From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 1998 11:53:33 -0500

You just received a message from Kathleen Horning asking you to think about what it is you want to read in a published review of a picture book.

While you're thinking about this, I want to express formal CCBC appreciation to Leonard Marcus for Dear Genius and for the many ways in which he brought this unparalleled collection of published letters to life for everyone in the CCBC-Net community during August. I've worked with Leonard on joint projects in the past, the type with deadlines and little time for real exchanges. I've met him at various children's literature events around the nation. I've read his book about Margaret Wise Brown, his little history of Good Night, Moon (both published by HarperCollins) and some of his columns in the magazine Parenting. Howver, I've never had the opportunity to find out more about how he goes about creating a book based on primary source documents. More than that, I've never had the opportunity for what we all experienced during August: along with Leonard's articulate insights, he generously shared his time by providing us with articulate comments and thoughtful responses. They just knocked us all for a loop, didn't they? We outsiders to Harper and Row began to become acquainted with Ursula Nordstrom, both through reading Dear Genius and through "meeting" Leonard Marcus. What a joy during a time when - as Ruth Gordon reminded us just now - so many other factors can contribute to a less child?ntered, even less humane approach to decision making in businesses responsible for creating and producing anything for children
- and I can add, perhaps, in education, in libraries, in the arts, you name it... Thank you, Leonard, for Dear Genius. Thank you for sharing a few of the many other things you know about UN, as well as some of what it must have taken to develop this book.

Thanks, too, to my wonderful CCBC colleague Megan Schliesman, who coordinated communication with Leonard Marcus and guided the discussion while Kathleen Horning was on vacation in Florida (Florida, in August?!), and I was in England (what, when the dollar exchange is so bad?!). Megan herself was on vacation during part of that time, but you would never have known this from the way in which she continued to have CCBC-Net on her mind and made time while she was vacationing to stay on top of what the discussion needed. I was at Cambridge University during part of my time away, not on vacation, but managing minor responsibilities within a large Children's Literature New England institute. I arrived before all but two other participants and leaders, but even then Barbara Scotto - one of the two leaders - began singing Megan's praises and telling me how much she enjoyed the Dear Genius Discussion. People kept arriving, telling me about CCBC-Net, Dear Genius, Leonard Marcus, Megan, the editors and publishers who were discussing verso information, and much much more. I met many within the CCBC-Net community part-way around the world, and I tried to write down your names so I could write them here in this message. But you appeared too thick and too fast for even a good note-taker such as I. You told me the most important things: you reminded me that i'ts a much smaller world because of this technology and a much better informed world because of Leonard's comments, and Megan's continuing excellent leadership in CCBC-Net.

You also told me that lots of people were making comments, editors, publishers, people who knew UN, people who've never "talked" before. Thanks, too, to each and every person who contributed to the August discussion. You made such a difference, because you decided to "stand up" or "speak up" or "step forward" or whatever it is one of us does when we speak to everyone in the CCBC-Net community. We heard from quite a few people who never contributed directly to CCBC-Net before this August. We hope to hear from you and many others, again - and soon. If you thought that the August discussion was the best ever, then you can make one or more of the next CCBC-Net discussions one of the best ever. It takes everyone. It really does, at least some of you. Don't worry about spelling, and don't apologize for what you know or don't know. You are an expert on your experience and on your opinion. Your comments are valued.

I think any discussion of Dear Genius would be and will be a terrific discussion - even without Leonard! I'm not trying to be provocative here or unappreciative. What I want to say is that the book stands on its own. I've already recommended it to a monthly book group not necessarily as highly informed and motivated regarding children's books as most people in the CCBC-Net community. I just think that many adult book lovers and readers will enjoy Dear Genius, and - yes - even some younger readers interested in creativity, editing, publishing, writing, art, etc. Dear Genius will have a long life as a book and the experience of reading it will continue to stimulate informal discussions and exchanges for a very long time to come.

I'll send a list of the upcoming discussion topics and other announcements in a separate message.

Meanwhile, keeping UN's high standards for picture books in mind, and/or having read the article to which Kathleen Horning referred in her invitation to the September discussion, what do you hope to read in a picture book review? .... Ginny
************************************* Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/) University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA
Received on Tue 01 Sep 1998 11:53:33 AM CDT