Unwrapping...
Written by Julie Danneberg
Illustrated by Judy Love
Unwrapping some illustrations for you...
My take on the book...
This is such a fun book because everyone on the planet can relate: a parent, a student, a teacher or a principal understands those emotions completely. The first day of school is exciting but also can be very scary. Everyone finds it hard to sleep the night before and they try to imagine in their head all night long what that first day will look like.
Will the teacher be nice? Will the kids accept me and be my friends? Will I miss my bus or .... horrors of horrors.... forget my lunch on the kitchen counter? Is what I chose to wear the right thing so I'll look cool? Is my backpack stuffed and ready to go? And on and on and on....... all these things swirl around over an over again as the alarm is anticipated every five minutes and your first day starts calling you forth.
Sarah Jane does not want to get up and head off and she pulls her covers back over her head and refuses to budge. She finally is lured from her hideaway and encouraged to eat a piece of toast, grab her lunch pail and head off into the wonderful world of first day jitters. She still is relucant and slumps down in the car en route trying to disappear into thin air once again.
She is met by the principal of the school and escorted to her classroom where a gaggle of students are anxiously awaiting her arrival. How will she be received? Will her jitters overcome her? Maybe she should have stayed home in bed. This book is humorous and extremely witty. The illustrations are just fantastic, full of detail, emotion and action. They were a great sell for me purchasing the book for myself. I truly loved them. Suspense is created as the reader turns each page because the true identity of Sarah Jane is not fully disclosed until the very end of the book. The unexpected twist that culminates the story will bring a great chuckle to readers of all ages.
I used this book when I was teaching in every grade: from Kindergarten through grades 7 and 8. Each time I read it aloud to my class, the kids enjoyed it immensely and we all had a great laugh because the characters portrayed in the book were....us!! Highly recommended.
About the author....
"As a kid, when I daydreamed or played at being grown-up, I never imagined myself as a writer. Instead I dreamed of being a famous girl reporter, a secret agent, and a teacher."With an imagination like that, it's hard to believe that Colorado native Julie Danneberg never considered a career as a writer.
After graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Julie became a teacher. In her classroom, she read many children's books, and witnessed the profound impact a good book can have on a child. "I was motivated to try and write books like the ones I enjoy reading."
When Julie became a mother, she began to seriously consider a career in writing. During weekly trips to the library with her children, she found herself enjoying the picture books as much as they did. "The funny thing is that my kids eventually graduated from the children's section of the library and I never did!"
Writing children's books was the perfect medium for blending Julie's many interests--working with kids, being home with her family, being creative, and being her own boss. She even fulfilled her childhood dreams of becoming the intrepid reporter and world-class secret agent through her research, writing and character development in her books.
Julie earned great success with First Day Jitters--the funny and engaging story of Sarah Jane Hartwell's first day at a new school. The surprise ending charms and delights readers time and again. Teachers and students alike love these stories and they are perennial favorites for back-to-school. Julie lives with her husband and two children in Denver. She teaches at a local middle school where she garners ideas for her books. When she's not writing, Julie enjoys reading, quilting, gardening, and spending time with her family.
About the illustrator...
When did you start illustrating books?
I started doing educational illustrating in 1976. The first book I illustrated, Leapin’ Lizzie, was published in 1985.
At what point did you develop a passion for drawing when you were a child?
I was pretty young. When most kids started drawing, I was drawing more than most. I even thought I wanted to be a book illustrator when I was little. I was in second grade at the time, about 7 or 8 years old.
What aspects of your personal life inspire you most as an artist?
I have a passion for fabric and textiles—the colors of fabrics really excite me. If I go into a fabric store, the colors can really inspire me. As a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, I almost went into fashion design, but I felt like I was back in high school taking home economics classes. Fashion design was too superficial—it didn’t feel like real art. I was just designing clothing according to the market’s fads and it felt too commercial.
I love theater too! I have done some set deisgn and costuming, mostly in high school and college. I did some theater work recently for my children’s performances. I think working on costuming is similar to illustrating books. In both cases, you are designing and creating a character’s visual appearance.
I also really like gardening! I love the textures of different plants, and the way the leaves overlap. Making flower arrangements and arranging plants in my garden inspires me to draw. While I was working on my first book, Leapin’ Lizzie, I went to the woods and photographed things so that my illustrations could be more lifelike and botanically correct.
What were your most memorable experiences in researching & illustrating Gobble, Quack, Moon? Special people? Special places?
I grew up on a farm, so I went back there and took rolls of pictures of the fields and machinery. I got together with my roommate from college who sculpts cows, goats, and other animals. She helped me find videos of all the dances mentioned in the book.
I would stop the car in middle of road when I found a good squished can that could be part of the animals’ scrap rocket they flew to the moon. I got books out of the library about rockets. I would also spend time with my choral director’s husband who was sick with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Every day, I would work on the sketches for Gobble, Quack, Moon, and I would show him how the illustrations were progressing.
Have there ever been tough times when you’ve felt discouraged or uninspired? Have such obstacles ever made you rethink your career path? If so, what keeps you going in such times?
Artists get illustrator’s block just like authors can get writer’s block. In every single book, there is at least one two-page spread that’s a problem. Always when you finish a book, you feel like there were things you could have done better. Sometimes after I do lots of book illustrating, I get burnt out. It’s during those times that working on theater productions helps me become re-energized. However, I think I did make the right choice in being an illustrator—I really find it fulfilling.
I would also love to do more figure and classical drawing. In order to get refueled and get ideas for my next illustrating job, I like to go to art museums and/or galleries. These cultural outings recharge my creative juices and get me inspired for my next book. I usually illustrate one to two children’s books each year.
Your home business and art studio, called "The Artery," is where you work on your illustrations. How would you describe your hometown, its surroundings and the view from The Artery’s window?
I live in Belmont, Massachusetts—a fairly rural suburb of Boston. Belmont is the home to 36,000 residents. Behind my house, you can see wetlands and conservation land. I watch the beautiful New England seasons as they change and the leaves change colors. My studio is on the third floor of my house. It has one window that looks out onto a dead-end street where I hardly ever see cars. There is a mockingbird that starts singing at 4:30am on the dot, and sometimes I can hear him in my studio when I’m working late.
What other products do you illustrate in addition to children’s books? How often are you working on children’s books and how much time do you spend on other projects?
I illustrate books three-quarters of the time and the rest of my illustrating work is for educational materials. I illustrate ESL (English as a Second Language) and math workbooks. I also draw posters and craft books for Rockport Publishing.
Working as an illustrator is a nice lifestyle because I can make my own hours. Both my sons want to go into art as their careers, so I must be doing a good job!
At what point did you develop a passion for drawing when you were a child?
I was pretty young. When most kids started drawing, I was drawing more than most. I even thought I wanted to be a book illustrator when I was little. I was in second grade at the time, about 7 or 8 years old.
What aspects of your personal life inspire you most as an artist?
I have a passion for fabric and textiles—the colors of fabrics really excite me. If I go into a fabric store, the colors can really inspire me. As a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, I almost went into fashion design, but I felt like I was back in high school taking home economics classes. Fashion design was too superficial—it didn’t feel like real art. I was just designing clothing according to the market’s fads and it felt too commercial.
I love theater too! I have done some set deisgn and costuming, mostly in high school and college. I did some theater work recently for my children’s performances. I think working on costuming is similar to illustrating books. In both cases, you are designing and creating a character’s visual appearance.
I also really like gardening! I love the textures of different plants, and the way the leaves overlap. Making flower arrangements and arranging plants in my garden inspires me to draw. While I was working on my first book, Leapin’ Lizzie, I went to the woods and photographed things so that my illustrations could be more lifelike and botanically correct.
What were your most memorable experiences in researching & illustrating Gobble, Quack, Moon? Special people? Special places?
I grew up on a farm, so I went back there and took rolls of pictures of the fields and machinery. I got together with my roommate from college who sculpts cows, goats, and other animals. She helped me find videos of all the dances mentioned in the book.
I would stop the car in middle of road when I found a good squished can that could be part of the animals’ scrap rocket they flew to the moon. I got books out of the library about rockets. I would also spend time with my choral director’s husband who was sick with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Every day, I would work on the sketches for Gobble, Quack, Moon, and I would show him how the illustrations were progressing.
Have there ever been tough times when you’ve felt discouraged or uninspired? Have such obstacles ever made you rethink your career path? If so, what keeps you going in such times?
Artists get illustrator’s block just like authors can get writer’s block. In every single book, there is at least one two-page spread that’s a problem. Always when you finish a book, you feel like there were things you could have done better. Sometimes after I do lots of book illustrating, I get burnt out. It’s during those times that working on theater productions helps me become re-energized. However, I think I did make the right choice in being an illustrator—I really find it fulfilling.
I would also love to do more figure and classical drawing. In order to get refueled and get ideas for my next illustrating job, I like to go to art museums and/or galleries. These cultural outings recharge my creative juices and get me inspired for my next book. I usually illustrate one to two children’s books each year.
Your home business and art studio, called "The Artery," is where you work on your illustrations. How would you describe your hometown, its surroundings and the view from The Artery’s window?
I live in Belmont, Massachusetts—a fairly rural suburb of Boston. Belmont is the home to 36,000 residents. Behind my house, you can see wetlands and conservation land. I watch the beautiful New England seasons as they change and the leaves change colors. My studio is on the third floor of my house. It has one window that looks out onto a dead-end street where I hardly ever see cars. There is a mockingbird that starts singing at 4:30am on the dot, and sometimes I can hear him in my studio when I’m working late.
What other products do you illustrate in addition to children’s books? How often are you working on children’s books and how much time do you spend on other projects?
I illustrate books three-quarters of the time and the rest of my illustrating work is for educational materials. I illustrate ESL (English as a Second Language) and math workbooks. I also draw posters and craft books for Rockport Publishing.
Working as an illustrator is a nice lifestyle because I can make my own hours. Both my sons want to go into art as their careers, so I must be doing a good job!
Read on and read always!
Its's a wrap.
Contact me at storywrapsblog@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment