Better late than never.-Excuse
Yesterday I attended the Rocky Mountain Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators spring conference. First, I was totally overwhelmed by what I don't know. Second, I met some VERY talented people: brilliant speakers, heart-felt humanitarians, and gurus of their trade. I'm left to ponder how to learn the craft of children's book authoring, when I seem to gravitate toward the less conventional books.
I love Richard Scarry's work. I love Mo Willems pigeon that insists that it drive the bus. Julie Mammano's Rhinos Who Skateboard/Surf/ Snowboard are visually brilliant and the text is completely appealing to kids who love these activities or fantasize about them.
Perhaps I'm dense, but it doesn't seem to me that the work of these authors follows convention. Take the story arc as an example (problem 1, problem 2, problem 3, climax, resolution). Yes, every once in a while a fire breaks out in a Richard Scarry book, but the sole purpose seems to be to show off all of the fire equipment. In Mammano's book, there's always some attitude between the rhinos and alligators and the rhinos do biff on some tricks, but there's really no problems being overcome, they're just livin' the life (maybe this falls in the "day in the life" category of story). And despite all of his antics, Mo Willems' persistent pigeon never gets to drive the bus and never really learns anything, he just gives kids the change to yell "No!" at a book. Books that rock my imagination defy convention (and seem to be graphics-driven).
Brown Hippo is just a goofy little book with a Hippo that doesn't know how to wear clothes...because he's a hippo. So I came away from this convention wondering how what I like to do fits in with a writers' group.
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