SYMPHONY SPACE CELEBRATES A WRINKLE IN TIME'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Symphony Space recently hosted a 50th Anniversary Celebration of A Wrinkle in Time.  What a treat to be amidst other people who were also fans of the children's book written by the late and fondly remembered Madeleine L'Engle.

The program opened with a humorous, well-crafted video which featured children as the actors and compressed the entire book into a 90-second format.  This opener was a perfect advertisement for the 90 Second Newbery competition.  What a fun challenge - to get a Newbery book into a 90 second format on video and then submit it to be considered for the film festival.  (Which, by the way, will be happening in December back at Symphony Space.  Stay tuned and get your tickets early!)

Betsy Bird, host of the event and author of the children's literature blog Fuse #8, welcomed the audience and shared "Meg Murray [the central character in the book] was my Harry Potter."  Right!  So good to have a children's chapter book in which the hero is female!

Charlotte L'Engle, Madeleine's granddaughter, took the mike.  She shared that Madeleine loved to be part of multigenerational parties.  She was the librarian and writer in residence at The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in the Morningside Heights neighborhood.

Charlotte explained that A Wrinkle in Time was the book that almost did not get published, with publishers thinking it was "much too hard for children."  On the contrary, explained Madelein's grand daughter, the book is too difficult for grownups!

Betsy Bird then introduced the all-star panel lineup:  Louis Lowry, author of The Giver and Count the Numbers; Katherine Patterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia; Rebecca Stead, author of When They Reach Us; and R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebump series.  Ms. Bird asked the panelists "If you  could ask Madeline one question, what would it be?"  One panelist replied "How do you write a book that affects children for the rest of their lives?"

There was then some debate over whether or not the Newbery Committee would pick A Wrinkle in Time today, given its religious references.  On another point of discussion, panelists talked about if A Wrinkle could be compared to The Hunger Games.

When the panel was over, actress Jane Curtin did a bang-up job of reading a passage from A Wrinkle. Following Ms. Curtin, a group of teenagers performed a dramatic reading of yet another section of the book.

Next, children's literature expert Leonard Marcus came before the audience and referred to people's memories of Ms. L'Engle as a gifted oral storyteller.  Also, he shared an interesting fact: Ms. L'Engle won The Newbery Award at the same time Ezra Jack Keats won The Caldecott Medal for A Snowy Day.  I'm looking forward to reading Mr. Marcus's book Listening for Madeleine, due to come out this fall.

EZRA JACK KEATS EXHIBIT AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM IS A PURE DELIGHT

I was so excited when I heard that the artwork of renowned children's book author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats was going to be on exhibit at The Jewish Museum. I had read and loved his classic The Snowy Day during my childhood, and continued to discover and enjoy his other books as an educator and leader of family literacy workshops. The parents of these workshops were always pleased to receive their free copy of The Snowy Day, compliments of Learning Leaders.

So of course I jumped at the chance to go to the press preview. Imagine my (and other folks') delight when I saw a tenement/front stoop scene brought to life via a mural, chalk drawings on the floor, and real steps, accompanied by lots of bean bags where visitors could park themselves to read Keats' picture books. It was funny to look around and see adults sunk down deep into the bean bags. One visitor said to a nearby museum employee "I'm afraid if I get into the beanbag, I won't be able to get back up!" Seriously, I could have lounged there all day just taking everything in and enjoying the artwork.

While parked on the beanbag, I had an interesting conversation with Tabletmag.com's Marjorie Ingall about Mr. Keats' ambivalence about his Judaism. Since his characters are largely African America, many readers do not realize that Keats himself is Jewish. Do read Marjorie's article about this topic over at Tabletmag.com.

Another worthwhile piece of the exhibit to take note of is the glass-enclosed display featuring the history of the depiction of African American children in children's literature. A piece of the text accompanying the sampling of books over the decades which feature African American characters reads as follows:

"Throughout the 1970s and 1980s children of color could increasingly see realistic and positive reflections of themselves in picture books. Even so, today fewer than 10 percent of children's books have significant African-American content."

While at the exhibit, I also learned that Keats won the Caldecott Award for The Snowy Day in 1962 alongside of Madeleine L'Engle, the later of whom was bestowed with the honor of The Newberry Medal. Keats was so terrified of giving his acceptance speech, he considered the act of giving the speech as big of an accomplishment as receiving the award itself.

In the video which plays at the exhibit, children's book author illustrator Jerry Pinkney says this of Keats: "He opens up a world that the child feels he already owns, [thus] creating a partnership."

Pinkney will be giving a presentation about Keats' work and ther role of diversity in children's literature. The talk will be hosted by The Jewish Museum on Monday, October 17th at 11:30 am. For ticket information, click HERE.

The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats is the first major exhibition in this country to pay tribute to award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983. It will be at the Jewish Museum until January 29, 2012.

GOOD NEWS FOR LOVERS OF THE SNOWY DAY AND THE ART OF EZRA JACK KEATS

If, like me, you grew up with The Snowy Day and other magical books written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, you will be delighted to know about this upcoming exhibit at The Jewish Museum.

Here's the 411, straight from the website of the museum:

THE SNOWY DAY AND THE ART OF EZRA JACK KEATS
September 9, 2011 through January 29, 2012

The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats is the first major exhibition in this country to pay tribute to award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983), whose beloved children’s books include Whistle for Willie, Peter’s Chair, and The Snowy Day—the first modern full-color picture book to feature an African-American protagonist. Published in 1962, at the height of the civil rights movement in America, the book went on to become an inspiration for generations of readers, transforming children’s literature forever.

About Ezra Jack Keats
The author and illustrator was born Jacob Ezra Katz in Brooklyn in 1916. His parents were Eastern European Jewish immigrants and very poor. Primarily self-taught, he drew upon memories of growing up in East New York, one of the most deprived neighborhoods in the city. Yet his work transcends the personal and reflects the universal concerns of children.

Keats’s experience of antisemitism and poverty in his youth gave him a lifelong sympathy for others who suffered prejudice and want. “If,” he once remarked, “we all could really see (‘see’ as perceive, understand, discover) each other exactly as the other is, this would be a different world.” A visit to Keats’s neighborhood is restorative: Peter and his friends remind us of the simple joy of being alive.

Ezra Jack Keat's Illustrations
Inspired by Asian art and haiku poetry, Keats used lush color in his paintings and collages and strove for simplicity in his texts. He was often more intent on capturing a mood than developing a plot. “Each drawing is considered not in itself, but in relationship to the rest of the book,” he explained, while keeping in mind “drama, continuity, contrast, and mood.” His preferred format was the horizontal double-page spread, which freed him to alternate close-up scenes with panoramic views. In his illustrations Keats makes dilapidated urban settings beautiful through his mastery of collage as well as his dramatic use of color. By the end of his life in 1983, he had illustrated over eighty books, most of them for children, twenty-two of which he also authored.

About the Exhibition
The exhibition features over 80 original works by the artist, from preliminary sketches and dummies or preparatory books, to final paintings and collages, including examples of Keats’s most introspective but less-known output inspired by Asian art and poetry. One of the spaces in the galleries will be transformed into a reading room for visitors of all ages inspired by Keats's art and stories.

Claudia J. Nahson, Curator