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Re: Where Have All the Folktales Gone?
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From: janeyolen_at_aol.com
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:40:32 -0400
Being a folk tale lover and a folk tale reteller (ONCE UPON A BEDTIME STO RY, NOT ONE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD, TAM LIN, etc.) I have asked this of my editors more than once as the genre has dropped out of the market. And though teachers and librarians still want these (and picture book biographies) for the classrooms, the sad fact is that the ma jor publishers are no longer thinking at all about the school/library mar ket. They are chasing bestsellers in B&N and elsewhere.
Look to the smaller publishers for succor. I have just sold a remake of "T he Cat of the Doverfells", a Norwegian tale which I have give a feminist recast as SISTER BEAR to Cavendish. I have other stories I want to retell . But it is a hard slog to get the publishers to take them.
Jane Yolen
Message-----
From: Steven Engelfried To: ccbc-net ccbc-net ; Kathleen T. Horning
Sent: Wed, Mar 17, 2010 3:24 am Subject: Re:
Where Have All the Folktales Gone?
I wonder if the increase in picture book biographies has influenced the de cline in folktales. Do bigropahies offer illustrators the same types of cr eative opportunities that folktales once did? Would Kadir Nelson be illus trating more folktales and fewer biographies in the 90's publishing world? Another possibility: folktales used to be the one area where cultural diversity shined the most in children's books, which resulted in some fan tastic books, but was also a way too limited avenue. Are we seeing an inc rease in diversity in picture books, fiction, and non-fiction, leading to more creative choices beyond folklore? It would be nice if that's true, but I'm not sure it is...
- Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library (OR) sengelfried_at_yahoo.com
--- On Tue, 3/16/10, Kathleen T. Horning wrot
e:
From: Kathleen T. Horning Subject:
Up for Discussion on CCBC-Net: Where Have All the Folk tales Gone? To: "ccbc-net ccbc-net" Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 10:53 AM
****Thanks to all of you who participated in our Awards Discussion Extrava
ganza. With a new year underway, we are already turning our attention to the new books that are coming out in 2010. Every day it seems we get boxe s full of shiny new books here at the CCBC but few of them these days incl ude folktales, either single tales illustrated as picture book or collecti ons of tales.
Folktales retold for children were once a mainstay of children's publishin g, so we're a bit perplexed by this sudden drought. Have you noticed this change as well? If so, have you missed them, or do you think the market was already glutted with retellings of Cinderella? Do they continue to be popular with the children in your communities? What, in your opinion, mak es for a great folktale retelling for young readers?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts, and would especially welcome any insights from our friends in the publishing world who might be able to te ll us what is behind the change.
KT
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-263-3721 FAX: 608-262-4933
horning_at_education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:40:32 -0400
Being a folk tale lover and a folk tale reteller (ONCE UPON A BEDTIME STO RY, NOT ONE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD, TAM LIN, etc.) I have asked this of my editors more than once as the genre has dropped out of the market. And though teachers and librarians still want these (and picture book biographies) for the classrooms, the sad fact is that the ma jor publishers are no longer thinking at all about the school/library mar ket. They are chasing bestsellers in B&N and elsewhere.
Look to the smaller publishers for succor. I have just sold a remake of "T he Cat of the Doverfells", a Norwegian tale which I have give a feminist recast as SISTER BEAR to Cavendish. I have other stories I want to retell . But it is a hard slog to get the publishers to take them.
Jane Yolen
Message-----
From: Steven Engelfried To: ccbc-net ccbc-net ; Kathleen T. Horning
Sent: Wed, Mar 17, 2010 3:24 am Subject: Re:
Where Have All the Folktales Gone?
I wonder if the increase in picture book biographies has influenced the de cline in folktales. Do bigropahies offer illustrators the same types of cr eative opportunities that folktales once did? Would Kadir Nelson be illus trating more folktales and fewer biographies in the 90's publishing world? Another possibility: folktales used to be the one area where cultural diversity shined the most in children's books, which resulted in some fan tastic books, but was also a way too limited avenue. Are we seeing an inc rease in diversity in picture books, fiction, and non-fiction, leading to more creative choices beyond folklore? It would be nice if that's true, but I'm not sure it is...
- Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library (OR) sengelfried_at_yahoo.com
--- On Tue, 3/16/10, Kathleen T. Horning wrot
e:
From: Kathleen T. Horning Subject:
Up for Discussion on CCBC-Net: Where Have All the Folk tales Gone? To: "ccbc-net ccbc-net" Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 10:53 AM
****Thanks to all of you who participated in our Awards Discussion Extrava
ganza. With a new year underway, we are already turning our attention to the new books that are coming out in 2010. Every day it seems we get boxe s full of shiny new books here at the CCBC but few of them these days incl ude folktales, either single tales illustrated as picture book or collecti ons of tales.
Folktales retold for children were once a mainstay of children's publishin g, so we're a bit perplexed by this sudden drought. Have you noticed this change as well? If so, have you missed them, or do you think the market was already glutted with retellings of Cinderella? Do they continue to be popular with the children in your communities? What, in your opinion, mak es for a great folktale retelling for young readers?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts, and would especially welcome any insights from our friends in the publishing world who might be able to te ll us what is behind the change.
KT
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-263-3721 FAX: 608-262-4933
horning_at_education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
---Received on Wed 17 Mar 2010 08:40:32 AM CDT
