Jan Brett’s Blog

Happy November!

      This is Jan Brett, and this is my November Hedge-a-gram, the time I take every
month to tell you what is going on in my life as an illustrator and children’s book storyteller.
     My husband Joe and I have finished our fall book tour. Every
weekday I talked to journalists in the cities and towns I’ll be visiting about the
20th Anniversary of THE MITTEN and THE SNOWY TREASURY. One question I’ve been
asked many times, is “Are children changing?” and are “children still interested
in books?” I have been thinking about this question because I an not a parent
of young children, and I have to rely on my little great nieces, Stella, Ann and
Mia and my grandchildren Patrick, Gavin, Katie, Zoltan and Torynn to answer
that. The two older boys love video games and videos, but they like their books
too, especially ones that cater to their interest which revolve around science
and adventure.
      The mothers and dads of Stella, Ana, Mia, and Katie have been
reading books to their children before they were even aware a book was a book.
There’s a special interaction when a parent reads a book and makes funny voices
or adds little asides about the story. I was amazed to check on Katie, who was
not even old enough to speak, one night a bed time. She had her cloth book
propped up, and was turning the pages solemnly, until something tickled her
fancy, when she would laugh and laugh. It mad me think that we must find it
natural to have that tactile book feeling, and see a story unfold, bits at a
time.
     Our little ones aren’t old enough to tote around a favorite possession, a
dog eared copy of a favorite book, but they are old enough to ask for the same
story over and over again. Often they surprise us when they play the scenes
over with their dolls and animals or they play the character themselves. Roll
playing is an important part of childhood, we get to explore how to be different
kids of people.
      My guess is that children still love their books, but their lives may be
busier that those of children a few years ago. I always have three
or four books going, and my biggest challenge is find the time to read.
     When I go out on the book tour, one of the most moving experiences that I
have is when a child shows me one of their drawings that is full of talent and
individualism. Anybody can be taught to draw, but occasionally a child will
come up with a whole new way of expressing themselves – through details, the
characters they make up, unusual color choices and techniques. I remember being
six of seven and being shy and tongue tied. When I drew a picture I felt I
could say what I wanted to say in a much better way. When I meet a child that
doesn’t say a word, but has that look of being more than usually interested, I
feel like I’ve met a kindred sole.
      I know many of the people who come to my booksignings come because their child
is a gifted writer and artist, maybe they are even a teacher. It is a thrill to meet the
future artists of our world, and what a privilege it is to be able to demonstrate with a
drawing for them, and tell them about the first spark of a book idea, about fanning
the flames until it’s a full blown story, and then shaping and finishing that story until
it has life of its own.
      At my booksignings, I’ll first tell a little about myself, and introduce my
husband Joe. He’s a musician with the Boston Symphony, but his six foot tall
double bass is too large and fragile to carry on the bus. I will do a painting
and talk about it so it is like an art lesson, and I will give three tips that
you can use for the rest of your life. I will tell you how I got the idea for
THE HAT, because that is a story I made up. Lastly, I will talk to the kids
about their creativity. I could talk for hours, but I need to leave time for
signing books. If you can’t come to my signing, there are art lessons on my
website, and videos that were taken on previous book tours. Happy reading,
writing and drawing,

               Your friend, Jan Brett