(Despicable) Artistic Me

          Last March 24, we had the privilege of meeting Professor Mel Silvestre of the College of Fine Arts, a children’s book illustrator. He showed us some of his works. Sir Mel joked that he isn’t and hasn’t been an illustrator for a while now because the last time he did the art for a children’s book was in the early 2000s. Personally I don’t think that disqualifies him; once an illustrator, always an illustrator. I think that is the beauty of writing and drawing –stories and artwork live long after their creators do. Since most of Sir Mel’s work had been done at a time when there was very little money for printing and reproducing colored pictures, much of his illustrations were made using pencil. The simplicity of his creations did not lessen the value of the story, if anything it added to it. I was particularly impressed by one of his illustrations of the body of a boy in the basket of fish. It is a very heavy topic and one that has to be dealt with properly when presenting to children and so what Sir Mel did was create the outline of the boy’s body using the fish. It was a very clever technique, if you ask me.

            I was also impressed by Sir Mel’s foam masks and costumes. I liked the Storm Trooper and Darth Vader ones the most. The attention to detail was simply amazing. He also made little Angry Birds toys for his sons. He said that that way they can play the game without having to use gadgets all the time. The minute Sir Mel brought out his creations, the crafty side of me just wanted to get to work. We were taught how to make tiny minions using different colors of plastic foam. I made a traditional yellow minion but with a pink jumper instead of a blue one. Sir Mel divided us into groups to share the glue that Teacher Hazelle provided. It was fun feeling like artists for a while. I didn’t get to finish my minion but I brought it home with me and Sir Mel even let us bring home little pieces of foam with us to use. He also gave us tips on where we could find materials in case we ever wanted to make foam costumes too. It was a very fun experience to get out of the classroom and have a workshop-type session. I have always dreamed of becoming a published children’s author someday, but for the first time in my life I considered becoming a children’s book illustrator. I’ll be honest; I’m not particularly good at drawing (which is probably why I never saw myself becoming an illustrator) but after working with Sir Mel, I realized that there are different mediums that can be used. Perhaps it isn’t only about natural skill when it comes to drawing but also about creativity. You can use puppets, make collages, or sew dolls to use – the possibilities are endless!

            I’m so glad Teacher Hazelle gave us this unique opportunity. It’s too bad she didn’t get to stay the whole class period, but I’m sure we’ll have other chances to get out of the classroom as a class. Lastly, I’m very grateful to Sir Mel for allowing us to work and use his materials and for taking the time to show us that we too, can be artists. 

Hope for the Books

Last March 17, we had EDR class at the College of Fine Arts and we were able to meet three inspiring children's book authors - Marie Yvette Concepcion-Alcazar, Maita Songco-Salvador, and Annie Pacaña-Lumbao. I went to class expecting to hear the stories they had written and perhaps have a Q&A portion afterwards. What we experienced was instead something much more hands on and interactive. 

Before that day, I had never had the privilege of meeting an author. In my mind I imagined them to be somewhat serious and to have an air of formality. I'm not sure why I was expecting this, especially given that they are children's book authors. Teacher Yvette said it herself - when you think of authors, you think of old men and women long gone before you even get the chance to meet them. It was refreshing to see that not only were all the authors and teachers friends with each other, but that they were also very accommodating and friendly towards us, the class. Maybe being moms and teachers has something to do with this, I'm not sure. 

The stories that we read in class were wonderful - When Zero Left Numberland, Letting Sunny Go, But That Won't Wake Me Up, But That Won't Make Me Sleep, and Bog. Among these books I liked But That Won't Make Me Sleep by Teacher Annie the most because it involves not only imagination and fun but the concept of family. The little girl was unable to sleep until she was sure her father was home safe. It's very sweet and light and it really is the perfect bedtime story. 

But more than But That Won't Make Me Sleep, I enjoyed the most the new book that Teacher Annie is working on. She showed us the print out of her idea and it was splendid! It was so creative - not just the inspiring story and the beautiful illustrations but also the presentation and format. Teacher Annie herself said, since it is expensive to publish and reproduce pop-up books and other books with unconventional formats, authors and illustrators are challenged to think outside the box and be innovative. I was simply amazed by her work. 

What was most striking to me, however, was not even the books themselves but the stories of how the three lovely teachers wrote them and had them published. It was nice to see that there was not one "Eureka!" moment that got the ball rolling and from that point on, everything was a piece of cake. First of all, all three teachers were inspired by their personal experiences. This message speaks to me because it makes me feel like I don't need much to come up with an idea for a story. I can simply draw from my own life. Hearing the stories of Teacher Maita, Teacher Yvette and Teacher Annie made me realize that getting published is really an amazing feat because it is very difficult. The first draft you write will definitely not be the final output that gets printed, bound, reproduced and sold. There will be several changes that you have to make, several things that need to be tweaked. And while that may make you feel a little sad at times because it seems as though your story does not feel so much like your own anymore, it does not mean that your accomplishment is any less impressive. Hearing Teacher Maita, Teacher Yvette and Teacher Annie describe their struggles to create their books gave me hope that one day I too, may be standing in front of an EDR class and telling them all about my story.

I am very grateful to Teacher Hazelle for giving us the opportunity to meet and interact with the three lovely authors. It was an experience I would not have been exposed to had I not taken EDR 121. 

Reflection: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

The first time I heard The Giving Tree was when my mother read it to me some years ago. Back then I didn’t fully appreciate it the way I do now. When I was a young girl I couldn’t understand how the tree could still be happy even after giving up everything for the boy who seemed only to remember her for what she could offer him. But hearing the story again now that I’m older, there are two ways I am better able to comprehend it.

The first is about the boy. He was not selfish and cruel; he was merely growing up. In the process of growing up his priorities changed and the tree became something he took for granted. I don’t think he did this on purpose though. Like most of us growing up, he was caught up in his own little world. Originally of course, his world mostly consisted of the tree but as he got older, his world began expanding until the tree was barely in it anymore. The boy had dreams and wants and following his dreams was never a crime. In the end he and the tree were reunited. I like to think of this as his coming home. No matter how far one travels in life, one must never forget to return to where he belongs.

The other new way I view the story is about the tree herself. I could never understand why she had no problem giving all of herself to the boy when it seemed like he gave her nothing in return. Now I realize that what she had for him was unconditional love. It didn’t matter to her that he never physically gave her anything. His presence in her life gave her happiness and for her that was always enough. I realize now that the story is very similar to the relationship one has with his or her parents.

When we’re very young our moms and dads are our whole world but as we grow older we begin to grow apart from them. We don’t realize it but they’re always still around, waiting for us and prepared to give us anything we need. Reading The Giving Tree again has made me appreciate my parents better. They have given me everything that they can and allowed me room to grow even though they would probably prefer it if I was right beside them like I used to be. I’ll always be grateful for that.

Reading the story again made me realize that there are several different ways it can be interpreted, especially considering Shel Silverstein’s background which was not particularly child-friendly. For example, I read that there are several people who criticize the story saying that it promotes selfishness, narcissism and codependency.^[1] Others say that it sends an unhealthy message to parents and tells them to give everything to their children even if it means having absolutely nothing for themselves. Environmentalists dislike the book for obvious reasons. At first I wasn’t sure how to reconcile all these opinions with the one I had formed for myself but then I realized that all of these perspectives are valid and it just depends on how you choose to view the story.

Personally I would like to continue seeing it the way I do. It portrays one’s love and whether or not the boy was deserving of that love is not ours to speculate. All we can do is appreciate it for what it is – unconditional. 

^[1] Margalit, R. (5 Nov. 2014). "The Giving Tree" at Fifty: Sadder Than I    Remembered. The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-  turner/giving-tree-50-sadder-remembered. 

The Child that Books Built: The Paper Bag Princess

here once was a little girl name Meg who wanted nothing more than to be a princess. She thought that this would be impossible given that she looked nothing like the princesses she saw in movies or read in about in fairytales.

One day, Meg’s parents gave her a wonderful gift – a book entitled ‘The Paper Bag Princess’ by Robert Munsch. Immediately she noticed that the princess had short hair like hers, which was uncommon for a princess (they usually had long hair). Meg didn’t realize it at first but that book would change her life and shape the kind of reader and girl she was going to be.

The Paper Bag Princess tells the story of Princess Elizabeth who is engaged to the handsome Prince Ronald. Her world is turned upside down when a dragon destroys her kingdom and kidnaps her prince. Unfortunately, all of her belongings were burned and she is left with nothing to wear except a paper bag. Instead of feeling helpless, Princess Elizabeth sets out to find the dragon and rescue Prince Ronald. After outsmarting the evil dragon she is reunited with Prince Ronald, who refuses to marry her because she looks nothing like a princess (according to him anyway). Princess Elizabeth decides that she doesn’t need an ungrateful man like Ronald in her life and skips away happily.

Meg learned that princesses come in all shapes and sizes. She didn’t need a fancy gown to be one. She also learned that princesses can save princes and it doesn’t have to be the other way around! She learned that looks are not so important and that brains will take you much farther – you can even slay dragons. And most of all, she learned that she didn’t need a prince to have a happy ending, much less a shallow one, no matter how handsome he was. She could have a happily ever after all by herself.

After reading The Paper Bag Princess, Meg’s view of other princesses and fairytales changed. She began showing interest in stories (whether she would read them on her own or have her parents read them to her) like The Little Match Girl, The Happy Prince, and a few years later The Ordinary Princess, another empowering story.

These days Meg is proud to say that she is on her way to becoming (and is already somewhat) a strong, capable, and resilient woman of substance – someone that Princess Elizabeth would have been proud of.