rose City Rollers. Books mentioned in [...]

A contemporary librarian noir starring folks I know?  Don’t mind if I do!  I had no idea that Sarah Murphy was such a fine actress but it surprises me not at all.  Written and co-directed by Joy Tomasko with co-direction, photography and post-production by Jon Dieringer and starring librarians and friends thereof, this film premiered at The Bell House in December 2011 during the Desk Set’s Biblio Noir, a fundraiser for Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (which I missed thanks to my new baby state).   Screened at Spectacle Theater in June 2012 it’s now available online.  Many thanks to Maria Falgoust for the link.

After that, let’s start the day off right with a book that is completely and utterly unavailable to us here in America.  Basically, this all boils down to a children’s graphic novel, blurbed by Shaun Tan himself, that we have not yet seen.  Tan says of it, “Reading this book is like being quietly ushered into another dimension by winged strangers, a place beyond the tread of normal earth-bound language. Ephemeral as a feather, timeless as a rock, and as true as both, Unforgotten is a magical experience.”  That would be Unforgotten by Tohby Riddle.  Here’s the trailer:

Thanks to Andrew Joyner for the link!

So this is fun. The Digital Shift recently came up with the Seven Top Trailers to Hook Kids on Books. Picking and choosing amongst them there’s a lot to enjoy here, but I’m particularly taken with this 60th Anniversary trailer for good old Charlotte’s Web (#1 on my Top 100 Children’s Novels Poll, doncha know). Observe:

Speaking of pigs, in comes the rather timely (how many Olympic-related fictional picture books are there this season?) Olympig via author Victoria Jamieson.  Much with the fun.

Finally, for our off-topicness, I think I’m going to go nerd on you and whip out a bit of Star Wars meets Goyte stuff.  I know you’ve probably already seen it, but it makes me happy.  See if you can hear the hidden Wookie howl.

photo by foxypar4 www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Bea the sheep as the main character
*Rating: Be unique is the message in Bea Rocks the Flock, and this book’s illustration and cute sheep make it unique, too.

Short, short summary:

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Bea Rocks the Flock is all about being unique and following your own interests. Ask students to name one thing that makes them unique such as: they are a yellow belt in karate or they take ballet lessons or they have a rock collection. After each student has shared one thing that makes him unique and you have written it on a piece of chart paper, then children should draw an illustration of themselves doing the activity and copy down the sentence from the chart paper.

2. In the middle of the book, Bea is trying to figure out what she should do in New York City to pass her time. After the library scene, ask students to give their ideas on what she could do each day. You can even create a class book with these ideas called, Bea Rocks New York City. Students can illustrate the ideas for Bea in the city, and teachers can type the ideas and glue them to each page. Laminate the pages, connect them together with string or plastic binding, and you have a new class book for students to read based on Bea Rocks the Flock.

3. You can actually use this book with older elementary students to talk about one of the 6+1 traits of writing–word choice. Victoria Jamieson uses several specific nouns and verbs to make her story shine. For example, at the end of the book Flossie doesn’t just say she wants to grow flowers, she says she wants to start an organic daisy farm. Choosing the words “organic daisy farm” brings a different picture into readers’ minds than if the author chose to just write “flower garden.” Find several examples of specific word choice throughout the story and discuss them with your students.

And don’t forget the new Rule of Sheepdom. . . .BEEEEEEEEEEE yourself!

If you read blogs, writing magazines, or publishing industry newsletters, one aspect of publishing in the twenty-first century becomes crystal clear—to be successful today, a writer needs to self-promote. Yikes!

For many of us, that’s a problem: we’re by and large bookish introverts who happily hole up in our offices for hours on end. Bookstore signings? School visits? Conference presentations? When you’re just beginning to publish, your knees probably knock together when you think about stepping in front of an audience to promote your books. If only you had an expert to guide you as you take those first feeble steps out of your writing cubby and into the world!

Now you can. This March, the Highlights Foundation is proud to present Life in the Spotlight: The Path to Successful School and Library Visits, Self-Promotion, and Press Interviews with Peter Jacobi.

Peter is an award-winning journalism professor, a former on-air reporter for radio and television (including ABC and NBC News), a magazine consultant, and a specialist in speech training and media training. Best of all, this acclaimed journalist, writer, and renowned public speaker is willing to hold your hand as you take your first steps toward building your writing career through self-promotion.

As a participant in Life in the Spotlight, you will learn the publicity techniques needed to promote your books, gain practice in public speaking and presentation skills, and participate in a real-life school experience—with an expert to guide you each step of the way.

Here’s what one former workshop attendee has to say about Life in the Spotlight:

“Peter Jacobi’s Life in the Spotlight gave me the jump start I needed to overcome my fear of public speaking and publicity. In a group setting, Peter warmly gave us one-to-one attention to help us build confidence through reading, interviewing, and performing on-site school presentations. The lectern has become a good friend.”

—Lori Ries, author of Aggie and Ben, Three Stories (an Oregon Book Award Finalist); Super Sam; Mrs. Fickle’s Pickles; and Fix It, Sam! Her latest release, Punk Wig, is due out this March. Lori now promotes her work through school visits, author signings, and conferences.

If you’re serious about your writing career and believe in your books, take advantage of the opportunity to learn from Peter Jacobi. Click here for more information.

The Highlights Foundation
814 Court Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
Phone: (570) 253-1192
E-mail: [email protected]

by Linda Della Donna

If writing for children were a scoop of ice cream, then a Highlights Founders workshop is a hot fudge sundae.

Attending “Writing Memorable Nonfiction: Pleasures and Possibilities, Problems and Practice,” taught by Peter Jacobi last week was a delicious treat.

Already, I dream of returning for a second helping.

Peter Jacobi is Indiana University School of Journalism’s Professor Emeritus and Adjunct Riley Lecturer. He wrote The Magazine Article: How To Think It, Plan It, And Write It, and Writing With Style.

Peter Jacobi’s classroom presentation was college level, informative, interesting, endearing, and peppered with stories about his days as a journalist “following Nixon around.”

The class was small - 6 students total, and it was held in the living room of the home of original founders of Highlights magazine, Garry and Caroline Myers. We had a busy schedule each morning after a breakfast of blueberry scones, scrambled eggs flavored with cream cheese, slabs of country ham, a selection of berry yogurts, compotes of fresh raspberries, melon, and strawberries, blintzes filled with ricotta and smothered in peach preserves. I sat cross-legged in a fireside chair sipping black coffee, fingerhugging my pen listening to Peter Jacobi reinforce structure. “Tell them what you’re gonna tell them, tell them, then, tell them what you told them.”

Dinner at the Highlights Founders Workshop with fellow students
(Kent Brown is seated at the head of the table, Mr. Jacobi is at front on the left)

Friday evening dinner was shared with my classmates. I sat next to Peter Jacobi and across from Highlights coordinating editor, Kim Griswell, and science editor, Andy Boyles. We were a captivated audience as Kim Griswell spoke about Highlights article needs, Andy Boyle related a personal tale about a family member, and Peter Jacobi reported on a Highlights summer 2006 Chautauqua event.

We were served grilled baby lamb chops, corn pudding, and best-you-ever-ate potato salad, followed by strawberry shortcake, dolloped with whipped cream, by Highlights professional cook staff. It was a night I will not soon forget.

Saturday evening, Kent Brown, Highlights Editor in Chief Emeritus, stopped by and joined in the fun. We listened to stories about the history of Highlights, his Grandmother Myers’ house, and as a special treat, tales of the late “Uncle Jack.”

Sharing at a Founders Workshop ended the day. My sleeping accommodations were private and cozy. As each attendee is assigned her/his own cabin, complete with twin beds, desk, dresser, comfy chair, mini refrigerator, coffee maker, and private bath, it was no wonder I had difficulty leaving. Nestled in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania woods, I was reminded of Goldilocks and the three bears. Everything there was “just right.”

At Highlights, Founders Workshops are open to writers of all levels and offered year round. I find them more delightful, more personal, more writer-friendly than huge events. I’m one of those weird writers who relishes privacy and people. At Founders, it’s the cherry on the sundae.

You can learn more about Highlights, Founders Workshops, and the fine teachers who teach them by visiting http://www.highlightsfoundation.org

Be sure to read requirements carefully, and sign up early. Classes are limited to no more than 12 students, and they fill up fast.

If you go, tell ‘em, Linda Della Donna sent you.

Writer Linda Della Donna