Hey, the shameless self-promotion had to begin eventually.
I am delighted to announce some news about my forthcoming book, Sarah Gives Thanks. First off, the fine folks at Albert Whitman and Company have given me the go-ahead to show off the cover – and it’s a peach, isn’t it?
The illustrator, David Gardner, is based out of New Mexico and has quite a few impressive jobs to his credit, ranging from a picture book about Harvey Milk (and a more unusual picture book subject there never was) to promotional art featuring the Trix Rabbit. In other words, the guy’s got quite a range.
Check out his website. There are no Sarah Hale illustrations on his gallery yet, but what’s there is pretty nifty.
Also, a release date has been set! On September 1, my book will hit store shelves. Mark your calendars. Camp outside of your neighborhood Barnes & Noble to buy a copy. I’ll be happy to sign it. Or, if you prefer, camp out next to your laptop and buy the e-book and I’ll sign your Kindle.
Sometimes it takes a lot to get people to try new foods.
Being a fan of Dr. Seuss’ books is like saying you enjoy fun.
Pretty much the same thing goes for Green Eggs and Ham. It might not be your all-time favorite Seuss book, but it almost certainly ranks as one of your favorites. It definitely one of mine – and the illustration posted above is a big reason why. For those who haven’t looked at the book in a while (and shame on you all) this crash was the result of an oddly designed rail line. Instead of ending at a train station, this ride concludes with a Seussian ski jump over a lake.
What kills me, though, is just how blissed out everyone is. The captain, instead of thinking, “Hey! A TRAIN crashed into my boat!” wears an expression more in line with, “Hey! A FOX! How neat!”
The train engineer is happy. The passengers are happy. The goat, fox, and mouse are happy. The only guy who is less than thrilled is our finicky, black-hatted hero. He is troubled, though, not by the life-threatening crash but by the fact that Sam-I-am fails to notice that green eggs and ham look pretty nasty.
This illustration is all the more wonderful when one recognizes that Seuss’ rhymes don’t even begin to suggest any of this insanity. This is not an isolated incident. Earlier in the book Sam-I-am poses a seemingly benign question: “Would you? Could you? In a car? Eat them! Eat them! Here they are!” The statement, however, is accompanied by an illustration depicting a high speed, Sam-I-am-initiated hit and run.
Even more interesting is Black Hat’s reply: “I would not, could not, in a car.” Note that it is a simple, declarative statement. No exclamation point. So, yes, Black Hat is being rammed by a car, but that’s still no reason for him not to use his Indoor Voice.
Green Eggs and Ham is really a unique Seuss book in this regard; other Seuss books get as crazy this one, but the rhymes in those stories comment on and underline the action. Not here. It’s as if a train crashing into a boat is so commonplace in this particular Seussworld that it doesn’t deserve a mention.
And it doesn’t. Green Eggs and Ham is perfect just the way it is.
When I began this stamp business for my son, I had no idea just how much effort it would require. Stamps either had to be drawn early in the morning (while I was half asleep eating breakfast) or late at night (when I was half asleep and ready to go to bed). I don’t draw very well when I’m half asleep and, since I worked in ballpoint pen, I would often need to throw away several envelopes before I could manage something that looked halfway decent.
Another thing I discovered about being half asleep: good judgment sometimes fails to show itself. So a few of the stamps I worked on exhibit a noticeable lapse in good taste.
Often these stamps were inspired by current events. Surprise, surprise, on the day I drew this, my boy had a cold.
My sleepy, hard work on tasteless subject matter often paid off, though. Case in point: I discarded three envelopes before I finally got the right amount of explosive, flatulent pressure needed for “Celebrate Toots.” To this day, my son considers it to be my masterpiece.
If you prefer, my sister calls them "hiney squeaks." My sister is insane.
Hey, Look! A Writer Fellow! 