Some of my best memories as a child were the storytelling sessions
with my Grandmother. My sisters and I were mesmerized by the tales
Grandma told us about going to Montana from Missouri in a covered wagon
when she was only three years old. She showed us the scar of a
mishap when she got her hand caught under the spring seat of the wagon.
She always had a new tale to tell us about when she was a child, and
she was a wonderful storyteller. We thought she had lived a magical
life.
Years later, my husband and I bought a big, old apartment house.
The old twenty room monstrosity seemed like a wonderful place to raise
our six little people. We didn't know that the local kids had
decided that it was probably occupied by ghosts, but our children knew
about it. We let the kids host huge slumber parties and use the
whole upstairs. Their main form of entertainment was...you guessed
it...telling ghost stories! Several children ran home in the dark
in terror before my husband and I caught on to the "ghost story" game.
Nothing sparks the imagination like the ancient art of storytelling,
and it has become a well respected art with local contests and storytelling
competitions. Maybe your town has one. There is a Storytelling
Network on the Internet, and a National Storytelling Festival held each
year in Jonesborough, Tennessee. This year it will be October
4-6. If you can attend, you can pre-register at this link: National
Storytelling Festival Oct. 4-6, 2002: Historic Jonesborough, TN
National
Storytelling Festival 4-6, 2002: Special Events You might even want
to swap a yarn or two yourself! What fun!
I would like to know about your storytelling experience! Write
an e-mail to me and tell me your "storytelling" story. I will
print the best one in each grade category next month. Be sure
to put your grade level at the top of the e-mail. Grade 1 to 3,
grade 4 to 6, grade 6 to 8, and High School grade 9 up. Send your entry
to: Story4me@aol.com
In the interest of privacy, I will not give your name or any personal
information. Just give me your initials and your grade in school.
I had the opportunity to interview a great storyteller that just had
her first book published retelling one of our old favorites.
Interview
 |
New
Idea on an Old Favorite!
|
I just finished reading Bernelly & Harriet: The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. What a great new idea on an old favorite!
Bev: Could you tell us about yourself? According to your biography page, you do the things that Bernelly & Harriet do in the story...fly fishing and painting. What was Elizabeth, the child like?
Elizabeth: As a child I liked to play with friends, read, paint and do the things that kids do. I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and lived there till I was six before moving with my family to Wimbeldon, England. I loved my childhood in England. I lived behind an old estate that was turned into a park. I would often climb over the fence of our garden with my brother and go exploring. In the park there was a bamboo forest, a pet cemetery and a giant birdcage as big as a house. It was completely enchanting. I know that a lot of my work is inspired by that time in my life. After living in England for four years my family moved to New Jersey, Connecticut and finally Massachusetts. I am dyslexic so school was never easy for me. I spent a lot of time in class drawing, when I should have been taking notes, and day dreaming, when I should have been listening. I like to think it was all good practice for my future career choice!
Bev: What was your greatest inspiration to write for children?
Elizabeth: I have always adored children's books; I like to read them still. I could loose a day in a bookstore just reading and looking at illustrations. I guess you do what you love!
Bev: Who have been your favorite authors, as a child and now?
Elizabeth: My favorite author as a child and now as an adult is Maud Hart Lovelace. I could climb to the top of a tree and sing her praises, but instead I recommend everyone to read her books.
Bev: The paintings for this book are rendered in gouache. Since I'm not an artist, I had no idea what that meant. How does gouache differ from other watercolor techniques?
Elizabeth: Gouache is a paint that can be used like watercolor by letting it harden in your pallet, or like oil, using it straight from the tube. It has a very high concentration of pigment which makes the colors it produces quite extraordinary.
Bev: Do you have other books that have been published? Do you illustrate for other authors?
Elizabeth: Bernelly and Harriet is my second book, though the first that I both authored and illustrated. My first book was Henrietta, written by the Pulitzer Prize winning author David Mamet.
Bev: How did you come to choose mice as your characters? Do you have other stories to tell about Bernelly & Harriet?
Elizabeth: I chose mice for this story, as it was the country mouse and the city mouse fable that I wanted to rewrite. I draw many other animals though, pigs, bunnies, alligators…even people. As to more stories about Bernelly and Harriet I have heard, recently, that they were planning a trip to Paris. It seems that now Harriet needs a new pair of shoes; of course she wants her cousin Bernelly to accompany her to search for some. I am waiting desperately for a post card to hear all about it!
Bev: Most people who have ideas for children's books lack the great talent that you have to both write and illustrate books. What advice do you have for aspiring children's writers or illustrators?
Elizabeth: I think there are many, many talented people out there that write and paint. The only advice I can give is the advice I give myself: keep writing keep painting and you'll keep getting better.
Bev: I'm sure you have about a zillion more ideas clamoring for immediate attention...how do you see your future in the publishing industry?
Elizabeth: In the future I would love to work with my brother (a writer) and sister (a film student) on some sort of project. I think we could collaborate pretty well together. Meanwhile I continue doing what I love writing stories and painting!
Elizabeth, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.
We are looking forward to the next adventure of Bernelly & Harriet!!
| Bernelly and Harriet - Elizabeth Dahlie |
| Recommendations |
| Elizabeth as Author! Author! at TimeWarner |
| Here is a contest you won't want to miss.
Win a complete set of Matt Christopher paperback sports books! Time Warner Bookmark | Win a Matt Christopher Library |
|
Website: Making Friends and Other Crafts for Kids creative activities for kids from 2 to 15. |
| Website: Just For Kids Who Love Books Check out this Internet site! Everything you want to know about great books, and you can write your own review and get it posted on this web site! |
| ...and a book for today's troubled world: The Turning Hour by Shelley Fraser Mickle - A story exploring teen suicide. Bergin is smart, witty, athletic...everything that her friends want to be. When she swallows a bottle of pain killers it is a great surprise to everyone. Her stepbrother finds her in time and saves her life, but at first Bergin is ungrateful, and promises to do it again, only this time she won't fail. A story of our times, told through the eyes of Bergin and her mother, Leslie, giving us a better understanding of teen depression. |
Next Month: Roxanne Camron's "60 Clues About Guys: A Guide to Feelings, Flirting, and Falling in Like" from Lunchbox Press