Wow, busy April! The 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death is almost upon us and things have been very hectic here in the studio, hence my silence on the blog.
Will's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk was officially launched on 22nd March in the USA, and widely distributed in the UK.
Written by Jane Sutcliffe, illustrated by yours truly.
ISBN 9781580896382, 40 pages long
Published by
Charlesbridge (Penguin/Random House US), and distributed in the UK through
PGUK.
Following my previous collaboration with Jane Sutcliffe
Stone Giant, this book was another very involved project which occupied a great part of my activity last year. I've always had a big fascination for the 17th Century, so it's no surprise the research alone completely sucked me into the era (more on this in a future post!)
The narrative describes London in 1606, how the Bankside theatres were the entertainment focus points of their day, and one playwright stood out more than any other - William Shakespeare.
However, as Jane relates the story of The Globe, she finds that whatever she tries to write William 'gets in the way' - the text is punctuated with words and phrases coined by Shakespeare himself. Expressions such as 'excitement', 'a sorry sight', 'wild goose chase', 'cold-blooded', 'amazement', these all come down to us from Shakespeare through his plays to become 'household words' (another expression invented by the Bard). Jane uses these and many other Shakespeare expressions and explains their origins in the plays, while my illustrations form the background and setting of London life and the Globe in the early 1600's.
I'll post about some of the research and processes shortly, in the meantime the first reviews are in!
"Shelley’s meticulously detailed painted pen-and-ink drawings brim with life and convey a clear sense of 1606 London, “a bustling, jostling, clinging, singing, stinking, head-chopping, pickpocketing wonder of a city,” while still managing to individualize the personages both onstage and off. They are perfectly married to Sutcliffe’s concise, humorous, fact-filled prose" (School Library Journal starred review, Spring 2016 selection)
"Shakespeare could turn a phrase, and Sutcliffe brings a number of them to readers' attention, smartly worked into a vestpocket history of London theater during Shakespeare's days. Shelley's artwork is a lively accompaniment, delicate in color and linework but bustling as only a big population in small confines can be." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Each spread is crowded with intricate, colorful details that seem to spring to life in, for instance, a cutaway of backstage actions, the crowd arriving for an afternoon's performance, how different social classes positioned themselves during the play, London street scenes, and so on. These watercolor and pen-and-ink images invite endless searching of the crowds' unique faces and Thames River vistas" (Booklist)
As the Shakespeare anniversary approaches I plan to be out and about with
Will's Words in the UK, so do get in touch if you'd like me to be involved in your Shakespeare celebration! Jane Sutcliffe is touring New England bookshops this month, if you're in the US please check the
upcoming events page of her website for dates.
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I am a history nerd. I get shivers of excitement standing in some historic place I’ve written about. Just knowing that I am really
theregives me chills. I call those goose bump moments.
I went looking for those goose bumps when I was researching The White House is Burning: August 24, 1814. I wanted to be in those places in Washington I’d been reading and writing about. I was extremely fortunate to be given a private tour of the White House to see the still-visible scorch marks on old blocks of stone (mega goose bumps!). I tramped through the Congressional Cemetery to find the gravestones of Stephen Pleasanton, who’d carried the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to safety, and of Mordecai Booth, who had been so horrified at his orders to burn the Navy Yard. I felt honored to be there.
But I have to say, mostly the magic of the place felt tantalizingly out of reach. I knew just where nine-year-old Michael Shiner must have been standing when he first spied enemy troops, and where I should find the building where British officers dined by the light of a burning White House. I could point to those places on my circa 1814 maps. Well just try exiting the Metro stop and finding those places now! Hard to find any magic when you’re just trying to get across the street.
And then I was invited to Brookeville, Maryland. The little town had played a small part in the story of the burning of Washington. It had given refuge to President James Madison as he fled the burning capital. Madison was later joined by Secretary of State James Monroe as well as the capital’s treasury and government papers. By noon the next day, the president’s party had left, but for one day the quiet Quaker village of Brookeville was the seat of a government-in-exile.
That small role became part of the town’s identity. The house where the president stayed is now known as “the Madison House,” and a plaque marks the historic spot. A sign on the main street proclaims historic Brookeville the “United States Capital for a Day.”
Two hundred years later I was invited to Brookeville’s bicentennial US Capital for a Day celebration to sign copies of The White House is Burning. And I found magic. This was not some small celebration marking a small moment in history. The entire town was involved. Streets were closed down—all the streets. There were tours of the Madison House. Townspeople dressed in very authentic period costumes and reenacted the roles of their 1814 counterparts. Those who were descendants of 1814 residents—and there were many—proudly displayed their ancestor’s name on badges. This was a town that didn’t just know its history. It embraced it.
On the second day I was introduced to a very busy Katherine Farquhar, called the “mayor” of Brookeville. (She’s actually the president of the Town Commissioners.) I remarked that I had never seen so many people so enthusiastic about history, and I told her how impressed I was with the town and its US Capital for a Day celebration.
“Well,” she answered, “it’s a labor of love and a credit to our ancestors.” She hurried away before I had finished my double take. “A credit to our ancestors.” Had she really said that?
It must have been ninety degrees in Brookeville, Maryland that day. And I had goose bumps.
Jane Sutcliffe is the author of
The White House Is Burning
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ISBN 978-1-58089-656-6 $19.95 Ages 9-12 <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--> |
