I’ve had so many spam comments that I finally just did a bulk action delete. Then I realized that I had also deleted the legitimate and sweet comments I had as well. Uh oh.
I’ve activated a plug-in that hopefully will take care of the spam issue…I think. I have been getting at least 10 or more spam comments a day.
Live and learn. Live and learn!
I hope to be more ‘present’ with this site soon.
To continue with my series on introducing children to the fine arts, I am going to discuss music appreciation and composer study and give ideas for how easy it is to incorporate this type of learning into our everyday lives. First however, I’d like to recap while I feel this type of exposure is so important.
Why Study Fine Arts?
“Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educator, believed that exposing children to great ideas and beauty in all areas inspired them to greatness as well. She theorized that by letting them become familiar with the best artists, composers, and writers, they would be less willing to settle for mediocrity in themselves. As Elizabeth Gutman said in her book, The Story of Art, part of The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls series: “The magic power of art can arouse all kinds of emotions in us, from simple joy to much deeper feelings. And artists are great people whose works can gladden our eyes, enrich our thoughts, and deepen our feelings.”
“I think these words can apply to ALL areas of the fine arts. And with today’s norm of following the crowd or being happy with the status quo, we should want our children to be inspired and motivated to strive for more—to reach for excellence instead of being content with the marginal.”
Why listen to classical music or study composers?
We’ve all heard about the ‘Mozart Effect’ in the last few years. There have been books and studies claiming that listening to the music of Mozart actually helps to develop the brain, improve short term memory, and increase IQ. Many parents have jumped on the bandwagon and are exposing their children, some even before birth, to Mozart.
There is great debate on whether or not there really is anything to this theory, but research does show that when a child listens to classical music the right hemisphere of the brain is activated, and when a child studies a musical instrument both the left and right hemispheres of the brain light up. Nevertheless, the interest generated by this phenomenon has catapulted classical music back into the spotlight, and that in itself has been a good thing.
In addition, classical music is simply beautiful and peaceful. It’s universal and no matter what language, music forges a common bond. Music also creates emotions and enriches lives with the fulfillment that comes from enjoyment. Many people believe that the soothing tones of classical music influences children’s behavior in a positive way and increases attention span and concentration. A working knowledge of classical music and the men who wrote it also makes for a well-rounded education and individual. But never underestimate the ability of a very young child to appreciate and recognize a piece of music or the work of a composer. When my son was about two years old, he would shout out, “Tchaikovsky!” whenever he heard Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy!
The composers who made these musical contributions to the world are important in their own right and have their places in history as well. Many of them had extraordinary lives and are quite interesting to read about. Children are usually fascinated to learn things such as the fact that Mozart was a child prodigy who composed music by the age of five or that Beethoven continued to write music even after he lost his hearing. And although it’s easy to introduce our children to the composers as we expose them to various pieces of music, we can do so by casually mentioning the name. The main thing is to cultivate enjoyment and appreciation; a more in-depth study can be done as our children grow older.
There is an excellent article on the Ambleside Online website about music appreciation. And one of the writers/advisors, Wendi Capehart, summed things up quite well:
“In music study the same principles apply as do in picture study, nature study, and nature notebooks. That is the principle of attentiveness and good observation. The goal is not to have children who can give a lecture on music theory. It is to have children learn to enjoy classical music and tell one piece from another just as naturally as they learn the difference between, say, The Farmer in the Dell and When the Saints Go Marching In – because they are both familiar with and fond of what they are hearing. The more they are exposed to good literature, the better they get at reading the themes and language of literature. In art and music, the more they are simply exposed to pictures and music, the more they learn to ‘read’ the themes of the world’s classic compositions.”
So how do we introduce classical music or composers to our children?
1.) Start early! As Wendi said, it’s all about exposure! Simply playing classical music to children when they are young will train their ears to the ‘beautiful and lovely.’ At this age, they haven’t been conditioned by modern music to think of classical music as uncool or boring, and they will be more apt to develop an appreciation for it that will last a lifetime.
2.) Play classical music softly in the background of your home. It sets the tone and atmosphere of a peaceful household. In addition, everyone will begin to recognize the various pieces and probably request their favorites. Although not as calming as other pieces, my children always wanted to hear Flight of the Bumblebee! There are many inexpensive CDs that include the ‘best of’ different composers.
3.) Introduce composers casually as the pieces are played. For very young children, simply telling them who wrote the piece is usually enough. After awhile, they will begin to associate the music with the correct composer.
4.) Biographical sketches or short biographies of composers are appropriate for older children. There are many books and resources available to teach about the composer’s lives. I’ve included some of these in the ‘resources’ section.
5.) Consider using a planned rotation of composers/music for older children as well. Ambleside Online has a plan for a scheduled composer for each term and lots of other great links and resources at: http://www.amblesideonline.org/ComposerSch.shtml.
6.) Try to attend a classical music concert. We are all familiar with the large concert venues in big cities, but many local or regional orchestras also present concerts on a regular basis. This would be a great family outing. There are also occasionally concerts aired on television stations such as PBS.
7.) Children learn from their parents. When we show an interest in classical music and composers, our children will be more receptive. Again, it’s all about starting early and exposure!
Resources:
Classical Kids Collection created by Douglas Cowling, Walter Babiak, Erin Cooper-Gay, and Mark Donnelly. This set includes various dramatized stories/music clips about different composers such as Mr. Bach Comes to Call, Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Hallelujah Handel, etc. We have several of these CDs, and my children have enjoyed them immensely.
Baby Einstein Collection DVDs by Julie Aigner-Clark
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers series by Mike Venezia
Great Musicians series by Opal Wheeler
Early Composers (Coloring Book) by Eric Tomb
Great Composers series (Coloring Books) by David Brownell
Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt
Composer Study: Charlotte Mason Style website – www.squidoo.com/charlotte-mason-styled-composer-study.
History of Classical Music Study Guide- A curriculum by Beautiful Feet Books at www.bfbooks.com.
San Francisco Symphony for Kids website- www.sfskids.org
Online Classical Music:
www.sky.fm/classical
www.wdav.org
www.kcme.org
www.theclassicalstation.org
In my last column, I talked about the importance of introducing fine arts to young children. To recap that subject, here is what I wrote:
Why Study Fine Arts?
Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educator, believed that exposing children to great ideas and beauty in all areas inspired them to greatness as well. She theorized that by letting them become familiar with the best artists, composers, and writers, they would be less willing to settle for mediocrity in themselves. As Elizabeth Gutman said in her book, The Story of Art, part of The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls series: “The magic power of art can arouse all kinds of emotions in us, from simple joy to much deeper feelings. And artists are great people whose works can gladden our eyes, enrich our thoughts, and deepen our feelings.”
I think these words can apply to ALL areas of the fine arts. And with today’s norm of following the crowd or being happy with the status quo, we should want our children to be inspired and motivated to strive for more—to reach for excellence instead of being content with the marginal.
I also introduced the topic of picture study in the last column. Now I would like to discuss the most famous bard of all time, William Shakespeare, and how a ‘Shakespeare Study’ can benefit even young children.
Why Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare ultimately helped to shape the English language. Because of him, we now have such phrases as ‘in a pickle,’ ‘all’s well that ends well,’ ‘love is blind’, ‘wild goose chase’, and countless others. In fact, Shakespeare is credited with coining or creating close to 2000 words and phrases that are now part of our daily usage. In addition, his language is challenging, with tight and concise sentences. Vocabularies are sure to be increased when reading Shakespearean plays or poetry. And most of all, Shakespeare was a master of plot and a great storyteller of history. He knew the Bible and mythology, and drew from both, and it is evident that his writing was definitely influenced by Christianity. I’ve often heard that if a person is familiar with the Bible, mythology, and Shakespeare, he will always have a greater understanding of any literature as well as human nature. Ideas of greed, love, hatred, self-loathing, pity, generosity, courage, and even misunderstandings are ageless.
Why Start Young?
If a child is introduced to Shakespeare early, he will not be apprehensive about studying the plays when he is in high school. When he is young he will certainly not understand all the twists, turns, and nuances that Shakespeare employs, but he can most definitely read simplified versions and keep track of the basic plot and characters and learn the ‘stories’ behind the plays. When he is older, he will already have a basic understanding of Shakespeare’s work and be able to build upon that foundation with a deeper understanding of the plots and the moral and historical significances. He will recognize within the characters a mixture of sinfulness and goodness—just as we all are in real life. He will see weaknesses and strengths in the players within the layers of each story.
Beginning:
Children around the age of six might enjoy Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children by E. Nesbit, author of the Railway Children. Ms. Nesbit retold twenty of Shakespeare’s dramas in story form to make them more accessible to a younger audience, which is the perfect introduction to the bard for children.
The next step up might be Tales From Shakespeare by the brother/sister team of Charles and Mary Lamb. Published in 1807, this book includes all of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies and tragedies. The tales are retold in a clear and exceptional literary style, and the Lambs even borrowed vocabulary and phrases from the actual plays.
Other Resources for Younger Students:
-Starting with Shakespeare: Successfully Introducing Shakespeare to Children by Todd Daubert
-Shakespeare for Kids: His Life and Times, 21 Activities (For Kids series) by Colleen Aagesen and Margie Blumberg
-Shakespeare Can Be Fun series by Lois Burdett
-Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield
-Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley
-www.squidoo.com/shakespeareforchildren
- www.pbs.org/shakespeare/educators/resources.html
As a child grows older, the actual plays will become more accessible to him. Because he is already acquainted with the language and characters, Shakespeare’s dramas will seem like old friends that become more enjoyable and appreciated through the years. William Shakespeare had the talent of revealing things that man needs to see in himself—whether good or bad. And as another actor wrote of him, “He was not of an age but for all time.”
Karen Andreola states in her book, A Charlotte Mason Companion, that Shakespeare’s plays provide us “with thoughtful entertainment, a look at human nature, the beauty of the English language, animated scenes from history, and even a good laugh.” Young children can enjoy the same!
Originally published at The National Writing For Children Center.
Classical music. Art Appreciation. Nature Study. Poetry and Shakespeare. These areas of study may sound like complicated courses that are best left alone until the high school or college years, but young children can certainly benefit from an acquaintance with the fine arts as well. As parents, we all want our children to be well rounded and educated to the best of our abilities. We expect teachers (or ourselves if we homeschool) to cover the basics such as reading, writing, and arithmetic, but there is also something so satisfying about recognizing a Monet or a Cezanne, or hearing and identifying music composed by Mozart or Tchaikovsky.
There is joy in taking a walk, finding a special leaf to sketch in a nature journal, and later discovering in a field guide that it belongs to an aspen tree. And who hasn’t heard or read a common phrase (such as green-eyed monster) that can be traced back to the pen of William Shakespeare?
Why Study Fine Arts?
Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educator, believed that exposing children to great ideas and beauty in all areas inspired them to greatness as well. She theorized that by letting them become familiar with the best artists, composers, and writers, they would be less willing to settle for mediocrity in themselves. As Elizabeth Gutman said in her book, The Story of Art, part of The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls series:
“The magic power of art can arouse all kinds of emotions in us, from simple joy to much deeper feelings. And artists are great people whose works can gladden our eyes, enrich our thoughts, and deepen our feelings.”
I think these words can apply to ALL areas of the fine arts. And with today’s norm of following the crowd or being happy with the status quo, we should want our children to be inspired and motivated to strive for more—to reach for excellence instead of being content with the marginal.
In my monthly contribution to the “Parenting and Teaching Tip” column over the next few weeks, I’d like to explore some of these areas in more depth. But for this particular column, I will focus on “picture study”, which is one facet of art appreciation.
Picture Study
Introducing a new artist or a specific piece of art is very easy to do. Many websites have lists of suggested artist rotations, but it’s better to choose one artist’s work to study at a time so the child can become familiar with the style and at least four of his/her pieces of artwork. My twelve-year-old son recently studied the work of Mary Cassatt, and he can now easily recognize her paintings.
We began our study of Mary Cassatt by reading more about her life in a biography. Then I had him focus only on her painting, Children On the Beach (1884). I let him study the picture for several minutes, then I turned it over and asked him to describe what he remembered about the painting, even the little details. Afterwards, we turned the picture back over to see how well he’d seen it all in his ‘mind’s eye.’ We talked about the medium used, the colors, the subjects, etc. We did this for several days, and each time he remembered more and more about the painting. On another occasion, I had him try to re-create the painting himself from memory. Although not a natural artist, he did quite well! We went on to study three more of her paintings before moving on to a new artist.
On another note, I had a large framed poster of Children On the Beach hanging in my children’s bathroom. When my little ones (ages 2 and 4) took a bath, we would look at the painting and talk about it. It’s amazing how much they learned about Mary Cassatt’s work in just a few minutes each night! They remembered almost as much as their older brother, and it was just that simple.
Some people choose to make artists timelines, create portfolios of artists studied, or collect books of paintings by each artist that are purely for enjoyment. But no matter what path you choose, the whole family (and especially children) will benefit from picture study.
There are many picture study resources:
Websites:
www.amblesideonline.org/ArtSch.shtml
www.doverdirect.com (This site has ‘classical art’ coloring books and postcard sized reproductions of various artists/paintings).
www.livingbookscurriculum.com/assets-lbc/pj-archives/pj-April5.pdf
www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm (National Gallery of Art)
Books:
Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Kim Solga
Great American Artists for Kids: Hands-On Art Experiences in the Styles of Great American Masters by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Kim Solga
Let’s Meet Famous Artists by Harriet Kinghorn, Jacqueline Badman, and Lisa Lewis-Spicer Smart About Art series by True Kelley
Anholt’s Artists Books for Children series by Laurence Anholt
Getting To Know the World’s Greatest Artists series by Mike Venezia
13 Artists Children Should Know by Angela Wenzel
I would never call myself a perfectionist. In fact, my family would probably fall over laughing at that description. But perhaps I’m really what I like to call a “reverse perfectionist”, meaning I often won’t start a project if I don’t think I can get it 100% correct the first time. Maybe it’s just a fear of failure, but whatever I call it—it’s PROCRASTINATION! And when I put that self-imposed limit on my writing, I end up with a blank page. And here’s a little inside secret; writers can’t revise something that hasn’t been written!
I have been reading Ann Whitford Paul’s excellent book, Write Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication, and I’ve found it to be very inspirational. She gives some excellent advice on page 11:
“Remember, your first draft will rarely be ready to submit to an editor. Just as milk needs churning to become ice cream, your draft will need revision to become publishable. Get your story down and you’ll have something to work with.”
Those words make me ask myself—how much am I churning? How about you?
To overcome my tendencies to be a reverse-perfectionist writer, I’ve found the following tips and strategies to be very helpful:
1. Just Do It – Just get your ideas down on paper without stopping to analyze or make corrections. Turn off the inner editor and don’t stem the flow.
2. Junk Is Okay – Even if you think what you write is worthless junk, it’s better to get it on paper and discard it later than not write at all. Writing needs to become a habit. Besides, once the process is started, it’s easier to keep the momentum going. And the longer you write, the better chance you’ll have of writing something you can revise.
3. A Timer Is Your Friend – When I’m really in a bad reverse perfectionism slump, I can set the timer for fifteen minutes and tell myself that I can do anything for that short amount of time. Usually however, those fifteen minutes turn into a much longer writing session. Once again, momentum is the key. But if a time crunch is the problem…
4. Bits and Pieces Add Up – Some writers don’t want to tackle a writing project unless they have a large chunk of time to devote to it. However, I’m a busy wife and homeschool mom, and I know from experience that little bits of writing time here and there do add up over time. It’s not the ideal scenario, but ten or fifteen minutes throughout the day can equal a couple of hours of writing time. And that doesn’t include the ‘thinking time’ when I’m in between tasks. It can be done.
5. Have a Writing Day/Night – One night a week, my family graciously allows me to slip away to the library for a few hours of writing time. This hasn’t always been an option for me, but it’s a luxury I’m able to enjoy now since my youngest children aren’t babies anymore. Because I know I’m ‘on the clock’ I can really buckle down and get some serious writing done—I make it count! Actually, I think it’s called focus!
6. Someday May Never Come – Today is the day! If I let my reverse perfectionism take over by waiting until ‘someday’ when I will have more time or feel I can turn out a masterpiece on the first try—that ‘someday’ will probably never come. I will have a bunch of blank pages in a notebook or empty files in my computer.
I have to keep reminding myself that anything I write is better than nothing at all. I tell my inner reverse perfectionist voice that a few words become a sentence, and a few sentences become a paragraph. Several paragraphs become a page, and pages become a manuscript. With this mentality, the pages will add up. No, my work won’t be perfect or 100% complete, but at least I’ll have material that I can craft, edit, revise and polish into something special.
*This is an article I previously published over the National Writing for Children Center.
Kick the Cowboy by Joe Gribnau
What’s New At the Zoo by Suzanne Slade
Mother Osprey: Nursery Rhymes for Buoys and Gulls by Lucy Nolan
Moose and Magpie by Bettina Restrepo
Count Down To Fall by Fran Hawk
Saturn For My Birthday by John McGranaghan
Henry the Impatient Heron by Donna Love
Where Should Turtle Be? by Susan Ring
Little Toot (Anniversary Edition) by Hardie Gramatky
NARRATION: THE ART OF RE-TELLING
Picture this cozy scene. You are sitting on the sofa with your little boy tucked closely beside you enjoying a wonderful picture book or an exciting read-aloud. Your son listens with delight and begs for more. So, of course you continue, talking about the pictures or what’s happening as you go along.
Later, when Daddy comes home, your little boy runs up to him and excitedly begins to retell (in his own words) the whole story in great detail. You know without a doubt that he has absorbed and comprehended what you read earlier in the day. Moreover, a month later, he retells the same story to Grandma, again remembering small details that you yourself have forgotten. Your child has naturally utilized one of the greatest learning tools there is, and one that will certainly help him in his educational endeavors as he grows older. It’s called narration.
WHAT IS NARRATION:
Narration is simply the art of “telling back”, and it’s a technique often used by classical educators and those who employ the teaching methods of Charlotte Mason (a 19th century British educator). However, on a broader scale, it’s much more than that, and it can be used by anyone of any age to facilitate concentration, vocabulary, comprehension, memorization, language skills, and even writing skills.
WHY USE NARRATION:
One of the easiest ways to explain the importance of narration is to borrow from Miss Mason herself. In some of her writings, she used the illustration of a sick patient in the hospital. The person was suffering from intense pain and the doctor had written the remedy on a piece of paper. He told her this would alleviate the pain, however, he would only let her look at the card for a few minutes. Then the card would be destroyed permanently, and the doctor wouldn’t write it again. Can you imagine the intense concentration the patient would put forth to remember what was written?
Although a small child naturally “tells back” what he hears, it’s a skill that should be encouraged and developed when he is very young. Because just think of the benefits when the child is older and needs to remember certain information. If he knows that he will be asked to ‘retell’ after a reading, he will definitely pay more attention to the material at hand so that his narration will be accurate. What he can tell—he knows! He has to think, sift through the information, and choose the important parts to narrate. He has to assimilate the material, make it his, and put it into his own words. With this concentrated effort, he WILL remember!
Charlotte Mason said, “What a child digs for becomes his own possession.” In addition, oral narration is only one step before written narration, which is basically composition! So technically, oral narration is a forerunner to processing one’s thoughts and putting words on paper in a way that makes sense. It’s a skill that’s invaluable.
NARRATION AND YOUNG CHILDREN:
The art of narration begins very early, even before a child can read. As mentioned above, children love to “tell back” the stories they hear. And have you ever noticed a little one who will pick up a beloved picture book, turn the pages slowly, and perhaps ‘read’ it aloud to a younger sibling or even a favorite stuffed animal or doll? This is beginning narration, and the continuing pattern is a natural progression—if the child is encouraged and the skill is fostered. Too often, this desire to “tell” is schooled out of the child as he grows older. But language expression is so important, and the ability to organize and demonstrate the knowledge he gains from books is priceless.
IDEAS FOR USING NARRATION:
We have established the fact that narration is a valuable learning tool, so let’s look at some practical ways to use it with young children. And because we want our little ones to retain their natural curiosity and desire to “tell back”, we don’t want to overwhelm them with heavy ‘educational’ language. Instead, a gentle approach is best; plus this early discovery stage is so much fun and a joy to witness. Many parents probably already do many of these things without realizing they are creating a solid foundation for future learning.
- Use high quality ‘living’ books. Even young children can appreciate well-written literature, and they will understand far more than we give them credit for.
- Do some pre-reading activities. Let the child look at pictures and guess what will happen in the story.
- When reading the story, use different voices, inflection, sound effects, and even suspenseful pauses before turning pages. If your child asks questions, answer them. It’s easy to become a bit frustrated when we want to read and they want to talk about what’s happening.
- Turnabout is fair play. Ask your child questions about the story or what he thinks will happen next.
- After you are finished reading, ask the child to retell the story in his own words…you’ll be surprised at the detail.
OTHER IDEAS:
- Record your child’s narration on cassette or CD.
- Let them draw a picture to ‘tell’ about the story.
- Let them dramatize or act out the story, use a flannel board, or how about a puppet show?
The possibilities are endless, and no matter how you choose to foster your child’s narrative ability, encouraging them to talk about or retell what they’ve heard or read is extremely important. Narration is a skill that will pay great dividends farther along the educational road.
Below is a list of all the articles I’ve had published on the National Writing for Children website. Some are for the Parenting/Teaching Tips column and some are about writing:
Our Awesome America: Historic Symbols
Nature At Night: Learning After Dark
Kids in the Kitchen: Fun AND Learning
Creating Learning Guides and Instructional Activities for Trade Books
Teaching Character Point of View: The Big Bad Wolf versus The Three Little Pigs
Picture Book Pleasures: Delicious Picks for Fall
Celebrating Through The Year: Seasonal Tableaus and Displays
Making Family History Come Alive
Newspapers in Education: Not Just for News
Helping With Your Child’s Homework May Boost Your Writing Career
Autumn Fun: Learning With Leaves
Family Night: Make It A Tradition
Family Mealtimes Are Important
Teaching Personification With Picture Books
Welcome to my new blog. I’m still in the process of setting everything up and making changes to personalize my space here. Look around and come back soon. Hopefully, I will have everything functional shortly!
It’s so true—ideas are everywhere. As writers, we are constantly on the lookout for grist for our writing mills that we can use to develop into articles or stories. We search the world wide web. We use information from our lives, jobs and careers. We sift back through our own memories from childhood, and much to our children’s dismay, we may even play off humorous things they say and do. We are persistent and consistent in our quest to mine for those little nuggets and ideas that we will make uniquely ours.
However, one fantastic source for ideas may be so obvious that it’s simply overlooked. In fact, until I started thinking back on how I originally came up with the ideas for some of my published non-fiction articles, I too had forgotten about my ‘secret source’—my children’s schoolwork! For example, when my twin daughters were studying about westward expansion in America, I checked out a video about the Oregon Trail from the library. As we were watching the documentary, the narrator commented that the Oregon Trail is the nation’s longest graveyard. If the graves were evenly spaced along the length of the Trail, there would be one every fifty yards from Missouri to Oregon City. Light bulb moment! My interest was piqued, and I began to research. The result was an article entitled “The Oregon Trail: Destiny or Death?” that was published in Learning Through History Magazine.
The same thing happened when my children studied about ancient Rome, ancient Greece, the Great Depression, the French Revolution, and World War I, all resulting in the following articles:
Roman Baths: Ancient Health Clubs
Eureka! Archimedes and His Accomplishments
Herbert Hoover: From Prosperity to Depression
Tragedy In the Temple Prison
A Deadly Cloud of Poison Gas
When my daughters were very young, they learned about various animals during one particular unit study. We became fascinated with the leaf eating proboscis monkeys of Borneo which led me to write an article called “Snoots and Snouts” for Guideposts for Kids, a piece about funny animal noses. This came on the heels of another article called “Power In A Bottle” that I sold to Jack and Jill after teaching a class of second graders about the chemical reaction of mixing baking soda and vinegar to create carbon dioxide.
I once heard a podcast featuring children’s author Kathi Appelt (“The Book Report” 6/25/08). She said that she found her inspiration for writing her non-fiction book, Down Cut Shin Creek: Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky when she was helping her ninth grade son with his research for a paper about the WPA. As she was scanning various websites for information about the WPA, she came across a site called the “Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project.” According to Appelt in another interview conducted by Cynthia Leitich Smith:
“It wasn’t anything that Jacob could use, but with my life-long affection for all-things-horse I bookmarked the page and returned to it a couple of days later. Then I contacted the webmaster who turned out to be Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer, a librarian in Cookville, TN and we started corresponding with each other.
“One day, she invited me to come with her to Beattyville, KT to interview a woman named Grace Lucas who had been one of these librarians. Of course, I jumped at the chance, and both of us just fell in love with Grace and her story. I felt so touched and impressed with Grace’s life and the impact that she and her co-workers made on the lives of so many people, that the book was almost inevitable.”
I loved the way Appelt said, “…the book was almost inevitable!” And due to helping her son with the homework assignment that led her to find a website that inspired to her write her book, the ripples of Kathi Appelt’s discovery continue even further. When another children’s author, Kimberly Willis Holt, saw a picture in Appelt’s book of a bookmobile librarian who worked in a Louisiana bayou community, she was inspired to write her fictional book, Part of Me! I’ve read both of these ladies’ books, and they are exceptional. Thank goodness for that research paper on the WPA!
So the next time you need to help your child with schoolwork, don’t think of it as a chore or an inconvenience. Yes, it is a labor of love, but also consider it an opportunity—an opportunity to mine for writer’s gold. You never know when that perfect nugget of information will turn up to spark your creative interest and lead to greater success in your writing career.
