Author Kate Lum
Every Friday, an advocate for children's books drops by Watch. Connect. Read. to finish my sentences. This week's special guest is author Kate Lum. We chatted about princesses, interesting hairdos, Sue Hellard's illustrations, and reading. I wrote the words in red, and she wrote the words in black. Thank you, Kate!
Princess Are Not Just Pretty tells the
story of
three princesses with mad hairdos who live in a palace by the sea. They work hard
to make their princessdom the happiest in the world, but one day, Princess
Mellie starts a competition about their looks. This distracts them for a while,
until real princessdom problems bring them back to what matters.
Sue
Hellard’s illustrations are
fabulous! I understand she went to the V&A museum in London to sketch the
historic dresses there. And she’s a master at the little humorous details that
add new layers to a story. I especially love what she does with food—the
princesses are endlessly supplied with towering goodies. My favourite was a
printed menu offering in Princesses Are
Not Quitters: “frogs legs- make sure
not a Prince in disguise.”
The
hairstyles in Princesses Are Not Just
Pretty...What
can I say? Never before have such hairstyles been—and likely never again. I
especially enjoy the presence of small animals within the piles of curls. Of
course, it’s Mellie’s purple hair (she believes) that catapults her to the
forefront of beauty.
What! Cried Granny and Stanley and the No-Hic Machine were
my first two publications. I wrote Stanley
for my then-sister-in-law Bernice Lum, a wonderful and prolific illustrator.
The team at Bloomsbury UK used to ask, “One Lum or two?” (A very British joke,
no?) After Stanley came What! Or What! Cried Granny as it’s called in North America. I wrote it for my squirmy young son, and it never
failed to engage him. It’s a wonderful book to read aloud—there’s nothing like
a roomful of kindergartners shouting, “Whaaaat?” Wackily retro illustrations by
Adrian Johnson.
Reading
is the
joy of my adulthood and the survival mechanism of my childhood. When things
were sad or difficult, I could always disappear into a book. Books gave me hope
that other sorts of lives and worlds were possible.
Picture
books are the
gateway to a love of reading, and as such, very important. I know a number of
adults who collect picture books, too—they never cease to charm us with their
miniature details. (The picture books, that is, not the adults.)
Mr.
Schu, you should have asked me to
do this sooner! It’s been a lot of fun—thanks very much for the opportunity.
I am giving away one copy of Princesses Are Not Just Pretty.
Rules for the Giveaway
1. It will run from 6/20 to 11:59 p.m. on 6/22.
2. You must be at least 13.
3. Please pay it forward.
Borrow Princesses Are Not Just Pretty from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.
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