Thank you to The Horn Book and the Boston Globe. And to Lauri Hornik and Lily Malcom, my wonderful publisher and art director. And congratulations to Marla and Oliver. (Great choices, judges.)
A few words about It’s Only Stanley:
This is a love story. There’s a lot of love in this book — blind, delusional, human love along with deep, primordial, canine passion.
It’s the story of the Wimbledon family — dog-owners — who, like many of us, treat their beloved Stanley as if he’s a human being. I’m guilty of this. I have a little, fluffy dog, and it rarely occurs to me that she’s actually descended from a wolf — until I try and take away her bully stick.
The Wimbledons, though — they’re exceptional. They have such boundless respect for their beagle that even when they’re jarred out of bed in the middle of the night, and find him stringing up wires, tubes, and pipes through the floors and ceilings, creating smoke and foul smells and general wreckage, they simply can’t believe he’s doing anything but routine repairs on the house.
And why is Stanley so busy? Well, he’s in love. And in order to fulfill this urge, he needs to fly to the moon using the Wimbledons’ conveniently-shaped house as a rocket ship.
It’s Only Stanley began as more of a mystery. In the early versions, the story simply ended with Stanley on his way to the moon. My editor lingered on that ending:
“Jon, could there be something on the moon that a dog might like?”
“A chew toy?”
“No, Jon. Something a dog might really be attracted to?”
Editors can be like psychologists, gently leading you to your own conclusions. Or, as on that day, they can blurt out:
“What if, on the moon, Stanley meets another dog?!”
Ah! It was the missing piece. This “other dog” became a pink, lunar poodle, and It’s Only Stanley became a genuine love story.
In fact, if the story had a message, it might be: “Love will find a way.” But it could also be: “Beagles who wear tool-belts should never be trusted.”
From the January/February 2016 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. For more on the 2015 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, click on the tag BGHB15.
The post It’s Only Stanley: Jon Agee’s 2015 BGHB PB Honor Speech appeared first on The Horn Book.
It’s Only Stanley
By Jon Agee
Does your dog howl at the moon longingly? Does he keep you up nights with odd tinkering noises reminiscent of a Mr. Fix it Fido?
Be very careful. For if he does any or all of these nighttime endeavors, your pooch may just be another Stanley, and that means you and your family may just be in for the ride of your lives.
What appears on the surface (of the earth) to be the skillful Stanley working on needed house hold repairs on the bathtub drain, oil tank, old TV, not to mention a concocted perfumed odor of catfish stew brewing (think rocket fuel), it may really be a whole lot more. Much more.
For the Wimbledon family, kept awake at night by Stanley’s plumbing and electrical exploits, are in for an early Richard Branson-like flight to other realms, at no cost to them, to a place beginning with M and ending with N.
Jon Agee’s fantastic configurations of Stanley’s aeronautical attempts are nothing short of dog gone good. Sorry!
What drives Stanley? An other worldly pink poodle’s my best guess. How did they first discover one another? And how, bow wow, do they communicate, is anyone’s guess.
Nothing can stand in the way of true love’s first doggy date on the moon when you have a dog like Stanley. Let’s face it, Wimbledon family, you’re just along for the ride.
Trust me. If Stanley can get you there. He’ll get you back in time for breakfast.
Children’s book author and illustrator Jon Agee has landed a three picture book deal at Penguin Group (USA)’s Dial Books for Young Readers. Agee (pictured) wrote The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau and many other books for kids.
The first title is Little Santa, a fictional biography starring young Santa Claus. It will be released in fall 2013. Publisher Laura Hornik negotiated the deal with Pippin Properties founder Holly M. McGhee. Hornik secured world rights and will edit.
Hornik had this statement in the release: ”Jon Agee is one of my very favorite picture book creators, and I’m rather giddy about the chance to work with him. I’ve long admired his unique and sly sense of humor, and his spare but exhilaratingly expressive illustrations. I’m full of wonder at his ability to bring brand-new glee to a story as age-old as Santa’s.”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Maybe half a year ago I mentioned that Ms. Lucy Knisley had created a cartoon poster for the first four Harry Potter books. Now with the final Potter movie coming out, the posters are at long last complete. They follow the plots of the books, not the films, but the look of the characters can be amusingly cinematic at times. And for the record, if I were a tattoo-minded dame, I would adore getting this image of Luna Lovegood and her pop.
But that’s not really my top news story of the day. How could it be? No the top news story is that it is once again time for the Summer Blog Blast Tour. Twice a year a cadre of bloggers for child and teen books gather together to interview some of the luminaries in the field. Chasing Ray has the round-up, so seek ‘em out and read ‘em up. I know I will.
When I lived in London for a time (it was like a little Intro to New York) I would periodically buy the newest issue of Time Out London and find interesting places to visit. One day the mag highlighted a toy museum. It was called The Museum of Childhood and it was fascinating. I was too intimidated to take any pictures, though, so I sort of forgot that I even went. Years have passed and I see that author/illustrator David Lucas has also been to that same museum and he has written about it in the post What do TOYS Think of Us? Stick around for the moment when he starts talking about panpsychism. Looking at all those ragamuffin bits of much loved cloth and felt reminds me of my library’s own original Winnie-the-Pooh. He is, after all, of the British persuasion.
- Yay, Sunday Brunch! Over at Collecting Children’s Books my partner in writing crime (we’re doing a Candlewick book with Jules from 7-Imp) has a delightful post that is well worth your time. My favorite parts include the childhood of a future Brat Packer, a reason why Erin E. Moulton’s Flutter is unique, and a vote for “The Year’s Creepiest YA Novel.” Hooked yet?
- Marci, this is for you. Remember how we were trying to figure out how one would go about creating Quidditch croquet? Well . . .
I love working the afternoon shift. You know the sort--the kind where I come in to a desk piled high with issues (hint: file under "sarcasm".) Today I found a pile of payment forms for lost materials. I give these the once over to see if there's anything I need to replace. Sure enough, I notice that Jon Agee's Terrific has been lost (sob!) So, as I'm debating whether or not to order 1 copy or 2,
If you are going to make your 8 year old turn off the TV against her will, you better have something fantastic to replace it. When I pulled the sublime Jon Agee's latest book out of my bag last night I learned two things: 1. that my daughter "loves" poetry; and 2. that tongue twisters are surely the most under appreciated literary format available to modern readers. Peter Piper's pickled peppers
That’s interesting about the Popularity Papers and the script. I wonder, though, if it’s more than unfamiliarity with script that was the problem: for a lot of folks with dyslexia and other visual processing issues, it really might be close to impossible to read a heavily script-y font. Which, of course, leads me to thinking that e-books would be a great solution to this: print it the way it makes the most sense (with the handwriting) but allow a speedy font change (or a readaloud or or or!).
And thanks for running the picture of the dress. You’ve saved me embarrassment as I was going to wear that next time on the red carpet, but I guess it wouldn’t be fresh anymore….
“This has been an excellent year for book dresses.” So true.
Hm. You make a great point about script and dyslexia, Greg. I admit that that hadn’t occurred to me.
Take in the seams and I bet you could still wear that dress too. Never lose hope!
I was surprised that the Indiana story got so much press, as many schools haven’t taught cursive in decades. One article stated that 41 states no longer require cursive in the curriculum…though some school systems still choose to teach it. The dyslexia issue is a valid point, but I think in most cases these days kids simply don’t know it. I have an author friend who always begs her publishers not to put her titles on the cover in cursive “because kids cant’ read it.” And kids who send her fan letters frequently ask her not to handwrite her response because they simply don’t know how to read cursive.
My eight-year-old is reading The Popularity Papers and having trouble with the cursive, even though she learned cursive in school last year. The thing is that they push perfect handwriting so hard, she only knows how to read cursive that looks like the stuff on their worksheets. I tried to explain about everyone having different handwriting, and she was baffled, since her teacher made it clear that all handwriting was supposed to look exactly alike. Luckily The Popularity Papers is highly motivating, so she’s getting some practice deciphering!
Whew, I feel dizzy! Thank you for this amazing round-up. Jumping in on the cursive discussion, it reminds me of when I was a child reading my dad’s old Babar book – I can still see myself sitting up in the huge old bed I slept in at my grandad’s house feeling sooo proud the day I could actually read it! And yes, the Museum is wonderful – thanks for pointing to the article.
My students always start the year complaining that they can’t read cursive, and then when I write directions on the board, I sneak in cursive letters here and there and they are fine. By January I’m writing entirely in cursive and they can read everything. Unfortunately there is nowhere near enough time in the day to fully teach both cursive and typing, and cursive is usually the one that gets short-changed. Thanks for the Museum of Childhood link–one of my favorite places in London!
Hahaha! Yay quidditch croquet! Thanks