THE VELVETEEN RABBIT Hopping into a Theatre Near You This Holiday Season--and Worth the Journey! THE VELVETEEN RABBIT is making a fresh new appearance at Sycamore Rouge Theatre (seen right). To enjoy a new take on an old friend, head on down to Petersburg, Virginia, just a 20 mile journey south from downtown Richmond, at 21 West Old Street in Petersburg. You all know this classic children's story: Margery Williams' beloved book about a Velveteen Rabbit, a forgotten Christmas gift that is ultimately transformed into the world of "real" through a young boy's love. This sounds like it has all the markings of a memorable production your entire family will applaud. Dec 7th through Dec. 22nd. Tickets are $18, $14 for children (12 and under). Performances are on Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Enjoy a FREE PREVIEW on Dec. 14 at Friday for the Arts! where you can enjoy snippets of the play. To make reservations, call: 804-957-5707 or email: mail@sycamorerouge.org. I found out about this fresh adaptation while at a stimulating gathering of women friends and colleagures recently. Invited by my Theatre Professor from the Ph.D. program I am currently enrolled in at Virginia Commonwealth University, within five minutes of entering the room I found myself deep in conversation with the adapter and director of this new musical version of an old classic, kb saine--we enjoyed a vigorous conversation about the exciting topic of copyright laws, of all things, as they pertain to classics such as THE VELVETEEN RABBIT--mainly because of my own interest in adapting another classic. Hearing that this new version included freshly written jazz and blues music by Roddy Barnes, as well as some unique puppetry and masks, I couldn't help but judge this a perfect chance to make a family memory, give my children a special treat, and evaluate a new adaptation of this classic tale. (Need to refresh your memory of this narrative? Visit: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/williams/rabbit/rabbit.html.

To find out a few facts about William Nicholson, British painter, 1872-1949, who is remembered in part for his definitive illustrations for The Velveteen Rabbit as shown above , visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Nicholson_%28artist%29)

The Velveteen Rabbit: Or, How Toys Become Real, by Margery Williams, Illustrations by Don Daily, Reading level: Ages 9-12, Hardcover: 53 pages, Publisher: Courage Bks.; Revised edition (September 24, 2007), Language: English, Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 10 x 0.5 inche With the full intention of taking my family to this production of The Velveteen Rabbit--it seemed only logical that I add an edition of this tale to my children's picture book collection. For some unknown reason, this tale was not one to which I had been introduced as a child--and though I was familiar in a vague way with the general plot--I felt the need for my own personal discovery experience with this well-known narrative. When I came across the above edition of the book a few days after hearing about the new musical I decided to purchase it to read for myself and to share with my children this Holiday Season. The version I purchased utilizes the vision of Don Daily as illustrator, rather than the original and affectionately-remembered version first given to us by British painter, William Nicholson. Still, this edition is a truly elegant and beautiful rendering of the tale, laid out in a classic manner, with tall stately proportions and a bookjacket background of rich scarlet patterned art paper (matt-varnished) overprinted with gold-foil stamped flourished title and central cover image of the spotted stuffed rabbit peeking over a knitted stocking hanging at a glowing fireplace. This central illustration catches the reader's eye with a high-gloss spot varnish and the entire cover design is framed with an elegant embellished double-ruled border. The body of the book maintains the elegance of the cover with most pages displaying a full-page luminously realistic watercolor illustration that bleeds off the page on all sides. Don Daily's illustrations are meticulously realistic, and throughout this book seem to glow with a golden light--an effect that brings to mind the "golden glow of childhood" and frequently is accomplished with an underpainted wash over the entire illustration. Daily also effectively uses translucent shadow to reinforce the feeling of light the reader absorbs from each illustration. Just twice in the book the page uses only vignette illustrations in the corners framing the text. Also, twice there are double-page spread full-bleed illustrations with no text. These are painted beautifully, and the only down-side of these double-page images is that the text is not divided as thoughtfully as it could have been before these special features. For example, the first time there is a double-page image, the text before it mentions the boy coming to the garden, but then meanders for a line or two, breaking in mid-sentence without really setting the reader up for the following glorious double-page view of the boy in the garden with his stuffed rabbit. Such a page break in mid-sentence doesn't normally matter, except that the reader has to skip two more pages, because of the illustration, before continuing with the running text--and the final line of the previous page did not adequately set the reader up for the image they would be enjoying. The second time a double-page image is used, it shows the gardener with a bag of old toys he is supposed to burn, as the boy's room is being cleansed after his bout with scarlet fever--except that the text has not yet come to that point when the reader sees the image. As a typographer, I could not help thinking that the book was laid out so beautifully, with such classic grace, that these minor problems could well have been corrected. Still, the pages are graceful in proportion with spacious margins. The classic appeal of the serif text is enhanced with full justified margins and spacious extra leading between the lines of text. The top and bottom of each page of text is bordered with a spring-green double rule and a running book title with extra letter-spacing in all capital letters. Each chapter of the story begins with a large initial capital letter and oversized first line of large and small capital text in the afore-mentioned spring green that then becomes a slightly smaller-over sized large and small capitals for another line or two in black, and then melds into the capitals and lower case of the regular body text for overall ease of reading. This is a classic, yet create use of typography that enhances the impact of the book--and it was accomplished very successfully except for one small glitch on page nineteen when the word "wheelbarrow" at the end of the third line of all capitals introducing a chapter is hyphenated and then continued in capitals and lower case on the next line--once again, a small inconsistency in typographic design that I thought should and could have been corrected. Margery Williams (1880- 1944) wrote The Velveteen Rabbit in 1922--her first book for children, and an instant classic, although some critics thought it too romantic or sentimental a tale. In 1925 she wrote a tale that featured her son's name: Poor Cecco: The Wonderful Story of a Wonderful Wooden Dog Who Was the Jolliest Toy in the House Until He Went Out to Explore the World (1925)--quite a memorable and lively story inspite of its never-ending title, and thought, by some, to be more of a classic than its better-remembered predecessor--perhaps, in part, due to the exquisite Arthur Rackham illustrations. Another of her tales, The Little Wooden Doll, 1925, was illustrated by her daughter, Pamela (right), an artist in her own right and painter of the portrait of her mother shown above left (click on the portrait to see more of Pamela's work). These stories, along with her 1927 effort, The Skin Horse (who makes an important appearance in The Velveteen Rabbit), focus on the lives of the toys with which children play. Williams went on later to write young adult novels and to be a Newberry Honor Medalist in 1937 for her YA story, Winterbound, a story about two girls who unexpectedly have to take care of their home and family when their parents are away without warning. For more information on Margery Williams Bianco, and a full list of her other books, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margery_Williams.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margery_Williams

Do Don Daily (1940-2002) just recently passed away, and is well-respected for his illustrated versions of several collections of classic tales, as well as for his poster designs. For more information on this illustrator, visit: http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/runningpress/author_detail.jsp?id=1000030540. To purchase a rare copy of Poor Cecco illustrated by Arthur Rackham, visit: http://www.bkkbooks.com/.

THE NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL COMES TO RICHMOND, VIRGINIA FOR ITS THIRD YEAR: Sometimes Storytelling Journeys are Hidden in Unexpected Places It's hard to resist the combination of a sparklingly vibrant autumn day and the National Folk Festival coming to your home city. Apparently 175,000 people could not resist that combination this past weekend. And, though I suffered, as most teachers and Ph.D. students do, from a consistent overdose of work, reading, projects, and homework, I nevertheless knew I would take a few hours out of the weekend to check the National Folk Festival out. It was too enticing of an opportunity to pass up. So, trailed by my family and holding a textbook that never got opened, we parked our car a few blocks away and enjoyed the fall sunshine as we meandered along the canal walk, past the canal boats weighed down with their guides and tourists, through Shockoe-Bottom to the James River and Belle and Brown Islands. The setting could not have been more magnificent, with the James River full of layers of bridges, rocks, small islands and trees. Old factories on the banks of the refurbished remnants of a canal system first envisioned by George Washington now housed museums that we would come back to explore another day, since there was too much of a banquet on offer already. Huge tents were scattered everywhere. At least six major venues featured folk bands, dance bands, gourd orchestras, drummers, dancers of all sorts and ethnic variations from Native American to Appalachian to Baltic, and even a storyteller of Native American extraction. Ethnic food aromas tempted at every turn. Crafts from around the country; boats being built, steel drums being demonstrated, dances and skills of all sorts, from woodworking to quilting, weaving to basket-weaving, timberframing to harmonica-playing were being demonstrated.

The favorite souvenir find of the festival appeared to be small wooden bird-shaped whistles that sounded uncannily like bird calls. They were everywhere, and their many sounds wafted through the air around us as we strolled--but they had sold out, when we enquired after them for my young daughter--however, we were told they can be found on Carey Street in the Ten Thousand Villages Shop in Richmond--a shop well worth visiting in its own right.

My children found something to love in John Styles' presentation of the ancient art of Punch and Judy. Who knew that a tradition centuries old could still be so sidesplittingly funny? Three days of continuous celebration of the folk arts of this country and all the world traditions from which they hail--What fun! I found myself wishing I could have spent all three days at the festival, that I could have brought a blanket and a picnic and just done my homework with all that wonderful variety of music and dance in the background all weekend long--there was too much on offer to explore in a brief couple of hours. We did our best to hit an act or two at each of the major venues--enjoying Dixieland Jazz, Junkyard Bands, Western Swing, Indian drumming and dancing, African-American Gospel, Native American drumming and dancing, and a variety of Appalachian and Country groups, not to mention the Baltic sounds of The Jerry Grcevich Tamburitza Orchestra. I'll bet you don't even know what a tamburitza is! I didn't either until I witnessed this group. A complete listing and description of the various groups, as well as many audio clips can be found at http://www.nationalfolkfestival.com/events_performers.html.

As we wandered, my children informed me that they had had visits from several of the groups at their schools. My son's favorite group? VISHTEN, from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia--a young energetic group of musicians and step dancers playing music informed by their Acadian, Irish and Scottish heritages. Our family had made the same sort of so-journ last year--and I had taken along a textbook then, as well--reading a few pages while my daughter enjoyed a snack at the picnic tables. The weather had been fine both years, and landscapers had obviously been hard at work in-between. This area of Richmond had never looked better (Although we could use some rain. Newly-sodded and sown grass everywhere was completely brown--although it didn't appear too out of place as it was October and the season for autumnal colors.). Walking paths were well-defined, and many more trees and native grasses borded the canal and points in-between than I remembered from the year before. This year, while my daughter decorated a brown bag hat in the children's area (home to the gourd band, I believe, although I missed that particular attraction, much to my chagrin), I settled down to enjoy the Native American storyteller in the tent just below. I know from my studies that oral storytelling, the grandmother of theatre, and great grandmother of books, and great great grandmother of film, is making a comeback. Today, there is a resurgence of people interested in preserving and carrying on the craft of this particular art. One of the venues for such preservation efforts is the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, which I will address in another post. I had wondered, in my own musings prior to the actual festival, whether oral storytelling would make it to the National Folk Festival. It is difficult not to be exposed to this reappearing ancient art--and I had enjoyed such exposure while studying for my Masters Degree in Children's Literature at Hollins University. If it had made it to the National Folk Festival the previous year, I had not encountered it. But this year, just as I had speculated, it had made an appearance in the narratives of Dovie Thomason, an award-winning storyteller reknowned worldwide for her ability to share the oral traditions of her native people. She was personable, with a rich voice, and a way of looking at her audience as if she knew each one of you personally. . . . and she deftly managed to quickly replace stereotypical images of Native culture with insights from her personal experiences, After a few minutes, I easily slipped into her secondary world filled with tales of her heritage from her Kiowa Apache and Lakota relatives. For further information about her recordings and books of Native stories that have received Parents' Choice, The American Library Association, Storytelling World and Audiofile awards you may visit her website through the above link. Later, I found myself reflecting that much of what we enjoyed at the festival could be useful to those interested in the field of children's narratives, not just the offerings of oral storytellers. Punch and Judy shows are part of an ancient theatrical tradition that has delighted children for centuries, and could very well be the forerunners to some of the strange friendships that litter the children's narrative field today. And what of all the music we were enjoying, much of it full of energy leading to much foot-stomping and handclapping from both children and adults in their audiences? Isn't music and dance a dominant force in many narratives of the children's theatre and film universe? With this observation in mind, I felt no guilt as I soaked up the ambiance, the different cultures and traditions--for who knew where it might leak in my own work someday, somewhere, and somehow? The banks of the James River were packed both years; and, late Sunday afternoon, announcers began informing the crowds that, despite the fact that the National Folk Festival would now move on to other cities and locations (It stays in one location for three years before rotating. Next year it will move to Butte, Montana), Richmond will continue to host an annual Richmond Folk Festival, making this tradition its own, and many major groups have already agreed to come back next year. It seems that those huge crowds that day were witnessing the beginnings of a new tradition celebrating and preserving many old traditions. If you missed it this year, you can enjoy a slide show of the events at http://www.nationalfolkfestival.com/index.html; and, trust me, don't miss it next year! It was an example of urban living at its best. If you combine it with a boat tour of the canal and dinner at one of the pubs or restaurants in Shockoe Bottom, you will go home with an unforgettable memory etched in your mind. Sometimes unforgettable memories, and storytelling journeys can hide in plain sight and in unexpected places right underneath your very nose--in this case, on the banks of the rocky James River in Richmond, Virginia.

You can check out a slideshow of this year's festival at an excellent website for the event hosted at http://www.nationalfolkfestival.com/

"Did I hear you right? Jon Scieszka is Coming to Richmond?" I asked. Journeys can be thousands of complicated and carefully-planned miles long, or they can be a spontaneous last-minute half mile walk to your local art museum swinging your children's hands as you walk-- and that's how my recent trip to here Jon Scieszka was--unplanned, uncomplicated, and thoroughly delightful. I am so busy at the moment, teaching at VCU and taking classes full-time in the Media, Art & Text Ph.D. program, that, much as I wish it could be different, I have little time to pay attention to what authors are speaking locally, if they are not brought specifically by the university. However, in this case the information literally dropped into my lap as a member of my dissertation committee just happened to mention that morning that she was disappointed to miss his visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

"Jon Scieszka is coming to Richmond?" I queried, unable to believe my luck, literally doing a double-take. I rarely have time to recharge my batteries with conferences at the moment, and could hardly believe that a major children's book author would be within walking distance that very afternoon. Better yet, it happened to be Friday--the one evening where I could freely feel that I had "no more classes, no more books, no more teachers dirty looks." So, with my children happily in tow, we walked the half mile and slipped into chairs in the back. Jon Scieszka is just as funny in person as his books are--delightfully off-kilter and unexpected. He starts off by letting his audience know how to pronounce his difficult name, "It's pronounced "SHEH-ska. It rhymes with "Fresca," he tells us. He has been a long-time favorite in our family--introducing my children to the post-modern era of deconstruction of all those childhood standards--from his Frog Prince Continued and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs that effectively deconstruct well-loved fairy tales complemented in a weirdly-effective way by Lane Smith's equally off-kilter illustrations; to Squids will be Squids that deconstructs Aesop's Fables or The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales that tweaks yet more fairy tales and introduces readers to delightful characters such as tape worms and, yes, a

Stinky Cheese Man (in lieu of the more traditional

Gingerbread Boy); on once again through his pair of books, Math Curse and Science Verse, that do their best to take the horror out of those necessary but often-intimidating subjects.

As Jon spoke, he casually took turns addressing the many children in the audience, filling them in on such important details as the fact that the main character of Math Curse is indeed a little girl, and not a boy; then he would interact with the adults in the audience, speaking of his inability to get published until his wife, who worked for a New York Magazine, paired him with a certain illustrator who was also having trouble making it career-wise, an illustrator named Lane Smith. Together they made up a team that has become an unbeatable combination. He spoke of his surprise and delight at the illustrations Lane would dream up, such as Lane's unique vision of what a stinky cheese man would look like (discover more of Lane's humor in an interview at http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000029880,00.html?sym=QUE). Also, Jon took well-deserved time to mention that the dynamic book designs and typography were thanks to his wife's skill and vision. Finally, he introduced us to several of his newest books. I ended up picking up three new ones, confident that they would be welcome additions to my shelf of Scieszka editions. I will have to wait on Cowboy and Octopus, a book starring paper cut-outs of its main characters and narrative inspiration that Jon shared with his audience is a take-off of Arnold Lobel's well-known and well-loved Frog and Toad books (a fact apparently missed by some fairly reputable reviewers of this book--probably to be expected when considering the always unexpected content offered by this creative pair). Instead, I found myself intrigued by The Book that Jack Wrote, a perversion of the traditional poem, "The House that Jack Built," with illustrations by Daniel Adel; as well as a small horizontal book entitled, simply ART?--about a young boy searching for Art (his friend) in the Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in NYC (visit http://www.guggenheim.org/new_york_index.shtml to find out more) and of everyone's attempts to help him find Art (the concept)--a fun introduction to some of the art that actually hangs in that museum as well as an interesting discussion of just exactly what art (the concept) is. The final book I acquired on my unexpected journey was one I had wanted for awhile, The Frog Prince Continued, a 1991 edition from Viking with edgy illustrations by Steve Johnson. This story tackles what comes after "and they lived happily ever after." All in all, I would recommend taking the time to take advantage of impromptu journeys when the opportunity for them crops up--my little journey with my children needed no meals or lodging, nor any airfare--and the pleasure we gained from that small Friday afternoon journey came cheap at the price of three hardback books, souvenirs we will keep forever, or close to it with publishers use of acid-free paper these days. So, keep your eyes and ears open. Remember to check the events section of your local newspaper. Check the bulletin boards of your favorite bookstores or get on their e-mail lists (this talk was sponsored by Narnia, a local children's bookstore in Richmond) . . . and, happy walking journeys, sometimes the most unexpectedly rejuvenating kind!

THE NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL a Children's Literature Journey in my own Backyard

Children's Literature Journeys sometimes can be discovered in your own backyard. One of the memorable events for September of this year was the National Book Festival held on the Mall in Washington, D.C. on September 29th. One favorite children's book author/illustrator featured there this year, among others, was David Wiesner, the well-known winner of no less than three Caldecott Medal Awards, most recently for FLOTSAM, reviewed on this blog, as well as for THE THREE PIGS and TUESDAY. Wiesner specializes in wordless picture books of excellence and he represents one of only two 3-time winners of this prestigious award for Children's Book Illustration. Wiesner's publisher, Houghton-Mifflin, has put together an informative website about Wiesner that you can visit by clicking on the image of several of his books shown above.

Other children's authors &/or illustrators at this major festival included Mercer Mayer, creator of A Nightmare in My Closet and many other stories starring his adorable little critters, who will, I'm sure, be reviewed on Of Cabbages & Kings in future and whose website includes storytelling videos and other fun activities for children and adults alike at http://www.littlecritter.com/about_mercer_mayer2.html. Yet another memorable visitor at this years festival was Rosemary Wells of Max and Ruby fame, book characters that have made the successful translation into television series characters, and author of over 60 books for children. Her website, list of books, book reviews and fun kid activities can be found at http://www.rosemarywells.com/

If you did not make the festival this year and live within driving distance of Washington, D.C., mark your calendar for next year. This year, the event dawned on a beautifully crisp autumn day, and was filled with memorable speakers, festive tents, and numerous activities for adults and children alike, from book signings to children's book character sightings (such as Clifford, the Big Red Dog). The website, reached through the link above, is informative and, for those illustrators or lovers of illustrations among you, showcases beautifully-illustrated posters from this year, as well as from previous years of this festival, of which three are shown above. More importantly, if you visit the website, your appetite for attending next year will be whetted by listening to podcasts of a selection of the author/illustrators from this years festival, including of Rosemary Wells and Mr. David Weisner, himself.

I'll watch for you next year!