Jane speaks eloquently of how re-inventing a career in the arts every seven to ten years is a way to keep your writing fresh and alive. And yet, how difficult it is when then re-invention is forced on you.
So, to help honor the contribution of mid-list authors in general, and celebrate two mid-list authors in particular, Jane announces this year's winners:
Karen Coombs and Sallie Wolf
Sallie was here and joined Jane on stage for an enthusiastic standing ovation!
Spent the weekend at the National Science Teachers Conference, and talked with a room full (or not so full) of science teachers and those interested in using trade books in their science classrooms. The session wasn’t as packed as it should have been, but the discussion was no less rigorous. I met teachers from Missouri, Vermont, Wyoming, and other states who all struggle against time constraints, testing standards, and changing curriculum in their efforts to teach science as it should be taught – as an exciting exploration to satisfy curiosity about the world around us.
Catherine Thimmesh (author of Team Moon) wondered why students “check out” when a lesson or activity is labeled science. It didn’t make sense to any of us in the room – teachers or writers – who think that science in all its forms is cool. Most kids start out being curious, natural scientists. Something along the way turns them off. What can we do?
I’ve heard that kids don’t go into the sciences because they believe that it is hard. Where does that idea come from? Yes, science can be difficult, but it is also one of the few places where being wrong can be just as important as being right.
Elizabeth Rusch (author of Mighty Mars Rover) noted that we need to model that it is okay not to understand something. Our school system promotes right and wrong answers, facts for every subject.
Sarah Campbell (author of Growing Patterns) contends that if kids are taught how to think – analyze, compare, etc. -- science is just like everything else. “If you can do that, you can do science.”
I think
Sallie Wolf (author of The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound) hit the nail on the head when she said, “We don’t have time in our education system to let kids stay in that place of not understanding.” There is always a test in two weeks, another unit to move on to. Kids also aren’t taught to trust their observations.
When a group of 5th graders created a bird field guide, they had to ask, “How can we make a boring Missouri bird sound cool” (They had just read about penguins and thought they were cool.) That’s what NF writers ask every day. What other questions do we ask? How do you make something complex simple? What’s important to kids? If you don’t understand, how do you find out – what questions do you ask? What are your assumptions? How do you know what you think you know?
If we want kids to ask questions, we can’t be afraid to not know the answer. Teachers, writers and everyone need to admit, “I don’t know, but let’s find out.” And we writers can acknowledge how much we don’t know when we start a project, how that it’s exciting to us, and how we go about getting the information we need. If we are honest with kids about not knowing, perhaps they will be more comfortable with that part of learning and science won’t seem so hard.
Truck Stuck, Italian Style.
You never know when life will imitate a children's book.
There I was, on vacation in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, resting up after the vigors of the Bologna Children's Book Fair. My traveling companion and I had just picked up our rental car, a Fiat 500, in Florence and were heading south through Chianti country. My Frommer's guidebook mentioned that there was a lovely castle and winery outside of Greve in Chianti, so when we saw the sign for Castello di Verrazzano, we hooked a right and zipped straight up the side of a mountain into wine paradise. We drove into the estate past a large tractor-trailer that was preparing to leave, the only thought in our minds being how many wines we could sample before safely navigating the precipitous road back down to the valley.
Inside the tasting/dining room, a brick-oven fire glowed seductively, and we sampled three lovely wines, accompanied by the most delicious bruschetta ever (just olive oil and salt, but wow). We chatted a bit with the wine guy, bought a bottle of Chianti Cla
ssico Reserva, and headed back to the car.
We were greeted by the sight of the tractor-trailer, now jack-knifed and blocking the exit of the parking lot. Its cargo bed, containing about 700 cases of wine headed for the US, was twisted precariously and crushing the cab. All the guests were stuck at the winery until the Italian firefighters arrived to address the situation.
Resigned to our horrible fate, we returned to the tasting room and drowned our sorrows in free wine and cheese. Eventually (the Italians have a very different sense of time than we Americans), the firefighters arrived and attempted to crane the truck's cargo back to equilibrium. Alas, it was to no avail. Next came the forklift attempts to unload some of the heavy pallets, which only resulted in the truck tipping even further in the wrong direction.
Now you would think that with wine in abundance and vehicular entertainment on display (never mind the cute Italian firefighters), that the time would have passed pleasantly. And that was indeed the case . . . for the first five hours. When it became clear that the entire truck would need to be unloaded, by hand no less, before any of us could leave our vinous prison, a certain restlessness set in along with the alcoholic sedation. Though the truck's release seemed imminent, the winery staff sensed our unease and quickly offered us a choice: two free bottles of wine each, or a free dinner. The other American guests took the wine and left, shackled to their schedules and itineraries, but I was raised never to turn down a free meal, especially in a country known for its gastronomic prowess. What followed was a seven-course meal, replete with wine parings. Not to bore you, my dear reader, but take a gander at this:
ANTIPASTO
Mixed plate of salami and other cured meats, paired with the 2006 Vino Rosso
PRIMO
Pasta pappardelle with wild boar sauce, paired with the 2006 Chianti Classico
SECONDO
Roasted pheasant and potatoes, paired with the 2005 Chianti Classico Riserva
CARNE
Steak Fiorentina and mixed-green salad, paired with the 2005 Sassello (a supertuscan)
FORMAGGIO
Pecorino and parmesano reggiano with balsamic vinegar and hot pepper jelly
DOLCI
Apple torte, paired with vin santo, a desert wine
CAFFE
Espresso and cantucci (like biscotti), paired with grappa
After a meal like that, driving was out of the question, so we threw ourselves on the mercy of our hosts and rented a room in a farmhouse down the mountain. As we wobbled and rolled out the door, I thought to myself, maybe I should have told them to let the air out of the tires on the left side of the truck and we could have avoided all this unpleasantness.
************
Yolanda is the editor of Truck Stuck (written by Sallie Wolf; illustrated by Andy Robert Davies), in which two children help a truck get unstuck by letting the air out of the tires.
It wasn't funny at all until I thought, "This is just like Truck Stuck by Sallie Wolf, with insanely clever illustrations by Andy Robert Davies. That big truck is stuck under the overpass and I'm sitting in a line of honking cars, which always moves the truck." After I realized how similar my situation was to that brand new book from Charlesbridge (February 2008), I laughed and laughed--on the inside.
Unfortunately, there was no lemonade stand on the 93 offramp or the entrance to Storrow Drive. There was no Elvis impersonator (which is a constant disappointment in my daily life. My birthday is in November, and I really wish someone would send me an Elvis impersonator). There wasn't even a police officer directing traffic, just the frustrated and embarrassed truck driver trying to direct traffic to the other lane. Boston drivers don't like to change lanes.
Posted by Donna.
I LOVE this one....another of Kim Norman's songs. This one is called You Won't Accept No and sung to the tune "Baby It's Cold Outside" It shows the editor's point of view with submissions and slush piles. (warning...one strong word at the end)
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Smart,smart choice on so very many levels!
Wow--what a meal! What a great adventure! The kids in the book did not give their lemonade away for free. I guess they were more American than Italian.