Laura Krauss Melmed
With Father’s Day coming up in June, I thought it would be an appropriate time to visit with Laura Krauss Melmed again, especially since one of her latest books, My Love Will Be with You, addresses a father’s love for his child. Many of you are familiar with her book I Love You As Much which has been a perennial seller since it first appeared. I myself have it in both picture book and board book form. Since its publication, Laura has wanted to write a companion book about fathers, but she just couldn’t seem to get the right angle. She told me that she worked on many versions in her head (which she does anyway before putting fingers to the keyboard), but nothing worked. Life changed for Laura, an only child, when her father became ill and she took responsibility for his care including moving him close by. It was a physically exhausting and psychological draining responsibility, but one that was important--to care for a parent who had been such an important part of her life.
After one of her returns from visiting her Dad, a very tired Laura checked her e-mail and read a fan letter from someone who told her how much her book I Love You As Much had helped that family get over the loss of an infant child. It brought Laura to tears, and she lay down on the couch for a rest and fell asleep. When she woke up, the poem for My Love Will Be with You had finally crystallized in her mind and she was able to type the text. Her editor liked the manuscript and Laura requested that Henri Sorensen, who had created the paintings for the earlier book, be the artist for this one. He agreed and together they have created another beautiful story. Laura uses a variety of animals to translate the emotions that a real father would have towards his child. It is not a nature book. In Laura’s mind, the animal dad would be somewhere in the picture dreaming of the future when the baby is grown up and on his or her own—he may serve as a role model, but not necessarily the primary caregiver or nurturer. That message comes through in lines like “Someday you’ll hunt in the long waving grass.” or “Someday you’ll swim off to faraway seas.” The child has been successfully and lovingly raised and now is off ready to face the world and--that love between parent and child will never fade.
Another book by Laura that has been published this year is a totally different venture. Heart of Texas: A Lone Star ABC was illustrated by Frane Lessac with whom Laura did her two popular city ABC books--New York, New York!: The Big Apple from A to Z and Capital!: Washington D.C. from A to Z , but this time they have taken on a whole state and a big one at that. This idea was not original with Laura, but was done at the request of her publisher. Her intention was to continue with city books since there are still plenty of interesting ones left such as Chicago, Boston and San Francisco to name a few. The woeful state (no pun intended) of geographic knowledge in today’s students has been part of Laura’s desire to tackle these subjects. In addition, she loves to undertake research and all of the factoids that she collects must be constantly sorted and sifted and condensed to fit the format of a picture book. One may quibble about the point size of the tidbits on each spread, but young eyes won’t have any trouble reading them and kids seem to love trivia. Each of the poems in this book is written to bring out the emotions related to the site and why it is important. The book should give the reader a flavor of Texas and stimulate curiosity. A study guide will soon be available on her web site as well as a book trailer.
The actual process of creating this book was complex. The editor’s mother (an educator in Texas), vetted the sites that Laura had selected (yes, Laura did make trips to most of them and the illustrator, who is from Australia, also made a trip to Texas). Next, the alphabetized list was approved by the editor. At this point Laura began to write the poems and also to add to her compilation of factoids about the various featured sites. Once the poems were approved, Laura made up her list of additional facts that she wanted on each page. She would see the sketches from the artist and look at the layout and work with the editors to refine the information to get a more perfect layout. Since Laura loves writing poetry and thrives on research—picture books of this nature are a natural fit.
Going back to a book published last year, Hurry! Hurry! Have you Heard? (2008), I asked Laura how it was that she decided to do a Christmas book, especially since she is Jewish. It turns out that her family is very open minded and the family includes Catholics and African Americans, a real mixture of races and religions. As a child she received Christmas presents along with Hanukkah gifts. Religion always fascinated Laura and even as a child she would watch religious television programs. She read widely about various religions and it has been a life long interest. She was drawn to the songs “Joy to the World” and “Let Heaven and Earth Rejoice and Sing” and wanted to write a Christmas book. Again, it is not a nature study so some of the animals described and depicted would not have been in Bethlehem, but it is a story of hope—the infant child offers a new beginning no matter what religion you may ascribe to and as Laura put it “Jane Dyer’s illustrations are to die for.” Just to put things in perspective, it took about five years for this book to come to fruition from the time the manuscript was accepted until the final book was published.
I asked Laura what was new and she told me that there is the possibility that Moishe’s Miracle: A Hanukkah Story might be turned into a puppet show. I can immediately see that in my mind and as Laura noted, it has a Punch and Judy feel. As for her other projects, like many authors that I have interviewed, she is reluctant to discuss them except for the “done deals.” One of these is another Hanukkah book entitled Eight Winter Nights which has been illustrated by Elisabeth Schlossberg. The poems are related and take a family through the eight nights of this holiday.
Laura doesn’t lack for ideas and I am sure that a year or two from now, I will be undertaking yet another update on her critically acclaimed books. In the meantime do keep visiting Laura’s attractive and informative web site www.laurakraussmelmed.com.
Contributor: Marilyn Courtot
To view this author's feature from a previous year, click here.
Reviews
Heart of Texas: A Lone Star ABC
Laura Krauss Melmed
Illustrator: Frane Lessac
This alphabetic tour of Texas is chock full of fun facts and highlights of the state--it would be great fun to read for research or in preparation for a trip to the Lone Star State. The colorful paintings add to the whimsy and complement the text well. Unlike many alphabet books, the entries aren’t painfully stretched to fit the theme. There is a lot more in this book than its slim profile implies. As a resident of Texas, I was sure I could find some little error and thought I found it when the author mentions “bluebells” growing on a hill. However, a quick internet search revealed that there are indeed bluebells in Texas, and her later inclusion of the state flower, bluebonnets, convinced me the text was well researched. The mention of the rebirth after the 1900 storm in Galveston is a bit ironic, since the book was likely in press while Hurricane Ike swept over the island and once again devastated the downtown. A helpful map at the end indicates where all of the entries are located within the state. 2009, HarperCollins, Ages 6 to 10, $17.99.
Reviewer: Dr. Judy Rowen
ISBN 978-0-06-114285-7
Hurry! Hurry! Have you Heard?
Laura Melmed
Illustrated by Jane Dyer
Above a snowy field, a star shines over a shed in which a new baby is born. Three orange kittens with mittens awake to see the baby. A bird in the rafters is “filled up with love,” when the baby smiles. He hurries to tell others that “every creature large or small is precious in his sight.” A rabbit wearing a cap with tassels and holes for its ears, a fox with a fool’s ruff with bells, a furry puppy and sheep with bells follow. A mouse, shrew and mole come, too. A spider, ladybug, and other creepers follow with a light dangling from a pole and presents. A turtle joins the parade while the creepers are carried on a leaf with strings by the puppy. When the group arrives, they make such a noise to welcome the babe that he cries. The mother, in white cap with strings and blue gown, picks up the baby and sings a lullaby while all go to sleep. Light streams in the window on the sleeping baby in white hospital-like gown and cap in a cradle filled with straw. The soft gouache illustrations are charming. The animals with various bits of clothing add a touch of humor which parents and children will enjoy. 2008, Chronicle Books, $16.99. Ages 3 to 6. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8118-4225-9
ISBN: 0-8118-4225-8
My Love Will Be With You
Laura Krauss Melmed
Illustrated by Henri Sorensen
Many of us have read and reread I Love You As Much by this same duo. Now they have collaborated to produce a book that highlights fathers. The fathers range from an eagle in the snow capped mountains who tells his child that “Someday you’ll soar through a high mountain pass.” to a daddy lion tending its cub and a father otter explaining to his child that he will fish in a clear stream. Even the common pigeon and the more exotic badger and monkey are part of this paean to fatherhood. The little ones are shown on one side of the spread with their nurturing parent while on the other side the infant is all grown up. However, it is usually the mother and not the father who tends to raise young in the wild. So while the message is warm and reassuring, the pictures of the animals are so realistic that they may reinforce the belief that all of these animals take an active role in parenting which they do not. Pigeons and eagles certainly participate in raising their young, and monkeys tend to be quite social with males and females in the same troop. But then again, this is not a nature book, it is a story about love and Laura and Henri have used their combination of poetry and paintings to translate the feelings, hopes and dreams that fathers have about their offspring into something that all of us can understand. 2009, HarperCollins, Ages 2 to 7, $17.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 978-0-06-155260-1
Updated 05/27/09
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