A Visit With Jan Brett

Emmy and I had the pleasure of meeting Jan Brett in Portsmouth, New Hampshire during her eighteen day cross country book tour. Jan was promoting her new book The Turnip, but to Emmy and me, she was promoting the love of books and art.  Watching the tour bus pull into the parking lot was so much fun.  We imagined traveling on this large bus with the gorgeous illustrations painted on the exterior and wondered what people's reactions were when they saw it on the road.

When Jan Brett stepped up onto the stage, the excitement in the crowd was electric.  Seeing not only the children's faces light up, but also the adult's faces is a true testament to this woman's work as an artist.  Jan's depictions of animals and human cultures are full of colorful detail.  Through her extensive travels (from Scandinavia to Africa), Jan is able to vividly create artwork that makes the reader of her books feel as if they could walk right into the book page.  As a matter of fact, Jan herself has said in several interviews that she keeps on painting until she can hear the sounds, smell the smells, and feel how soft the fur of the animal is.  She has said that it takes her an hour to draw an inch!

Emmy and I were so grateful to Jan Brett for taking the time to connect with the audience through her quiet storytelling and drawing demonstration.  Watching the Badger Girl come to life right before our eyes was absolutely amazing.

  

It was through Jan's travels in Russia, as well as a simple carved wooden toy of three people and a bear pulling up a turnip given to her by a friend, that the retelling of the story The Turnip was realized.  For a more detailed review of this beautifully illustrated book, check out our previous post HERE.

Luckily for us, Jan brought back a pair of birch bark shoes from Russia and has been sharing them on her tour. These shoes served as a model for the shoes worn by the badger characters in the story. She also had a surprise for us...her beloved Dutch Bantams also came along on the tour ~ Rueben her rooster and Rilke her hen!   Here is something new that we learned about Jan Brett ~ she raises chickens for show!  She has been reading tons of books about poultry genetics to try to better understand the color patterns found on chickens.

There are so many wonderful retellings of this classic folk tale, some better than others.  Emmy and I enjoyed Jan's take on this story especially with the addition of the bear family under the ground.  We hope you will pick up a copy of The Turnip to see what you think of Jan's version.

Thank you, Jan Brett, for sharing your passion with us!  

Emmy will never forget your kind words to keep her creative spirit always.  

Jan Brett's Book Tour

 Jan Brett is on tour and bringing her book bus to nearby Portsmouth, NH!  Emmy and I are beyond excited to see one of our all time favorite authors and illustrators.  We have quite a collection of Jan Brett books and Emmy often chooses these for her daily homework reading.

Jan will be visiting 23 cities and towns to celebrate her new book, The Turnip.  She will be giving a book talk and an illustration demonstration at each signing.  When I told Emmy that we would be going to see Jan Brett, she immediately asked if Hedgie would be there! Yes, Hedgie will be there. I am so grateful that Emmy gets this excited about an author/illustrator and that we can share this experience together. Click HERE if you would like to see if Jan is coming to a town near you!

With the upcoming release of her book The Turnip, Jan Brett brings another original twist to a favorite folk tale.  Jan, with her husband Joe, travels all over the world to get inspiration for her books.  When they were in Russia,  Jan was reminded of a simple carved wooden toy given to her by a friend.  The toy showed three people and a bear struggling to pull up a large turnip.  This was all it took for Jan to start imagining a story about a giant turnip.

Jan wondered if readers would believe a turnip could be as big as she wanted to make it.  She remembered someone who grew pumpkins to be over nine hundred pounds and decided that it could definitely happen.  Once again we see animal characters in beautiful clothes that show the culture of where this story takes place ~ Russia.  And, of course, the borders on the pages are full of beautiful illustrations offering the reader a further peek into the story.  

I haven't told Emmy the twist in this story yet, but I know it will give her lots of laughs!  I'm not going to spoil it for you either.  Look for the book The Turnip to hit book shelves on November 3, 2015.  

St. Patrick's Day in the Morning

Young children hear quite often that they are too small to do some things and this is the case for young Jamie in the book St. Patrick's Day in the Morning written by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Jan Brett.

Jamie is told by his family that he cannot participate in the St. Patrick's Day parade because he is too small to make it to the top of Acorn Hill. Jamie is determined to prove them wrong.

"It's not fair, Nell," Jamie Donovan said to his sheepdog.
"I want to walk in the parade, too. They say I am too small -
that I couldn't get to the top of Acorn Hill alone.
But what do they know?"

With his flute in hand, Jamie and his loyal dog Nell set off together to make their own parade while the village is still asleep. They excitedly greet the morning sun at the TOP of Acorn Hill.

The clever illustrations by Jan Brett are rich in detail but minimal in color highlighting the greens and golds of Ireland and the orange of the flag.

After reading this story in my best Irish accent with an Irish jig playing in the background, Emmy quickly got her flute and made her own parade around the house and up the stairs to the top landing announcing that she had made it to the top of Acorn Hill! Every time she did her parade, my camera was nowhere to be found. I guess a mental snapshot will have to do.

Another great book for St. Patrick's Day is Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato. Read all about it here.

Emmy has decided that leprechauns can be quite mischievous. See what they did to her milk!!!

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.

Eve Bunting and Jan Brett make a fantastic team. Check out another book, The Valentine Bears, by this "dynamic duo" here.

Easter Favorites

Spring has sprung here on the North Shore of Massachusetts and Emmy and I are ready! We are so happy for the warmer weather to play outside, the sound of the birds chirping throughout the day and the tiny sprouts we see coming out of the ground. We are looking forward to seeing our favorite spring flower - the daffodil.

With Spring comes the anticipation for Easter and this year it is fast approaching! Emmy is determined to get a picture of the Easter Bunny this year and has her camera ready. We'll be sure to post the photo if Emmy is fortunate enough to catch the Bunny in action!

We have decided on two favorite books for Easter. The first one is Owen's Marshmallow Chick by Kevin Henkes (see previous post for mention of the boxed set). Owen is a beloved character in several of Mr. Henke's books. Owen's favorite possession is a fuzzy, yellow blanket that goes with him wherever he goes. "Upstairs, downstairs, in-between. Inside, outside, upside down." (excerpt from Owen by Kevin Henkes). In our house there's a fuzzy, green blanket that goes with Emmy wherever she goes. In Owen's Marshmallow Chick, Owen discovers that the chick is the same color as his prized blanket and becomes a plaything rather than a treat. "My favorite, he said. And he kissed it goodnight."

One of the most amazing things happening in Emmy's world is that she is now the reader and I am the listener. This reading behavior has always been there, but the amazing part for me is how she orchestrates the reading. Now storytime is announced with a flourish and those in attendance must be quiet listeners as she reads aloud with the BEST voice full of inflection. Here is Emmy in her video debut reading Owen's Marshmallow Chick.

Our second favorite Easter book is the newest book by Jan Brett titled The Easter Egg. Amazing! We read it at the bookstore and Emmy so wanted it to come home with her, but she'll have to wait to see what the Easter Bunny has in store for her! Wink-wink!

The Easter Egg is an intricately illustrated story about Hoppi the bunny. Hoppi is old enough this year to join in the egg decorating and hopes that his egg might be chosen by the Easter Rabbit so that he can help hide the eggs on Easter morning. Hoppi is excited, but unsure of his design. "I need an amazing idea, he thought."

As Hoppi goes about Rabbit Town, he notices many dazzling eggs that the rabbits are working on. Each rabbit gives to Hoppi something to help him on his design...a basket to collect flowers, some chocolate squares, pieces of wood and pots of paint. He gains inspiration from all of his fellow rabbits, but thinks to himself, "Making a beautiful egg is harder than I imagined. I guess I don't have to win. I just want to make an egg I am proud of."

As Hoppi sits down to rest and think, a mother robin wildly calls for an egg that has fallen out of her nest. Hoppi knows just what to do and what do you suppose that is? I am begging you to pick this book up to find out what happens and to share it with a special someone in your life.

As you do, be sure to point out the different breeds of rabbit that Jan Brett used as her models for the rabbits in the town (Flora is an Angora, Aunt Sassyfrass is a Lop, Hans Vanderabbit is a Havana and the Easter Rabbit...a Flemish Giant which can weigh as much as twenty pounds!).

May the Easter season bless you with warm winds and sunshine!

The Valentine Bears

It's looking a lot like Valentine's Day in our house and Emmy is DELIGHTED! When I brought out the box of Valentine decorations, Emmy got right to work finding places to display all of the red and pink treasures. She found several heart boxes and baskets and when I explained that I fill them up with surprises and place them on the table on Valentine's morning, she took it upon herself to fill each one up with...well, I'm not sure because it's a secret, and hid them around the house! I guess I'll be getting three new heart boxes to fill this year!

Our favorite Valentine's book is The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Jan Brett. Such a sweet story that tells of two bears who wake up to celebrate Valentine's Day for the very first time. I cannot think of a better match for creating a children's book than Eve Bunting and Jan Brett both accomplished in the field of children's literature with hundreds of books published. Both Eve and Jan bring an undeniable sweetness to this Valentine's story. Emmy's favorite part of the book is when Mrs. Bear fills a bucket with cold water from the stream to splash on Mr. Bear in the hopes of waking him up for Valentine's Day. Surprise, surprise...Mr. Bear is awake and the cold water splashes on Mrs. Bear instead!

After reading this book, Emmy wanted to create her own large valentine heart just like the one Mrs. Bear made for Mr. Bear so we got out some materials and set to work.

Emmy has decided that this Valentine will be given to her friends in her classroom!

Jan Brett offers postcards to be sent via email and if you love The Valentine Bears as much as Emmy and I then you might want to send this one to a friend.

Happy Valentines Day from Emmy and me!