Issue #5 June 1999
		SMART PIGGY'S NEWSLETTER By Audrey Wood Compiled by Heath Uliasz June 1999 Issue #5 Dear Friends, Artists and writers have traditionally kept an animal in their workspace - preferably one that distracts, comforts, and listens without answering back. Our studio is no exception, but our mascot only works part-time, from May to October. He’s really the perfect pet. Just when you’re tired of messing with him all the time, he crawls under a file cabinet and falls asleep for six months. During this period our pet does not eat or have any need for bathroom facilities. The winter months pass by and we often forget about Cresta until he occasionally makes a long whooshing sigh while deep in his dreams. Cresta is a 100-year-old California desert tortoise. He weighs about fourteen pounds and his oval shell measures 12" long and 9-1/2" wide. We’ve had the honor of providing a safe haven for this creature for twenty-three years. Our son, children’s book illustrator, Bruce Wood, was three years old when he named Cresta after his first girlfriend. Ten years later we discovered that Cresta was a "he." Our foster home is sanctioned by a license issued to us by The Fish and Game Commission, and every year we stick a registration label onto the bottom of Cresta’s shell. It has a little row of numbers on it and looks like a license plate. The registration allows scientists to keep track of the tortoise population and hopefully will help us if he gets lost. We adopted Cresta during a time while I was volunteering as a wild life "rehabber." Rehabber’s rescue injured, sick and abandoned animals. Cresta had been snatched from the desert and kept as a pet, then tossed out on the city streets to fend for himself. Once a tortoise is taken out of the wild, it cannot be returned. It may have contracted a virus that will spread throughout the wild tortoise population. Until scientists can develop an inoculation that will prevent the spread of the virus, Cresta will need a home. Everything associated with tortoises moves at a slow pace. Twenty-three years later we are still waiting for the inoculation. When I first brought Cresta home he was very ill. I had to feed him by hand with a spoon each day. Every feeding took about thirty minutes. My life was very hectic then, with a young child running around and book illustration deadlines to meet, and I didn’t have thirty minutes to spare everyday for hand-feeding a reptile. I always entered into the process dreading it, but each time I fed Cresta, something quite mysterious, and almost magical, happened. While sitting cross-legged in the sun holding spoonfuls of food up to Cresta’s mouth and then shoveling them in, I’d experience a "contradiction" in time. As I stared at her prehistoric face, time would seem to slow down, and, at the same time, accelerate. I'd become aware of everything around me and at the same time aware of nothing in particular. Thirty minutes would vanish in a flash, but it seemed like I had experienced several hours! I came to refer to this phenomenon as "tortoise time." I’m convinced that if "tortoise time" were studied it would prove to be better than any form of meditation. "Affectionate" is not a word associated with reptiles. Cresta will not rub up against your leg like a cat, or lick your hand like a dog, but Cresta is "friendly." He likes to sit on one of my feet while I work or follow us (slowly) about the yard. We affectionately refer to him as our "slow dog." Whenever we have a patio party Cresta always chooses to mingle with the guests rather than hiding away in some dark, quiet place. Cresta is free to roam our grassy yard and flower gardens and come-and-go in our studio at will. He especially likes the warm bricks on our patio and he is sprawled there now, with all four legs and his head stretched out, bathing in the sun. As I place a plate of vegetables and fruits down before him, vegetables and fruits that he will devour eagerly on his own, I am faced with a decision. Shall I sit down, enjoy a little "tortoise time," and watch him eat every bite, or should I rush off to get my latest manuscript into the mail? -AW *********************************************************************** PICTURE BOOKS ARE FOR KIDS AND ADULTS! Dear Audrey, When you are writing a book, do you write so adults can enjoy it also? -Janet Via e-mail When I am writing a story my job, as an author, is to write a story in the best way I can. I strive to entertain, enlighten, and entice readers to return to my books and read them many times. To do this I must approach the story on many levels, both in terms of concept and design. I think that if a picture book appeals to both the child and the adult, the reader’s appreciation of the book is prolonged. If a story has "adult" and "child" appeal, the book will grow in meaning for the child as the child grows older. -AW *********************************************************************** THE "NEXT" GENERATION! Did you know that I am a fourth generation artist? Some believe that it has to do with genes, others environment. In my family I think it’s a little of both. To see a picture of my Great Grandfather in his studio and to learn more about my family of artists: Enter THE CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com and click on the "Audrey Wood" link. Then click on the "Audrey’s Biography" link. *********************************************************************** CREATE YOUR OWN TEACHER PACKS! Dear Audrey, I was wondering if you have teacher packs with information and activities to use with your books. -Anna Columbus, OH via e-mail We have something better! That’s what our web site is all about. You can explore our site and download as many pages as you like and print them out. Many teachers and parents then make a book out of the pages or display them on their walls. -AW *********************************************************************** NOT EVERY ROAD IS STRAIGHT! Did you know that Bruce Robert Wood did not start out in college to become an illustrator? To find out what helped influence him to be an illustrator and what he originally intended to study in college: Enter THE CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com and click on the "Meet The Artists" link. Then click on the "Bruce Wood" link. Then click on the "Photo and Bio" link. *********************************************************************** FROM ARTIST TO ARTIST! Do you feel that attending art school is necessary to prepare a young artist for the "real world"? -Lora Nelson Seattle, Washington In my family art training has been passed down from one generation to another for five generations. Some outside training from art school and master teachers has been helpful, and I’m sure it helps to have someone other than yourself critique your work. Art school is also good for jostling you a bit, to keep you from getting too comfortable with a style or a medium – to make sure you experiment. Don gives his art schooling a mixed review. Often, he says, he ended up teaching himself. An art education, however, is certainly not "absolutely" necessary. -AW To check out the biography of a famous illustrator who is self-educated, as well as, the artist who illustrated two of my stories, THE FLYING DRAGON ROOM and SWEET DREAM PIE: Enter THE CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com and click on the "Meet The Artists" link. Then click on the "Mark Teague" link. Then click on the "Photo" of Mark link. *********************************************************************** ILLUSTRATOR’S SECRET! When illustrating a picture book I have always learned something new or been led into a unique experience. As the illustrator for LITTLE PENGUIN"S TALE, I needed to study penguins in order to draw them. So, I obtained a VIP pass from Sea world in San Diego, and was able to enter their fantastic Penguin Exhibit. The environment inside is designed to look and feel like the icy world of the South Pole. A one-way viewing glass isolates the penguins from the staring visitors. Hundreds of people passed by the penguin Encounter that day and saw me sitting on an icy ledge, sketching the penguins. Don was there too, and had the pleasure of having a little penguin sit on his tennis shoe for one hour. Don was so entranced that he didn’t want to shoo the little fellow off. Penguins have oily feathers to keep them warm. The little penguin left an oily spot on Don’s shoe that lasted as long as the shoe did. -AW To learn more about my story LITTLE PENGUIN’S TALE: Enter THE CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com and click on the "Audrey Wood" link. Then click on the "Wrote and Illustrated" link. Then click on the "LITTLE PENGUIN TALE" book link. ***********************************************************************NEW ACTIVITY PAGE!!!!!!!!!! This month we are introducing a new page to the "Activities" section of the CLUBHOUSE: LITTLE PENGUIN’S TALE Maze and Connect-The-Dot Activity Page! *********************************************************************** TO SEND ART OR NOT TO SEND ART! Dear Audrey, I have just written a children’s book. Do you think a writer should send out accompanying artwork? -Laura Ellis-Goodworth Via e-mail Unless you are also a professional illustrator, art accompanying a manuscript may discourage an editor from publishing your story. Editors prefer to pair unknown writers with known illustrators. If they think you are "stuck" on an unknown illustrator, they may pass you by. The best advice I can give you regarding the publishing of your book is to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Their web site (http://www.scbwi.com) will tell you what they offer and how to join. Basically, they are a national organization of writers and illustrators (both published and unpublished) with chapters in nearly every town. Their information is detailed and up to date. With a membership you can learn of groups of like-minded writers in your area who meet for mutual critiques. -AW *********************************************************************** AND THE WINNER IS... Congratulations to The library at Martin Luther King Elementary School in El Centro, California! They won a free PIGGIES floor puzzle from Audrey and Don Wood! MAY CONTEST QUESTION: In the book PIGGIES, on the dirty piggies page, one of the piggies is hiding. Which piggy is it? ANSWER: Wee Piggy! Thanks for all of your entries. Enter our June contest and you could win an autographed copy of the book, LITTLE PENGUIN’S TALE. *********************************************************************** JUNE CONTEST!!!!!!!!! DON'T MISS OUT! This month one lucky person will win an autographed copy of LITTLE PENGUIN’S TALE. 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! If you would like to check out past Smart Piggy's Newsletters, go to The CLUBHOUSE and click on the "Parents and Teachers" link or the "Fun Bag" link, then click on "Smart Piggy's Newsletter Past Issues" link. *********************************************************************** AUTOGRAPHED BOOKPLATE OFFER! For free bookplates- see past issue #1 in the "Smart Piggy's Newsletter Past Issues" page located in the "Parents and Teachers" section and the "Fun Bag" section of the CLUBHOUSE at http://www.audreywood.com. *********************************************************************** Keep your questions and suggestions coming! Warmest Regards, Audrey Wood