Booktalk, 2006 Aug 14 : Sheryll, Dave, etc.

By Dominique Garde Torres (Nikki)

As I look back at my past blog entries I realized that “fun” is among my most overused words.
 
It is true, I have yet to attend a gathering, meeting, booktalk, workshop of our SCBWI chapter that was solemn, sad or very “official” in its tone. There are always smiles, very often laughter and on some occassions even giggles. Lest you mistake us for a social club of people who just happen to love the creation of children’s and young adults books, let me assure you that this is not so. We are in fact a group of professionals and students who share a common passion for young people’s literature. Many of us have taken this passion one step further and have actually created children’s books. The others, myself included, are climbing up the path which will hopefully, eventually lead to publication.
 
Having said that….
 
The Booktalk last Monday, August 14 was held at Figaro in Makati. Four of us attended.
 
I spoke first. For the first time since I joined SCBWI I acknowledged myself as a writer. I stated that these days I generally prepare scripts for various events but in past, when I worked for a public relations firm, I actually had a few articles published in the newspapers and magazines. This is the gift of SCBWI to me – the ability to publicly recognize myself as a writer. Just, at the moment, not as a published children’s book writer.

Nikki and Charlotte’s Web
 
Anyway…I shared the classic Charlotte’s Web, written by EB White and illustrated by Garth Williams. I read this book when I was about nine years old. At that age, I clearly remember I just enjoyed the story. As I was looking through the book again in preparation for the Booktalk, other elements of the book struck me. The first were the illustrations. There was one in particular on pages 6, where the little girl Fern cradled Wilbur the pig. Most children have dogs and cats as pets and it was good to have a more unconventional pet for the little girl in the story.
 
A lullaby which Charlotte the spider sung to her adopted son, Wilbur the pig, also struck me as rather poignant. It reminded me of all the lullabies that all the mothers all over the world sing to their babies.
 
Finally as an adult reviewing the book, I was struck by how easily humans and in particular adults could be indoctrinated. Just put a “TERRIFIC” sign on a web on top of the pig and everyone believes that the pig is indeed “terrific.”

Sheryll and Charlotte’s Web
 
Normally I would write about the next person who shared his thoughts with us – this would have been David Larkin. This time though, for the first time, two people brought the same book: Charlotte’s Web. So let me skip a person for now and go straight to Sheryll Cordero.
 
A very soft spoken young lady, Sheryll has been receiving our Booktalk notices for the past few months. Finally, she attended. A former teacher at the Assumption College and currently an engineering student at the MAPUA, she was open it seemed to expanding her world. After the Booktalk, she stayed a bit and tried to find out how we could connect with her book lover friends and schoolmates.
 
Sheryll said that when she was still teaching she shared Charlotte’s Web with her Grade 3 students. They appreciated the book, enjoyed the story, and liked the cover – especially the picture of the young girl hugging a pig! In fact, our group noted later that nearly all the editions of Charlotte’s Web have the same cover illustrations. Sheryll made special mention of the fact that the creatures who eventually helped Wilbur the Pig were the ones who did not at first like him – these were the spider Charlotte and Templeton, the rat.
 
In the discussion, we noted that Charlotte’s Web was a Newberry Award Winner. We also discussed its possible similarity to Orwell’s Animal Farm. Some of us felt that while the literary device (personification) was the same, the treatment was much lighter and unlike Orwell, it was not really a social statement. We all agreed that children’s books have to be apealing as well to the parents, teachers and librarians who actually buy them. Many adults who buy books actually wish they had bought these books as children. And great books, like great art, “keep talking to you.” We also noted that young girls read more; it’s boys who really go for graphic novels more.  All in all, children are vey visual and good illustrations help.
 
There were some questions that were asked but not quite answered by our little group. Could it be possible that Filipinos in particular like Charlotte’s Web because of the idea of “miracles” or the hand of God helping a little creature? Do girls like this story especially because of the theme of self empowerment and girl power?
 
Isn’t it amazing how much discussion this sweet little story evoked? This was the very first time two people shared brought the same book to our Booktalk and I must say that the differences in point of view made our discussion much livelier.

Dave Larkin and Flickr
 
David Larkin, or Dave, is our other new Booktalk friend. He is a member of SCBWI New England, and he did not bring a book with him, having only recently learned about our Booktalk from the SCBWI network. We made up for that by asking him questions about himself and his work – questions that he most willingly answered. I must say that inasmuch as he didn’t bring a book himself, David did jump into the discussion and shared a lot. His opinions were stated quite clearly and he threw in one or two queries which got us to thinking.
 
Dave is an illustrator and a writer. For his bread and butter, he works as a publisher of The Modern Teacher, a Philippine magazine geared for teachers. This was founded by his grandparents, both of whom were heads of the College of Education of major universities.
 
When he told us that his works are online at www.flickr.com, this sparked a discussion of self publishing and print on demand (POD). Beaulah mentioned Xlibris, a company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvnia that is well known for its services geared towards self-publishers. Recently, it opened its first non-US branch in the Philippines, in Cebu. She pointed out however that while some self-published books printed by POD companies are quite good, and that some even become best sellers, there are those who do not think highly of them. The thinking is that self published writers do not pass the scrutiny of an editorial board or the judgement of anyone else but themselves. Both Beaulah and Dave also mentioned that self-published books are rarely reviewed by established and well-respected book reviewers.

The Wolves in the Walls
 
Finally Beaulah spoke. She shared a beautiful book: The Wolves in the Walls, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave Mckean. Gaiman is famous for his graphic novels, including the Sandman series; McKean is Gaiman’s long-time graphic novel collaborator, illustrator of Sandman covers among many other works. Beaulah loved the book so much that she bought four copies – 2 hardbond and 2 soft bound! Some to keep, she said; the others to give, just in case.
 
First, Beaulah emphasized that while she herself is an illustrator, she really loves to read, and she loves books for the words as well. In the case of Wolves therefore, she appreciated the fact that if Gaiman’s words were separated from the pictures, the story would still stand alone. In fact, when she read it, she actually read it aloud to herself. She agrees with someone who said that “if you have to write, write for people who move their lips when they read.” Readers are really lovers of words, she said; they love to savor words. Reading silently, she believes, is more for the convenience of teachers who want a quiet and orderly classroom.
 
Dave nodded in agreement when Beaulah said that she thought the Wolves illustrations look like they were planned like a storyboard. She also made special mention of the excellent book design, which almost choreographs the story: the points where the page should be turned – or not yet. She also noted McKean’s use of many techniques – scanned photos used as is, digitally created and manipulated art, text set in different styles – including “scratched” lines for words in balloons. The book is truly a demonstration of a very succesful collaboration between writer and illustrator. Beaulah said that this kind of book that is visually sophisticated and clever appeals to a wide range of people, from adults who simply appreciate good design all the way to young children who are exposed to modern graphics.
 
The end.
 
Or rather, this ended the Booktalk of Monday, August 14. Thank you, Sheryll and David, our new friends – we’re looking forward to seeing you in our future events!

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