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Why we must promote acceptance to children

FLINT eMagazine writes:-http://flintmag.com/children/

Acclaimed author Susanne Gervay’s new children’s picture book,Elephants Have Wings (Ford Street Publishing, H/B $26.95,) is inspired by the ancient story of the blind men and the elephant and promotes the importance of peace and inclusion to younger readers.

Inspired by Susanne’s journey to India and South East Asia, she returned imbued with the cultures of India and Asia and the parable of the blind men and the elephant with its spiritual traditions in Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Sufism and modern philosophy. As the child of refugees, Susanne wanted to open a discussion about pathways to peace by creating an illustrative text that gave young people positive ways to navigate a world torn by conflict.

Beautifully illustrated by Anna Pignataro, Elephants Have Wings follows the story of two children, riding on the wings of a mystical white elephant, embark on an extraordinary journey to discover the meaning of the parable of the blind men and the elephant, and the humanity in all of us. Endorsed by the esteemed Blake Society and created by the award-winning picture book team of Susanne Gervay AO and Anna Pignataro, Elephants Have Wings is a remarkable book that promotes peace and understanding to young readers.

Interview with Susanne

I’ve spoken to hundreds of thousands of young people, sharing my books across the world, in remote indigenous communities, Australian capital cities, throughout regional Australia, across the USA, Asia, India, Kiribati, Europe, from the richest to poorest communities, to young people in prison, hospitals, special schools, remote Outback stations, international schools. The young people I speak to come from many faiths, ethnicities, cultures. However there is a commonality. They seek acceptance, safety, love and are overwhelmed and disempowered by a world in conflict. Story can create a place to unravel their fears and disempowerment and provide pathways to compassion, understanding of other peoples and faiths and become a participant in creating a safer world.

On my tours, a little American boy told me that when he grows up he wants to be an architect. But he will only design short buildings. The Twin Towers of 9-11 are part of who he is now. I included his words which felt so poignant, in my ‘I Am Jack’ series.

I was flown to New York to speak about the power of my young adult novel ‘Butterflies’ to travel with young burns survivors and families. I had the extraordinary privilege to be on the faculty with Kim Phuc, the 9 year old Vietnamese girl running naked from napalm bombs in Nick Ut’s 1972 iconic Pulitzer Prize winning photo. With 80% of her body burned, she decided to turn pain into compassion. She is a UNESCO Ambassador for Peace and established the Kim Phuc Foundation for child survivors of war.

Kim Phuc became incorporated into ‘Always Jack’:-

My hero Jack, of the ‘I Am Jack’ books and his friend Christopher whose parents are Vietnamese refugees present their project to the school.

“Jack and Christopher say together. ‘Kim Phuc, the girl running from the bomb, said, ‘Don’t see a little girl crying out in fear and pain. See her as crying out for peace.’” (Chapter 10)

As part of a delegation, an initiative of the Edmund Rice Centre, I travelled to Kiribati with Patrick Dobson, father of Indigenous reconciliation. Kiribati looks like paradise, an island nation of 32 atolls in the Pacific with approximately 100,000 people. However, without sanitation, rising sea levels, inadequate fresh water supplies, one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, it is a multi-faith country struggling for survival. I had the privilege of sharing my books with wonderful teachers, students and communities. I addressed an assembly of hundreds of students under an open canopy. When I announced that I would donate my books to the school, in a spontaneous thanksgiving of song, their voices rose in a powerful celebration of thanks. It was deeply moving.

There have been many special moments of connection through story. I was invited to represent Australia in the international peace anthology by IBBY Korea under the auspices of the United Nations. My story ‘Remember East Timor’ was one of 22 stories, by 22 authors, 22 illustrators from 22 countries with different faiths and cultures. My author visit to the Deaf and Blind School where I read my picture books to children with multiple disabilities and diverse faiths, was significant in sharing the commonality of all children while recognising their difference.

As the child of refugees, ‘Elephants Have Wings’ encompasses the ethos that drives all my writing, engaging with young people as they face the challenges of life and empowering them with compassion, understanding of different faiths, humanism. The extraordinary tree of life that connects all humanity spreads its ways through the pages of ‘Elephants Have Wings’, as the mystical white elephant takes the children across the beauty of the world, its conflict and then safety of home.

‘Elephants Have Wings’ was written for young people and adults to open discussion about what sort of world they want and how they can contribute to it because ‘The elephant is in all of us’.

The post Elephants Have Wings- inclusion at Christmas appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

A community school – a selective school – a school that embraces reading – LOVE IT and LOVE the kids.

Kids from everywhere – they understand ‘Elephants Have Wings’ – where we’re all different but part of the same humanity.

Thankyou for the beautiful email I received from a student after my talks at Sefton:-

It’s amazing to have a compassionate author coming into Sefton, and talking about the hard journey of a writer, making us understand what it is to be a writer, that being a writer doesn’t mean being famous, being rich, e.t.c.

I also would like to say, even though you probably have heard this a million times, your books, especially Butterflies (my favourite) and That’s Why I Wrote this Song (2nd favourite), have touched my heart, and inspired me.

It taught me to be empathetic, looking at different sides of a challenge, and also to trust and give second chances.

It was beautifully written, and I admire the way you plunge into you writing with commitment and passion, and being the character, making the story authentic. I understand it is hard to being a published author, which is why I love and admire you so much, and you are quite easy to talk to, like a friend.

Here’s a question from me: If you are friends with an author’s book, are you friends with the author?

My answer: YOU ARE MY FRIEND!

The post I Love Sefton High School appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

For 40 years the Westpac helicopters have been rescuing people from the bikie gang war in Milperra,  Sydney to Hobart yacht race to the fires now!

I was proud to celebrate them tonight at the Hordern Pavilion.

Gail Kelly CEO Westpac Group spoke compellingly and so did the head of the service.

Moved by the family of fisherman with 2 young boys whose boat went down and who were saved by the Westpac helicopter. YEAH!

We rocked to Daryl Braithwaite and had a brilliant night of giving and thanking them.

The post LUV Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service – saving lives in the fires appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

The USA tour was so fabulous – from New York to Maryland to Washington State

- sharing I Am Jack and my JACK books and Butterflies which have been just published by Kane Miller Books in the USA.

Meet fabulous people – special thanks to Professors Ernest Bond and Patricia Dean at Salisbury University.

Caught up with fabulous writers and illustrators like Frane Lessac and Bruce Coville and many more.

Special thanks to Tabatha Roach representing Kane Miller Books and her great team especially Lisa and Jen.

THANKYOU!

Fabulous moments speaking in Seattle:-

The two Marks – President of the PTA and the school librariqn – at Kokanee Elementary School Woodinville in Seattle support

- I Am Jack and NO to bullying at this wonderful school set among evergreens with stunning snowcapped mountatins as a background.

The principal dressed as Where’s Waldo? supported I Am Jack and NO to bullying at the wonderful school Gildo Rey Elementary School Auburn (Seattle)

Teachers and young people were engaged and connected with the JACK books and Butterflies (Kane Miller Books)  offering insights about how we all deserve t live:-

that is to be all that we can be.

Loved the day.

Farewell fabuous Salisbury University.

Thankyou to Professor Patricia Dean – special hugs to her dogs Zoe and Lucy and the best kitten ever – Socrates.

Thankyou to Professor Ernest Bond for everything – also lift o Washington airport & stop off at the best ever diner!

Cool flight with Alaska Airlines to Seattle and collected by Tabatha Roach from Usborne-Kane Miller Books and Lisa -start of my Seattle speaking tour.

Beautiful hotel Deca – in the Washington University area. I’m on the 15th floor overlooking the city.  It has an art deco lounge area with fireplace, huge artworks – very special hotel.

Next morning drove through magnificent conifers over bays and a very long floating road. Seattle is beautiful.

Shared ‘Butterflies’ and my ‘I Am Jack’ books with 100′s and 100′sof kids and teachers and of cousre the wonderful librarians.

Some wonderful moments – reaching kids through story.

New York, New York, New York – hope it’s not too freezing. I’m wearing thongs!.

I was there last time to speak at the World Burn Congress about ‘Butterflies’ & was on the faculty with the amazing Kim Phuc UNESCO Ambassador for Peace.

My itinerary:-

Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Conference with JULIE ANDREWS – Sound of Music

and our very own brilliant Shaun Tan

and meeting my writing and illustrating friends from across the world.

Lecturing at Friends Seminary on Ships in the Field in New York

Then it’s off to Salisbury University Maryland who are studying my books- this great university supports international books and I get to catch up with Professors Ernest Bond and Patricia Dean.

Then 10 days  of speaking in Seattle hosted by Publisher Kane Miller’s Tabitha Roach. Thankyou Tabitha.

What a trip!

A sojourn in the country. Gloucester is one of those ideallic villages.

Impacted by the decline of the dairy industry for small holders, there were still dairy cows dotting the fields.

Fires are threatening and I had breakfast with firefighters who were staying at my motel.

Maybe the threats of fire, make the young people thinkers, maybe the relationship with the land. Whatever it is, they had great questions and were engaged in critical thinking and literature.

‘Ships in the Field’ and Belonging are natural partners. Anna Pignataro’s evocative illustrations of a family seeking belonging in a new ‘field’/land and the story reach into an immigrant world. It opens questions and discussion.

I was deeply touched by Caitlin a year 11 student, who shared her love of ‘Butterflies’ with me. I wrote that from such a deep place – that search for identity, meeting challenges and being all you can be.  Thankyou Caitlin.

I LOVE Gloucester.

I was touched when Merle Harris from Canada, was excited to meet me because she has been teaching I AM JACK for many years and it’s part of her school curriculum. Their one lonely copy can now be supplemented with I Am Jack being published in the USA (Kane Miller ) at last.  So deeply felt.

Shared with the Director of Library Services, Friends Seminary a Quaker School ‘Ships in the Field’. She’s taking it back to New York for her school.

Brilliant panel with Bart Moeyaert, award winning  Belgium author translated into many languages and iconic Aidan Chambers Hans Christian Andersen Medal award winner and winner of the Carnegie Medal for ‘Postcards from No Man’s Land’.

They are champions of translating literature into English.  Aidan gave some funny examples of mistranslation.

Actually I worry about how my ‘Butterflies’ truly reads in Bahasa (Indonesian) as the book looks cut down and censored. I’d never know.

Finally, so excited about meeting the Slovenian contingent, especially Veronika  Rot  Gabrovec, lectuere University of Ljublijana Slovenia. Veronika teaches Australian literature and knows my Slovenian publisher of ‘I Am Jack’ – just translated.Exciting to connect to the world through literature.

Great to share it with the Australian contingent, Robin Morrow and Jenni Woodroffe from IBBY Australia, and Frane Lessac illustrator exaordinaire.

The flight is sooooooo…. long from Australia. Managed to tip boiling tea on myself and  a blistered leg.

tihad Ailines  gave it a try – and 10 rows of travellers had no entertainment system. No movies – so  it was tough going, although had a diversion with boiling tea!

Good news is that I arrived and LOVE London.

Already did some tourist things from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace.

Rode on a British red bus and a taxi cab and of course the underground.

Had a great meeting with The Rights People – Alex Webb and Rachel Richardson who are taking my  ‘Butterflies’ to the Frankfurt Book Fair.

IBBY Congress starts today and I catch up with Frane Lessac!

Loved speaking as the Usborne and Kane Miller Books  Convention, Tulsa Oklahoma USA.

I was introduced by Tamela Cocke for my major speech to the Convention.

Couldn’t believe that Tamela worked with Dr Hugh Martin OAM in the Burn Unit at The Children’s Hospital Westmead (Sydney) at the time I was researching  for ‘Butterflies’.

Randall White President of EDR and Kane Miller Books welcomed Kane Miller authors Michelle Nelson-Schmidt (Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster), Debbie Bernstein LaCroix (It’s Almost Time) and me.

Loved Randalls’ car no. plates – KIDSBKS.

Love the community of SCBWI. I’m flying into LA and get to spend a few days with Steve Mooser President and co founder of SCBWI and Sally Crock who’s the IT genius always there for SCBWI. 

Can’t wait to have dinner with Lin Oliver, the Executive Director of SCBWI.

SCBWI connects writers and illustrators across the world.

www.scbwi.org

I’m in the USA to speak at the Kane Miller Sales Conference in Tulsa Oklahoma about my young adult novel ‘Butterflies’. How amazing is that – I never thought I’d get to Tulsa. The song bursts into my mind:-

24 hours from Tulsa by Gene Pitney

I plan to sing it all the way to LA, then Fort Worth Dallas, zooming into Tulsa.

‘Butterflies’ received a starred review from the School Library Journal.

“This hopeful, heartfelt novel will give teens an understanding of what it means to have a reason to be self-conscious. Librarians won’t be able to keep it on the shelf.”

- School Library Journal (Starred Review)

Kudos to Gervay for painting the reader a picture of a self-reliant teen girl who does not depend on a boy to make herself feel valuable. Highly recommended for libraries- school, public and personal- who want to add to their girl power collections.

- Swon Libraries

USA – Here I come!!!!

Butterflies by Susanne Gervay published Kane Miller USA

‘Butterflies’ is along side my friend and talented author Holly Thompson’s ‘Orchards’ in Bank Street Best Books of 2012 USA.

THE CHILDREN’S BOOK COMMITTEE at the Bank Street College of Education strives to guide librarians, educators, parents, grandparents and other interested adults to the best books for children published each year.

‘In choosing books for the annual list, reviewers consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers.’

Look up BANK STREET  to see a very special organisation – www.bankstreet.edu

Holly is the head of SCBWI Japan and I am co-head of SCBWI Australia & New Zealand

Butterflies is endorsed by The Children’s Hospital (Westmead) Sydney.

‘

Why did you do this play?”

Michael Cera ‘ ‘Love the script’

Emily Barclay – ‘Love the script’

Kieran Culkin – ‘What they said.’

Sometimes you think film actors aren’t real actors. Theatre is a serious testing ground. These are REAL actors – giving powerful, brilliant and gripping performances.

Michael Cera said he loved the chance to perform on the stage where there are no cuts, breaks, 5 minute slots, but serious, consistent acting.

I have a new found respect for both Keiren Culkin and Michael Cera.

Emily Barclay is different as her acting is grounded in theatre.

Their performances ‘knocked my socks off’ – I was wearing joggers too!

Their raw exposure of youth searching for identity in New York was real, powerful and permeated by a deep sadness of loss and being lost.  It is a world of disconnect with drugs, broken relationships, desperately grasping for love and purpose. In the tradition of ‘Catcher in the Rye’, it is timeless.

As a young adult writer, I feel connected to ‘This is Our Youth’. All young adult writers should see this play by award winning playwright Kenneth Lonergan.

The season is short, unexpected with 15 performances between 14-25 March. See it if you have a chance at the Drama Theatre Sydney Opera House.

Don’t miss out!

 The walls are high, the security is tight – locks, guards, security codes.

I’ve entered the world of Sunning Hill Education in the  Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre (JJJC).

The teachers are welcoming and professional. Their goal is to give these girls vocational and social skills so that they won’t have to be incarcerated again.

I am given a serious induction session- the security and the way it operates.

I have the privilege of being in the staff meeting where the weekend reports are read out and discussed – this young offender was unsettled, that young offender had to be subdued, privileges are removed, Sunday afternoon had no events.

I am taken through locked hallways, across the courtyard to the lecture room. It’s modern with book posters including ‘That’s Why I Wrote This Song’ and ‘Butterflies’ on the wall and a display of books for the girls to read. I am only allowed to bring in my books.

There are 6 teachers-staff-security present as the 15 teenage girls are brought in.

My Book Week  talk is one hour about search for identity, the journey of writing with my daughter Tory, ‘That’s Why I Wrote This Song’ and meeting challenges through ‘Butterflies’.

The girls look down, some look at me and so begins a very special hour sharing story and life.

My heart goes out to these girls, because they are just girls like my daughter.

I am glad to be part of this day. I am glad there is an education facility with the Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre.

I hope I have touched even a few of these girls, as I want them to have a life where they can pursue their dreams.

They deserve that.

I appreciated this special experience.

Natalie Van Houten I sold several copies to our local Children’s Home for a book club for teenage girls. Amazing book. We are priviliged to carry this title!’

The Kane Miller sales team are so special – they talk and love their books, including my ‘Butterflies’.

Butterflies which was an emotional roller coaster to write but an amazing experience.

Butterflies KANE MILLER 2011

It was so much fun having lunch in LA with my wonderful USA publisher Kira Lynn and the Marketing Manager Lynn Kelley of Kane Miller Book Publishers. THANKYOU KANE MILLER!  www.kanemiller.com

Butterflies by Susanne Gervay published Kane Miller USA

 Every survivor has a story. Often the story is of interest, and even more often instructive. “Butterflies” is the story of a burn survivor, and is both
interesting and instructive. It explores the complex areas of the emotional impact of a burn on the individual and family while giving insight into the world of hospitals, patients and doctors. It traces the development of the personality from insecurity and relative isolation to a healthier level of self esteem that enables the individual to form balanced relationships with family and friends. It shows how the inner person can triumph over a preoccupation with surface scars and know that basic values of commitment, caring and trust are more important than the texture of the skin.

 “Butterflies” has relevance outside the narrow circle of burn survivors and their families. It shows the ebb and flow of emotions that affect us all, particularly in the transition between childhood and adulthood, and how parenting and family life make these bearable.