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From: Martha Parravano <mparravano>
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 10:26:27 -0600
Thanks, CCBC-Net, for this month's topic. I don't remember when I first tuned in to the fact that there was something pretty special going on north of the border?I think it started with Martha Brooks's amazing collection of short stories, Paradise Caf* (which someone told me is, sadly, out of print in the States) and one of Sarah Ellis's early novels, The Baby Project. Now I look avidly for new works by these two writers and also by Brian Doyle and Tim Wynne-Jones. Doyle's Uncle Ronald is one of the most astonishing works of fiction I've ever read?for the evocation of setting; for the daring, and incredibly effective, juxtaposition of the tragic and comic; for the way he revels in language. Especially, as previously mentioned in this discussion, in the luxurious passage in which the narrator goes through a litany of all the sounds he loves before arriving at his favorite: the sound of Uncle Ronald in the morning. And I don't think there's an American writer who can match Tim Wynne-Jones in mastery over the short story. His stories are rich with character, wit, imagery, and humanity. Some (like "Tashkent," from Some of the Kinder Planets, and "The Clark Beans Man," from The Book of Changes) are just about perfect examples of the form. Like Brian Doyle, he uses language so precisely, so wonderfully, as if words were a joy to him. (And yet neither writer is ever pretentious.) I'm not sure what else defines Canadian literature for children, but I do know that this facility with language is one thing. I also think it's pretty remarkable that there's such a preponderance of talent in the short-story arena?Martha Brooks, Tim Wynne-Jones, Sarah Ellis. And probably more of whom I am unaware. I'm sure there's an interesting explanation for this (or at least a theory!); meanwhile, I just enjoy the books.
If I might speak as a Horn Book editor for a moment, I wanted to let everyone know that both Sarah Ellis and Tim Wynne-Jones will have articles in the January 2000 issue of the Horn Book Magazine. Sarah is writing an article about reading and using classics (i.e.: Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe) today. We are also reprinting the speech Tim gave this summer at the Simmons College institute "Halos and Hooligans" called "Pleasantville: An Image of the Reading Child at the Turn of the 21st Century."
Martha Parravano The Horn Book Magazine
Received on Tue 28 Sep 1999 11:26:27 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 10:26:27 -0600
Thanks, CCBC-Net, for this month's topic. I don't remember when I first tuned in to the fact that there was something pretty special going on north of the border?I think it started with Martha Brooks's amazing collection of short stories, Paradise Caf* (which someone told me is, sadly, out of print in the States) and one of Sarah Ellis's early novels, The Baby Project. Now I look avidly for new works by these two writers and also by Brian Doyle and Tim Wynne-Jones. Doyle's Uncle Ronald is one of the most astonishing works of fiction I've ever read?for the evocation of setting; for the daring, and incredibly effective, juxtaposition of the tragic and comic; for the way he revels in language. Especially, as previously mentioned in this discussion, in the luxurious passage in which the narrator goes through a litany of all the sounds he loves before arriving at his favorite: the sound of Uncle Ronald in the morning. And I don't think there's an American writer who can match Tim Wynne-Jones in mastery over the short story. His stories are rich with character, wit, imagery, and humanity. Some (like "Tashkent," from Some of the Kinder Planets, and "The Clark Beans Man," from The Book of Changes) are just about perfect examples of the form. Like Brian Doyle, he uses language so precisely, so wonderfully, as if words were a joy to him. (And yet neither writer is ever pretentious.) I'm not sure what else defines Canadian literature for children, but I do know that this facility with language is one thing. I also think it's pretty remarkable that there's such a preponderance of talent in the short-story arena?Martha Brooks, Tim Wynne-Jones, Sarah Ellis. And probably more of whom I am unaware. I'm sure there's an interesting explanation for this (or at least a theory!); meanwhile, I just enjoy the books.
If I might speak as a Horn Book editor for a moment, I wanted to let everyone know that both Sarah Ellis and Tim Wynne-Jones will have articles in the January 2000 issue of the Horn Book Magazine. Sarah is writing an article about reading and using classics (i.e.: Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe) today. We are also reprinting the speech Tim gave this summer at the Simmons College institute "Halos and Hooligans" called "Pleasantville: An Image of the Reading Child at the Turn of the 21st Century."
Martha Parravano The Horn Book Magazine
Received on Tue 28 Sep 1999 11:26:27 AM CDT
