10 Spooky and Bizarre Poetry Books

There is always this fine balance as parents to encourage what we think is healthy and positive while gently steering our children away from what we believe is undesirable.

While the younger child doesn't care much for "spooky stuff" unless it is funny, the older one cannot have enough of it, the darker the better. The younger one is excited about poetry (the rhyming kind) while the older could take it or leave, as long as it is a good read (by her definition, of course).

So, when we decided to explore a theme for October, it seemed like poetry books that celebrate the creepy while balancing it out with humor, was a natural choice.

Of course, it was unavoidable to run into "Hallowe'en" along the way - there are very few children's picture books about the menacing macabre theme without the implicit association with All Hallow's Eve.

As usual, we raided the local library and found what we could and read the books one after the other, in no particular order. Some of the books below are for 8+ while others might be just fine of the 5/6 year olds. As always, it is left to the parent and the child to pick and choose the ones that might be of interest.

1. Your Skeleton is Showing: Rhymes of Blunder from Six Feet Under
by Kurt Cyrus
illustrated by Crab Scrambly


Hot off the press, so-to-speak, this book of poems is both bizarre and funny. Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt's October 2013 pick seems to appeal to the young and not-so-young alike.

A young boy wanders into a graveyard and encounters a lost dog - well, ghost of a lost dog who is looking for its (ghost) owner. As they wind their way through the graveyard, they 'meet' various other 'inhabitants' and learn a bit about how they each met their macabre fate. In the end, the boy finds what he was looking for as does the dog.

Freddie Diggs who would not stop picking his nose; Wanda Gripp who loved to hug everyone and didn't think twice about hugging an anaconda; High-wire Pete who couldn't tie a knot; we learn about them via hilarious poetry- about how they fell, or what they are up to in their afterlife.

Kurt Cyrus is not stranger in our house - quite a few of his books (written & illustrated!) are all-time favorites earning a firm spot on our bookshelf. While I am curious to know why Kurt didn't illustrate this book, or had he chosen to illustrate it how different would it be, I am very glad to see Crab Scrambly's presentation of the grisly mixed with the amusing.



2. Los Gatos Black on Halloween
by Marisa Montes
illustrated by Yuyi Morales


This bilingual poetry book has just enough spooky Spanish words to complete the reading experience. From context and the illustrations, we can glean the meaning easily even if the Spanish words are unfamiliar at first.

Under the bright full luna, a host of creatures go about: los gatos black emerge; las bruhas fly on their broomstick; los fantasmas rattle their chains and shriek their pains; los esqueletos rattle their bones and clatter in a dance; los muertos rise from the graves and join the others at the haunted casa for some music and dance on their one night of celebration.

However, the party stops when they hear a knock on the puerta. What disturbs them the most is los niños yelling "trick-or-treat"!

While the illustrations are rather darkish and mildly eerie, the humor in them counterbalances and adds a certain charm that complements the reading experience.

What a fun way to incorporate a second language into the reading experience!



3. Creature Carnival
by Marilyn Singer
illustrated by Gris Grimly


I have tremendous admiration for Marilyn Singer's poetry. Mirror, Mirror and its follow-up book Follow, Follow present Reverso poems that she pioneered.

From the inspiring collection of poems about nature in Footprints on the Roof and its companions How to Cross a Pond and Central Heating, to child-friendly non-fiction presentations like Bottoms Up! and Eggs, many of Ms.Singer's books have resonated with me as a parent.

What's not to like about creatures from myth, legend, and popular culture? From Godzilla to Dragons, a menagerie of animals are presented via clever and witty poems, possibly appealing to the older children and adults. The illustrations by Gris Grimly match the poems in wit and humor while highlighting the eerie and the  gruesome.



4. Skeleton Bones & Goblin Groans
Poems for Halloween
by  Amy E. Sklansky


I fell in love with Amy Sklansky's Out of this World poetry book about space.

This book is a collection of rather tame poems for the young, not too scary, and not too funny either, and all about Halloween as the subtitle says.

Some are perfect for the 5 year old to enjoy - like the one about Jack O'lantern and the one about what costume to wear for trick-or-treating.

I fell in love with the artwork in this book: beads and fabric!



5. Two Skeletons on the Telephone 
and Other Poems from Tough City
by Paul Duggan
illustrated by Daniel Sylvestre


Murphy the Rat immediately caught the attention of the 8 year old - the tough rat who calls out, "Here kitty, kitty" itching for a fight.

Murphy's Favorite Sayings is a short 4-liner that again reiterates Murphy's obsession with cats:

Murphy has a few sayings he loves to use,
Like "a stitch in time" or "tit for tat."
But the one that really expresses his view?
"There's more than one way to skin a cat."

Many of the poems are humorous and silly enough even if not laugh out loud funny. None of them are scary or gross, even if they might appeal better to an 8+ year old better.

Two skeletons on the telephone-
Yackety-yack all day.
Just a pair of empty heads
With nothing much to say. 
[Read the poem]



6. You Read to Me, I'll Read to You
Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together
By Hoberman, Mary Ann


Another wonderful book from the You Read To Me, I'll Read To You series, this is a collection of poems that two can read aloud taking turns, alternating the color-coded lines/verses. For example,
I'm a witch
A wicked witch
My hat and cape
Are black as pitch.

I'm the broomstick 

That she flies on.

I'm the broomstick

She relies on.

None of the poems are scary - the two-voiced poems are quite easy to read and fun to take turns and "act it out". The illustrations have a cartoonish charm while supplementing the reading experience.

[BookBrowse at Hatchett Book Group]



7. See My Lovely Poison Ivy
And Other Verses about Witches, Ghosts, and Things
by Lilian Moore
illustrated by Diane Dawson Hearn


The VSS Illustrator Interview features the wonderful Diane who illustrated this poetry collection by Lilian Moore (1909-2004).

Sometimes creepy just for the way it conjures up images in our head, as Laura Purdy Salas shares, the poems are nevertheless ageless and timeless, and possibly appeal to 8+ age group.

Witches appear prominently, along with other creatures. The poems are clever and are presented from fresh and unique perspectives. I Left My Head reminded us of Shel Silvestein's The Loser in Where the Sidewalk Ends. Lost and Found was another interesting one where Lost: part announces the wizard's pet gone missing, please feed daily (p.s: Reward) and the Found: part announces a dragon breathing fire and eating 20 large meals a day, please come and get him (p.s: No reward needed.)


[image source: Visual Storyteller's Studio illustrator interview]



8. Halloween Hoots and Howls
by Joan Horton
illustrated by Joann Adinolfi


This is a delightful collection of poems. Some of them are quite silly and child-friendly and the 5 year old loved them.

Like the one about the pumpkin which starts,
"Woe is me," the pumpkin said / "They plucked me from my garden bed"

and goes on to describe the pumpkin getting its innards scooped out and then carved and then placed in a strategic spot which is infested with foul ghouls and ghosts, and in the end becomes a pumpkin pie, ending with, "They later baked me in a pie / And now they're eating me - Goodbye!"

And then there are a few that are quite perturbing and I skipped reading them to the younger child knowing his sensitivities. Like, the vampire poem which is short yet eerie:
"One waking vampire rising from his tomb / One thirsty vampire stalking through the gloom
... 
While you're fast asleep at night / He's searching for your room."

Of course, the 8 year old found all of them funny and silly - especially the gravestone ones like,
"Beneath the sea lies Captain Blank / A pirate made him walk the plank / He sank."

The illustrations are beautiful and amusing, not at all grim and dark.


9. The Gargoyle on the Roof
by Jack Prelutsky
illustrated by Peter Sis


Gargoyle, griffin, gremlin...
Werewolf, troll, basilisk...

Jack Prelutsky's brilliant style along with Peter Sis' quite terrifying illustrations made this perfect for the 8 year old. The humor does not come across easily and can be quite grim if taken literally sometimes.

Also, even some of the simpler references are probably more suited for older kids... like, the lonely troll who says he has brought his telephone so feel free to call him, especially since it is a "troll-free number" - the 8-yr old has no idea what a "toll-free number is" (possibly because I've not explained it to her yet and she has not had a need to know it), so the play on it is lost at first read.

Or, when the mother gargoyle sings her lullaby, "Dream your lovely daymares/ Where terror is delight" - if taken literally, it can get rather disturbing, but in the light of the whole poem where the mother tucks her babies in just as the sun comes up, when they'll all sleep like stones, it brings in a weird sort of smile to the reader just picturing this strange tenderness.



10. Witch Watch
by Paul Coltman
illustrated by Gillian McClure


Definitely more for the 9+ range, the entire book is a long poem that tells the story of a Cockney boy who is caught spying on his neighbor (witch) by hiding in a ditch, and is forced to do many chores.

The tough part was the accent - hard to read to translate to "understandable" English at times, but, all the more fun, as the older child has a fascination for the subtle differences in English accents (thanks to Doctor Who), along with a strong liking for all things Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.

Not exactly a fun read-aloud book, this is one of the tougher books in this pile here. The pictures are quite bizarre and filled with nuances that can be unsettling if the child is not ready for it.



Bonus:

11. By the Light of the Halloween Moon
by Caroline Stutson
illustrated by Kevin Hawkes


An all-time favorite, this book is a cumulative rhyming tale about a girl who is sought after by various unpleasant creatures, and how she stands up to them.

While not a collection of poems, the jaunty lilt in the text makes it a fun read-aloud book.

[Read More]



[image source (unless otherwise specified above): multcolib.org]

Please vote for Pratham Books - Finalist in the Google Impact Challenge Award

We are proud to inform all our readers that Pratham Books, Bangalore is a finalist in the Google Impact Challenge Award. Pratham, a nonprofit children's publisher, has always been an innovator in tapping digital medium to enable literacy. Winning the award would mean more money to create an open-source platform for children's books.

Purvi Shah of Pratham Books writes "Our project will build collaborative web platforms that solve the three major problems that affect children in India – a very low number of books available for them, a lack of linguistic diversity of books and a lack of access to funding for libraries and books so that children can experience the joy of reading."

To share some more information from Pratham...

Nearly 50% of Indian 5th graders currently read at a 2nd grade level. This is due in part to a scarcity of books, and to a lack of reading material available in their language. With a Global Impact Award, Pratham Books will provide kids with easy access to language-appropriate reading materials by building a collaborative, open platform that lets people share, translate and create children's e-books. Over the next three years, this project will create 20,000 new e-books in a minimum of 25 languages and enable 200 million total book reads.

I think it'd be great for teachers, parents, librarians around the country to promote literacy among their students and children. The platform would also enable children to read, share, critique and review books. Children can create their own stories and share it on the platform. The scope will be far-reaching in education, especially helpful to teachers working with first generation readers who may not be able to access books easily.

Whether we view it from the perspective of teachers or from the perspective of the creators of stories (authors and illustrators), the idea is highly meaningful and the benefits cannot be overemphasized. So please take your time to vote for Pratham. The last day to cast your vote is tomorrow.

Please click here to vote. Thank you!

Good Bye CROCUS 2013!

The past one year saw some ST members move homes/ cities/ countries. Our offline conversations covered reasons, concerns, resettlement and so on.

Earth's Children by Jean Auel, The Mountain who loved a bird and The Little Prince are among my favourites when it comes to the subject.

Closer home, Ramayan and Mahabharat are also about movement, change and adaptation. Change is not always easy but you have got it right if you do not end up feeling like a 'legal alien' somewhere.

When Sandhya proposed this subject a few months ago for CROCUS, it just seemed so apt.

Closer to the deadline, Sheela and Praba got us motivated and kept us on our toes with gentle reminders. The scheduling and formatting glitches were handled by them as well.

Lavanya- WordJunkie surpassed herself with her dazzlingly evocative flyer. When quizzed about it here is what our creative illustrator said

".....all I did was make a list of things that migrate. I already had an image in my head of a globe with Praba's 'laundry list' style banner around it and animals walking around it... After that, it was a question of integrating my list of elements with the globe, and paring away stuff that wasn't essential. Earlier versions included a nicely faded world map in the background, human footprints trotting across the globe, not to mention a bunch of nonmigratory animals..."


Sandhya and Satish wrote beautiful Teaser Posts and set our expectations high.

And soon it was time for Asha Nehemiah to inaugurate the event. The ribbon was cut virtually and in what style!!

On Day 1 you walked, flew and swam with animal migration stories- bears and birds and whales and more.

The much awaited Crocusword was well received and the winners would have been announced when this post is up.

Day 2 we traveled with nomadic tribes tracking the migratory origins of humans to present day nomadic tribes.

We discussed books on forced moves/reluctant transplant and the concept of global voluntary moves as borders blur on Day 3 and 4 

Among the interviewees were Uma Krishnaswami,  Nina Sabnani , Holly Thompson, Radhika Menon, Vishaka Chanchani - all bringing us their priceless views on multi-cultural stories and giving us a glimpse into the stories behind storybooks.

We hope you enjoyed the selection of books we reviewed and found the interviews insightful as well.

We heartily thank all the publishers and book lovers- organisations and individuals- who supported us.

A big thanks to you, dear readers and a request- a few more written comments on the posts that moved you will always be welcome!!

Also a first for us- CROCUS 2013 saw our presence on Facebook with updates and alerts ( not always prompt perhaps!)

Oct 23- 26 -Four days - Many interviews and even more book reviews since we also had cluster posts this CROCUS.

If you felt it was too much, come back to catch up.

And if you kept pace, do return as we continue our regular posts.

Meanwhile, thank you all for the encouragement and keep the reading journey on!

Announcing CROCUSWORD winners

As CROCUS 2013 draws to a close, the team at Saffron Tree is absolutely thrilled to announce the winners of our annual puzzle, CROCUSWORD

The winner of the FIRST PRIZE is six year old, AVANI.
The SECOND PRIZE goes to AADI MALHOTRA who is eight years old.
Winner of the THIRD PRIZE is ten year old, SHASHANK.

Congratulations winners - we are so proud of you! A huge thanks to your parents for emailing us on time.

We appreciate their positive encouragement. We will soon send an email regarding your prizes.

We are also happy to mention one of our in-house members sent in all-correct entries.

Pranav ( 6 yrs), son of Arundhati Venkatesh...congratulations to you both as well!

Thank you all for your enthusiastic participation and we as always look forward to connecting with you in 2014!

And a huge round of applause to the blog’s creative lead Sheela Preuitt for helping prepare a lovely array of puzzles for this year’s CROCUSWORD!

The answers below -

I. Jumbled book hunt:

1. Big Blue Whale
2. The Arrival
3. The Rabbits
4. Coming on Home Soon
5. One Green Apple

II.Double Puzzle

1. Home
2. Fly
3. Swim
4. Walk
5. Waddle
6. Go Far
7. Return

MIGRATE


III. Crossword:

Across:
2. Humming Bird
4. Salmon
7. Butterfly
9. Sea Turtle
10. Gnu


Down:
1. Gray Whale
3. Arctic Tern
5. Manatee
6. Caribou
8. Zebra


Cryptogram quote – J.R.R.Tolkien said...Not all those who wander are lost.

We hope you had fun all through, relishing an assortment of reviews and interviews on the theme of migration.

And as you know, we will be back next year!

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US! AND KEEP READING. CIAO CROCUS 2013!

Look to the Stars

Look to the Stars

by Buzz Aldrin
illustrated by Wendell Minor


As one of the handful of people ever to have walked on the moon, Buzz Aldrin knows about space exploration.

Growing up surrounded by memorabilia of the human endeavor to take to the skies, inspired by his pilot father, Buzz achieved a lot within the first 30 years of his life that most can only dream about.

In Look to the Stars, Buzz provides a child-friendly account of the history of space exploration. Most of the book is about the Apollo missions, with Aldrin's inside information making it real and inspiring.

However, the book also sets the background for this achievement. Without Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, we could not have advanced leaps and bounds in this field of space exploration.

Historical quotations are presented at the bottom of every page. For example,  Saturn V rocket designer Werner Von Braun said, “Basic research is what I am doing when I don’t know what I am doing.” Exactly what a five year old would say if they knew how to say it - that they are taking things apart, putting them together to see what comes of it. And, the famous quotation by Orville Wright, "If birds can glide for long periods of time, then... why can't I?"

There are two timeline charts presented that illustrate the space mission, particularly the attempts to reach the Moon and return safely.

While the text is not for all but the space enthusiasts, the illustrations bring the much-needed perspective for the young.

"Just remember- when you think all is lost, the future remains." - Robert Goddard, Father of Rocketry.

Buzz concludes by asking, “One day your family may have some amazing vacation choices. Where will you go? Will it be to the seashore on Earth, or to the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility?”

I can picture my five year old squealing "to the Moon's Sea of Tranquility!" with absolute certainty. How about you?

[image source: wegivebooks.org]

The idea of home

The theme of migration got me thinking - what does it mean to "belong"? What if  your ‘home’ isn’t enough to nurture you, and the relationships that complete you lay a world away?  What if the only place you wanted to belong, was also a place where you had to pretend to be someone, or something, you weren’t? Why is geography relevant – can a sense of belonging not be just as strong in a community that is nomadic? Communities themselves are dynamic - what happens to one’s sense of place when everything around you is changing,  when you are static but your home isn’t ? Must a person necessarily feel rooted – can’t she  feel  just at home in ten different  communities as she does in one?  Must one even need community – what of the soul that is happiest on its own? And what does home even mean to the homeless child? 

Here’s my pick of books that variously examine the idea of home, and the complex emotion that is belonging. Some are playful and cheery, some more sombre. But all of them made me stop and think.

Lost and Found

Written and Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Publisher: Philomel Books

Ages: 3 and above

Home, Oliver Jeffers, suggests, is wherever the love is. Judging by the reception of this book (previously reviewed here), a bajillion people across the world agree. 

Enough said.

I Have a Home

Written and Illustrated by Claudia Legnazzi

Publisher: Katha Books (Indian imprint)

Ages: 3 and above

According to Claudia Legnazzi, home is wherever you  are. The narrator of this dazzling book is truly a global soul, reveling equally in the isolation of strange new terrain and the (slightly reproving) embrace of other town houses. Through bizarre, utterly fantastic collages, we follow the house on its journeys through the sky, underwater, across desolate landscapes. Sometimes it hitches a ride atop giant motorcars, sometimes it communes with gigantic sea turtles. Sometimes it rests in trees and on wispy cottonwool clouds, and sometimes it chases striped giraffe on enormous war machines. Everywhere, it emphatically assures us, you can feel right at home.

Window

Written and Illustrated by Jeannie Baker

Publisher: Walker books

All ages

Sometimes homes change around you, whether you like it or not. Jeannie Baker’s wordless masterpiece traces the slow change of a woodland as seen through the frame of one little boy’s window. As the boy grows, so does the human habitation around him, irretrievably changing the environment. Each page is a stunning collage, painstakingly pieced together with a variety of materials, and conveying a wealth of information. 

 

 

 Belonging

 Written and Illustrated by Jeannie Baker

 Publisher: Walker books

All ages

The quiet sadness of Window is balanced out by the message of Belonging, published several years later. Again using the frame of a window (this time that of a little city girl), the book wordlessly follows an urban neighbourhood, first through slow decay, and then renewal, as each member of the community begins contributing to improving the environment. Where Window leaves us sad and wistful,  Belonging (also titled Home in some editions) offers up a message of hope, and emphasizes the importance of small, individual commitments in building larger, nurturing environments.

 

The Lost Thing

Written and Illustrated by Shaun Tan

Publisher: Lothian Children's Books

 Ages: 5 and above

Sometimes, home is the place you can’t escape.  In “The Lost Thing”(reviewed for ST here), a boy finds a stranded  alien and tries to help it get back home. They navigate a bleak city filled with aloof adults and symbols of authority,  on the trail of an elusive sign.  Just as you wonder if the cheerful alien (a cheery, rotund red figure in a sea of washed out machines  and sullen humans) is trapped for life.. a door opens.    For me, this book was less about the alien or the quest than it was about the boy’s own surroundings, his obvious loneliness, and the stark contrast between his world and the sunny, fun filled land his alien friend escapes to.  On the last page, as he stands alone at a street crossing,  wistfully looking back on the memory of that  day,  you have to ask – Who’s  really the lost thing here?

A King Cobra's Summer

Written by Janaki Lenin

Illustrated by Maya Ramaswamy

Publisher: Pratham Books

Ages: 8 and above

Kaala, our eponymous hero, sneaks into a farmer’s house and is captured. He is then freed into a dense forest that is unfamiliar to him. Far from home, unaware of the dangers lurking around him, Kaala begins a perilous journey in search of safety and companionship. King Cobra.. , with its deft mix of facts and fiction (and the luscious watercolour illustration that is Maya Ramaswamy’s trademark) , almost humanizes the king cobra, an animal as feared as it is revered in India .

 Widget

Written by : Lyn Rossiter McFarland

Illustrated by: Jim McFarland

Publisher : Square Fish

Ages : 3-6 years

Widget is a homeless dog, who really wants to live with a friendly old lady. Trouble is, her six cats (“the girls”) can’t stand dogs. So Widget pretends to be a cat, gets assimilated into the family, and almost forgets his true self.  But then  trouble strikes, and only his “dogliness” can save the day. Widget is charming, with lively illustrations and lots of humour, and a positive message about being proud of who you are. You can’t, however,  ignore Widget’s desperate attemps to fit in.. 

Fly Away Home

Written by: Eve Bunting

Illustrated by : Ronald Himler

Publisher: HMH Books

Ages: 4 -8 years

Eve Bunting sensitively addresses homelessness, in this story of a boy living with his father in an airport, where the man is employed. The boy wistfully hopes to escape one day, and find a real home for him and his father.  He likens himself to a bird struggling against a pane of glass, before it finds an opening to fly away through.  The book is touching, and memorable for its subtle treatment of the boy’s sadness, and the quiet hope he holds onto, of flying out to his own nest someday.

A Shelter in Our Car

Written by:  Monica Gunning

Illustrated by: Elaine Pedlar

Publisher: Children's Book Press

Ages : 6 and above 

The stark life of the homeless child is examined again in this story about a young Jamaican immigrant and her mother, forced to live in a car on the streets of an American city. Again, a brief ray of hope shines on them at the end, suggesting they will one day find a better life. Elaine Pedlar’s drawings are haunting, with their bold lines and bright colours.

Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope

Written and Illustrated by: Yaoume Landowne

Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press

Ages: 6 and above

Perhaps the grimmest children’s book I have read in a while, Selavi follows the life of a Haitian child who loses his parents and is forced to live on the streets of Port-au-Prince.. He meets friends (other children) and survives foes (unreliable adults) before finding shelter and the promise of a better life. This book is based on real life incidents and people,  and is memorable as much for its beautiful artwork aas the way it introduces young readers to concepts like poverty and social injustice.

In Conversation with Holly Thompson

Holly Thompson

Holly Thompson is the author of two young adult novels in verse: ‘The Language Inside’ and ‘Orchards’ and winner of the APALA Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. She is also author of the adult novel ‘Ash’ and the picture book ‘The Wakame Gatherers’. Raised in the U.S. but a resident of Japan for the past eighteen years, she recently edited ‘Tomo: Friendship through Fiction—An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories’. A graduate of the N.Y.U. Creative Writing Program, she writes poetry and fiction for children, teens and adults, serves as regional advisor for the Japan chapter of SCBWI, and teaches creative writing and literature at Yokohama City University. 

Holly Thompson’s books feature bicultural characters and explore intercultural issues. Honoured to have her here with us for CROCUS.

ST- You moved from the U.S, where there is an intermingling of cultures, to Japan, which is more insular. It is more common to read about people moving to the U.S. rather than from it. Can you tell our readers about it? Any anecdotes you would like to share?

I first lived in Japan in my early twenties, then after three years returned to the U.S. to attend the graduate creative writing program at N.Y.U. In some ways my culture shock was greater moving to New York City than moving to Japan. Later, in 1998, my husband and I moved back to Japan with our two small children. Since we both already spoke Japanese and wanted our children to be bilingual, we plunged them into Japanese preschool and elementary school. This was a challenging adjustment for us all—I think one could argue that through public school systems, one truly encounters the culture of a country. There were many struggles, especially as our son was bullied incessantly, but the immersion has had long-lasting positive effects, and members of our family are all bi- or multilingual now. Many people cross borders and cultures in all different directions in today’s world, and I hope we’ll see more stories reflecting those experiences.

You are bilingual in Japanese and English. Does it help you in your writing? 

Having a second language certainly impacts my first language. I find that having a second language such as Japanese, which is so completely different from English—the writing system, the grammar structure, the concepts—gives my writing far more scope. I have more vocabulary, more ideas, more perspective to draw from, and I’m certain that my English reflects this. Of course, conversely there are times I can’t remember what to say in either language, or I can only remember in one language but not in the language I need at the moment, but that’s a fate common to bilinguals.

You live in Kamakura in Japan. Tell us more about it and how it impacts your writing.

Kamakura is a seaside city surrounded by hills. It was the seat of government in Japan from 1185 to 1333, so besides the hills and beaches, Kamakura is rich in history—the archeological dig at a house lot down the street from us was pulling up pottery from the thirteenth century this summer. Ancient temples and shrines surround us—the morning gongs wake us in the morning. I love this setting—a mix of history, nature, commuter town and quirky surf culture all within easy access to Tokyo. Kamakura has become home and inevitably plays a significant role in my writing.

How does one research when writing a story in an unfamiliar setting?

Any research must be undertaken with deep respect for the subject matter, locale and culture. For an unfamiliar setting, the key is to research far more than you think necessary, from every possible angle, and to gain experience in that setting until the unfamiliar becomes profoundly familiar and understood. There are so many methods and approaches with which to conduct research, but being physically situated in a place, at least for a time, listening in every possible way with all your senses, and interacting with the local culture is critical for me.

You apprenticed at a mikan orange farm in Japan for eighteen months as part of your research for an adult novel. Can you tell us about your experience? 

I began working on a novel set on a mikan orange farm knowing I was handicapped; I lacked the knowledge and experience of mikan cultivation and agricultural community life in Japan. I was lucky to find a farmer in Shizuoka Prefecture who was willing to let me work as a sort of apprentice for a year, which stretched into 18 months. For part of that time I rented a couple rooms in a farmhouse in a neighboring village, and moved there with my young daughter. She attended the local elementary school and I worked in the mikan orchards, conducted interviews with locals, and observed, photographed and recorded every aspect of village life that I could. Midway through that research, I began drafting my YA novel Orchards. The voice of the main character Kana would not leave me alone as I work in those steep hillside groves.

In ‘Orchards’, a Japanese and Jewish/American girl is sent from her home in New York to a village in Japan after the suicide of a classmate. It takes courage to write about difficult subjects like loss, guilt and grief. How do you do it?

I think for me it’s more how on earth do I not write about difficult subjects such as loss, guilt and grief? They are part of the human condition. I had a close friend who lost her thirteen-year-old daughter to suicide, and in addition to mourning the loss of this young girl, I always wondered--how had her death impacted her classmates? Orchards was my fictional way of exploring that question. Setting the story in Japan, over a contemplative summer when Kana stays with relatives in a small agricultural village where she feels like an outsider at first but gradually feels more like an insider, enabled me to follow Kana’s story, and distance myself from any actual events.

Can you tell us how you came up with the story idea for ‘The Language Inside’? 

The Language Inside had a long period of gestation. When I was a graduate student at the NYU Creative Writing Program, I volunteered at Goldwater Hospital helping patients work on writing poems or memoirs for the Goldwater Writing Workshops. One writer I worked with was Julia Tavalaro, whose strokes had left her immobile and unable to speak. But she had eye movement and could look up to indicate yes, so, pointing to a letter board, I helped her spell out her poems, letter by letter. Julia was a formidable force, and I was intrigued by how she was able to totally monopolize our conversations and even insult me. She absolutely intimidated me, and I knew that one day I wanted to write a novel about a girl assisting someone like Julia. I chose to set the story in and around Lowell, Massachusetts, a city with a long history of immigrant populations, and my main character Emma, raised in Japan but suddenly moved to Massachusetts for her mother’s breast cancer treatment, encounters Samnang during her volunteer work, and through him, meets the Cambodian-American community of Lowell. Displacement, loss and language figure large in the story, as does poetry. The Language Inside Guide for Teachers and Readers is full of discussion, Guide is now available and includes discussion questions, essay topics, poetry prompts, extension activities and service project ideas. 

How did the Tomo anthology come about?

After the 3/11/2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, I wanted to create a project that would benefit teens in the quake affected areas of Tohoku for the long term. Stone Bridge Press was immediately supportive of the project, and I put out the call for Japan-connected young adult short fiction. Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction—An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories with 36 stories, including ten in translation was published on the one-year anniversary of the quake. All of the proceeds from sales of Tomo continue to go to programs that support educational programs for teens in the areas of northern Japan still struggling to recover from the devastating tsunami. 

‘The Wakame Gatherers’ is a picture book in which a bicultural girl in Japan goes seaweed gathering with her Japanese and American grandmothers. While translating for the two women she comes to understand they were at war when they were her age. Very interesting! We would love to hear the story behind this one.
I grew up in Massachusetts not far from the ocean, and one of my favorite things to do was to

Holly, age 17, tidepooling

explore tidepools, sloshing around and moving seaweeds aside to find molluscs, crabs and anemones. Moving to Japan, to a town on the sea, I quickly became aware of the cultural difference in the approach to seaweed — in New England seaweeds were rarely eaten; in Japan seaweeds are a staple food. Of course I started researching seaweeds, both in New England and in Japan, and learned to gather and dry my own wakame. At the time I wrote the story, I was teaching in a cooperative afterschool program for English-language-speaking children attending Japanese schools. All of the children were bilingual and bicultural, either by experience or heritage, and I wanted to tell the wakame story from the vantage point of a bicultural, biracial child, and this resulted in The Wakame Gatherers.

‘Orchards’ and ‘The Language Inside’ are young adult novels written in verse.  How did you decide the story was suited to the verse novel form? Did you question yourself along the way? Writing in verse is very difficult; but does it help deal with intense emotions? 

Verse does not suit every novel idea, but the verse form was right for both Orchards and The Language Inside. I could not tell those stories in prose, no matter how I tried. For stories dealing with intense emotions, the spare language of a verse novel, the controlled page turns, the white space, all provide breathing room for the reader, which is important when tackling difficult topics. I have now completed a third novel in verse, and probably my language has become tighter and sparer with each verse novel. 

Is there a market for “quiet” novels? How do multi-cultural books fare?

I try not to worry about what the market is looking for while I’m writing, since in the end, it’s all about grabbing and keeping a reader. A quiet novel can do that. A fast-paced thriller can do that. It all depends on the telling and what’s at stake for the main character. A quiet novel will sell if there is enough to keep even an antsy reader turning the page. There is certainly a market for children’s and YA multicultural books, but in the U.S. that market generally consists of multicultural stories set within the U.S. It can be challenging to market multicultural stories set outside the U.S. to editors in the U.S., since publishers tend to feel, rightly or wrongly, that such stories will be difficult to sell (this may also be due in part to the fact that many editors lack international experience). Consequently any children’s or YA story set outside the U.S. must elevate itself through powerful voice, confident and capable writing, and universality even in the local, in order to appeal to editors in the U.S.

You were in Delhi recently for the Jumpstart festival. What was your impression of India? And your experience at Jumpstart? 

I loved my brief visit to India and the Jumpstart festival. For me it was a perfect chance to become better acquainted with the language and class issues that impact the children’s and YA writers in India. I was so impressed by the fiction writing I was seeing in the Jumpstart master class and the SCBWI India workshop, and I feel that we’ll be seeing more and more great children’s and YA literature published in India. I look forward to the many different voices and hope that the English-language kidlit that develops in India will set its own trends and will be boldly diverse and unique. 

We would like to explore children’s literature from Japan, but are limited by our knowledge of the language. Can you point us to Japanese literature that is available in English?

The Japanese children’s book market is wonderfully vibrant, active and healthy, but sadly, very little children’s lit from Japan has been translated into English. On Goodreads I have lists of Japan-related books, both works in translation and works originally in English. And of course Tomo contains 36 Japan stories for young adults. That’s a start—have a look!

[Pictures courtesy Holly Thompson]

I am Sacajawea, I am York

I am Sacajawea, I am York
Our Journey West with Lewis and Clark
By Claire Rudolf Murphy
Illustrations by Higgins Bond

Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as Corps of Discovery is famous in annals of American history for being considered as one of the first known teams to have found a way across American continent to Pacific Ocean. Although the team was made up of volunteers, there were a few like York and Sacajawea who were forced to accompany them. York, an African American slave of William Clark and Sacajawea, an Indian-American of the tribe Lemhi Shoshone was considered a property of her husband, a french-Canadian named Charbonneau. This book is the story of these two properties/slaves who end up playing a great role in this expedition. 

Most picture books are told from third person perspective and a few are told as first person account. I have rarely come across a picture book for 32 pages which switch between two different view points. Most picture books are kept simple and hardly are the perspectives changed. In this book though, Claire Rudolf Murphy keeps switching the perspective from York to Sacajawea - as every alternate page is told from each other's perspective. 

Sacajawea, pregnant with her kid was enlisted by her husband to travel along with the Corps team and she plays a huge part in the success of the expedition. She helps the team understand and interact with the other Indian communities acting as an interpreter and guide.

As the whole story is told from the perspective of York and Sacajawea and the way the picture book was presented, it is clear that both of them were just living their life as it comes, not thinking of the so-called bigger picture, probably wondering what is the big deal about the expedition and just going along because they had to - because they had no choice. And in-spite of it all, they played a rather pivotal role in this expedition and exploration of the continent of North America.

A lovely book that can be used as a starting point to understand the history of exploration of the North American continent, slavery and migration. The book has some great references to both books and websites that can be read on the same topic.

Interview with Radhika Menon

Taking the possibility of 'bridging the gap between knowledge and imagination' to the next level, Radhika Menon, along with a dear friend Sandhya Rao set up Tulika in the year 1996. Since then there's been no looking back. Tulika has grown from strength to strength in terms of its commitment to provide quality content both textually and visually to young readers. With wide range of multilingual books coming out with Tulika's trademark insignia, Tulika has indeed become a trendsetter in children's publishing space. Radhika Menon  is a hands-on publisher, deeply involved in the editing, visualising, designing and marketing of the books.

We are pleased to be sharing her views on various aspects related to children's literature and publishing.

What is the objective of Tulika Books? How do you see yourself working towards that objective?

To create books that convey an ‘Indianness’ that is contemporary and inclusive, reflecting a diverse and plural culture in every respect. This may sound highfalutin when you are talking about a picture book with a few words and pictures. But children’s books have always mirrored a culture and children reading them grow up with a sense of self, embedded in that culture. These early images that come to us through books we read as children stay with us well into our adult lives. To make such books enjoyable and engaging in nine languages is the challenge we have taken on.

What is the criteria of Tulika books in terms of selecting the subjects/authors/illustrators for their books?

The criteria are really tied to the objective I have stated above – we select book ideas and manuscripts that open up possibilities to create the kind of books we believe in. There is no agenda that we look for of being overtly cultural, historical and so on. It is often a location, name or names of characters, relationships, sometimes a storyline that sparks off a book. When it comes to picture books, very often it is also the possibilities illustrations can offer – setting the story strongly in a visual context or sometimes even giving the context to a story, subverting stereotypes or just reflecting a reality which we tend to we keep away from children’s books.

We do fewer books of fiction for older children as there are a lot of publishing houses who are doing short novels for younger and older children. When we do we look for manuscripts for this category, it is for those that have strong literary appeal, or for translated work, or for a strong theme which doesn’t necessarily fall into the category of typical young peoples’ fiction. Imaginative non-fiction is something we look for but we hardly ever get such manuscripts.

What are the major roadblocks that you confront in publishing children's books in India?

As all publishers will tell you - marketing and distribution. We don’t supply the large, chain bookstores because they don’t pay up; but not doing so does affect the visibility of our books. Even now, after 16 years, there are people who haven’t heard of Tulika and when they have heard of us, they don’t know where to buy our books. The online space is making books accessible only to a certain section of the people. With books in nine languages getting the books to the target group becomes a big challenge.

What has been a significant leg up to publishers like us is government organisations like the CBSE and NCERT making an effort to select books by appointing expert groups, putting the list online and circulating it to schools. Suddenly, not just schools, but the booksellers who specialise in school supplies, are ordering books and paying for them. Anyone in this business will tell you what a giant leap that is for publishers!

And then there are the problems within the publishing industry itself – of not having enough professionalism and training. The talent is there, whether it is in writing, illustrating, editing, designing or translating, but there is a woeful lack of professionalism. In part, this comes from the notion that children’s books are simple and do not require much effort.

Because children’s publishing is growing so fast, there is a big demand for talent in all these areas and the publishing process itself is fast-tracked. This makes the learning or nurturing of skills difficult. Suddenly beginners consider themselves experts, and the online space contributes to this feeling of instant success. I sense an impatience with publishing houses like ours, which are seen as demanding. But I am optimistic and I think this is a transitional period and more and more talent will emerge, which will give Indian children’s publishing a distinctive edge. It is still a young industry.

 What are the steps that you plan to take to extend the reach of Tulika to all parts of the country and then worldwide?

The online space is the most accessible space for all publishers. But the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when it comes to books, so it is not just a question of uploading on our website and blogging, tweeting, and putting the books on Facebook etc. There has to be a focused strategy for each book so that it doesn’t get lost in the online clutter – which is why you hear of the success stories of authors selling their own books online. Online selling needs much more work and is resource intensive, though it has many advantages. In a country like ours, online and traditional distribution have to go side by side for books to reach the vast readership. Online selling can work very well for niche marketing.

How can budding authors/illustrators submit their creative work to Tulika for consideration? How open is Tulika for new talent?

We have submission guidelines on our website. We are always open to new talent. In fact of the 200 authors and almost 150 illustrators we have worked with more than 50% are first time writers and illustrators.

What are the ingredients that make the perfect recipe for great children's literature?

Good writing, imaginative illustrations, good editing, good design and good production. When they come together you have a good book. When books focus on just one aspect they do fall short. Great visuals but uninspired writing, great writing but unimaginative illustrations, great text and visuals but bad design, or just well-produced and packaged books with weak content – all this takes away from a good children’s book.

What do you think are the aspects on which more attention needs to be given in kidlit space?

Training and nurturing talent in all aspects of children’s publishing is what is most needed.

How do you see Tulika evolving in the next 5-10 years?

We want to continue to publish a diverse range of books, explore new genres and new ideas, and discover new talent. We want to continue finding sustainable ways of getting the books in the different languages to their target audience. And we want to explore ways of using the digital medium creatively in the different languages we publish in and make the content accessible to a wide cross-section of children.

Which are the other publishers that are doing commendable job in children's literature?

There are the older publishing houses like Eklavya, Katha and Tara who continue to bring out good picture books. Books by Karadi Tales, Puffin and Pratham have made a big impact. Nova (YA imprint of Scholastic),  Hachette and Young Zubaan publish some very good books for older children. New entrants like Duckbill and Red Turtle (the children’s imprint of Rupa) are already making their mark with experienced editors at their helm.

What are the exciting things that are happening in Indian children's literature?

The fact that the national school boards are creating a transparent process for selecting good books gives us the hope that it will eventually root out the corruption in the system. The significance of this is not just confined to selling more books. It also creates an awareness among all the stakeholders – teachers, librarians, parents, booksellers and bookstores – of the good children’s books available. And it is a reality check for publishers about the kinds of books they are publishing.