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Hi folks, I'm starting a new series. I'm sharing creative gifts that I've received from others in my journey. I'm extremely wealthy when it comes to receiving these gifts. This week I'm going to talk about Bonny Becker. I had the opportunity to hear Bonny speak many times when I lived in Washington State. I also took the time to really study her books and think about her writing.
I received a bag of creative gifts from her but one stands out. Bonny taught me the importance of a light touch--tenderness--in storytelling. (It works for life too, believe me.) Tenderness is about making vulnerable characters. They may be armored up top, but turn them over and they are squishy and soft. The story journey really is about turning that prickly character over and letting them get a little sun on his or her belly.
As a storyteller, I want to pack in stuff, get the plot going. Bonny has shown me it's about not rushing forward, but instead being patient and letting things work out. It's about heart with flaws. It's about tiny and mighty against huge and timid. Tenderness is found in the intersection of these opposites. Bonny has taught me about the absolute power of awareness. Tucking the truth about one character into the pocket of another transforms a flat story into something amazing.
Finally,I learned this from Bonny: how tenderness brings the beauty of the lilies of the field to story. She offers not just vulnerable but fragile characters. Beauty springs up like Texas bluebonnets when you thread in devotion and affection. Tenderness brings gravitas to storytelling. If you write quiet stories, tenderness will infuse them with the sunrise. It is so quiet before dawn, but the sun rises and glory! The birds' cacophony amazes. The clouds burn. The sky eats the darkness. This is the power of tenderness. Add it to your work.
Bonny teaches at The Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. Her newest picture books is just out: Cloud Country. This was done in collaboration with Noah Klocek. It is amazing. Don't just take my word for it. Give this and all her books a peek. You are welcome.
No doodle this week. Here is the cover of Bonny's new book in collaboration with Noah Klocek:
I will be back next week with more gifts.
A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. Victor Hugo
#82 A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton (2008)
24 points
I will always, always love Bear and the mouse (small, and gray, and bright-eyed). – Kristi Hazelrigg
Love the language and the characters’ flair for the dramatic. - Jessalynn Gale
Here’s a book with what I like to think of as a slow burn. It came out in 2008 but because my last Picture Book Poll was held in 2009 I feel like not enough time had passed for people to properly put this book into context. Four years after its initial publication (and many a fine sequel later) it makes it on to the list at a fair #82. I reviewed the book myself back in the day and I remember that it was one of my favorites of the year.
I described the plot in this way, “Bear’s pretty good at keeping people away. No one ever visits him, and just in case one does he has a big sign in front that reads, ‘NO visitors allowed’. Just in case. Everything is fine and dandy until one day a mouse ’small and gray and bright-eyed’ knocks on the door. Bear says in no uncertain terms that he is not keen on visitors. The mouse seems to understand, but when Bear attempts to get out a bowl for himself, there sits the mouse asking for a spot of tea. After throwing out the unwanted guest Bear tries to open his bread drawer next, and there again is the mouse! To Bear’s increasing frustration the mouse is absolutely everywhere, and no amount of stoppering or locking keeps him away. At last, Bear consents to having a bit of tea with the miniscule visitor and soon discovers that the mouse is attentive, easily impressed, and laughs at Bear’s jokes. And when it is time for the mouse to go, Bear finds himself unceremoniously ripping down the ‘NO visitors allowed’ sign. After all, he says, that is a sign for salesmen. Not for friends.”
At 56 pages it’s a longer picture book, that’s for sure. Because it reads aloud so well it’s better to try it with a group of second or third grader who have a better sense of patience. On my blog, Ms. Becker said of the page count, “One of the many reasons Candlewick is so great to work with. The story at around 800 words would have easily fit into 32 pages. But, even though it meant more expense, Candlewick kept upping the page count to make the pacing work.” Worth it.
Said School Library Journal of the book, “Denton’s softly hued watercolor illustrations capture the humorous interplay between the unlikely companions. . . . The lively repetition and superb pacing make this an ideal choice for storytime.”
And said Booklist, “Watercolor, ink and gouache illustrations in a soft color palette show a comfortable, expansive house that seems to emphasize Bear’s need for a friend to fill it up. The characters are highly expressive, making the pictures fun, and the dramatic text will lend itself to reading aloud.”
Horn Book loved it, as is right, with a, “In the presence of a friend, Bear is transformed; both text and art handle the shift in perspective with aplomb. A surefire storytime hit, A Visitor for Bear won’t wear out its welcome.”
Kirkus could hardly disagree either, “Charmingly droll, watercolor, ink and gouache illustrations, excellent
By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: April 11, 2012
Bonny Becker with Bear and Mouse
Award-winning author Bonny Becker is probably best known for the sensation she created with her Mouse and Bear book series. A prolific writer who has had many jobs over the years, including advising aspiring authors, she found her niche in writing for children. They have truly fallen in love with her stories. Listen in as we discuss her inspiration for her characters, the secret to writing an exceptional story, and even Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz!
Nicki Richesin: Thank you for taking time to chat with TCBR. You have become an outrageous success with your Mouse and Bear book series. Bear seems to be a bear of simple tastes and Mouse is a little more cunning. How did these characters first appear to you?
Bonny Becker: Mouse came first. Literally popping into my head as I was musing about how things keep coming back into your life until you face them and deal with them. Being a writer that somehow transformed itself into this metaphor—a mouse who wouldn’t go away. I immediately liked my little mouse and set about thinking of whom he could annoy. The first creatures to flash through my mind were an elephant and a lion for obvious reasons. I briefly considered a human character. But as soon as I thought of a bear I knew I’d found my perfect victim.
NR: In past interviews, you’ve said that Mouse represents the problem that won’t go away and keeps popping up in one’s life. You said some people seem to have the same problem show up again and again in their lives, like a bad boss or a bad boyfriend. Mouse is such a lovable character despite being a metaphor for problems you’d like to rid your friends and family of. He makes you love him! How did you make a pest so lovable?
BB: Well, supposedly, life will keep sending you the same problem until you solve it with some change in yourself. You know, like not recognizing that you always get attracted to the same type of guy and it never works out. On the other hand, Mouse is rather like that perfect boyfriend that life sends your way and you just need to see it! In Bear’s case, what Mouse brings to Bear is the part of Bear that is joyful and full of life. What I like about Mouse is he’s willing to put himself out there and remains cheerful in spite of all setbacks. He just knows that Bear is worth knowing!
Bonny Becker with her Golden Kite Award from SCBWI for A Visitor for Bear
NR: W
By now, Bonny knew more than her premise (the what happens); she knew her theme (the why it happens).
She revised her ending, had been through five or six big revisions, and she brought her manuscript to her critique group. She showed us a list of a dozen bullet points outlining what her critique group thought what was wrong with her manuscript.
At that point she went back for the fine tuning, line by line, punching up that language and the conflict, cutting, thinking in terms of images, making sure she's using vivid verbs, and always being willing to "kill her darlings."
Bonny continues through her manuscript, realizing there's something wrong with the middle. She again realizes her middle is too far from the core action of her premise.
A couple of rules from Bonny:
Pay attention to that tiny voice that tells you something is wrong.
Look to condense, compress, distill. Eliminate the good for the great.
POSTED BY ALICE POPE
The first things picture book writers need is a premise, she says.
Then she gets into her first draft of the story. She's reading an early draft of a Bear and Mouse story in which she had problems with the middle. When that happens, Bonny says, you probably have a problem with the beginning.
In the draft she's reading she realized that her story started too far back from the premise.
Bonny quotes Ursula Le Guin:
"In revision, as a rough rule, if the beginning can be cut, cut it."
She revisited and tweaked her premise, and went back and revised her beginning, starting closer to the action of the story.
POSTED BY ALICE POPE
Golden Kite winner (A Visitor for Bear) Bonny Becker is walking us through a revision one of her picture books.
Write your story knowing you're going to revise it many many times. This is something Bonny didn't know when she started out as a writer, but now that's her mindset going into her projects. Jane Yolen told her says she does up to 40 revisions on a picture book she's writing.
POSTED BY ALICE POPE
Bonny Becker received the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text for A Visitor for Bear.
Ultimately, Bonny says, we want to show to our kids that despite its woes, the world is a wonderful place. She also wants to show through her books that she likes people (and this comes across in her character Mouse and Bear).
When she writes from a place she loves, she says, the writing is easy.
Work, discipline, training and luck are important.
She quoted E.B. White: I wake up every morning and torn by the desire to improve the world and the desire to enjoy the world. That makes it hard to plan my day. Bonny says she's decided to plan her days writing what she enjoys and urges the audience to do the same.
POSTED BY ALICE POPE
For those of you who have not yet read Bonny Becker's new book, let me tell you that you are in for a treat. It is an utterly delightful picture book and I can almost guarantee that it will bring a smile to your face. You can read my review of the book on the Through the Looking Glass Book Review website.
I have been lucky enough to interview Bonny this month. Here are my questions and her answers.
1.Did this story come to you out of the ether or did some person or event give you the inspiration for it?
I was thinking about how things can keep coming back up in your life--you know, like the wrong type of boyfriend or the same mistake at work and how they'll keep coming back until you face that pattern and, in a way, "befriend" it. For some reason, that morphed into the image of a pesky little mouse who keeps popping up and a grouchy bear seemed the perfect one for the mouse to pester.
2. Why did you decide to use a bear and a mouse as your characters?
They fit so well with the story. Mice do have a way of showing up in unexpected places. Bears are big and make good grouches. The two characters came quickly and felt just right.
3. What are you trying to say to your audience in the story?
I think underneath the story, for me, is this idea about things coming up again and again in life. But as I was writing the story, I mostly was having fun with the characters and the absurdity of the situation. In my first draft, Mouse leaves and never comes back. All my critiquing friends agreed this was much too sad, so I spent another big chunk of time figuring out how to bring grouchy Bear and ebullient Mouse together in a fun, not-too-sappy way.
4. Is this your favorite book so far?
I think it's a toss-up between this and my book "A Christmas Crocodile." Both involve persistent, life-affirming characters and rather grumpy sorts who try to deal with them--but I have to admit, I didn't realize the similarities until after "A Visitor for Bear" was published. That theme must be one of those things that pops up again and again in my life!
5. How do you feel about all the success the book has had?
I'm so happy about it. "A Christmas Crocodile" illustrated by David Small was one of my earlier books and it got a lot of attention, too, including a big review in the NY Times Review of Books. It was also read on NPR, as was "Bear" and even got read on national television. At the time, although I was thrilled, I didn't realize exactly how rare that kind of attention is. Now, almost ten years later, I do know. I'm working hard to promote and support "A Visitor for Bear" but mostly this kind of attention is out of your hands. As I told a friend, "If you swing enough, sometimes you're going to hit a home run and then, mostly all you can do is sit back and watch it fly!"
6. Judging both from this book and your website you obviously have a keen sense of humor. What makes you laugh?
I am the world's cheapest laugh. My husband can attest to that--he's counting on me for a chuckle on the same old quips and I oblige. I love shows like Saturday Night Live, the Steven Colbert Report, Jon Stewart, 30 Rock, the Office. I eat up movies like "Dumb and Dumber" and "The Wedding Crashers" and Austin Powers. Dumb, stupid, broad humor--although I hate the Three Stooges. And I like clever humor--wit, satire, sarcasm and irony. I think I particularly like pompous characters.
7. I see from you website that you also edit manuscripts. Do you learn a lot from the mistakes that you see others making in their writing?
Yes, definitely. But it's also true that it's much easier to spot problems in someone elses writing, than your own. (see question 8)
8. Can you see the mistakes in your own work?
I'm better at it than I used to be. But, often, no. I totally need to get feedback. I probably do 30 or so drafts of a typical picture book. Five to six of those drafts might involve fairly significant story changes--a character eliminated, a new story event added, a different starting point, a different turning point, a different ending--that kind of thing. The other drafts are polishing, polishing, polishing. Rhythm, pacing, patterns, precise wording are critical to a picture book and that takes a lot of drafts to get just right. The polishing I'm pretty much doing on my own. But in terms of outside feedback, I probably go through about three cycles of getting feedback.
9. After writing several picture books did you enjoy writing a longer book when you did Holbrook: A Lizard’s tale?
Yes. I love middle grade novels, too. And I really like being able to go back and forth between the two forms. I have a new middle grade novel, "The Magical Ms. Plum", coming out Fall '09. And a second Bear and Mouse book "A Birthday for Bear" in Fall '09, too. "A Bedtime for Bear" is coming out in 2010. And I'm working on a fourth Mouse and Bear story. And a new middle-grade novel is starting to percolate in my head. I'm letting it kind of slosh around for now, but I'm excited about getting to work on it.
10. Did you grow up in a house full of books, and what was your favorite book when you were a child?
Yes. There were bookshelves in virtually every room. I think there were probably over 1,000 books, not to much the steady flow of books in and out of our house from the library. I particularly loved books about magic. Probably the Oz series was my favorite.
Can we have a great big YAHOO for Bonny Becker and her wonderful picture book A Visitor for Bear?
Yes, we can!
A Visitor for Bear was name Book of the Year by my fabulous independent bookstore, Hicklebees! I always knew those folks at Hicklebee's were some of the smartest folks around!
And psst, wanna know a secret? A Visitor for Bear will be the contest prize for next month's contest!
Stay tuned for more details.
Woohoo! Congratulations, Bonny!
Cute, cute, cute! This book is just, plain cute! Written by Bonny Becker and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, this adorable story will have you hooked from the start…probably with a grin on your face as you read.
Bear is positive about one thing: he doesn’t like visitors. He even goes so far as to put a sign on his door, stating “NO visitors allowed.” When a curious mouse shows up, wanting a bit of tea and something to eat, Bear is adamantly against it. He repeatedly tells the mouse to go away, get out, scram, get lost, but the mouse just keeps showing up, insistent that he should be allowed have some tea and food before he goes. Finally, Bear gives up and allows the mouse to stay and eat. The pair begins chatting and Bear realizes that maybe having visitors isn’t such a bad thing after all. In fact, he actually likes the mouse!
A Visitor for Bear is sweet and the illustrations are beautifully matched to the characters and situations. This is an adorable selection for younger children as a read-a-loud or for those beginning to read to themselves. The story line is funny to children and has that bit of sarcasm that makes adults laugh as well. A very enjoyable book overall!
[Addendum: The server hosting Bonny's website is down momentarily. I hope by the time you read this, the links from her site will be working fine]
I'm thrilled to announce the fabulous Bonny Becker's new picture book, A Visitor for Bear, which comes out this week! Bear is a curmudgeon who just wants to be left alone, but Mouse is insistent that Bear needs a friend. Bear been getting great reviews, including a starred review in School Library Journal! "The lively repetition and superb pacing make this an ideal choice for storytime," the SLJ review (scroll down to find the review) says, in part. Way to go, Bonny!
Bonny recently learned that A Visitor for Bear was going to be featured on the picture book wall at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide. You know how when you go into the children's area, there's always a wall display with 10-20 picture books face out on it? Where all the big names and bestsellers (or anticipated bestsellers) are? Where you hope your book will be one day? That's where her book will be! I can't wait to visit my B&N this weekend and see Bonny's book! I asked Bonny how all this came about.
According to Bonny, to get on the picture book wall display, first your publisher nominates your book, then B&N selects about 8 to 10 titles from all those nominated to be featured nationally. The individual stores pick the other books on the picture book wall. If selected, the publisher pays co-op money to help with the promotion of the book.
Co-op money has long been a feature of bookselling. Publishers help bookstores, including independents, pay for selected book signings, author appearances, etc. So it's always worth asking a bookstore if they have access to co-op money and to ask your publisher if they provide co-op money.
Now, how do I know all this, you're wondering? I'm lucky enough to be in a critique group with Bonny. She's the author of
Holbrook: A Lizard's Tale, An Ant's Day Off, Christmas Crocodile, and more. Check out her books
here. And besides being a talented and diverse writer, Bonny is a terrific teacher. She offers private critiquing and teaches through the
The Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Program. She has a terrific grasp on structure, especially, and I have benefited greatly from her comments on my own work.
Anyway, our critique group got to watch Bonny tweak and polish this manuscript until it was absolutely irresistible, and we're all very proud and happy to see Bear finally come to bookstores and libraries. I hope you'll look for Bonny's book! I bet you'll love it as much as I do.
Some goodies from this weekend:
I went to the Mocca Artfest this weekend and found this book, Confessions of a Process Junkie, illustration techniques for Adobe Illustrator, by Alberto Ruiz. What a find! There are tons of books on Photoshop but a good book on Illustrator is kind of rare (thats not text book-like). Alberto draws alot of sexy women...I probably won't be doing that anytime soon but I can appreciate his style and skills. A great book with easy to digest info and I did pick up a few tips! You can get a copy here. Look, I even got it signed!
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This one is just so much fun to read aloud!
Oh yay, oh yay, oh yay! It should have made my list.
Becker’s use of unexpected language is such a treat to the tongue. Words like: vamos, begone and undone – yummy, yum, yum.
If anyone is ever in need of a slim chapter book that is a sure hit with every third grader on the planet look for her MAGICAL MS. PLUM – Mrs. Piggle-wiggle for the modern age.
This one didn’t make my top ten but I love it too!
This is one of my favorites, too – glad to see it get some much-deserved love!
Hooray! I love this one so very much. And while I always have a back-up so I can cut it if the group leans too young or too antsy, I have read it several times in Preschool Storytime with great success.
Love this one. I had to read to a group of 3rd graders at a summer program and this worked great. Also works with preschools, which impressed me.