to visit Brockport Jan Brett at Lift Bridge Books Who's that knocking on the Lift Bridge Book Shop door? On Saturday (October 26), it will be children's author/illustrator Jan Brett, in Brockport for a book signing and the premier of her newest work, Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? With over 21 million books in print, including Daisy Come Home which spent over 20 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List earlier this year, it is certainly a coup for the Lift Bridge to have Brett visit. Her picture books, including Annie and the Wild Animals, Berlioz the Bear, Trouble with Trolls and The Hat, stand out on the bookshelf as a wedding cake does among the pastries. Richly decorated and finely detailed, Brett's works capture and hold the eyes of even the most restless young reader. Her intricate art work, including her signature borders, reflects not only Brett's innate attention to detail but her desire to provide a depth and fullness to children's literature. Jan Brett feels a strong connection with her young audience. As a child, she was the sibling that always seemed to be doing something she wasn't quite supposed to do. She empathizes with children who don't mean any harm, but can't quite seem to behave the way others expect - that comes out in her portrayal of Nordic trolls in three of her books, including her newest. Brett was admittedly a teaser as a child - another trait found in the title character of The Gingerbread Baby. Brett remembers how it felt to always seem to be waiting for adults - in the line at the store, during adult conversations, after lessons and before the ride home arrived. She began studying the detail in the objects around her. She encourages the children she visits with to do the same. Her penchant for detail takes Brett to the far reaches of the world to research her books, something you don't quite expect in picture book literature. But every piece of architecture, furniture, clothing and food in Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? is authentically detailed. Brett traveled to Norway before beginning the book. She studied the buildings and costumes; the light in a sky that doesn't truly have a sunrise; and she asked Norwegians about their mythological trolls. She brought back tons of Norwegian cookbooks to be sure to get the look of the porridge, the heart-shaped waffles and the Christmas cake just right. She did the same when preparing to write Daisy Come Home - traveling to China to make sure she had a correct sense of the story background - the scenery and customs of the people. Even when not traveling, Brett's research efforts are intense. She spent hours at her Berkshire mountain cabin developing a troll footprint in the snow that was just right. While illustrating The Gingerbread Baby she baked pans and pans of gingerbread men, twisting them while they were still warm to help visualize the movements of the runaway gingerbread baby. Currently, she is working on an adaptation of "Noah's Ark" and her studio is cluttered with over 40 volumes she is using for research. A native of Massachusetts, where she still resides with her husband, a musician with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Brett's career spans more than 20 years. Her first published illustrations were in text books and the children's literary magazine "Cricket." She told people she was a children's book illustrator before she actually was, because she knew she would eventually achieve her goal. When she first broke into the publishing world, an editor warned her they weren't looking for PLB's - pretty little books. Brett understood, but she felt her intricate borders were vital to her storytelling. "They aren't just pretty floral borders," Brett explains, "they add to the story by showing what is happening away from the main scene and they given me the opportunity, in some places, to foreshadow." At book signings, Brett is often asked the standard questions, "Where do you get your ideas? How do you get started? How do you know when a story is done?" Brett answers honestly, although she tries not to be discouraging about how much work it is to produce a picture book. It takes more than a year to complete her part of the process. "The book is the tip of the iceberg," she says. "There's always so much more than what the reader ends up seeing. There's a lot that ends up on the cutting room floor." At this point in her career, she has a great deal of control, although her editor thought the borders in her first draft of Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? were too intricate. Brett did agree to simplify the borders. Like most author/illustrators, Brett works from a dummy. She writes for herself as the six year-old child. She likes to be surprised at the direction a story takes, although she sometimes finds herself in a corner that she has to work her way out of. How does she know when she's done? "When I can walk into the page." Writing for children is made easier, Brett said, because "they're willing to follow you into any world you create." With that in mind, Brett always makes the children in the story, the heroes, and only uses adults where absolutely necessary. She tries to impart a sense of hope and a sense that children are capable of triumphing over problems. A firm believer that a book can change a life, Brett loves the "power" a picture book gives a young child. "The child turns the pages, decides how much time to spend on each one, when the story can continue." Her website, www.janbrett.com, is full of illustrating lessons, stories, artwork and activities. At the Lift Bridge signing, Brett is sure to look down the line of children and notice at least one look of intensity. "Occasionally I meet a kindred spirit, a child that wants to show me an illustration and talk about it. Those are the really special moments." |
