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| SMART PIGGY'S NEWSLETTER By Audrey Wood Compiled by Heath Uliasz April 2000 Issue #14 Dear Friends, NOTES ON OUR NEW FALL PICTURE BOOK By Don Wood At last Audrey and I have a new picture book, JUBAL’S WISH, written by Audrey and illustrated by me. It will be released this fall by Scholastic’s Blue Sky Press. And remember, you heard it here first, before anyone else. The star of this tale is Jubal Bullfrog, an innocent, happy-go-lucky fellow with a big heart and a strong desire to make all of his friends as happy as he is. Jubal’s tale is told in 32 colorful 10"x 11" pages. As usual, I have created an illustration style just for this story. Audrey has never written two stories sufficiently similar to share a single style of illustration. However, if forced to categorize, I would place it on the shelf next to THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR, one of my earliest picture books, due to it’s mood and relative simplicity. These are extremely exciting times in the Wood household. Here’s why -- There are many phases to producing a picture book. First there is the "kicking around ideas" phase, then the phase when Audrey actually begins to experiment with an idea. Often, she will begin as many as seven or eight picture books before she settles upon one that has the strength and depth to carry us through the three years of effort the book will require. There’s the "writing" phase, which is actually about ten phases, then the "rough dummy" or "pagination" phase, then a "final dummy" phase, which is followed by the phase in which a piece of "sample art" is produced. At last it’s time for the "let’s see if our publisher likes it, too" phase, and if that process is successful, it’s onward to a final manuscript, refining the dummy again hased upon editorial input, and deciding upon a format and design for the book, including a font for the text. The decision on a font allows us to lay the text over the "final dummy," and now all of the information is in place to begin the "final art production" phase, which usually takes over a year, sometimes a year-and-a-half. After the final art is produced there are "front matter" decisions to make, crucial decisions involving the cover, title page, end papers, and flap copy. Then it’s time for the "production" phase. The artwork is processed and printers working in far-away and exotic lands such as Massachusetts or Singapore produce proofs, or samples of the book actually run on a press. "First Proofs," Fed-Exed from Singapore to New York, from New York to Santa Barbara, from Santa Barbara back to New York, from New York back to Singapore, marked, analyzed, sweated over – corrections are made. "Second Proofs" and the process repeats itself (Why didn’t they listen? I wanted less magenta!) "Third Proofs" (YES! That’s the spirit!) "Fourth Proofs" –- better be almost home by now –- time is running short. I received my fourth proofs this morning (April 4). They look very good. I am happy. JUBAL’S WISH is just a few weeks away from printing, an irreversible process when three years worth of decisions, literally millions of them, will be finalized. Only four pages were in the fourth set of proofs because all of the others have already been approved. This is good because if the fourth proofs were not acceptable, corrections could only be made "on press," or at the printer, which would have required me to travel to Singapore. Of all the phases listed above, two are the most exciting. The first is the "commitment" phase. This is like getting married. It is the moment Audrey and Don say, "I do," to a book, and they all settle down to live together for three years. As in a real wedding ceremony, this phase can produce some sweaty palms. The second most exciting phase is the one we are in now, hence the high levels of excitement in our home. Soon we will hold a simulated book in our hands. Known as "F & G’s" (folded and gathereds), it is actual proofs made into a full-size pretend book. We will soon "read" our book, that is, hold it in our hands and turn printed pages, for the first time. At this phase it is a child, all potential, and like a child it has "a life of its own." This is not an empty cliché, but literally true -- a lesson we learned early in our careers. Some books are slow starters; others leap off of the shelves. Some benefit from publicity, others must be passed around. If you have low expectations, the book might burn the barn. If you have high expectations, it may falter. People might love it, but the critics may be harsh. Some books find younger audiences than you intended, others appeal to older children than you would have thought possible. It’s somewhat like looking into a child’s future; a new book is utterly unpredictable, and therefore absolutely exciting! -DW Don’t miss the first edition printing! I’m very optimistic folks! I think JUBAL’S WISH is going to exceed it’s print run. That means there won’t be enough books to go around until a second print many months later. Even though the book is just now being printed, Smart Piggies (that’s you!) will contact their local or online bookstore and put their names down for a first edition. Believe me, it’s not too early. -AW ****************************************************************** A LOVE OF BIRDS! Dear Friends, When I was a child I lived in the southeast where there were many birds to greet in the spring. My love of birds continued on into my adult life. Not only are there feeding stations for birds on our property, over the years we have added landscaping that attracts numerous species of birds. For the second year one of our feathered friends Jay-Jay, (a bluejay) has returned to our patio to beg for peanuts and even eat them out of our hands. Last week when I was working in my studio I heard Jay-Jay calling me from the patio. I didn't want to lose my train of thought, so I just ignored him for the moment. To my surprise the determined little fellow hopped into my studio and flew up to my desk, reminding me that it was way past his peanut-eating time! Because I am fascinated with birds I have studied them and I have written a story about them entitled BIRDSONG. "Awaken to BIRDSONG with Juan, Yoshiko, Missy, Navara and other children across the land. Then follow the day as the distinctive whistles, trills and chirps of winged creatures accompany morning chores on a farm, a neighborhood lunch in a treehouse, an afternoon adventure on a river and a game of catch in a city park." The illustrator of BIRDSONG, Robert Florczak, also an admirer of birds, created lavish artwork that stunningly captures the beauty of birds and the habitats typical for their species. BIRDSONG is a book for all ages. Some behind-the-scenes secrets about BIRDSONG – The look of the artwork with it’s decorative borders, stems from Robert Florczak’s avid interest in Victorian design. The birds in BIRDSONG can be found throughout North America at various times of the year. Featured in the borders of every spread in the book are state flowers characteristic of each bird's habitat. Fourteen states are represented. Find out if yours is there! All of the children's names in the book are names of friends of mine. On a page that begins, "Over the hill, down in the valley, Roger and Don begin their morning chores," two boys are walking with hoes in a cornfield. Robert Florczak is a realistic painter who works from detailed sketches and photographs. He had not been able to find a cornfield growing anywhere in southern California until he visited our studios in Santa Barbara. On the way home to Pasadena, Robert stopped at a vegetable stand and discovered a row of planted corn blowing in the wind. He used that corn patch for the illustration in our book. Don and Roger are named after my husband and partner Don Wood, and his brother Roger. They lived on a farm growing up and were often seen with hoes slung over their shoulders. -AW To learn more about the book, BIRDSONG, and the illustrator, Robert Florczak – Enter The Clubhouse at www.audreywood.com. Then click on the "Meet the Artists" link. Then click on the "Robert Florczak" link. ****************************************************************** SPRING IS IN THE AIR! After spending so much time in front of a computer screen, some of us may be in danger of living a virtual reality. Think about it, you can visit the four corners of the Earth while sitting in your computer chair at home. It’s time to leave the virtual reality world and get back to nature! Dust off those old binoculars, grab your family and friends, and head on out for a bird watching adventure. We’ll even make your trip more fun and exciting by showing you how to make a BIRDSONG field guide. To learn how to create your own BIRDSONG field guide - Enter The Clubhouse at www.audreywood.com. Then click on the "Meet the Artists" link. Then click on the "Robert Florczak" link. From the Robert Florczak page, click on the "Create A Field Guide" link. ****************************************************************** WE’RE GLAD TO BE OF HELP TO YOU! Hi Audrey, Perhaps you recall the e-mail from me regarding your book, "The Napping House." I had asked what inspired the book etc. and you were so kind to respond. Thank you. I used "The Napping House" for a "read aloud" for my class at Grand Valley State U in Michigan where I live and your e-mail was icing on the proverbial cake. I appreciate your response. Also, I just joined the Smart Piggy’s Newsletter. I know my wife and children will enjoy it very much. Thanks for the invitation to join. - Eric Smith in chilly Michigan ****************************************************************** INTERNET TIP! Like most people, when I’m out surfing on the World Wide Web, I tend to visit web sites that interest me, more than once. I never know if the web site has added any new pages since the last time I visited. The reason for this is that when you visit a web page, your computer makes a copy of that web page to a special folder. So the next time you visit that web page it will bring up the old copy of the web page from the folder, which makes the page come up faster. This means that if the web page you are looking at has been updated, you will not know. To clear the old copy of the web page from the folder and view the most recent version of the web page, you can use this trick – For Internet Explorer and AOL users: hold down the "Shift" key and click on the "Refresh" button on the top of your browser window. For Netscape Navigator or Netscape Communicator users: hold down the "Shift" key and click on the "Reload" button on the top of your browser window. Enjoy your updated pages! ****************************************************************** IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! We have a much more accurate method of gauging the arrival of Spring than calendars, or flowers, or ground hogs. We have a "Spring is Here" celebration when Cresta, our 100 year old Desert Tortoise, comes out of her five month hibernation, crawls into the sun, drinks water for about 5 minutes straight, and then tells us he’s hungry. To learn about Cresta, check out our past Issue #5 of Smart Piggy’s Newsletter, to do so – Enter The Clubhouse at www.audreywood.com. Then click on the "Parents and Teachers" link. Then click on the "Smart Piggy’s Newsletter Past issues" link. Then click on the "Issue#5" link. ****************************************************************** AND THE WINNER IS... Congratulations to Julie, Erin, and Kevin Richard of Mansfield, MA! They won a free autographed copy of SILLY SALLY from Audrey and Don Wood! THE MARCH CONTEST QUESTION WAS: In the book, SILLY SALLY, on her way to town, SILLY SALLY met four animal friends, a loon, a dog, a pig, and a sheep. In which order did she meet them? ANSWER: Pig – Dog – Loon - Sheep Thanks for all of your entries. Enter our April contest and you could win an autographed copy of the book, BIRDSONG, written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Robert Florczak. ****************************************************************** APRIL CONTEST!!!!!!!!! DON'T MISS OUT! This month one lucky person will win an autographed copy of BIRDSONG. To enter the contest go to the CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com and click on the "Contest" banner. If you answer the question correctly you will be entered into a random drawing. The winner will be drawn at the end of the month. Good Luck! ****************************************************************** NEW SUBSCRIBERS! Check out our past Smart Piggy's Newsletters! Enter THE CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com and click on the "Parents and Teachers" link, then click on "Smart Piggy's Newsletter Past Issues" link. ****************************************************************** Keep your questions and suggestions coming! Warmest Regards, Audrey Wood Info@audreywood.com http://www.audreywood.com |
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