On Saturday afternoon, I spent two and a half hours waiting in line at the National Book Festival to meet the one and only Tomie dePaola. Spending the afternoon in line probably doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun to most people, but it was actually one of the most memorable experiences I've had in a while. By the end of the two and a half hours, I felt a strong bond with the women near me in line--even if only for that one afternoon--over our mutual adoration for children's books.
One of the women was a first grade teacher, another a reading specialist. Several librarians, a middle school teacher, and a fellow writer surrounded me as well. Our conversations covered adult authors, children's authors, childhood memories of school and books, and the state of the education system in the United States today. And of course, there was Tomie dePaola.
Another of dePaola's books, which actually has a dance theme in it, is Oliver Button Is a Sissy. According to the information on the book's jacket, the problems Oliver Button faces in the story are not unfamiliar to dePaola himself.
The boys at school think Oliver is a sissy, and he doesn't like to do the things the other boys like to do. Even though his father wishes that he was good at playing ball, Oliver would rather be reading books, drawing pictures, playing with paper dolls, or dancing.
When Oliver's mother enrolls him in dancing school, Oliver gets a shiny new pair of tap shoes. The boys at school keep calling him a sissy, but Oliver keeps practicing and practicing his tapping. And when his dance teacher asks him if he would like to participate in the local talent show, Oliver practices even more. When the big day finally arrives, Oliver taps with pizazz. It's not enough to win the talent show, but Oliver wi
5 Comments on Meet Tomie dePaola and Oliver Button...I Did!, last added: 9/27/2011
Display Comments
Add a Comment
Sounds awesome, Kerry! I love spending the day with other readers and writers - so inspiring! We've finally read Elephants Can't Dance and my son loves it - enough to want to read it himself. So, thanks for the suggestion!
Hi, Brooke. Oh, good. I'm glad he liked it! Maybe he'll like the other Elephant & Piggie books, too. Some of them are so funny. I actually thought of you when I wrote this post about Oliver Button Is a Sissy...since it could be considered a boy dance book, too :)
I have not seen Oliver Button is a Sissy - I will have to check it out. I went with my daughter to listen to Tomie DePaola speak at the National Book Festival too - it was so fun to listen to him!
Big Depaolo fan. I reviewed his version of Queen Esther a while back, which was fine, but Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers is a thing of perfection.
Thanks for stopping by, Camille and Jonathan. Nice to know some other dePaola fans. Jonathan, I will have to look up Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers. The title alone is very intriguing!