Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 10/01/2014 K-Gr 2—Authors are asked many questions at school and library visits, such as "How many books have you written?" and "Where do your ideas come from?" In answering the question "Where does a story start?" the author/illustrator in this charming picture book demonstrates the method she uses for inspiration. Explaining that a thought can travel in many directions or go nowhere at all, Gay shows how opening up her mind can trigger an idea for a story. She begins by composing and illustrating a tale entitled "The Shy Young Giant" and midway through invites three children to assist her in continuing the fiction. The story-within-a-story technique makes the writing process clear, informative and fun. The kids have such a good time writing and drawing that when the story ends, they're excited to begin another. Engaging illustrations, in watercolor, pencil, pastels, and collage, feature speech bubbles, handwritten notes, and childlike sketches. Gay's delightful creation reveals how the combination of children's natural curiosity and imagination can be the perfect springboard for a story.—Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 10/01/2014 Children’s book creator Gay has written and illustrated dozens and dozens of books, and her readers have dozens and dozens of questions. Some of those questions inspired this latest project, which starts out as a jumble of queries in word balloons from a crowd of eager, inquisitive kids, and then it lands on one question in particular: “Where does a story start?” From there Gay talks about inspiration, creativity, false starts, and the playful, mind-wandering parts of her process as she comes up with a sketchy story about a giant (with the help of a few kids along the way). The joyfully overstuffed pages are full of splotches of color, bits of collage, scribbles, and scratched-out words, making each spread look like a delightfully disordered work in progress. The sideline commentary from some talkative cats and opinionated children contribute a light touch of humor, and the overall message—that creativity is messy and fun!—is empowering. Though the metafictional structure can be occasionally confounding, little ones will likely appreciate seeing kids just like them participating in an author’s process. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2015 In this author visit between covers, author and illustrator Gay addresses some of the questions she’s been asked by children at various school visits and leads viewers through the process of turning artistic inspiration into stories and pictures. One child’s question of “Where does a story start?” jumpstarts the exploration, and illustrations teem with children (and animals) who ask questions and offer advice in speech balloons, guiding the narrative through the gradual development of a story about a shy young giant. As the crowdsourced tale comes to a close, the kids decide to write another story, and “The End” becomes “The Beginning.” An author’s note offers answers to the kids’ questions (e.g., “Can you draw a horse?”; “Have you ever touched a snake?”) and includes a mailing address for Gay so audiences can send in further queries. This is not only a joyful ode to curiosity and creativity but also a helpful model for adults and kids interested in creating written and artistic narratives; it also has obvious use as part of an author/illustrator study or as a companion piece to Gay’s Stella and Sam titles (Read Me a Story, Stella, BCCB 9/13, etc.). Gay’s watercolor, pencil, pastel ink, colored pencil, and collage illustrations in her standard style evoke a sense of creative busyness and productivity, with lots of amusing or intriguing little asides. An intrepid teacher or librarian with chart paper or a SmartBoard and a group of inventive kids could have a particularly fine time with this. JH - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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