Raising Readers Guest Post

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for Katey Howes who is host of Kateywrites - a blog about children's literature, parenting and much more. Among many things, she writes an excellent Raising Readers weekly post. Her blog is a terrific source for ideas and exploration about kid literature and how parents can encourage reading and creativity at home. I raise a virtual cheer to Katey who is an inspiration! http://kateywrites.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/raisingreaders-monday-guest-helen-n-hill/

Sprouting Legs

I've been playing around with my artichoke character and gave her some legs . . . enjoy!

Granny Tutu

 

Midnight moonlight sirens call,

"Tutu girl, Plaza girl, this is your song."

 

"You get me," she said

and walked off stage -

a silhouette into the night.

 

Dawn break, night break hear me call,

"Tutu girl, Plaza girl, so bold so strong."

 

Remembering Carol Crossland,

my grandmother and friend,

January 25, 1924 - May 23, 2014

Happy Anniversary, Mummy and Daddy

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last week. Here's my tribute.

Here I am

Recently, I made a list of all the times I moved in my life. I counted 24. Some of the moves were close in proximity while other moves were involved different languages, different cultures, etc...

So I always feel a certain kinship when I read about people who settle into a completely new environment. Here I am by Patti Kim is about an Asian boy adjusting to life in New York City. It's a wordless story beautifully crafted by Sonia Sanchez's expressive and lyrical drawings.

I love this story. It reminds me that no matter how different people are, we all must confront and embrace change. We are all just people, going about our day, trying to make life work. And the wonderful thing about moving is that we have the opportunity to start anew. I'd like to think that it allows us to become stronger, better versions of ourselves.

"What happens to us when we forget to be afraid? We loosen our firm grip on what belongs to us. We open our hands. We share." - Patti Kim

I encourage you to pick up Here I am. It's a beautiful story! A bientot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5i5aR5PWss

Getting to the *Heart* of the Story

Taking some time off recently has allowed me the opportunity to see my work in a new light. So, I revised the The Little Artichoke and really nailed down the heart of the story (yes, right down to the artichoke heart).

Where before I was focused on the main character riding from one issue to the next, this post on pansters and plotters helped me to marry the strange gray place where character and narrative arc overlap. In a nut shell, Lisa Cron's post suggests that all events in a story should ride on the character's internal struggle. Ah ha! If you do that, then you have a work that's based ". . . why she (your main character) makes those decisions and how she (your main character) changes as a result."

 

Although the post is meant for longer works (aka novels), I still think it holds true for any story. I challenge you to try it on short stories, poems, comics, etc... See below, practice illustrations from my picture book, Me! The Little Artichoke. Enjoy and A bientot!