From: Megan Schliesman <mjschlie>
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 12:55:43 -0500

To me, one of the things that makes Charlotte Zolotow's picture books so special is their (deceptive) simplicity and emotional honesty--something much more difficult to create than her books let on because they read like perfect moments (in a world that is certainly far from perfect). Yet they are as a whole very real--without sugar coating or sweetness. Instead, they evoke a sense of something whole and natural and comforting--especially comforting, so that even when dealing with something sad, like the death of a dog in The Old Dog, there is a feeling of
"okayness." So a child reader knows thatyes, this is sad, and you feel sad and that is right, but so, too, was this death something that is ok--hard--but ok.

There is also the sense of satisfaction that comes from this honesty and simplicity. When I read The Moon Was the Best, I couldn't imagine a more perfect ending for the book, and yet I hadn't seen it coming. A colleague of mine referred to that particular book as "vintage Charlotte Zolotow," not implying that it was in any way repetitive of something she had done before in content, rather that she had once again created something so special and complete in overall effect. For me it is a sense of "Ahhh...." and a realization that this book could be no other way.

I'm wondering what other characteristics people find in common amnog her books? What are the things you find satisfying-?out individual books or her works as a whole?

Megan Schliesman Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison schliesman at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu
Received on Fri 13 Jun 1997 12:55:43 PM CDT