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Jack

by Tomie de Paola

 

Jack is on a journey – and the message is – so are we! That is what is so unbelievably appealing to me about the picture book. For our very young readers, it takes them on their very FIRST journey into reading with stories told in pictures and a chance to see what lies ahead for a lifetime of reading.

And who better to be their escort on these early journeys than the inimitable picture book author, Tomie de Paola? His picture books are legend and his awards in the arena of the picture book are legion. And here in ‘Jack” is a deceptively simple tale of a young boy living on a farm with his grandpa “way out in the country” who goes to the city to seek his future. But, as you may see it has a powerful message

According to Jack, HIS perfect future involves an opportunity to “see the world and make new friends and live in a house in the city?” Sounds doable, right? And it sounds like the dreams of thousands of young people today as they enter young adulthood. But Jack relies on Grandpa for a plan and a mentor at the journey’s end. Smart Jack! The wisdom of the older generation is a treasure just WAITING to be plumbed – and so many times – it isn’t!

Kings too, make great mentors, being “wise and generous men, says Grandpa. And off Jack goes – alone – but not for long. He is joined on his journey to the city by a very noisy and diverse group of tag alongs. After hearing Jack’s plans, they, too, want to come along for the ride er walk. In beautifully nuanced artistic succession, Jack takes on a veritable armada of animals, all added on after a simple Q and A of “Where are you going?” and “We’re going to the city to ask the king for a house.” Naive? Maybe. But in the words of a Rogers and Hammerstein song called, “ Happy Talk”, it affirms the truth that Jack knows. And that is “You gotta have a dream – If you don’t have a dream – How you gonna have a dream come true?”

Jack has a dream and it is shared by a quacking, squawking, barking, cheeping, mooing, oinking, croaking menagerie of add on dreamers. I forgot the ones that are the late comers like the ones that baa, neigh and hoot!

I had to chuckle when I read the answer the guard gives Jack at the palace when he asks for admittance. ‘Go right in.” says the guard. The parallel to modern “white houses” is pretty funny – or not.

Jack gets his audience with the king accompanied by his noisy companions where he is handed the “key” to a house that is a veritable fixer upper – but doable as the king expresses confidence in Jack’s abilities.

Some say, as Jack moves in, “There goes the neighborhood,” as people have mimicked for years, BUT, others chime in with – “And it’s about TIME.”

Tomie de Paola has created a beautiful metaphor for the shared dreams of generations of people that go to the city to pursue a dream. The city IS a melting pot of different tongues and talents. But the dream is the same – a better life. And the best part of realizing a dream is that along the way, you usually have, if you are lucky – a ton of tag along friends that buoy you up in your dream. They may be create a din at times, and they may be diverse – but they share your dream! They believe in you – and the dream.

And as Tomie so wisely imagines in his simple tale – if you are dogged and determined – you just may be handed the key to a very small kingdom called a house where dreams come true. For Jack, it’s a house, but for others today, it may just be a job. BUT, kids will intuit the message that whatever your dream is, it may be shared by many who are NOT like you. And, in the end, journeys are made to be shared – as well as dreams -and there is room for all! Well done, Tomie! It needs to be said again and again for each generation of dreamers.

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I had to do something on LOST for this Illustration Friday. It goes along with this posting I did back in 2010, before LOST was over. Whether you loved or hated the ending, it was still quite a show.

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Now this is a great way to spend your money! Cartoonist Jason Young has spent the last three years slowly commissioning an array of great indie artists to redraw FANTASTIC FOUR #9, the issue co-starring the Sub-Mariner. It’s a Coober Skeeber/Strange Tales mash-up that proves the talents of all involved. Young writes:

Think of it as a punk band doing a cover of a sixties classic. All the artists involved are respectfully reinterpreting Jack Kirby through their own eyes and style. The project is a long-term, slow process. Jason is paying for the commissions out of pocket for his own personal collection and enjoyment.

Recently a Brandom Graham page got much attention, but this morning we’ve just seen Beat comments superstar Dustin Harbin..

And previously, Anders Nilsen:

And before that Chester Brown!

Click on links for the whole pages and Kirby originals.

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Yes, today would be Jack London’s 135th birthday, and to celebrate it, we’ll be doing a giveaway to 6 lucky tweeters. International readers, keep your eyes on @OWC_Oxford and when you see,

“It’s Jack London’s 135th birthday!”

just retweet it before 3pm GMT! Live in the US? Follow @OUPblogUSA. You’ll have until 3pm ET. Winners will be announced on Thursday and have their choice of

OR   OR 

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No matter which team you go for, here is a team of books to whet the appetite of any young soccer enthusiast.

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They've been loudly expressing their disapproval of me working outside while they remain locked in their chicken run. (No WAY I'm letting them free range - until mid-summer at the earliest! I have way too many plant starts that they would joyfully scratch up in their ecstasy at being able to roam free). A chicken friend of mine lent me this 'chicken playpen' - collapsible, bottomless and mobile. This way I can put them in various places in the yard to graze and scratch, while in very close quarters, to their hearts content.

They were initially freaked out a little, but quickly got into the spirit of it all. Jack was very excited to see them out as well. He spent much of the afternoon in close proximity, keeping them company and keeping an eye on them. (I think he was actually a sheepdog in his former life. Loves the herding!)

Ok! Baba Yaga is calling. Must get back to her before my chickens end up on *her* menu.

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As I mentioned in my meme yesterday, we got a dog! Our family life is overwhelmingly busy at times, and though we wanted a new pet, we definitely didn't want a puppy. Introducing Jack (full name: Captain Jack Sparrow). He's an adult beagle we got at the humane society. Click on the pic for a funny, different view. 





Now, forget that Jack is a sweetheart and let your mind wander. What does this image bring to mind for you? A favorite pet from childhood? The dog that bit you after his owner said, "Oh sure, he's friendly"? The horrible decision of putting an ill pet to sleep? A dog you saw on the best vacation of your life? 

See what connections your mind makes, and then write a 15 Words or Less poem. It doesn't have to describe or explain the image (though it can). Remember, these are just exercises or skeletons of poems. Yours might turn out wonderfully; it might not. Either way, it's OK. Share your poem in a comment and be part of the community. If you've never played before, click on the 15 Words or Less button in the sidebar to see the guidelines.  Enjoy!

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One of the best things about working at Oxford University Press is finding older books you didn’t know about. A couple of days ago I came across The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales: The Western Fairy Tale Tradition from Medieval to Modern, edited by Jack Zipes. I decided to put the volume to the test. Would it have the modern musical interpretation of fairy tales? It did! Below is the entry about one of my favorite shows, Into the Woods.

(more…)

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I did this for Illustration Friday this week...
Also, this is the logo for this month's April Fool contest. The Anti-Valentines day contest was well received, but there were alot more crafty entries than illustrations, so I'm hoping my artist friends will be more in evidence with this one!



Sketched in pencil (long work meeting!), scanned, colored in photoshop.

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I'll be at Comic Con in San Diego from July 26th to the 29th. Is anyone going? Would love to meet up if you are. My calendar is just starting to populate itself with meetings and fun parties.

Look for a special from the floor up to the minute account blog from AWN, that oh so fun place where I work. I'll be blogging with my co-worker and fellow blogger Rick of Ricks Flicks Picks fame ([email protected]). We're going to have a dedicated blog just for ComicCon but haven't yet decided what we're going to call it. We'll take suggestions!

Oh and if you have news related to Comic Con send it to [email protected] and we'll get it up on the site!


See ya in San Diego!

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