Actions Speak Louder

I reserved Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s children’s picture book Stickman online a few weeks back at my local library.  I had watched the short film of the same name over our winter break.  It was sitting in our kids Netflix queue and I thought - This is so odd. Who would care about a main character that is a stick?  I was curious to know and thought I would get a quick laugh, an opportunity to make snide comments. Pretty quickly upon watching it, I was eating my words. I cared.  I watched the movie three more times. Once by myself, once with my husband, then again with my kiddos.  My daughter has already seen it at her school.

It’s not a new book and Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler have teamed up quite a few times, making much magic as they go.  They are responsible for The Grufflalo and Room on the Broom, which also have companion movies.  So no doubt I am late to the party. 

I was excited to pick up Stickman today, and see it as it was originally presented.  I need to have this book in my collection.  It speaks to my soul - the story is so touching.  Axel Scheffler’s illustrations are great, but the magic is in the storytelling.  This is not always the case with picture books.  I have plenty of books which grab me with the illustration.  I often feel the illustrator is an unsung hero of the picture book, as illustrations can make or break a story.

I only wish to weave tales as deftly as Ms. Donaldson, who brought sticks to life and made me feel tenderly for this family man’s plight.  It’s clever and full of action and has sweet language.

Julia Donaldson is a master of rhymes.  “Stick Man is lonely, Stick Man is lost.  Stickman is frozen and covered in frost.”  The picture painted by the words alone, is so moving.  I really hadn’t expected to be so touched and we all loved this book/movie.

I am not the only one who finds this book so charming, as I waited weeks for it.  While I waited, I also read Tabby McTat (2009), The Detective Dog (2016), and The Ugly Five (2017).  All great but the Ugly Five’s music spoke to me most.  It was fun, just not nearly as deep as The Grufflalo books or Stickman.  

Donaldson’s rhymes bring to head my own struggles, my own writing frustrations. Witty Pigeon Press is my attempt to publish my own stories, and eventually, others’ too. The journey has been meandering and lengthy. On and off again. Peppered with advancing a career, marriage, mothering children, health woes and self doubt. You know, making all the life choices that crop up daily, that cause us to delay our deepest dreams - the ideas you have that excite you, that at one time had momentum and real promise. However, as you look back, you realize years have been invested and very little fruit from all those plans.

My first attempts at my pigeon stories were rhymes, and I liked them. I was proud of them. So I signed up for a critique at a writers workshop. It was a great critique. The author was kind, and she gave me my first push to make more out of my story. At first I wanted to write a simple “tour Paris” story. Since then I have had to come to terms with the challenge of rhyme, after being pushed during my critique to abandon it. At first I mourned the loss of it. But since, I have come to terms with the reality of it … of how it is hard to do it well.

The saddest part is that in some way, through all the growth and progress I have made thus far with my Pigeon books, I am really nowhere. I can talk for hours about what I plan to do. But if I am honest with myself, I have been paralyzed by the feedback from my critique years ago. As an artist, I am used to getting and giving critiques. In writing, it is more personal for me, and I feel much more vulnerable. Which isn’t bad. But I have entered a moment where I need to finish something. I need to have something to show. So, I have shelved my passion project for another idea. At least for now. I have set a goal to publish a book this year. I have a support system, or at least some friends and some Facebook groups to riff off of, and a great new focus. So I hope you will be able to follow me as I work through this new book I am creating. I will be abandoning my lofty writing goals, and focusing on illustrating a story with minimal words, and lots of inspiration from my current and past worlds. It will be focused in action and I truly wish to share the journey with all who are interested.

I have every intention to take what I have learned from this journey and revisit my epic plan to conquer the world with my storybook pigeons, Pippin and Millie.