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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 Couldn’t Love You More by Jason Ingram & Matt Hammitt illustrated by Polona Lovsin 4 stars ……….. Back Cover:  I couldn’t love you more is the message of a parent to a child. While it depicts the immense love a parent has or a child, it highlights on an even deeper level the unconditional [...]

Happy Tuesday!

Back in January, I mentioned that rather than make a traditional New Year’s resolution, I’d take the word ‘tenderness’ and wrestle with it, embrace it and more fully incorporate it in my life. To simply read about it and to make the work my new “word’ (i.e.,’ that’s so tender’; ‘how tender’ ) would have been a big step for me, but somehow it wasn’t working. Thanks to dear Oprah, I realized I had to work on gratitude first; had to truly appreciate everything in my life before tenderness was even possible.

It’s June, how’s your resolution coming?

I don’t always reveal a lot about myself here, but I do see that I leave enough of a trail to measure personal and professional growth, and to wince at pitfalls along the way! I guess that’s one reason why I like blogging.

Another reason is the librarian in me! I like sharing information!

Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award 2013~ submissions accepted until Dec 31, 2012, United Kingdom

2012 South Asia Book Award~ submissions accepted until Dec 31

SingTel Asian Picture Book Award 2013~ submissions accepted until Dec 31, 1012, Singapore

(originally posted on PaperTigers)

Second Story Press has developed a site call Social Justice Stories which inspires young people to think critically, build responsible citizenship, and light the spark to take action against injustice in their classroom, their community, and the world. Current book series are on Kid Power; First Nation Stories and Holocaust Remembrance for young readers.

Bridging Cultures: An NEH Bridging Cultures Bookshelf

The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf is a collection of 15-20 books selected to help public audiences in the United States become more familiar with the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims around the world, including those within the U.S. The Bookshelf will be awarded to 1,000 public, community college and academic libraries across the country in December 2012, for use in presenting public programs in 2013. Advisors to the project include distinguished scholars knowledgeable about Muslim worlds, librarians, and other cultural programming experts.  A companion website will expand the resources available for reading, understanding, discussing, and going beyond the limited scope of the books. Book titles will be announced in June 2012.