The Magic Mirror #17
Transcription
The Magic Mirror #17
THE Number 17 (February 2010) Emerald City Edition Tim Hamilton: Hot, Hot, Hot! (“The Big Read” 2010) T A The public is invited to a talk by Tim Hamilton on Friday, March 19th, at 7 p.m. at the Woodward Park Library, 944 East Perrin Avenue, in northeast Fresno. Hamilton was authorized by Ray Bradbury to create a graphic novel version of Fahrenheit 451. First published in 1953, Bradbury’s chilling novel tells the story of Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is burning books. In Montag’s tightly monitored world, thinking is dangerous and books are forbidden. Later this novel was made into a feature film starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. Now Tim Hamilton has transformed the story into a striking new work of art that uniquely captures the hero’s awakening to the evil of government-controlled thought and the inestimable value of philosophy, theology, and literature. Reviewers have called Hamilton’s darkly muted illustrations, appropriately sparked with burning orange, “vibrant and vital.” Ray Bradbury wrote the introduction to this new version of his classic book. Critics debate whether graphic novels are comic books, or something else, but everyone agrees that this format constitutes one of the hottest trends in publishing today, appealing particularly to young adults. Find out more about them and about creator Tim Hamilton, whose previous graphic novel was Treasure Island. This free program is co-sponsored by the Arne Nixon Center and the Fresno County Public Library as part of “The Big Read” for 2010. Hamilton’s book will be available for sale and autographing. Hamilton will also participate in the Ray Bradbury Tribute Symposium (see enclosure) on March 20. Tim Hamilton Photo credit: Seth Kushner ANCA, the Arne Nixon Center Advocates, invites everyone to its eighth annual Secret Garden Party on Sunday, April 11, from 3 to 5 p.m. There will be no cyclones, flying monkeys, or apple-throwing trees, but you might see a Wicked Witch in this spacious north Fresno garden. The party will feature songs from “Wicked,” the hit Broadway musical, and other Ozzy surprises. Funds raised will support the programs and collections of the Arne Nixon Center, including the Oz conference. The exact location will be revealed to underwriters and ticket holders upon registration. Underwriters are needed; they will receive tickets to the party and acknowledgements in promotional materials. The $1,000 Sponsor fee includes up to eight tickets; Patrons, for a $500 fee, get up to six tickets; Contributors, for $250, receive up to four tickets. Individual tickets are also available for $50. For information call (559) 278-5790 or send e-mail to kelliew@csufresno.edu. The Yellow Brick Road leads to Fresno! C The Arne Nixon Center and The International Wizard of Oz Club (www.ozclub.org) invite everyone to a national Oz conference, “Oz: The Books,” May 14-16, 2010, on the Fresno State campus. Featured speakers will include Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked; Michael Patrick Hearn, author of The Annotated Wizard of Oz; John Fricke, co-author of The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Movie Classic; Kathleen Krull, author of The Road to Oz: Twists, Bumps, and Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum; graphic novelist Eric Shanower, author/artist of Adventures in Oz and many other bestselling graphic novels; and Graham Rawle, a British illustrator whose new version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was proclaimed the Best Illustrated Book and Book of the Year at the 2009 British Book Design Awards. (See Oz Conference, page 2) Oz Conference, from front page The conference will feature a musical, “Time Again in Oz,” produced by the Fresno State Theatre Arts Department and directed by J. Daniel Herring. Playwright Susan L. Zeder, who based this play on the third Oz book, Ozma of Oz, will also speak. The Henry Madden Library will offer an Oz exhibition and a Special Collections exhibit on the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. This world’s fair attracted Oz creator L. Frank Baum and artist W.W. Denslow to Chicago, where they later formed a partnership to write and illustrate children’s books. The Arne Nixon Center Advocates will sponsor the conference reception. Other community sponsors include The School Library Media Credential and Master’s Program at the Fresno Pacific University School of Education and The Fresno County Public Library. Much more information is available at www.arnenixoncenter.org. Gregory Maguire, center, will be a featured speaker for the “Oz: The Books” conference on May 15. AAnswers to quiz: Wind in the Willows 1 The by Kenneth Grahame 2 Wicked by Gregory Maguire 3 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Her First Hundred 4 Hitty: Years by Rachel Field 2 Tales & Tidbits from ANCA (Arne Nixon Center Advocates) by Denise Sciandra, ANCA President W hen one door closes, another one opens. That is what happened in January 1974. I had just moved to Fresno with my husband and six-month-old daughter. I was disappointed that it was too late to enroll in classes at Fresno State but was happy to come across a flyer for Arne Nixon’s Third Annual Festival of Children’s Books. It sounded interesting and now I had a child to read to. Little did I know that this would be the start of a lifelong association with Arne Nixon. On March 29, 1974, I arrived at the Men’s Gymnasium at Fresno State where I looked forward to hearing from the smorgasbord of Caldecott and Newbery award-winning authors and illustrators named on the flyer, including William Armstrong, Lynd Ward, Jean Craighead George, and Don Freeman. The first speaker on Friday evening was Gladys Yessayan Cretan. She was not an award winner and was little known even in 1974. I wonder if her work has survived other than in libraries and on my personal book shelf. She spoke of bringing children and books together, of keeping writing pure and simple, and of using realism, preparing children for the real world. Cretan followed those rules in Lobo, a book that turned out to be a favorite of my daughter. The title character is a very small dog named whose name means “wolf” in Spanish. Even though he is brave and fierce and can “run like the wind,” he is mainly seen as little. Lobo comes to learn that being big isn’t just a matter of size. Another favorite book came out of this festival. That was Don Freeman’s Corduroy, a recently published book at the time but a beloved classic by now. My adult daughter loves having a signed copy of Corduroy with a sketch of Corduroy drawn by Don Freeman. Corduroy is a stuffed bear on a shelf in a department store who is passed over by children, possibly because he is missing a button from his overalls, causing one strap to hang down. Along comes Lisa who loves Corduroy just the way he is. What a wonderful life lesson! I was hooked immediately on Arne’s festivals and his passion for children’s literature was contagious. I attended all of his festivals from that time forward. I have bookcases full of signed, embellished books. The door has long since closed on my daughter’s childhood but is just opening for her six-month-old son, Samuel Edwin. I can hardly wait to share Lobo and Corduroy with him. I wonder which characters will turn out to be Sammy’s favorites? MAGIC MIRROR by Angelica Carpenter Published by The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature Henry Madden Library California State University, Fresno 5200 North Barton Ave. M/S ML34 Fresno CA 93740-8014 Phone: (559) 278-8116 Please call for an appointment. Web site: www.arnenixoncenter.org Staff Angelica Carpenter, Curator E-mail: angelica@csufresno.edu Jennifer Crow, Library Assistant Mila Rianto, Library Assistant ANCA Board of Directors Denise Sciandra, President Phone (559) 229-5085 E-mail: denises@comcast.net Jessica Kaiser, 1st Vice President, Programs Kristene Scholefield, 2nd Vice President, Membership Audry Hanson, Corresponding Secretary Angelica Carpenter, Recording Secretary Cynthia MacDonald, Treasurer Cheryl Caldera Dan Dunklee Ruth Kallenberg Jo Ellen Misakian Judith Neal Ellis Vance ANC Advisory Committee W hat’s your favorite Oz book? That is, which is your CORNER CURATOR’S favorite of the 14 Oz books written by L. Frank Baum? Many people know just one, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, and some may know it only from the 1939 movie. The first book is terrific, of course, but some series fans, like me, prefer the later stories. After the first book was published, Baum had a falling-out with W.W. Denslow, the illustrator. The rest of his Oz books feature beautiful Art Nouveau pictures by John R. Neill. For series fans, Neill’s art defined the look of Oz. I have no scientific evidence to support this theory, but casual observation suggests that the third book, Ozma of Oz, is considered the best by many, including me. The plot is like an Indiana Jones adventure, in which Dorothy and Princess Ozma (the rightful ruler of Oz, who came to power in the second book), go underground to battle the Nome King. (Baum thought that “Gnome” was too difficult a word for children.) The Nome King looks like Santa Claus and even acts jolly, but he is selfish, power-crazed, and dangerous. Luckily for Fresno, Ozma is the play to be presented during the Oz conference, as a full-scale musical entitled “Return to Oz.” I can’t wait to see the Wheelers, who have wheels instead of hands and feet, and the Princess Langwidere, who changes her 30 heads the way other women change their hats. Sometimes I think that my favorite is Glinda of Oz, in which Dorothy and Ozma travel to a remote part of Oz to stop a war between the Flatheads and the Skeezers. The Flatheads, who live on a mountain, have heads that are flat on top, as if they had been cut off just above the eyes and ears. They carry their brains in cans in their pockets. The Skeezers live on a glass-domed island in the middle of a lake. To protect themselves, the Skeezers can submerge their island, using a combination of machinery and magic that is a hallmark of Baum’s stories. When Dorothy and Ozma are trapped underwater, their friends, led by Glinda, come to the rescue. My childhood favorite was The Magic of Oz, in which the Nome King and others use a magic word, “Pyrzqxgl,” to transform themselves into whatever people or animals they want to be. “It might be well…” advises Baum, “in reading this story aloud, to be careful not to pronounce Pyrzqxgl the proper way, and thus avoid all danger of the secret being able to work mischief.” I’m still trying to pronounce it! In this book, several characters from earlier books look for birthday presents for Ozma. One gift is a magic plant that blooms flowers or fruit on demand. I loved that story; maybe it’s my favorite, except—wait! What about The Patchwork Girl? Maybe that’s the best Oz book of all! Oh well, what’s your favorite Oz book? Alma Flor Ada Steven Mooser ANC Governing Committee Peter McDonald Michael Cart Maurice J. Eash Magic Mirror Angelica Carpenter, Editor Janet Bancroft, Designer In Ozma of Oz, Princess Langwidere tries on one of her 30 heads. 3 Books from Down Under by Rosalie Pratt Thanks to Rosalie Pratt for donating more than 200 books this year, and for paying to ship them all the way from Australia. She wrote this column especially for The Magic Mirror. N early 70 years down the track, I realise that my brothers and I had very privileged childhoods in relation to books and reading. These were a part of our lives from the time we were in nappies. Reading out loud at bedtime seems to have started when I was about two, and I still have wee U.K. books—Topsy and Turvey and All That and Hollow Tree House—from this time. One day they, too, will be sent to the Arne Nixon Center. I spent my primary (elementary) school years in a country town which had a marvellous children’s library—and librarians. What a world of discovery and creativity opened up over those nine years! Borrowed books were joined by Christmas and birthday presents, and rewards for school achievements. Whole series were built up, and with the book, beliefs were inculcated: books mattered—they were precious repositories and they were to be cherished. If possible, one tried not to “love them to death.” From reading to writing: when I began my nursing career I had no inkling that eventually Australian nurse education would progress from the archaic hospital training of my experience to the tertiary sector. Especially after transition to universities in the 1990s, it became imperative for nurse academics to engage in scholarship as well as practice. For this many were ill-prepared, and some of us who had had the opportunity of higher education were able to assist our colleagues, not only by writing but also by editing multi-(novice) author texts. Later I co-authored a history of one of our nursing colleges. When our parents died (and as my brothers and I are childless), the childhood books came home to roost with me. Having repossessed what few they wanted, the “boys” were happy for me to decide the fate of the rest. I was loath to consign this precious cargo to a second-hand book fair. I learned of the Lu Rees Archives of Australian Children’s Literature at the University of Canberra. What a revelation, and the people there were so delighted to receive our contribution. There still remained over 150 books from North America, U.K. and Europe. Providentially, Belle Alderman from Lu Rees suggested I contact Angelica Carpenter at the Arne Nixon Center. Hallelujah! Not only was Angelica pleased to have the North American titles, but also almost all those from U.K. and Europe. Thus, some 147 were shipped off in a number of consignments, including a ‘rag’ book (“absolutely indestructible”) and Arthur Mee’s Children’s Encyclopedia in ten volumes. These still have the cloth covers made by Mum, with the volume and page numbers embroidered on the spines—I’m afraid some of them were almost loved to death! What a blessing are such centres as Arne Nixon and Lu Rees. Books still matter—perhaps more than ever—as quintessential contributors to human culture and creativity, civilisation and community. In my view, they are crucial to the development of ideas and imagination—and thus to empathy for each Rosalie Pratt other. Long may they be written and read! Lewis Carroll donation The family of the late Carolyn H. Buck, 1927-2007, have donated more than 200 Lewis Carroll books to the Arne Nixon Center from her collection. Carolyn Buck enjoyed a long-time love affair with Alice in Wonderland. Her collection got its roots from an elderly family friend, Miss Patty Pierce, who was an English instructor at the University of the Pacific in Stockton in the late 1940s and 1950s. For years, Carolyn and her husband, Donald H. Buck, brought Alice books to Miss Pierce from their worldwide travels. Eventually the Bucks purchased Miss Pierce’s collection and began what became a decades-long passion and pursuit of all things Alice. Visiting more than 60 countries, the Bucks always hunted for new editions of Alice in bookshops, used bookstores, local flea markets, even grocery stores. Carolyn’s collection grew to more than 600 volumes in 31 languages. 4 by Don, Claudia, Cameron an Carolyn’s fascination with Alice was in keeping with her affection for the written word. She graduated with honors as an English major at San Jose State University. After marrying Don Buck and settling in Stockton, she taught high school journalism. Later, as a mother to three children, and as a junior high history teacher, she shared her love of books both at home and among friends. An avid reader and book club member, she wrote research papers for the Nineteenth-Century Club and was an art/history docent for more than 30 years at Stockton’s Haggin Museum. She was a devoted member of the Jane Austen Society of North America and attended many of its gatherings here and in England. As a member of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, Carolyn corresponded with fellow Alice enthusiasts world-wide, from Croatia to Japan. She enjoyed a years-long correspondence with Alice Rachel Field Archive by Jennifer Crow W ho could forget the story of Hitty, the 19th-century wooden doll who delighted readers with her self-told tale of travel and adventure? In 1929 author Rachel Field became the first woman ever to win the Newbery Award for Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. How many readers know, however, that Hitty was inspired by a real doll? The six-and-one-half-inch carved doll was spotted in the window of a New York antique store by Rachel Field and her friend Dorothy Lathrop, the book’s eventual illustrator. Story has it that while the two marveled over the museumquality doll, they decided to pass on her purchase. It was later that an idea came to Lathrop. Field should write a book about the antique doll and Lathrop would illustrate it. As tales of the doll’s journeys took hold in Field’s imagination, she hurried back to the store, only to find the doll gone. Luckily, the doll had only been removed from the shop window; she was waiting comfortably inside. A relieved Field bought the doll, whose only identification was a yellowed tag that read, simply, “Hitty.” The rest of Hitty’s story lies within the pages of Field’s book. The Arne Nixon Center has lately become better acquainted with Rachel Field through the purchase of some of her papers. The papers were collected by Marion Severn, a noted attorney and personal friend of Field’s. She later passed them to her close friends, the Bobrick family. Last year when Benson Bobrick offered the papers for sale, the Nixon Center jumped at the chance to own them. The papers contain original typescripts of plays, Field’s published magazine articles, research notes, family photo- and David Buck r s r t e d e s s e s s d o e graphs, illustrations, and many more interesting finds. There is even a 1907 letter that ten-year-old Field wrote to her mother exclaiming her awe at receiving an autographed photo of the famous stage actress Maude Adams. Rachel Field was born in New York City, September 19, 1894. The family later moved to Massachusetts where Field attended a small private school. Although she said that she began to write at an early age, oddly enough, Field refused to learn to read until she was almost eleven. She stated that she preferred listening to her mother read “real books” rather than trying to read the more juvenile material by herself. Field was an accomplished playwright, poet, and novelist for both children and adults. Her novel All This and Heaven Too became a best-seller and was later made into a movie starring Bette Davis and Charles Boyer. Field was also a talented artist who illustrated many of her own books. Working in pen, brush, and ink, she created simple but elegant silhouettes and open line drawings. In 1935 Field married author Arthur Pederson with whom she co-wrote an adult novel entitled To See Ourselves. The couple moved to California and later adopted an eight-week-old infant whom they named Hannah. Field lovingly wrote the poem Prayer for a Child for her young daughter, but tragically did not live to see it published as a picture book. Rachel Field died unexpectedly on March 15, 1942, from pneumonia contracted after an operation. She was 47 years old. Her daughter Hannah was only two. Prayer for a Child, illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones, won the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1945. Although her life was cut short, Rachel Field left a legacy of written and illustrated material. The Arne Nixon Center is proud to own a piece of it. Hitty, as illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop in Rachel Field’s Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. scholar Edward Wakeling. One of her great joys was visiting Wakeling at his home in England in 2001. Carolyn compiled volumes of Alice theatre programs and advertising examples, as well as Alice art objects, collectibles, and ornaments. In 1994, part of her collection was Carolyn Buck exhibited at the Haggin Museum. Her family knows how delighted and extremely proud Carolyn would have been that her collection of Alice books has found such a respected home at the Arne Nixon Center. Through this donation of Carolyn’s collection, her family hopes that these much-loved books will live on in the hearts of those who love Alice in Wonderland as much as she did. 5 Hobbies Nourish the Memory Banks by Garrett Knute Lothe “My goodness, look at my tomato plant. There are little tomatoes on the vines.” “Granddad, come and see my latest Lionel train car for my railroad!” “Garrett, this is a European folk tale of the trolls in their homes in the fiords and their many adventures.” Whether the hobby is gardening, trains, or books, each hobby has many surprising virtues: attracting others of like minds, freeing the mind for relaxation, providing the rush of nostalgia that comes when one is totally engrossed. Reading and collecting juvenile and young adult fiction have become vital to my life. I come from a Norwegian family, the first generation born in this country. I remember vividly the European folk tales my parents read to me, of the fantasy world of the trolls. By the time I was seven, my mother was reading L. Frank Baum’s Oz books to me. It was then that I knew The Wizard of Oz was my favorite childhood story. My mother’s favorite was The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Willows is exquisite prose and it truly must be heard again and again. My mother read it to me repeatedly for years. Repeated readings nourish our memory banks. I was about nine when my father read me Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy Holling. Dad would take out the globe and show me Canada, with his finger tracing the route of the little canoe as he read a chapter each evening. All of these personal connections with my mother and father over the subject of my hobby—books—helped me to learn good taste, to create interest in particular authors, to expand my verbal vocabulary, and have alone time with each of my parents. My parents were modeling reading for me. They read a lot for pleasure and work, and both were book collectors. They each belonged to a hobby book club. They praised my independent reading activities. They had many books, magazines, and newspapers around the house. Print was always readily available. Our black and white television was frequently OFF. Gardening, reading, trains, and glass paperweights were the hobbies of our family. Television was not a prime medium of entertainment. Father began each dinner hour by opening a huge Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary and announcing our “Word for the Day.” He read the part of speech, pronunciation, and assorted definitions, and then asked each of us to use the new word in a sentence. This took only five minutes of the dinner hour, but after nearly 15 years of this routine, we knew and discussed thousands of words and used them in our schoolwork. Dad used to say, “Children are not born believing anything. They get what they believe from their parents, and the simplest way to do it is through storytelling and through literature.” So it is with the hobby of reading, but there are benefits from all the other typical hobbies, too, like stamps, coins, dolls, lead soldiers, gardening, sewing, automotive restoration, cooking, and too many other hobbies to mention in this article. With each of those hobbies comes companionship with other like collectors, quiet times when one works on the hobby alone, teamwork time when one discusses the hobby, reflection and nostalgic occasions when one peruses one’s hobby, and relaxation, as the impact of the hobby on one’s senses envelopes the collector. A hobby is good for the soul. Garrett Lothe publishes Susabella Passengers and Friends, a bimonthly series book magazine about all juvenile series. The price is $20 a year. For information, write to him at 80 Oceans Pine Lane, Pebble Beach, CA 95953. Thanks to Michael Cart, the well-known author, columnist, book reviewer, and library leader, for his most recent donation of 43 boxes of books. Happily unpacking, clockwise from top left, are Angelica Carpenter, Jennifer Crow, Marcie Morrison, Matt Borrego, and David Real. The boxes held 1,138 young adult novels from 2007 and 2008. 6 It’s electrifyin’! * T o change your Magic Mirror subscription from paper to the electronic version, please send e-mail to mrianto@ csufresno. Remember to notify the Arne Nixon Center if your e-mail address changes. Past issues may be seen at www.arnenixoncenter.org under “Newsletter/Publications.” * (apologies to the lyricists for Grease) SIGN ME UP! I/We would like to join the Arne Nixon Center Advocates and enclose a donation. (Donations are tax deductible as allowable by law.) New membership Renewal $ 1,000 $ 500 Life membership Benefactor membership $ 250 $ 100 $ 50 $ 25 $ 10 Patron membership Sponsor membership Advocate membership Sustaining membership Student membership $ Other amount Make check payable to CSUF Foundation. (Please circle one) Ms. Mr. Mrs. Mr. & Mrs. Name (s) Address City/State/Zip Phone E-mail I prefer to receive my newsletter via e-mail. Congratulations to Katherine Paterson (seated, left), shown in 2009 at the Beatrix Potter conference in Fresno. Paterson, a two-time Newbery winner, has just been named the U.S.’s second National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and she recently became a Life Member of the Arne Nixon Center Advocates. Seated, right, is Margarita Engle, whose novel Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, won the 2010 Sidney Taylor Gold Medal for the book for older readers that most authentically portrays the Jewish experience. Standing, left to right: ANCA President Denise Sciandra, Professor and theatrical director J. Daniel Herring, and Curator Angelica Carpenter. ANCA Board members. Seated from left to right: Judith Neal, Jessica Kaiser, Audry Hanson, President Denise Sciandra, Angelica Carpenter, Kristene Scholefield. Standing, from left: Cheryl Caldera, Ellis Vance, Dan Dunklee, Jennifer Crow, Ruth Kallenberg. Not shown: Cynthia MacDonald, Jo Ellen Misakian. Mail to: Angelica Carpenter California State University, Fresno Henry Madden Library The Arne Nixon Center 5200 North Barton Ave. M/S ML34 Fresno CA 93740-8014 Phone: (559) 278-8116 FAX: (559) 278-6952 E-mail: angelica@csufresno.edu Can you identify book titles from these first lines? Q 1The mole had been working very hard (Answers on page 2) all the morning, spring cleaning his little house. Q 2 A mile above Oz, the Witch balanced on the wind’s forward edge, as if she were a green fleck of the land itself, flung up and sent wheeling away by the turbulent air. Q 3It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. Q 4The antique shop is very still now. Theobold and I have it all to ourselves, for the cuckoo clock was sold day before yesterday and Theobold has been so industrious of late there are no more mice to venture out from behind the woodwork. ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Henry Madden Library 5200 North Barton Avenue M/S ML34 Fresno CA 93740-8014 The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature California State University, Fresno Fresno, California Permit No. 262 PAID Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
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