 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE MANY REWARDS OF BOOKMAKING
|
|
 |
|
By Lillie Pope, Ph.D. - Vice-President and Educational Director of The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
Among the personal effects of artist/author Ezra Jack Keats when he died in 1983 was a small tin medal in a frayed and tattered box. It was a medal awarded to him in junior high school for excellence in art, when he was 12 years old. Its message sustained and encouraged him to persevere, continue his education and develop his talents, despite countless obstacles.
BASIC GOALS
With the goal of providing that same support and encouragement to young people today, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation and the New York City Department of Education, established the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition for elementary, intermediate and high school students in the public school system. This program, now over twenty years old, demonstrates that budding artists and writers populate the public schools, that dedicated teachers are prepared to work very hard to support and encourage their students, and that all respond to the recognition and reward given to their efforts. Since this program could not have flourished without the cooperation and support of the New York Public Library, it also demonstrates the effectiveness of a true interdisciplinary partnership—schools and libraries working together.
Each year, at the award ceremony, the prize-winning boys and girls come up to accept their medals and they range in size from tiny to tall, from recent immigrant to long time citizen, and from every ethnic and socio-economic background to be found on our shores. The parents, bursting with pride, take hundreds of photographs and carry bouquets of flowers for their winning children. For all the parents this award signals that their children will be able to successfully face life’s challenges.
The competition is divided into three levels: elementary (grades 3 to 5), intermediate (grades 6 through 8), and high school (grades 9 through 12). Each school participating in the competition submits its two best books to the regional arts coordinators, one of which will eventually be selected as the school bronze medal winner. The books selected as school winners are submitted to the Department of Education and the New York Public Library. The number of bronze school-wide medals awarded each year ranges from 260 to 400. It is a central jury of librarians, teachers and artists, assembled by the NYPL, that select the Regional winners (the Department of Education has divided the metropolitan area into 10 regions) who are awarded silver medals. The City-wide winners, also chosen by the central jury, one at each level, are awarded a silver medal and a check for $500. Teachers of the borough and city winners are recognized with a medal and certificate of their own.
SUBJECT MATTER
The children write about many things: fantasy, autobiography and often, personal concerns. Some stories are based on real events, others spring from the child’s imagination. Animals abound in the stories and illustrations: animals in the wild, and animals as pets. Homelessness, drug abuse, death from AIDS, sibling rivalry, birth, the issues inherent in coming to a new country, and the discomfort and embarrassment of wearing braces on your teeth, have all been themes in these books. Romance, inheriting a million dollars, gaining respect and the need for tolerance of all people have also appeared. Grandparents are precious to these children, and many write about them: fishing with Grandpa, observing Grandma’s worn hands.
Family values, with love and respect are a common theme:
“More than anything in the World, I love My Grandpa
And I love fishing too!
Grandpa loves me, and he also Loves fishing.
He always has time for me.
Like Grandpa says,
‘I have all the time in the WORLD.’” (K., 5th grade)
The travails of growing up, and the arrival of siblings provoke the words:
“Why did mommy have another baby?
Wasn’t I enough?
I didn’t ask for a baby.
I ask for better stuff.” (M., 3rd grade)
On the plight of the homeless: “Two homeless men live in a tent. It looked like a teepee. They made it out of cloth from old mailbags they had found.” (S., 4th grade)
In a book called And They Lived Happily After, the young author used the beloved princesses Snow White, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty as her characters. There was only one difference between her princesses and Disney’s. While hers were princesses who married and became queens, they became queens with problems. And the problems were those of the present day realities.
The autobiographies are sometimes painful. My Life tells how Jose’s father left El Salvador to come to the United States to earn a livelihood. Between Mexico and Guatemala, he was robbed of all his money. But he finally made it; later his mother joined his father. After two years, Jose joined his parents here. As of the writing of this article, Jose’s brother and sister are still in El Salvador.
In the book Bad Times, Jeanne is placed in foster care because of her mother’s neglect. She finally ends up living with her aunt. Her story ends with the moral:
“Boys and girls: if something like this happens to you, tell your mother to take you to your appointments, or whatever it is you have to do. Don’t end up like me.”
(Jeanne, 4th grade)
A mother warns her son about the perils of the skateboard. He slides down the hill anyway, and narrowly misses an automobile. While the boy comes out unharmed, his skateboard is destroyed. The moral is clear.
The mall and the shops of the day surround these children; many of whom have few means. This, however, does not stop them from dreaming, often within touching boundaries. In one story, a girl named Mary lives in a shelter, and gets a letter that she has just inherited one hundred million dollars. She borrows a dress to go to the reading of the will. After receiving the check, she goes to Pizza Hut for a snack, and then buys a small house and a couch at Jennifer Convertibles!
In Roundy-Boundies vs. Merry Squares the Rounds and the Squares seem incompatible—but they learn to live together happily and peacefully. The inhabitants of this book were computer-generated, and beautiful.
“Circles and squares, it’s clearly true
Are very different, so what should they do?
They chose to hate and to dislike,
To compete and even fight.
The fight was over and everyone was gone
Except for the quarrelers who were now having fun.
They have learned that looks don’t matter
It’s not what makes you worse or better.
What you see is just a cover.
What’s inside is what you’re after.
So be kind, do not offend,
Be understanding, be a friend.” (R., 8th grade)
Even in the face of adversity, many of the stories are upbeat; and hold hope for the future.
Many adults come to see these books when they are on display in the central Children’s Reading Room at the Donnell Branch of the NYPL, and occasionally someone bemoans the fact that much of the subject matter is painful, sad and not pretty. They are troubled that some of the children write about divorce, single parenting, loss and illness. How can children write books about a world without problems when such a world does not exist? The Department of Education and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation have embraced the apparent need of the participating children to express their feelings and thoughts about what is bad, as well as good, in their lives.
Many of our children live in a world far different from the one we might hope for them, and their themes reflect their world. We are grateful to be able to learn from the information offered to us by these young writers in their fresh and honest books. Nevertheless, the issue of subject matter is a philosophical problem, and merits discussion in a paper of its own.
QUALITY OF WRITING
Some of the writing is poetic and abundant, some prose and minimal; some of it is sophisticated, and some is relatively primitive. The quality of each book emerges in the combination of concepts, verbal expression and illustration.
MEDIA
Art work (illustrations) for the books utilize many media: water-colors, pen and ink, collage, plastic, fur feathers, velcro, fabric, paper bags, pipe cleaners, glitter, cellophane and marbleized paper. Some drawings are cartoon-like; some subtle and sophisticated paintings in the Japanese style, still others utilize the computer to help make some of the illustrations. Ingenious and handsome pop-up and pull-out books make their appearance in the contest, as do comic books, reminding us of the witty use author/illustrators such as Jules Pfeiffer and Maurice Sendak have made of the comic book form. Humor is displayed both in illustrations and in text.
SIZE
In the early years of the competition, no size limit for the books was stipulated, and many of the books were very large, and difficult for the jury and librarians to handle. It is now required that the books be no larger than 9” by 12”; this requirement has not limited the quality of the entries.
PRINT STYLE
The print in these books has as wide a range as do the stories: some are printed unevenly in manuscript writing. At the other extreme is computer-generated copy that is very neat and easy to read.
TEAM WORK
It is permissible for two children to collaborate on one book: one may write the story, while the other illustrates it. In most cases, the same child writes and illustrates the book. However, as in commercial publishing, the responsibilities may be shared. Each of the collaborators is honored with a medal, if their book wins an award.
COSTS
This program is labor-intensive. The child, the parent, the teacher, the arts coordinator, the citywide director of the program and her assistant, the librarians and the jury: all are heavily invested in this work. They work hard, well beyond the call of duty, and are happy with the outcomes.
PUBLIC RESPONSE TO THE BOOKS
The several hundred winning books are exhibited at the centrally located Donnell Branch of the New York Public Library for one month in the spring—and read to classes as they come in for library visits. Parents and children enjoy the readings, and return to look at their favorite books again and again. We often hear the comment that many of books made by the children are superior to a great number of children’s books published commercially. They plead for the books to remain part of the library’s permanent collection. This is not possible; the books are eventually returned to the children who created them.
OUTCOMES
This project is a dramatic demonstration of the effectiveness of an Arts-in- Education program in enriching a reading program. The books that are produced represent an incredible amount of work invested by children and educators. Respecting and rewarding that effort with the recognition represented by a medal, a certificate, an announcement, names in a printed program, and, in some cases, a check, is a well-deserved and inexpensive investment in the future. Participants have gained an increased love of and respect for the printed word. They have an increased ability to express themselves verbally and graphically. In those cases where two children collaborated as writer and illustrator, they have learned the problems and power of teamwork in the effort to achieve a common goal. They have increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and pride in their work, and perhaps developed a vision or ambition for their own future. For the parent, it is encouragement and appreciation of the much-maligned educational system that has provided—for their child. And for the educator, it is recognition and appreciation for a job well done, and encouragement to continue investing that kind of effort. This type of program merits replication. It can be modified easily to fit any school or school system.
|
|
|
|
|
