Joanne Gail Johnson's MEANINGFUL BOOKS: 3 NUDGES with New York Times Bestselling Children's Author: Deborah Underwood

Joanne Gail Johnson's Meaningful Books

I have noticed that West Indian children today role play with American accents the way my generation did with British ones. We are ever being colonized it seems, through the importation of the dream-media of others. It is a childhood 'knowing' that has led me on this path - to reflect our contemporary "Caribbean". For me the cultural context is not THE thing. It is treated with a deep acceptance and a deliberately "by-the-way" intention; just as any of my international counterparts do not always have to translate and explain their contextual references, and lingo to us. We stretch ourselves and include their points of view. So too, I am naturally inspired by the universality of my own specific backyard. The English country lane fiction created "locally" in the UK, by Beatrix Potter and Enid Blyton, did not alienate me as a child. I was invited to explore new worlds. Now, I give myself permission to present work through which the reader may see and hear, in our unique way, without making Caribbean content that is primarily about the fetish of folklore. My intention is to enhance cultural esteem at home, and to expand the experience of others; whether they visit our islands or have never heard of them!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

3 NUDGES with New York Times Bestselling Children's Author: Deborah Underwood

AVAILABLE APRIL 4TH - THE LOUD BOOK!
http://www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com/

BIO: Deborah Underwood is the author of A Balloon for Isabel, Granny Gomez & Jigsaw, and The Quiet Book. She co-writes the Sugar Plum Ballerina chapter book series with Whoopi Goldberg, and is the author of the easy reader Pirate Mom. Deborah has written more than 25 nonfiction books on topics ranging from smallpox to ballroom dancing. Her magazine credits include Highlights for Children, National Geographic Kids, Ladybug, and Spider.

SYNOPSIS:

The Quiet Book, illustrated by Renata Liwska and published by Houghton Mifflin, explores the different quiets that can fill a child's days from morning to night.

QUIET NUDGE 1 : Tell us about your seed of inspiration for The Quiet Book.

I got the idea for The Quiet Book while I was sitting in a church, waiting for a classical guitar concert to start. As I sat there, I noticed several types of quiet--the hushed conversations before the performer entered, the audience's polite silence while he was tuning, and then an expectant, almost-electric silence right before he started to play. During the concert, I started thinking about other kinds of quiet, and wondered if there were enough varieties to make a picture book. I scribbled some notes down, and the manuscript took shape over the next month or so.

QUIET NUDGE 2: What's been your favorite reader response/ review so far?

I'm honored by all the attention The Quiet Book has received from adult reviewers, and making the New York Times bestseller list was a tremendous thrill. But most gratifying of all is when I hear that a child loves the book. For instance, a friend recently told me that her kindergarten-aged niece sleeps with the book under her pillow--what adult review could possibly compare to that?

QUIET NUDGE 3: Tell us about a childhood moment or personal story that is relevant to The Quiet Book or to your work as a children's author.

One day when I was in grade school, the teacher had us lie on mats on the gymnasium floor, then led us through a guided relaxation exercise. Among other things, she asked us to imagine that we were floating on clouds. That experience of deep quietness is one of my fondest memories of elementary school. We desperately need quiet in order to rejuvenate and create, and I'm grateful to the teacher for giving us that moment of peace.

A CHILD'S GUIDE TO SILENCE

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/a-childs-guide-to-silence/article1903834/

Joanne Gail Johnson's MEANINGFUL BOOKS