fairy tales reimagined…

So this past weekend I took the kiddies (and my sister) to see Gnomeo & Juliet. It’s a cute gnomantic comedy (their promotional lingo, as much as I’d like to take credit for it) that retells the story of Romeo and Juliet as garden gnomes turn star-crossed lovers. Plus they manage to weave in Elton John songs to move the plot along. A mix that I probably wouldn’t have thought of but that works in a very entertaining way on the big screen.

Part of the reason I was so intrigued with this story concept may have been my obsession with The Amazing Race (which also kicked off a new season last weekend and has a fascination with gnomes.) But a bigger part of it is because I love when people reimagine fairy tales.

For instance, I recently picked up a new book for my three-year old called Ponyella by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans. You guessed it…Cinderella meets adorable ponies. It was love at first read (for both me and Lucy.) It’s the perfect mix of two of Lucy’s favorite things.

And a quick search on Amazon helps prove my point…there are lots of options if you want to read a fairy tale with a different twist.  Like Waynetta and the Cornstalk: A Texas Fairy Tale. And Hansel and Diesel. And Waking Beauty.

Not only are these books entertaining (and often pretty darn funny) but it also goes to show you that every story…even time-honored classics…has another way of being told.

golden!

I love this time of year…and not just because I know Spring is hiding around the corner.

It’s award show season! While I find the shows themselves to be entertaining (if not a tad long) my favorite part about Hollywood come late winter is the fashion. The gowns that grace the red carpets get all my attention (and my sister’s too) no matter how good the nominated movies and actors are.

Interestingly enough, just yesterday another writer (thanks, Kellye Carter Crocker!) sent out a link that magically combined my hunger for high fashion and my abiding love of children’s books.

Enter Ryan Novelline’s Golden Book Gown…

Novelline masterfully crafted this gown using pages from Little Golden Books. Love it! Then topped it off with a bodice created from the gold foil bindings of those same books. Seriously!

Please check out Novelline’s website…where the whole process is thoughtfully documented.

I am truly in awe of creativity and talent like this.

And I can tell you right now I won’t find another gown I am this smitten with this award season.

just keep running, er, writing

So I am ten days into my Picture Book Marathon and things are going better than I imagined. I have written eight different stories so far. Yes, that does in fact mean that I’ve skipped a few days…and I probably will again before February 28th rolls around. But I am proud that I am sticking to this..even when it means I have to stay up late because I’ve left “write a picture book draft” as the last thing on my to do list for the day.

And of course I am certainly not in love with anything I’ve written so far. But it is fun to sit down every day and just start writing about all the kids book ideas that bump around in my head.

Here’s a little bit of one that I wrote:

Charlie was the kind of kid who liked to pretend.

Not just pretending he didn’t like broccoli (because he didn’t!) or that he and the dog were ferocious lions.

He was serious about pretending (uniforms were often involved.)

Charlie pretended from sun up to sun down.

First thing in the morning, Charlie pretended his bed was an island and he’d have to jump from rock to rock (avoiding the crocs!) to get from pajamas, to clothes, to the hallway.  

During breakfast he devoured his pancakes as quick as he could because he heard the whistle blow out at his construction site.  Charlie pretended to build a skyscraper right in the middle of the backyard (the dog was excited about the new spot of shade.)

By mid-morning that construction zone morphed into a castle and Charlie pretended to fend off fire-breathing dragons (though he wasn’t too interested in rescuing any princesses)…

I didn’t sign up to do this so I’d get a little gold medal at the end of February. But maybe given this new inspiration to actually write and my desire to keep working on it (I have a conference I’m going to in April where I can actually have my work critiqued!)  I’ll get a little golden book out of the deal

So I’ll just keep writing!

And thanks for reading!

over the moon…

I love to read…always have, always will.

But for the last six years the majority of books that I read are the ones my kids pick out. Now I’m not saying that’s at all bad.  It just makes for interesting conversation when another adult asks you about the latest book you’ve read or “Eat, Pray, Love” is all the rage on Oprah and you can barely recognize what the cover looks like.

So in 2011 I vowed that I would start whittling away at the list of “books I’d love to read” and the stacks lining my bookshelf (gathering dust) and start making time to read something I picked out just for myself. I know it isn’t going to be an easy challenge because I’m the type of reader who gets so wrapped up in what she’s reading that she sneaks every spare moment (like sitting in the car waiting to pick up my son from school) to read just one more paragraph.

But I am pleased to report that I have managed to read three books so far in the new year.

They are…in a particular order…

Front Page Face Off by Jo Whittemore

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

and Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

(OK, so I never said anything about reading books for adults! These are just ones I can’t read out loud to my kindergartner and three-year-old.)

Anyway, I enjoyed all three books but  I must say that I am simply blown away by the story Ms. Vanderpool has created in “Moon Over Manifest.” This books is truly magnificent and worthy of the recently awarded 2011 Newbery Award.

It tells the story of 12-year-old Abilene Tucker who in 1936  arrives in the town of Manifest, Kansas by jumping from the back of a train. But in telling Abilene’s story this book intertwines the stories and lives of all the people of Manifest–past and present. There is a whole host of colorful and endearing characters. There’s mystery and adventure and history all rolled into one. I chuckled as I read. I marveled at Clare Vanderpool’s story weaving. And I cried because I could feel the pain and sadness of the characters.

When I finished the book (really just a few minutes ago…I wanted to shout from the rooftops about its wonderfulness!) I had that smile on my face of satisfaction. That reading this book…knowing these characters and their stories…has made my life richer.

I actually read the book on my iPhone (a new endeavor we can address another time here) through kobo. And I’ll be going to the bookstore later this week to buy a hard copy. This is a book I want to have on my bookshelf for when my kiddos are old enough to read the books they’ve chosen for themselves.

Even if you wouldn’t normally chose a book written for children to add to your “must read” list, “Moon Over Manifest” should be an exception.

It is an excpetional read!