... and now for something completely different.

Two weekends ago I attended Stumptown Comics Fest-- a two days celebration of Portland comic books, graphic novels, and their creators. While I don’t read many comics, I went in hopes to learn how one goes about making comics, (after all, they’re not all that different from picture books). I went to seven or eight workshop-panels and took part in creating an instant graphic novel, (together a room of strangers write and illustrate a comic in two hours! The results are here. I did page one!). I learned about story, timing, character creation, humor, and drawing perspective.

Images from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

Of course these panels weren’t comprehensive, but they were a good introduction to each topic and piqued my curiosity to learn more. The best part was that several of the panelists, professional comic creators themselves, gave recommendations for further reading on the art of visual storytelling. I ended the weekend by buying all the titles from Amazon.com. And they are:

Perspective for Comic Artists by David Chelsea

Extreme Perspective for Artists by David Chelsea (okay, so Chelsea was one of the panelists and he was totally hocking his books, but his demonstrations were amazing! I bit.)

Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner

Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative by Will Eisner

On Directing Film by David Mamet

Making Comics by Scott McCloud

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (I already own a copy and have read it four times.)

Story by Robert McKeee

The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

A hefty list to be sure and not cheap, (I think I spent around $125)-- but if you think about it that’s a fraction of the price of going to art school-- it seems like a small investment for a writer/artist’s education. I’m half-way through reading the lot, and have found them immensely helpful so far. I’m sure I’ll refer to them again and again though the years, no matter what kind of stories I want to tell or what media I want to use. Totally worth the expense; I recommend them all.

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While doing all of this reading I came up with ideas for two graphic novels! The stories will be about the lives of historical figures that I’ve been obsessed with all my life.

The first is Chief Powhatan, whose political accomplishments have always taken a back seat to the romantic legend of his daughter, Pocahontas. The second is Joan of Arc, who’s often depicted as a fearless warrior and martyr, rather than as a teenage girl who got in way over her head, (a much more relatable heroic figure if you ask me). Though I’ve often wondered what these people were like, I had never thought to tell their stories until now.

I’ll need to do a ton of research to tell the stories accurately, but for now it’s best to not get bogged down in details. I want to get the ideas down-- if only as sketches-- while the excitement is fresh.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes.

Peace out!

-Jovan

The Author with Pink Hair

Last year I participated in NaNoWriMo. If you’re not familiar, it’s an annual writing exercise where people try to compose complete novels of 50,000 words in thirty days. When I began NaNoWriMo, (short for Nation Novel Writing Month), I started by telling the story of a boy with pink hair named Richard.

Richard is the black sheep of his family due to his naturally pink hair. His mother abandons him at a park one day, leaving the boy to fend for himself. Richard must find people who love him just the way he is. It’s basically a re-telling of The Ugly Duckling. But I got bored and moved on to another, longer story.

I’ve recently learned that gossip-monger Perez Hilton is publishing a children’s picture book in September about the very same subject.

I’m outraged! I don’t know how he found out I was doing NaNoWriMo, but I’m pretty sure Perez Hilton hacked into my computer, stole my files, and went back in time to dye his hair and write the story before I did. If only I could find his time-machine I’d have all the evidence I need...

I shake my fist at Hilton! His success could’ve been mine. Maybe I should’ve finished writing my story and rushed it to a publisher, huh?

At least I rock pink hair better than Perez Hilton.

Let this be a lesson in missed opportunities. Lesson learned. Thanks Universe.

-Jovan

Dood, This is Cool...

I want this: a dress made of Little Golden Books. More photos here.

Rant About Board Books

Warning: The opinions expressed in this post are those of an adult who has no children of her own. She’s also feeling extra bratty today. Reader discretion is advised.

All board books seem to do anymore is tell small children that ducks are fuzzy and kittens have scratchy tongues, with mock surfaces for little fingers to touch. Not only do they teach children that it’s perfectly fine to rub cacti to feel their prickliness, they’re also woefully inaccurate in simulating textures, (a good thing considering some of the subject matter). The point of the board books is to make them durable, not to encourage toddlers to molest the pages. I think modern board books are the reason why the display copies of pop-up books are torn to shreds at book stores and libraries, because children are taught (unintentionally) that books are toys. Yes I know children learn through touch, but does that mean we ought to encourage them grab at books like literate Lennies from Of Mice and Men? Besides, these touch and feel books can’t compare with textures in the real world.

Oh, is that what a tiger feels like? Huh, feels exactly like bunnies and chicks.

Modern board books also typically devoid of plot, relying on gimmicks to get the reader’s attention. Which makes me wonder why any parent or child would want to bother. It probably explains why I so rarely see parents reading these books to their little ones, and even more rarely see children enjoying them.

Just because a book is meant for young children or babies doesn’t mean it has to be mindless. Books for preschoolers need to be short enough to be read in five minutes, (as opposed to 15 for older children), but that’s not to say they can’t have stories or be educational. Simple counting or labeling books are totally useful in teaching toddlers the basics and narratives are always welcomed. Here are some great alternatives to those touch and feel books hogging the market today, (most were made in the last century but still hold up):

The original board book series Max and Ruby by Rosemary Wells were every bit as engaging as books for older children, just boiled down to their key scenes.

Some of the funniest board books were written by Sandra Boynton in the 1980’s. Her books have the same humor and charm as her decades famous hippo birdie two ewes greeting card.

I am a Bunny, though intended for children ages 4-8 is a classic that states the wonders of passing seasons, (and is illustrated by the incomparable Richard Scarry, to boot).

The book Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (from 2002) teaches the names of parts of the body, and presents parents and children with the opportunity to touch their own bodies instead of the pages, (which makes story time kind of like a game). Sitting down to read to a child is a great bonding activity for both child and parent, so why start the tradition with uninspired books? Babies can be bored by lack-luster books just like adults. Therefore, books should be chosen with care, even for those who are just learning the basics of language. And books though entertaining, aren’t toys. They need to be handled with respect, something that may be tough to teach if all the books in a child’s library say “touch me”.

Tell me what you think.

-Jovan

A Third Act for Maurice Sendak, An Encore for Dr. Seuss

Would you believe I didn’t read Dr. Seuss until I was eleven? It’s true. In my childhood library I had not one Seuss book to my name (gasp)! I watched the cartoon versions of The Lorax, How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Horton Hears a Who!, but hadn’t actually read Dr. Seuss until I stumbled upon a copy of Oh The Places You’ll Go at my grandmother’s house in the 6th grade. I read it out loud-- the only way to read Seuss-- ten times in a row until I got the rhythm perfect.

I’ve only read a few titles since so I know I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but for those of you who’ve read every last word the good doctor wrote, I’ve got news for you: No you haven’t!

Turns out there are seven forgotten Dr. Seuss tales that are coming to print later this year. The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories comes out in September, and promises to be every bit as good as his classics. The stories were written during the height of his career and some even inspired The Cat in The Hat Comes Back and A Fish Out of Water.

My Dr. Seuss-loving friend Tina wears her devotion on here arm. I hope she has room for a few more.

But if that isn’t enough good news my fellow children’s-bibliophiles, how about this:

After a thirty-year absence Maurice Sendak has written and illustrated a new book, Bumble-Ardy! It’s about a pig whose parents have never celebrated his birthday, so he decides to throw a party for himself and invite his rowdy neighbors to join.

Here’s an early animated version of the story that aired on Sesame Street in the 1970s:

Notice that Bumble Ardy is a boy in this cartoon? When asked why he changed him to a pig for the book, Sendak said it was because “boys tend, generally speaking, to be pigs.”. (Good old Sendak, blunt as always). Other changes have been made as well: Bumble Ardy’s career-obsessed parents get sent to slaughter and he’s sent to live with his aunt. And now the party-goers get pickled on brine instead of wine, (thank you political correctness?)

I’m not sure how I feel about sobered-up version of the story. Sendak was never known for writing “safe” stories, but maybe this is just a sign of the times. How do you feel about this edit?

Both books come out this fall and would make excellent Christmas presents if you’re shopping for me or [other] children. Welcome back old friends, we’ve missed you!

Peace out!

--Jovan

Ebooks: Looking to the Future

Recently, children’s picture books have been adopted for the iPad, Color Kindle, and Nook Color, making the public wonder if printed picture books are on their way out. Book-sellers have responded to the concern saying that children’s books sales are higher than ever.

I doubt that that’s entirely true. I’m sure they’re counting children’s literature, not picture books specifically-- skewing the numbers. More and more children’s novels are being turned into movies, and that naturally improves the sales of the books they were based on, (whether or not the films were box-office successes). From Harry Potter to The Chronicles of Narnia to The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, children’s literature is immensely profitable, and can be franchised to sell a range of products.

As far as sales of picture books are concerned, think of them like children’s cereals. Cereal producers know how to market to kids, (with sugar-laden goodness, cartoon mascots, and toy prizes). They also know to put the cereals at children’s eye-level in stores, so that kids will badger their parents into buying some. Same thing happens with children’s books. Kids go to book stores with their parents and see bright picture-book covers and then convince the parents to buy the books. Don’t underestimate the buying power of those under four feet tall.

As long as there are book stores, there will be picture books for sale. However if there are no more book stores around it will be a different story. But don’t fret!

Listen, I love my Nook as much as any commuter, but while ebooks are convenient they sure don’t look good on a book-shelf. They can’t be signed; They can’t be bought cheaply due to cracked spines and inscriptions; can’t be collected; can’t be read and shared with a room full of first graders. No one will scourer flea markets in hopes of scoring a first edition digital book. The printed book isn’t going to go away completely-- not as long as people enjoy owning things. The desire to possess what we hold dear runs too deeply for it to just stop.

Make no mistake though, book publishing is changing. But rather than fear the end of a few hundred-year old tradition, writers and illustrators should welcome the new technology. Ebook readers present new possibilities for interaction. Like the popular LeapPad series or the Talk N Play from the 1980’s, children’s ebooks can engage readers rather than passively entertain them-- but ebooks can be taken further than their predecessors. Rather than being stuck with a script and button-pressing, writers and illustrators can now think of new ways to tell stories that involve audio, music, animation, video, puzzles, customization… and eventually 3D.

electronic story books then and now.

The process will be slow to start-- publisher will think that they have to literally translate one medium to another instead of taking advantage of the new freedom-- but eventually someone will create an epicture book that inspires a new genre, a brand-new form of entertainment.

I also foresee custom printing for books not commercially available in print, opening up the publishing world to new sources of revenue. Eventually stories may be tailor-made for their readers, haute couture in dust jackets. Story characters, plots and settings will be fully customizable-- like the book equivilant of Little Big Planet. Readers will be able to design and order books online and have them shipped directly to them, no book stores needed.

I for one am very excited to see what the future will bring. May some one much brighter than me figure out how to build on the new technology. Or I guess I could get on the stick and start experimenting with it myself. Hmmm…

What do you think the future of children’s books will look like?

-Jovan