Children’s author, illustrator proud to be part of museum exhibit

By Kirk Starratt

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

When it comes to children’s authors and illustrators, there’s an abundance of talent in Kings County.

This is obvious from an exhibit currently on display at the Kings County Museum in Kentville called, “Tell Me A Story”: Inspiring Kings County Children’s Authors and Illustrators.

The idea behind the exhibit, which runs from April 15 to Aug. 15, was to invite local authors and illustrators of children’s literature to share what inspires them to create their stories and drawings. The museum’s exhibits committee made a list of authors and illustrators they were aware of in the county. While the museum was closed over the winter, a researcher contacted local librarians for input. When the list was finalized, invitations to participate were extended.

Author Pamela Hickman of Canning held a launch for her book It’s Moving Day!, illustrated by Geraldo Valerio, at the museum recently in conjunction with the exhibit. She had an audience of 21 preschoolers from ABC Nursery School in north Kentville, along with several parents, nursery school owner and director Corrine Langley and assistant Sandra Weir. Langley said the children get a lot out of field trips and enjoyed the first-hand learning experience of visiting the museum.

Loved the reaction

Hickman said she loved the reaction she got from the kids and they’re always very responsive when it comes to animals. She visits lots of schools to read to students. It’s a performance that requires lots of energy, but even though it’s exhausting, she says it’s fun.

“It’s important to have face-to-face with the audience you write for,” she said.

Hickman started her writing career as the Education Coordinator for the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. Since 1985, she has published 37 children’s nature books.

Hickman said challenges involved in writing children’s books include simplifying the concept to their level and keeping books short enough. She’s always editing for length.

She said the exhibit is a great idea. “We have a lot of talent in this area and lots of people don’t realize it. Kids are always excited by the idea that there are people behind the books and they’re excited to meet authors and illustrators because there are kids in any group that like to write and draw who might be inspired.”

She said being a children’s author wasn’t part of her original plan.

Exhibit is wonderful

Barbara Martin of Wolfville, who illustrated Smallest Rabbit by Joyce Barkhouse, said she thinks the exhibit is wonderful, especially in the sense that children are being exposed to literature at a young age. She said it’s exciting to see the reaction of children to her work, but there are challenges involved with illustrating a children’s book.

“I had to imagine the emotions of the characters in order to visually represent them,” she said. “It was also a challenge to keep the likeness of the characters the same throughout each illustration.”

She said she has lots of connections with the museum, including that she’s a descendant of the New England Planters and her uncle, Brad Forsyth, did the woodgraining work in the old Kings courthouse. Coincidentally, he had grained a rabbit on the back wall of the courtroom.

Martin will have soon a painting published in a calendar being distributed by the Mental Health Branch of the Department of Health to help raise awareness of women suffering from mood disorders.

Because she is self-taught, Martin said she was always concerned her work might not be good enough. However, she tells children that they shouldn’t be discouraged.

“Just do it if you want to,” she said. “Don’t worry about what other people think.”

Keep reading and writing

Hickman agrees that children who want to write or illustrate shouldn’t be discouraged and writers get rejected all the time, even some of the best. Just because a publisher says “no”, it doesn’t mean that a piece of work isn’t good. However, it’s a good idea to research publishers before submitting something.

She always tells children that the more they read, the better their writing will be. She points out there are a lot of venues catering to young writers today and that the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia website, www.writers.ns.ca is a great resource for aspiring authors.

The works of many local authors can be found in libraries or purchased at bookstores such as Box of Delights in Wolfville. Another potential source to purchase the works of local authors is www.amazon.ca

For more information on the exhibit, visit www.okcm.ca. To watch a video from Hickman’s book launch, visit www.NovaNewsNow.com.