Bats in the Air, Bats in My Hair

Bats? In my hair? That's right! At the Virginia Festival of the Book held in March, 2010, Grow Up with Books team members had the opportunity to meet a local author of children's books. Martha Hamlett of Lynchburg, Virginia wrote and published Bats in the Air, Bats in My Hair and has visited many schools and bookstores in Virginia to read her story and talk with kids about writing and publishing. Martha has written poems and stories for many years and used an event from her own childhood to create the story Bats in the Air, Bats in My Hair.

Before the school year ended I read this story to a group of second graders that visit my classroom for reading instruction. They loved the story! They were full of gasps and giggles as I read the parts about the nightime visitors. At the end they had many questions for the author, so we wrote them down. Martha Hamlett was gracious to share her answers with us at Grow Up with Books!

Author Martha Hamlett and her book Bats in the Air, Bats in My Hair.

Tysen: Is this a real story? Did this really happen?

Martha Hamlett: Yes. The idea for Bats in the Air, Bats in My Hair was taken from an event that happened to me at my own grandmother's house when I was about 8 years old. About 10 of my cousins and I decided to spend the night at my grandmother's house. She lived in a big, white house that had bedrooms on the second floor. It even came with a winding staircase and creaky steps! The girls stayed in one bedroom, the boys were across the large foyer in another bedroom. During the night some of us girls heard a noise and turned on the light. My cousin Deb was sleeping soundly on another bed. She had long hair that was streaming across the pillow. Well, we immediately saw a bat sitting tangled in her hair! Being girls we ran screaming across the hall to the boys room. Of course, they woke up. Now, 10 kids jumping on one old bed did not end well. The slats fell out, the mattress shifted, and we all ended up on the floor. My grandmother came up a bit upset with us all, put the bat outside, and made us all go back to bed. The girls had a hard time sleeping the rest of the night. We had the covers over our heads most of the time.

Jennifer: The grandma was funny hitting the bats! I liked the grandma!

MH: Thanks, Jennifer! The grandma was supposed to be a character that helps. I remember when I would get scared, especially in the middle of the night, I would always get comforted by my parents or grandparents.

Jacob: I like that you made the story a poem. Do you like to write poems?

MH: I love writing in rhyme. It is one of the hardest ways to write, especially if you are trying to sell your work to publishers. I started out writing poems when I was young.

Jennifer: There were rhyming words!

MH: Yes, the story has a simple rhyme. I rhymed the last words of the sentences.

Jayson: The pictures are cool. They kinda look like cartoons instead of regular book pictures. Did the drawer go to school to learn how to draw like that?

MH: Davey Morgan, the illustrator, majored in Visual Arts at Erksine College in Greenville, South Carolina. We both wanted the drawings to be colorful and grab the reader's attention. We tried to be different from other books on the market.

Jayson: Did you help him with ideas for the pictures or did he make it up by himself?

MH: Davey and I worked together on the pictures. I offered my ideas for each verse. I could see in my mind how I thought each verse should look. I wrote my thoughts out for Davey, and he took it from there. He added his own special touches throughout the book.

And later I read the book to my son Evan. Here is his question for the author:

Evan: The bats were funny! Did the illustrator know to put bats in the pictures on the wall, or was that part of your story?

MH: I agree-the bats were funny! I love the page where a bat named Jeff-E tried to hide from Sally and her grandmother by dressing up like a knight and hiding himself in the castle picture. Actually the illustrator added that to the story. We had the bats doing all kinds of strange things throughout the book. If you look closely, they would be jumping on the bed, trying on clothes, and even trying to brush their hair!

So, if you are looking for a funny story with a batty ending, check out Bats in the Air, Bats in My Hair at Grow Up with Books! This book will be available for rent or purchase on August 29th on our website, http://www.growupwithbooks.com/!

Connection ideas for Bats...

• Can you think of another animal that might visit you at night? What would the story be like if instead of a bat it might be an owl or a raccoon?


• Stories of things that happen to us when we are little are fun to read. Think about something that happened to you when you were younger. Can you write a poem about it?


• Visit http://42explore.com/night.htm for more information about bats and other creatures of the night.


• Martha started writing poems when she was young. She said that she wrote Bats... with rhyming words at the end of the sentences. Can you write some sentences about your favorite animal using rhyming words at the end?

We hope you will check out Bats in the Air, Bats in My Hair! And don't forget: Grow Up with Books members can still participate in our Summer Reading program. Reading logs are still being accepted, so be sure to return yours for a $10.00 gift card to Dairy Queen!!!!

Keep on reading!

Julie and the GUWB Team

Kids' Corner Reporters...Just Who is Bob Boyle?

Many people have heard of the recent story by Bob Boyle entitled Hugo and the Really, Really, Long String.  You may also know that his idea for that story came from a walk where he saw power lines and wondered where they might lead...like a really, really, long string.  However, our "Kids' Corner" reporters had a chance to find out some information that you may not know about the amazing Bob Boyle.

Reporters:   Evan Dauksys, Jacob Ivey, and Evelyn Ivey

DID YOU KNOW?

• Bob's earliest reading memories are of his mom buying him books like Hairy the Dirty Dog, Lyle Lyle Crocodile, and Dr. Seuss stories.

• When talking about his family, we learned he has a younger sister.  From his parents,  he's like his dad because he's creative.  His dad wanted to be an artist and would give Bob hand-drawn birthday cards every year.   He's like his mom with his determination and discipline.   

• One of Bob's favorite authors is Maurice Sendak.

• Walt Disney and Lance Armstrong are his heros!

• Bob loves the Beatles! 

•  He gets to write the lyrics for the shows and then music is put to it.

• Bob thinks the best part of writing books is creating new characters that are real and people can connect with.  He likes making a "story out of nothing."  Just like he did with the 5th graders at South Anna.

• It takes close to 9 months to make ONE eleven minute episode of a cartoon...from idea to finished cartoon.

• In the cartoon Wow!Wow!Wubbzy!, Bob is not Widget because he's not good with tools and most likely Wubbzy since he's fun.  But without the tail of course.

• If Bob could go one place in the world it would be...into a Dr. Seuss book!  

• One day Bob would like to visit Ireland (for his dad's family) and Finland (for his mom's family).

• In his spare time he likes to run and actually LOVES to work!

ALL ABOUT HUGO...

• It took Bob YEARS to make Hugo's story.

• There may possibly be another Hugo adventure!

• In Hugo, the customers look like Walden's face with Widget's ears (from Wubbzy), but it wasn't done on purpose.  Do you see any other characters from his cartoons?

• Mr. Usagi (the rabbit noodle maker) got his name because "usagi" is the Japanese word for "rabbit!"

• Bob chose a red string for Hugo since it is a color that stands out.  He chose underwear at the end of the story because it's so funny.  We agree...it's VERY funny!

ADVICE FROM BOB...

• Bob's suggestion for people who want to write or illustrate is to WRITE and DRAW!  A lot.

• A life lesson that Bob would share is...It's great to have dreams....take action.  Nike has it right, "Just do it!"

Evan with Bob

Evelyn and Jacob with Bob

For the "Kids' Corner" reporters, spending time with Bob Boyle was life-changing.  They look at books, illustrations, cartoons, and life in an entirely new way.  Is there a book or experience like ours that has been life-changing for you?  Share it with us!  We'll write back.

Keep reading!

Evan, Jacob, and Evelyn

The Story Behind the Story-Moira Rose Donohue

Moira Rose Donohue

What a pleasure it is to introduce Moira Rose Donohue, author of Penny and the Punctuation Bee and Alfie the Apostrophe.  We first discovered Moira while attending the Kidlitosphere Conference 2009 and are thrilled to tell you that her books are available at Grow Up With Books--the Netflix of children's books!

Reading her two stories was truly a pleasure and delight.  I read them to myself, my own children, my mom, my cousin, my husband, and more children...get the idea?  I believe  it was the crafty way she wove the topic of  "punctuation" within an engaging picture book.   It can be difficult to find a book that holds what the teacher needs to teach and what the parent/child needs for a meaningful experience all in one book.  Moira has been successful in putting that into not one, but two books.

After reading Penny and the Punctuation Bee and Alfie the Apostrophe to several elementary school classes, I began to wonder what questions the children might have.  Their questions and thoughts did not disappoint me or Moira Donohue.

Moira was kind enough to share her thoughts about these questions and GUWB is thrilled to share them with you!

The STORY behind the STORY from Moira Rose Donohue!

PERSONAL INFO...
Would you tell us about your family?
I have a husband, Rob, and two kids who are now in college.  My son is majoring in architecture and my daughter is studying anthropology.  She is also a drummer.

Do you have a favorite hobby?
I always wanted to be a dancer/choreographer.  A couple of years ago, I took tap dancing lessons.  I wasn't very good, but I really liked it.  I was even in a couple of recitals!

What is your favorite food?
My favorite food?  French bread, with lots of butter.  And steak.  

Do you have another job?
Another job?  Not any more.  I practiced law for 20 years, took some time with my kids while they were in middle and high school, and now I write full-time!

What do you look like?  Do you resemble someone we might know?
Well, I'd like to tell you I look like Beyonce.  But I don't.  I don't think I really look like any person.  I do kind of look like a feather pillow.  

What was your favorite book as a child?  What is your favorite children’s book today, not including your own of course.
I had a lot of favorite books, and I still do.  But the one I remember the most was MISS FLORA McFLIMSEY'S CHRISTMAS EVE by Mariana.  I thought I had lost it until I found it at my sister's house.  She claimed it was hers.  But when I opened it, I had written my name in the front.  So she had to give it back.

Do you have any pets?  Would you ever include them in your stories?
I have two dogs – a pug named Sniffles and Quincy, who is half Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and half poodle.  I love dogs, so I try to include them, when I can, in my writing.  Remember ALFIE'S dog?  I wish I'd named him.  What name would you give him?

Looks like Sniffles has a story to tell!

Take a look at Quincy!

*QUESTIONS about PENNY...
Will there be another year of the Punctuation Bee?
Why did you make Penny the main character rather than Elsie or Quentin?
I don't have any plans for another Punctuation Bee book.  I'd like to do a story about another punctuation mark.  If you have any thoughts about which one you'd like to see, let my publisher, Albert Whitman, know.  Then they might just ask me to do it!

How did you come up with the character’s names?
I love alliteration and rhyme, so I tried to think of names that started with the same first letter as their punctuation mark and, if possible, sort of rhymed with it ("Quentin" and "question").  "Marla the period" just doesn't have the same fun sound.

What might happen if someone asks Quentin a question?  Will he be able to answer without a question?
I don't know – I tried to phrase all of his responses in the form of a question, like on Jeopardy!

Could there be another story where they get their marks all messed up?  Kind of like The Scrambled States of America. 
Oh, that's a great idea!  I will seriously think about doing a story like that!

*QUESTIONS about ALFIE...
Where did you get the idea for Alfie’s name? 
How did you come up with punctuations as a topic?
Is “apostrophe” really Greek?
I picked "Alfie" because it sounded a lot like "apostrophe."  "Apostrophe" IS a Greek word.  I thought it was, but I looked it up in my dictionary to be sure.  


Thanks to my dad, I have always loved words, grammar and punctuation. Imagine how excited I was when I got to research a question about a missing quotation mark in a very old banking law back when I was a lawyer. Without the quotation mark, it looked like the law, which people thought had been around for almost 100 years, really didn't exist. The case ultimately had to be decided by the United States Supreme Court!


One day, while I was taking a shower (I always get my best ideas in the shower), I was imagining what talents punctuation marks might have, based on both their function and their appearance.  An apostrophe as a magician just came to me.  I ran to my computer and wrote my first draft that morning.


*QUESTIONS about Illustrations...
We noticed that the illustrations are done by different people, but look similar.  Did you have an idea for the illustrations and share them with the illustrators?
Why weren’t they the same person?

Interesting question.  My publisher, Albert Whitman, asked the illustrator of ALFIE, JoAnn Adinolfi, to illustrate PENNY.  Unfortunately, she had a lot of books she had promised to illustrate and couldn't do it for 2 years.  They didn't want to wait, so they asked Jenny Law to use a similar look.  She used only paint (JoAnn used some collage paper), but I think it looks a lot like ALFIE.  


I'm not very artistic.  I pictured the characters differently, but I like the way the illustrators painted them better than the way I saw them in my mind!

*GENERAL QUESTIONS...
How many books have you written?  
I have probably written 25 books (the first when I was in 6th grade).  But I've only had two published, so far.  I have also published plays, articles and a poem.

What is the process for writing stories like these?  (This came from a 1st grader!!!!)
Super question!  First, you write the story.  Then you share it with your writer friends for suggestions, edit it and mail it to publishers.  In the case of ALFIE, several publishers rejected it. But one bought it and found an illustrator.  Then they gave me more edits.  I was lucky, because they showed me the sketches and drawings along the way.  I was able to comment when there was something in the picture and the text that didn't line up – for example, I had written that the cheerleading exclamation points did splits.  But the illustrator drew them without legs, so we changed it to "flips."


The book is then sent to the printer, who prints it on giant rolls of paper with eight pages on each sheet, which is why picture books are either 24, 32 or 48 pages – something divisible by 8!  Then it's bound and sent to bookstores!

Do you have a book waiting to be published?
I have several books that I have submitted to publishers, but nothing that they have agreed to publish yet.  Keep your fingers crossed!  And right now I am working on a middle grade novel.

Do you have a pen name?
No.  My name is unusual, so I just go with it!

Do you know Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling?
No – I wish I did!  But I know Kathryn Erskine, whose latest book, MOCKINGBIRD, is probably going to win a lot of awards!


*COMPLIMENTS for Mrs. Donohue...
I loved how you described the “snow” in Alfie’s tummy when he couldn’t remember the words to the spell.
We love how you end both stories!
Thank you.  A writer once told me that you should end your stories with lots of lights and sounds.  I loved that idea, so I always try!!!

We like how Elsie looked like a question mark at the end.  Maybe she will start to see things differently.  Maybe the story could continue.  What would happen then?
Making Elsie droop until she looked like a question mark was actually my daughter's idea!  

I bet you can’t survive without apostrophes!
Here's a question for you to think about – if you were a punctuation mark, which one would you be and why?  I would be an asterisk, because it's sparkly and twinkly like a star (and its name comes from the Greek word "aster" meaning star.)

Thank you to Moira Donohue for taking time to share with us about these delightful books.  If you haven't read them, take the time to do it!  Check them out at GUWB--you and your children will be entertained for sure.  Take time to visit her website and the Punctuation Playground.  You can even listen to part of Penny and the Punctuation Bee read by Mrs. Donohue!

So, we leave you with that question from our featured author..."What punctuation mark would you be?  Why?"

Happy reading!
The GUWB Team

*Pictures used from Moira's website.