Leslie Leibhardt Goodman Children's Writer

Writer

Month: October 2015

Perfect Picture Book Fridays Looks At Crow Call by Lois Lowry

October 30, 2015 /

Perfect Picture Book Fridays Looks at Crow Call by Lois Lowry.

Near me, where I write, stand two tall bookshelves–an anniversary gift from my understanding husband who may have grown tired of my many stacks of books. I have dedicated shelves for picture books, middle-grade novels, nonfiction books for children, and books on the many aspects of writing books.  On my picture book shelf, where my books are lined up neatly, one book, in particular, sits with its welcoming cover facing me. That book is Crow Call by Lois Lowry.

I recall the day my daughter asked me to bring her to the book fair at her elementary school. “OK,” I said, “but since we have too many bills to pay off this month, I can only afford to buy one or two books for you and none for me.”

Who was I fooling…? My addiction to books began as a child when my father covered one wall of our living room, end to end and floor to ceiling, with bookshelves he handmade. Then, over the years we filled those shelves to brimming. 

Crow Call by Lois Lowry Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.

Crow Call by Lois Lowry
Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.

We walked into the school library where the books were set up for the fair. “Go ahead and look around,” I told my daughter. “I’m going to browse the picture books while I wait for you.” My eyes roamed over the titles and then…a book caught my eye.  Crow Call by Lois Lowry. I immediately identified with the young girl with her blond braids on the front cover. She looked like me at that age. The girl was standing on a golden hillside beside an enormous bare tree, staring up with wonder at a sky filled with crows. The illustration made with the skilled and loving hand of illustrator, Bagram Ibatoulline perfectly captured the landscape of my childhood. I opened the book and, being captivated by both the opening lines and illustrations, continued to the last page where I swallowed my tears. Not because the story is sad–it ends quite happily, but because I felt an overwhelming connection to the relationship between the father and daughter in the story.

“I thought you weren’t going to buy any books for yourself,” my daughter said. Then she noted the tears in my eyes. “What’s wrong?” She hugged me.

“I love this book so much,” I managed to say. And that’s all I said as I clutched it to my heart.

Crow Call

*Written by- Lois Lowry – Drawn from her own personal experience as a child.

*Illustrated by- Bagram Ibatoulline

*Published by- Scholastic Press, 2009

*Suitable for – 4 and up

*Topics/Theme – The bond of parent and child, specifically father and daughter.

*Opening –  It’s morning, early, barely light, cold for November. At home, in the bed next to mine, Jessica, my older sister, still sleeps. But my bed is empty.

Words from the author “The details of Crow Call are true. They happened in 1945 to me and my father. But parents and children groping toward understanding each other — that happens to everyone. And so this story is not really just my story, but everyone’s.” —Lois Lowry

Synopsis from Amazon

This is the story of young Liz, her father, and their strained relationship. Dad has been away at WWII for longer than she can remember, and they begin their journey of reconnection through a hunting shirt, cherry pie, tender conversation, and the crow call. This allegorical story shows how, like the birds gathering above, the relationship between the girl and her father is graced with the chance to fly.

Why do I like this book? So many picture books these days have sparse text and are 500 words or less–often less. But this book, with it longer text, tells a rich and satisfying story of a relationship between a father and daughter separated by a war. It captures the shyness of a little girl who sees her father as a stranger. Their journey into the day becomes an important step in finding their way back–together. Through the father’s generosity, sensitivity, and gentleness, a bond is formed which leads to a perfectly satisfying ending. Now, team up the beautiful writing of Lois Lowry with the soft, realistic illustrations of Bagram Ibatoulline, and you have a Newberry Medal winner in your hands.

Lois Lowry’s website (author)

Classroom author study of Lois Lowry

Bagram Ibatoulline’s website (illustrator)

A recipe for cherry pie from Epicurious.

To listen to Lois Lowry speak about Crow Call, visit YouTube.

To find other perfect picture books please visit Susanna Hills blog.

A writer’s prompt: Write about a special time you shared with your mom or dad when you were a child–a time that strengthened your parent-child bond.

Why Do I Write For Children?

October 29, 2015 /

Earlier today I visited a blog that invited writers to answer a question: Why do I write for children? I didn’t have to take the time to consider this question. I only had to picture my daughter’s face and I had my answer.

Why do I write for children?

illustration by Leslie Leibhardt Goodman

illustration by Leslie Leibhardt Goodman

I never imagined I would write picture books until my daughter turned two. Night after night she would tell me NOT to read her a book. Instead, she asked me to tell a story I made up–just for her. She’d lead off with a character and a situation, (a princess with the sniffles or a dragon with a loose tooth) and then say, “Go!” And I’d have zero seconds to brainstorm a possible plot. No, not every story was good, and frankly, some of them were downright lousy, but still, she liked bedtime so much more because of this game we played. I loved seeing her eyes widen, her smile grow, and hear her wild applause when I finished.

 

I write for children because they openly love any amount of silliness in a story, they accept the improbable and impossible, they thrive on magical, and they believe with all their heart in happily ever after.

I write for children because I had a happy childhood filled with memories I never want to forget. Turning those memories into stories keeps them alive.

I write for children because their world keeps inspiring me. Yes, you read that right. their world. My world, the world adults live in, is a serious, rule-filled world with loads of responsibilities. But a child’s world is lived fully. Children live in the moment without thought or care if the dishes are washed and put away.

I write for children because the monster that lives under a child’s bed is as real to them as bills on our desk are to us.

I write for children because when I do, my mind is open to possibilities.  I think back to my childhood when I explored the forest with my sister. A fallen tree became a grand ship we co-captained. Squirrels scurrying under leaves were distant pirates. A bird perched high in the branches was our lookout. To our parents, we were playing on a dead tree, risking infection from a splinter or a bite from a spider. Strange how they could never see the tree for more than it was.

I write for children because it’s what I love.

A No Treat Halloween Story

October 26, 2015 /

Hi, everyone! As promised in my last post, here is my entry to Susanna Hill’s 5th Annual Halloweensie Contest. I can’t begin to tell you how many starts and stops I made. Every time I finished introducing my main character and setting up his problem, I was pushing the 100-word limit–seriously pushing it! This was truly an enjoyable exercise in staying within a low word count. At times, I was frustrated. At other times, I devoured insane quantities of chocolate to keep my creative energy charged. And looking back at the experience I can honestly say I LOVED every minute of it.

The Contest:  write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt.   Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!

by Leslie Leibhardt Goodman

by Leslie Leibhardt Goodman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloweensie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children's Halloween Story Challenge

October 21, 2015 /

I recently accepted Susanna Leonard Hill’s challenge to write a Children’s Halloween story. You might be thinking that writing a story for Halloween doesn’t sound like a challenge. It’s simple really. All you have to do is:

 

  1. Decide upon the main character. (Could be a typical kid, or any number of spooky spooks like a ghost, mummy, goblin, or black cat.) 
  2. Then decide what the main character wants. (Maybe Max wants to grow the biggest pumpkin for a contest. Perhaps Gina wants to win a prize for the best costume at the school party. Maybe Carl wishes to learn a few spells from the witch down the block.)
  3. Then, think up an inciting incident to challenge the main character or keep him from attaining his goal. (What if… on the morning of the contest, a squirrel has eaten through Max’s prized pumpkin? What if Gina discovers that three of her best friends bought the same costume she did? What if Carl hears that the witch eats all children who enter her cottage?)
  4. From here, our main character must try and fail at overcoming obstacles in his/her path, fall into a dark, hopeless moment, get a brilliant idea, try again with renewed spirit, arrive at the grand story climax where resolution comes followed by the perfect denouement.

Normally this would not be a problem if the contest allowed writers 500 words (typical for picture books) to tell their story, but that isn’t the case.  These are the instructions:

The Contest:  write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words costume, dark, and haunt.   Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!)

So, I grabbed a cup of tea, sat at my computer, and started writing. By the time I had created a setting for my story to take place in, introduced my main character, and revealed his problem, I was already into the story by 88 words. Great! 12 more words to go. Delete, delete, delete. I started again and again, slimming and trimming, tightening and selecting the best words. And on the 26th of October, I will post my 100-word Halloween story here for you to read.

Writing From Real Life Experiences

October 7, 2015 /

As promised, I’ll share with you the inspiration for another picture book I am writing. This one is a nonfiction animal rescue story.

Growing up in the country meant living in a place where wildlife lived both outside and inside the house. I had, and still have, the uncanny ability to know when an insect is near. It’s like having a built-in radar I wish I could disable.

I recall a hot summer night (frankly all summer nights were hot at my mid-west house. My parents never saw the need to install an air conditioner when a cross breeze through open windows offered relief for free.) I digress… I was about eight at the time, and in addition to my insect radar, I also had (and still have) the ability to hear coffee being picked across the world—OK, not quite. But I heard a sound much like a troop of ants invading a picnic. I flipped on the light and let out a neighbor-waking scream. My mother came running. Upon seeing an uninvited millipede sharing my pillow, she proceeded to calmly get the vacuum cleaner from the hall closet and suck up the little bugger. “You live in nature,” she said, plugging the hose with a wad of tissues. Like that was supposed to bring me a calm, restful night. From that point on it seemed nature found a clear path into our home.

Yes, we had the rare, but common mouse sightings, but we also had a praying mantis infestation when my mother brought an ‘interesting’ cocoon into our house. “Isn’t it fascinating?” she said. A month later when thousands of babies hatched, she sang a different tune. Then a ladybug convention darkened our windows by their sheer numbers. ladybugsIn addition to the insects, we gave shelter and care to a variety of furry critters the cat dragged home within an inch of their lives.

But the animal which left the largest print on my heart was an injured mallard we found a mile from our home. Seeing the bloody, broken duck, my mother supposed it was attacked by a raccoon or coyote. It appeared clear the duck wouldn’t last the night, but being me… I cried. I cried for the pain the duck must have been experiencing. I cried for the fear the duck must have felt during the attack. I cried for the experiences the duck would not enjoy after her life was cut short. And my mother did exactly what I needed her to do. She brought the mallard to a wildlife rehabilitation center.

My hopes crashed when we were turned away because they had no space to care for one more animal.

We took the duck to the vet. My hopes crashed again when the vet didn’t give the duck a hope in the world of surviving. And again, my mother did exactly what I needed her to do. She brought the duck home. And what happened over the next four months touched me deeply—changed me. What happened next is what my nonfiction picture book is about. With hopes, after sending my manuscript out into the world of agents, I’ll gain the interest of one who will feel my story needs to be shared.  

As always, it’s hard to write with one’s fingers crossed.

All the best.

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