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Interview with Tomie dePaola
by Karin Haug, Customer Service Bibliographer
The sun is bright this Labor Day morning as I drive my car down scenic highway 89 in search of New London, New Hampshire. In a beautiful New London farmhouse, on a large, landscaped meadow littered with flowers, lives children's writer, Tomie dePaola. He is exactly as I expect him, waving at me as he walks down the driveway, though it isn't his physique I recognize; it is his dancing, child-like eyes. In front of me stands one of the few optimists left in this world; here is a man who sees the glass as half full. "Unless," he laughs heartily, "it is my drink. In which case, I refill it."
Tomie dePaola is best known to those of us who fondly remember Strega Nona (1975, 067166283X) , but he has written and illustrated over 100 other books for children and painted the pictures for over 100 more. Take a trip to your local library's children's room, and you'll most certainly find an entire shelf devoted to his work. Tomie has been fascinating children, parents, teachers and grandparents for generations as he retells folktales and stories from his childhood, accompanied by cheerful, soft lined artwork.
The concept of retelling his biography was received so positively through his picture books, that he began writing a chapter book series devoted to retelling his childhood years from the age of four. The series, lovingly titled 26 Fairmount Avenue (after the first title which received a Newbery Honor award in 2000, 0698118642), is comprised of five books, each covering approximately a year during the later 1930s and early 40s. The books help transition early readers from picture books to longer tales. Heavily illustrated, they feature short autobiographical stories; many of the tales are retold from his picture books. Tomie intends to continue the series through World War II. The most recent installment, Things Will Never Be The Same (2003, 0399239820), ended with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Our conversation begins with children's book publishing, and the changes it is undergoing. Tomie explains that the majority of children's book sales were originally to institutions such as schools and libraries. With the advent of children's bookstores, sales shifted to public consumption including parents and grandparents. This dramatically changed how children's books were sold, marketed and published. Now sales are dropping. Schools don't have the money to buy new books, or, with the focus on No Child Left Behind, the time to read aloud.
We speak about the trend of books featuring popular movie and TV characters. Tomie takes a light-hearted attitude, calling them "pot boilers" and saying they're nothing new. He claims that the trends in publishing go in cycles. Educational publishers can be as restrictive as commercial publishers, he says. Some educational publishers require books to feature specific ratios of ethnic diversity or to show a visibly handicapped child on a certain number of pages. In years past, when schools and libraries were driving sales, he recalls some publishers required writers to only use the 223 words from the Dolch Reading List.
He revises this thought to say he is concerned with the trend of celebrities, such as Madonna, writing children's books, and questions why so many feel the need to break into this field. Many of the book results are of poor quality, but the celebrity author's name recognition and talk show appearances attract attention and sales. With sales being driven by consumers, he is fearful that publishing houses will neglect better books for bigger names. He cites Jamie Lee Curtis and Julie Andrews as writers of better quality books and exceptions to this trend.
I ask him to talk a bit about his writing and illustrating process. All of his illustrations are done by hand. Using a computer to draw just isn't "sexy" enough, he claims. Tomie writes each part in long hand (he doesn't know how to type) and his assistant types up the pieces. Computers, however, have revolutionized the way he works because they allow both writers and illustrators the ability to make changes much closer to print time than ever before and to see how different layouts look without a commitment. Scanning his artwork gives him the chance to reuse parts of it. For instance, his website creator can pick and choose without his having to hand draw every webpage, or he can create cover artwork and attach a border easily, without having to re-do the entire picture. Having his own website also has allowed him different opportunities to communicate directly with his audience. You can visit it at www.tomie.com.
We walk through his studio, a beautiful, bright series of rooms which he designed himself. The curving of the walls is reminiscent of Mexican architecture. Bright folk art is displayed prominently; some of which he collected in his travels and some of which was presented as gifts. Paint brushes of different sizes and brightly colored paint jars surround his work area. A shelf full of hundreds of DVDs and a carefully positioned television face his large work table. He tells me his eye doctor asked him once if he watched television when he worked. When he sheepishly admitted he did, the eye doctor congratulated him and said looking up to refocus his eyes was important for his eye health. Since that day, he makes sure something is playing in the background to refocus his eyes.
I ask him what attracts him to a folktale as he chooses such an eclectic array. He says he looks for stories that are universal. If a story can grab the attention of both a seventy year old and a seven year old, then there is value in retelling it. Sometimes, it's only a kernel of the tale that interests him, and he reinvents the rest to make it his own. Strega Nona comes from the folktale of the porridge pot. Much of Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story (2002, 0399238662) was inspired by real life experiences of a friend's aunt.
When writing a book, he starts by talking it through with his editor. He generally works with the same editor because she knows his work best. "If it is a good idea, "he says, "you can tell the whole story in one sentence." After he gives her the completed story, he doesn't compare the original to the edited piece he receives back. If he doesn't notice the change on the read through, it's not a change worth fighting. It's harder to let someone edit the true stories, especially for content, as he wants them as true to life as possible.
He used to tape himself reading his stories aloud in the beginning to make sure they sounded "right," but now as he writes, he can hear his voice. All of his writing is meant to be read aloud. Even the chapter books have a conversational tone that lends itself easily to audio. The most difficult part about writing the 26 Fairmount Avenue series is to approach his experiences as he experienced them rather than as a narrator looking back. He cites the example of writing how he saw World War II as a child. In retrospect, he can interpret what frightening things were going on around him, but as a child what stuck out most was the absence of bubble gum during the war. "I remember very clearly what it was like to grow up in those times," he says.
What advice can he offer to those who work with children? "Read to your children." He advises parents and teachers not to relinquish control to the child. All his books feature strong parental and grandparental roles because his parents and grandparents were strong role models in his life. He admits times have changed and families are more isolated. When he was growing up, his extended family and neighbors provided a great deal of support to his family. "Everyone looked out for each other," he says. "In some ways, the world was safer." He'd like to see a return to the family meal. "In my day, you never missed Sunday dinner."
He gave me a sneak peek of Stagestruck (due Feburary 2005, 0399243380) on which he's currently working. The picture book expands on his experience being in a Peter Rabbit play as a child. In addition, he is toying with the idea of writing a book of stories for adults (it would be his first time writing for adults) and intends to work on the next book in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series which will begin with Roosevelt declaring war. He guiltily admits he doesn't read many children's books. Right now, he's obsessed with The Bloomsbury Group, reading everything he can by or about them.
It's easy to talk with him, and before I know it a couple hours have passed. On my way out, he generously offers to sign the books I've brought. I'm surprised, noting his recent shoulder surgery, but he gently insists. I drive away thinking how lucky I am to have met a childhood hero. So few people can compete with the childhood image we create and place high on pedestals, but Tomie dePaola, in so many ways, is how I imagined him. This is an amazing feat for any hero.
Tomie dePaola invites you to visit his website at: www.Tomie.com
Some of Tomie dePaola's books available from YBP:
Title: ADELITA: A MEXICAN CINDERELLA STORY
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 2002
$16.99 Cloth
ISBN: 0399238662
Title: ART LESSON
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: PUTNAM
Pub Year: 1989
$16.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 039921688X
Title: BIG ANTHONY: HIS STORY
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1998
$16.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399231897
Title: BILL AND PETE GO DOWN THE NILE.
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: PUTNAM PUBLISHING GROUP
Pub Year: 1987
$16.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399213953
Title: BILL AND PETE TO THE RESCUE
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: PUTNAM PUBLISHING GROUP
Pub Year: 1998
$15.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399232087
Title: BONJOUR, MR. SATIE
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1991
$15.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399217827
Title: "CHARLIE NEEDS A CLOAK"
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Pub Year: 1974
$5.95 Paper
ISBN: 0671664670
Title: CHRISTOPHER: THE HOLY GIANT
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HOLIDAY HOUSE
Pub Year: 1994
$17.95 Cloth
ISBN: 0823408620
Title: CLOUD BOOK
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
$15.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 0823402592
Title: CLOWN OF GOD
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HARCOURT BRACE JOVANOVICH
Pub Year: 1978
$15.00 Reinforced
ISBN: 0152191755
Title: DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD: A TALE OF NORTHERN ITALY
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1997
$15.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399229299
Title: EARLY AMERICAN CHRISTMAS
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HOLIDAY HOUSE
Pub Year: 1987
$16.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 0823406172
Title: FOUR FRIENDS IN SUMMER.
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Pub Year: 2003
$14.95 Cloth
ISBN: 0689856938
Title: FRANCIS: THE POOR MAN OF ASSISI
Author: DEPAOLA TOMIE
Publisher:
Pub Year: 1990
$9.95 Paper
ISBN: 0823408124
Title: FRIENDLY BEASTS: AN OLD ENGLISH CHRISTMAS CAROL
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: PUTNAM
Pub Year: 1998
$6.99 Paper
ISBN: 0698116615
Title: HUNTER AND THE ANIMALS
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
$11.95 Other
ISBN: 0823404285
Title: JAMIE O'ROURKE AND THE BIG POTATO: AN IRISH FOLKTALE
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1992
$16.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 039922257X
Title: LEGEND OF OLD BEFANA
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HARCOURT BRACE JOVANOVICH
Pub Year: 1980
$14.95 Cloth
ISBN: 0152438165
Title: LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1983
$16.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399209379
Title: LEGEND OF THE INDIAN PAINTBRUSH
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1988
$16.99 Cloth
ISBN: 0399215344
Title: LEGEND OF THE PERSIAN CARPET
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1993
$15.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399224157
Title: MARY: THE MOTHER OF JESUS
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HOLIDAY HOUSE INC
Pub Year: 1995
$16.95 PLB
ISBN: 0823410188
Title: MERRY CHRISTMAS, STREGA NONA
Author: DEPAOLA TOMIE
Pub Year: 1991
$4.95 Paper
ISBN: 015253184X
Title: MICE SQUEAK, WE SPEAK
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: DEMCO MEDIA
Pub Year: 2000
$13.45 Cloth
ISBN: 0606203648
Title: MY FIRST THANKSGIVING
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1992
$5.95 Cloth
ISBN: 0399223274
Title: NANA UPSTAIRS & NANA DOWNSTAIRS
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S
Pub Year: 1998
$16.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399231080
Title: NOW ONE FOOT, NOW THE OTHER
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1981
$15.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399207740
Title: OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HARCOURT BRACE JOVANOVICH
Pub Year: 1979
$14.00 Reinforced
ISBN: 0152578528
Title: ON MY WAY: A 26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE BOOK
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 2001
$13.99 Cloth
ISBN: 0399235833
Title: PANCAKES FOR BREAKFAST
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HARCOURT BRACE
Pub Year: 1978
$14.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 0152594558
Title: PATRICK: PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE.
Publisher: HOLIDAY HOUSE
Pub Year: 1992
$16.95 Cloth
ISBN: 0823409244
Title: POPCORN BOOK
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HOLIDAY HOUSE, INC
$6.95 Paper
ISBN: 0823405338
Title: QUICKSAND BOOK
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HOLIDAY HOUSE, INC
Pub Year: 1977
$16.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 0823402916
Title: STREGA NONA
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS
Pub Year: 1975
$16.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 067166283X
Title: STREGA NONA: HER STORY
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM
Pub Year: 1996
$16.99 Cloth
ISBN: 0399228187
Title: STREGA NONA MEETS HER MATCH
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1993
$15.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399224211
Title: STREGA NONA TAKES A VACATION
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: PUTNAM PUBLISHING GROUP
Pub Year: 2000
$16.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399235620
Title: STREGA NONA'S MAGIC LESSONS
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: HARCOURT BRACE JOVANOVICH
Pub Year: 1982
$13.95 Reinforced
ISBN: 0152817859
Title: THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: PUTNAM
Pub Year: 2003
$13.99 Cloth
ISBN: 0399239820
Title: TOM
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1993
$15.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399224173
Title: TOMIE DEPAOLA'S BOOK OF POEMS
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE (ED)
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1988
$25.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399215409
Title: TOMIE DEPAOLA'S FAVORITE NURSERY TALES
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1986
$24.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399213198
Title: TOMIE DEPAOLA'S MOTHER GOOSE
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: G P PUTNAM'S SONS
Pub Year: 1985
$24.99 Reinforced
ISBN: 0399212582
Title: TOMIE DEPAOLA'S RHYME TIME
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: GROSSETT & DUNLAP
Pub Year: 2000
$3.49 Paper
ISBN: 0448421674
Title: WATCH OUT FOR THE CHICKEN FEET IN YOUR SOUP
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: S&S BOOKS FOR YOUNG READ-
Pub Year: 1974
$5.95 Paper
ISBN: 0671667459
Title: WHAT A YEAR!
Author: DEPAOLA, TOMIE
Publisher: PUTNAM
Pub Year: 2002
$13.99 Cloth
ISBN: 0399237976
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