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"Woods hush": Illustration by Jana Christy, in When the Snow Falls. by L. Booth Sweeney (Penguin/Putnam, 2017)
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Greetings from Snowy Concord,
A year has flown by since my last newsletter. And what a year! As challenging as the elections have been, I always try to remember the words of Winnie the Pooh:
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use
long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like
"What about lunch?”
-- A.A. Milne
When I talk to my children and others about the splintered ship we're on right now, I have to remember: after the elections, there is us. Living together. Grocery shopping together. Taking our kids to school. Working. Sitting on park benches. Together. To make this work, I keep coming back to the basic need for kindness. And even more specifically goodwill.
Goodwill doesn't mean we need to agree. It simply means we show up with an open heart and "benevolent interest." Like the glue kindergartners lovingly use to make Valentine's cards, goodwill is the kind word and the helping hand, even when the "other" may see the world very differently from you. It's the unseen glue that sticks a classroom, a neighborhood, a society, together. Now more than ever, I'm reminded that children's stories, and even good multi-media, can offer shining, inspiring examples of goodwill, especially the invincible, unconquerable, unvanquishable kind. Think Horton Hears a Who and Charlotte's Web. I'll be thinking and writing a lot more about this over the coming year. In the meantime, I'm excited to share some my news from children's writing this year.
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WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
When the Snow Falls
It took me 10+ years between writing and contract for my first picture book. For my second book, it took just over a year. Let's hope that's a trend! The inspiration for this next book fell and fell during the winter of 2015. After six major snowstorms,108 inches and six snow days, WHEN THE SNOW FALLS practically wrote itself! Illustrator Jana Christy brings the story to life with the world's most zesty grandma and edible grandpa. Goodwill included. Penguin Random House is the publisher. I'll let you know when it's available.
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Monument Maker
Daniel Chester French failed out of M.I.T. but ended up as one of America's most quietly famous sculptors (spoiler alert: he sculpted the Lincoln Memorial). A bonus: his innovative sculpting techniques also make him a poster boy for S.T.E.A.M. (Science Technology Engineering Arts Math). I'm thrilled to be partnering with Tilbury House Publishing and representational artist Shawn Fields on a picture book biography about young Dan,. We'll be at it for the next six months. And I'll be posting updates on my author's facebook page.
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NEED A SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT FOR A SOON-TO-BE GRANDMA? I confess: I want to be just like the puddle-jumping grandma in my rhyming picture book WHEN THE WIND BLOWS! (Of course, the book isn't just for grandma's. Little ones love it too.) Click here to order a copy from The Concord Book Shop. I will sign and inscribe however you like. Just note “autographed book” or an inscription such as "To the Millis Elementary School Library" in the Comments box. The Book Shop will wrap it up and send it out.
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A CHILD'S VIEW OF SYSTEMS
For those interested in systems thinking, you might enjoy watching this hour-long session on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation stage, as part of the Disruptive Innovation Festival. This year I teamed up with UK author Christiane Dorion and we had a glorious time becoming (at least temporarily) elementary students learning to "think about systems."
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I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. You've received this because you have in some way expressed interest in my teaching or my books. If you prefer not to receive future digests, please click "unsubscribe" below. I won't take it personally. Promise. Finally, if you've read any children's books that inspire goodwill, do let me know. I'll be back in touch in 2017!
www.lindaboothsweeney.com
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