2
Tales & Tidbits
from ANCA
(Arne Nixon Center Advocates)
I
by Denise Sciandra, ANCA President
Friends of Freddy
to flock to Fresno
he Friends of Freddy will gather at the Arne Nixon
Center from March 19–20, 2011, to celebrate that pig o’
their hearts, Freddy, the talking animal hero of 25
children’s books written by the late Walter R. Brooks and
published by Alfred A. Knopf from 1927 to 1958, the year
of the author’s death.
In addition to the Freddy books, Brooks was the author
of more than 200 short stories for adults, 20 of them fea-turing
Ed the Talking Horse, whose adventures formed
the basis of the kitsch classic TV show of the 60s, “Mr. Ed.”
Founded by Toronto playwright Dave Carley in 1984,
this literary fan club has grown from a stalwart three or
four to more than 600 members throughout the U. S.,
Canada, and England. Beginning in 1986, the Club began
holding biennial conventions in New York, near Roxbury,
where Brooks lived the last ten years of his life. The
original whimsical purpose of the club was to “spread the
names and fame of Walter R. Brooks and Freddy the Pig
throughout the known universe.” More seriously the Club
was dedicated to seeing the Freddy books back in print and
readily available for new generations of readers. Their
dream came true in 1998 when The Overlook Press began
reissuing the series. As a result, all the Freddy titles are once
again in print in beautiful hardcover facsimile editions.
The Fresno gathering will be held, in part, to celebrate
the gift of Michael Cart’s collection of Freddy books and
related materials as well as both Brook’s personal files and
Cart’s as well. The latter is Brook’s biographer; his book
Talking Animals and Others: The Life and Work of
Walter R. Brooks was published by Overlook in 2009.
have spent many happy hours reading to Sam in the
glider this past year. Sam is my one-year-old grandson and
the glider is a 21st-century rocking chair.
We began with Mother Goose. At two months, Sam was
photographed looking directly at the open book as he sat
in my lap. By eleven months, he had his favorite rhymes.
When we get to “This Little Pig,” he nonchalantly raises
his foot closer to my hand so that I can reach his little
“piggies” as I recite the rhyme.
Lamaze’s interactive Discovery Farm, made of cloth,
has brought hours of pleasure. He loved pulling the chick
out of the egg pouch and it was an accomplishment when
he could unsnap the duck from its page.
Rosemary Wells’ new board book, Love, a Baby Max and
Ruby story, was a hit from the first reading. “I love the one
who wakes me.” [Mother] “I love the one who takes me.”
[Father] “I love the one who plays with me.” [Ruby] “I love
the one who stays with me.” [Grandma] “Guess which one I
love the most? The one who makes my jelly toast.”
[Everyone]
Nancy Tafuri’s beautifully illustrated Goodnight, My
Duckling tells a simple story of a mother duck gathering
her ducklings to swim down the river for bedtime. Little
Duckling gets separated from his family. Various animals
greet him: “Good night.” “Sleep tight.” “Are you lost?”
Turtle returns him piggyback to his family. Sam has en-gaged
so much with this story that he now points to Little
Duckling in each illustration.
A book borrowed from the library was so popular that I
purchased it. Kiss Kiss! by Margaret Wild tells the story of
Baby Hippo, who forgets to kiss his mother before going
out to play. Through the mud, the rocks, the mossy bank,
the long, long grass, and the leafy trees waddles Baby
Hippo and this is what he hears: “Kiss, kiss.” All the animal
mothers are kissing their children. He hurries back to kiss
his own mama.
At six months, Sam wasn’t ready for Dr. Seuss’ Hop on
Pop. At eleven months, he loved it, every page except the
one about the bees. We skip that one.
At Sam’s birthday party, guests marveled at how he
held a gift book and turned each page in the right
direction. He’s done that for so long that it seems like he’s
always done it.
I look forward to spending many more hours in the
glider with Sam. We both benefit. I especially love his
excitement to get into my lap and the occasional spontan-eous
kiss. I’ll interrupt any story for a kiss.
T
September 17: ANCA Annual Meeting,
Henry Madden Library, 6:00 p.m.
October 17: Robert San Souci,
Woodward Park Library, 2:00 p.m.
February: ANCA Life Members’ Tea,
Date & Location TBA
March 19, 20: Friends of Freddy
Annual Meeting, Henry Madden Library
April 10: Centennial Secret Garden Party
Location TBA
October 21–23: IBBY Regional Conference
Fresno State campus
Please join us!
2010
2011
by Angelica Carpenter
CORNER
CURATOR’S
’ve lived my life—my whole life—on an academic
calendar. I was a student, or a teacher, or both, until
becoming a librarian in my early 30s. After that,
until moving to Fresno in 1999, I worked in small
public libraries where the schedule depended, to a
surprising degree, on the public school calendar. From September through May
we helped high schoolers with term papers and younger children (or their
hapless parents) with science fair projects. In summertime, swarms of hot, sticky
kids flocked in, looking for craft projects, puppet shows, air conditioning, and
more R. L. Stine books, please.
There are, of course, many wonderful books about school—more than 700 in
the Arne Nixon Center’s collection. Some reassure, like Miss Bindergarden
Gets Ready for Kindergarten, in which a teacher and her class-to-be prepare
for entry. Some amuse, like The Teacher’s Funeral or the Ramona series by
Beverly Cleary. Ramona, the subject of a movie this summer, tackles school, as
she does everything, with over-the-top enthusiasm and hilarious results. There
are cautionary tales, too, like Miss Nelson is Missing (Kids, be nice to
substitute teachers.) and Author Day (Authors, beware of school gigs.) There
are shockers (There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom), stories of reincarnation
(Elvis is Back, and He’s in the Sixth Grade!), supernatural tales (Vampire
High) (I am getting really tired of vampire stories), and even, in a disheartening
new trend, picture books about children who are frightened of High Stakes
Testing (The Biggest Test in the Universe). Actually this last title is quite a
good book; it’s the need for it that is depressing. If you wonder what else is
going on in schools today, check out the middle-grade novels of Andrew
Clements: Frindle, No Talking, and Extra Credit.
Many series books, like Harry Potter, start with a new school year. My
favorites are the Betsy-Tacy high school books by Maud Hart Lovelace. Each fall,
Betsy has big plans: to find a crowd (freshman year), to be Dramatic and
Mysterious (as a sophomore), to win the Essay Contest, to fall in love, and to
find her voice as a writer. Her ideas don’t always pan out, but each year begins
with new hope and a clean slate, and that, I think, is the joy of living life by the
school year.
I met my husband on my first day of school at the University of Illinois.
Well, I spotted him, anyway. At the end of German class, our professor said,
“Now, tomorrow please sit where you want to sit this semester, so I can make a
seating chart and learn your names.”
“I’m sitting by him!” I thought, liking the look of Richard, and later he
claimed to have thought the same about me.
As we begin a new school year, I wish you peace, love, happiness, and lots of
good reading.
The Arne Nixon Center for the
Study of Children’s Literature
Henry Madden Library
California State University, Fresno
5200 North Barton Ave. M/S ML34
Fresno CA 93740-8014
Phone: (559) 278-8116
Please call for an appointment.
Web site: www.arnenixoncenter.org
Angelica Carpenter, Curator
E-mail: angelica@csufresno.edu
Jennifer Crow, Library Assistant
Mila Rianto, Library Assistant
Angelica Carpenter, Editor
Janet Bancroft, Designer
Peter McDonald
Michael Cart
Maurice J. Eash
MAGIC MIRROR
MAGIC MIRROR
Published by
Staff
ANCA Board of Directors
ANC Governing Committee
Alma Flor Ada
Steven Mooser
Magic Mirror
Denise Sciandra, President
Phone (559) 229-5085
E-mail: denises@comcast.net
Jessica Kaiser,
1st Vice President, Programs
Kristene Scholefield,
2nd Vice President, Membership
Audry Hanson,
Corresponding Secretary
Angelica Carpenter,
Recording Secretary
Cynthia MacDonald, Treasurer
Cheryl Caldera
Dan Dunklee
Ruth Kallenberg
Jo Ellen Misakian
Judith Neal
Ellis Vance
ANC Advisory Committee
I
3
When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
1
Shadow of a Bull
by Maia Wojciechowska
2
3Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
4In Our Mothers’ House by Patricia Polacco
nswers to quiz:
4
icked,” the hit Broadway musical, was the theme of
the Arne Nixon Center Advocates’ eighth annual Secret
Garden Party, held April 11th at the home of Dr. Peyton
Bryars and Dr. Richard Jennings in north Fresno. One
hundred eight people enjoyed the first cloudy hour
outside; when a steady rain began to fall, they were invited
inside, to a beautiful, lamp-lit sun room.
Entertainment included songs by “Wicked” characters
Glinda (Jackie Gomez), Elphaba (Lisette Lancaster), and
Fiero (Terry Lewis). Party decorations included a chalk
Yellow Brick Road, a rainbow balloon arch, a bubble
machine at the champagne station, a lunchbox tree (see
Ozma of Oz, the third Oz book), and a poppy field made
of cupcakes. Master Gardeners demonstrated techniques for
container gardening, edible landscaping, sustainable gar-dening,
and topiary. A pair of non-scary winged monkeys
(played by Delaney Rocca and Ellie Twohey, shown at
upper right) drew the most praise.
The party grossed more than $23,000; all profits benefit
the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Lit-erature,
part of the Henry Madden Library. This year’s
earnings helped to support the national Oz conference.
Wicked good party
“W he Center is grateful to donors for funds and materials
that supplement our resources, especially in a time of
shrinking budgets. Donors and gifts are listed on the web
site at www.arnenixoncenter.org under “Ways to Help.”
See “Join ANCA” and “Gift Books & Materials” for names.
Thanks to all our donors!
Donors listed on web site
T
To accompany the Oz conference, Jennifer Crow
(right) curated an Oz exhbition that featured ruby
slippers made by Christopher Rocha (left).
Costumes from the New York production of “Wicked,”
seen here with Jane Albright in the background, a
board member of the International Wizard of Oz
Club, were the focal point of the Oz exhibition.
5
[Thanks to Booklist magazine for permission to reprint Michael
Cart’s column, “Carte Blanche,” for July 2010. Booklist is a
publication of the American Library Association.]
No, we weren’t in Kansas anymore; we were off to see the
Wizard—the wonderful wizard of Oz, that is. So why on
earth were we looking for him in Fresno, California? True,
his creator L. Frank Baum had lived in Hollywood but
that’s a mighty far piece from Fresno in both miles and
mindset! The answer was simple, really; we were in
California’s Great Central Valley for the annual convention
of the International Wizard of Oz Club, a gathering that
was hosted this year by the Arne Nixon Center for the
Study of Children’s Literature at Cal State Fresno, where
the Center’s curator, Angelica Carpenter, is also the
President of the International Wizard of Oz Club.
With the theme “Oz: The Books,” the conference was a
gathering—of fans, experts, writers, and artists who have
contributed works to the ever-expanding Oz oeuvre,
random observers (that’d be me, among others), the stray
University official, etc.—that was devoted to celebration,
criticism (of the literary sort—no personal canards
allowed), and commentary. It was a chance to catch up
with old friends, to make new ones, to network, to ogle
exhibits and displays, and generally to do the same kinds
of stuff one does at an ALA conference. There were
stand-alone speeches, panel discussions, learned papers,
and a lavish Saturday evening banquet held on the
sumptuous grounds of The University House, home to
University President John Welty.
This was, I confess, the first time I had attended one of
the Oz conferences. I was front and center at this one for
two reasons: (1) I’m a founding director of the Nixon
Center’s Governing Committee and (2) I was a program
participant, serving as moderator of a panel called “Behind
That Screen,” which explored the real magic of creating
new Oz books. The panel members were Gregory Maguire,
author of the Oz-based trilogy that began with Wicked,
which became the celebrated Broadway musical of the
same name, and continued with Son of a Witch and A
Lion among Men. Then there was Tommy Kovac, graphic
novel artist and author, whose recent Wonderland, an
imaginative sequel to Alice in Wonderland, received a
starred review here in Booklist, and Eric Shanower, the
author-illustrator of five original Oz books and author of
the recent re-telling of The Wizard, which—illustrated by
Skottie Young—was selected as a Great Graphic Novel for
Teens by The Young Adult Library Services Association
(Wonderland was also on the list). All three of these
distinguished panelists are currently working on new Oz
projects and, as such, are operating in a great Oz tradition.
For while Baum himself wrote 14 Oz titles, countless
others have been written since his death in 1919. Ruth
Plumly Thompson alone wrote 19, while John R. Neill,
Baum’s illustrator, wrote three, and so on and so on ad
(it sometimes seems) infinitum.
I was, myself, a devoted Oz fan when I was a kid and
typically received at least one Oz book every Christmas.
In 1952, though, I received two—The Shaggy Man of
Oz by Jack Snow and The Hidden Valley of Oz by
Rachel R. Cosgrove. How do I know this? Simple: on the
page before the half-title page of each I find written
—with a flourish—“Michael Cart, Date: December 28,
1952; Age: 11. 1319 Sycamore Street. Logansport,
Indiana.” Ah, good times . . .
While I liked the Oz books, I never read or collected
them systematically nor did I know too much about
Baum. Having attended the recent conference, I now
know a whole lot more, thanks in part to the Keynote
Speech by Michael Patrick Hearn, the world’s leading
authority on L. Frank Baum and The Wizard of Oz. His
speech, titled “The Discovery of Baum, the Great and
Terrible,” was a fascinating overview of a near lifetime of
research (Hearn was only 20 when he signed the contract
for his first book, the now-classic Annotated Wizard of
Oz). Also of note was a joint presentation by Baum’s
great-grandson Robert Baum and Peter E. Hanff,
co-author of Bibliographia Oziana and Deputy
Director of The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley. Their
program featured readings of Baum’s often light-hearted
correspondence with his publishers (Robert Baum read
Ooh, Toto, I don’t think . . . Well, you know
“Behind That Screen” panel participants were, from
left to right, Eric Shanower, Gregory Maguire, Michael
Cart (moderator), and Tommy Kovac.
Peter Hanff and Robert Baum
by Michael Cart
(See Oh, Toto, page 6)
the letters from his great-grandfather
and Hanff read the
replies from his publisher.)
6
The star-studded
program also featured
Emmy award-winning
producer John Fricke,
who is regarded as the
preeminent expert on
the 1939 MGM musical
starring Judy Garland.
His presentation was
every bit as blithely
amusing as its title “If
Ever–Oh Ever!–A Wiz
There Woz: MGM’s “Wiz-ard”
and How It Grew.
And Grew. And Grew.”
Attention was also
given to Baum’s own
translations of his work into musical comedies and
movies. For example, David Maxine—who received an
Emmy nomination for his two-CD set of vintage
recordings from Baum’s 1903 Broadway musical, “The
Wizard of Oz”—spoke about Louis F. Gottschalk, who
composed the score for Baum’s later musical “The Tik-Tok
Man of Oz” and for many of Baum’s movies.
Speaking of amusing titles: some of my favorites were
those attached to the many academic papers that were
also presented—titles like “L. Frank Baum and Harriet
Beecher Stowe: Using Sentimentalism to Inspire a Female
Audience” and—my personal favorite—“Eroticism in the
Emerald City: The Awakening of Dorothy’s Sexuality in
Oz as Discussed in Alan Moore’s ‘Lost Girls’ ” (a note in
the conference program stipulated that you “must be 18
or older to attend this session”; since my emotional age is
still about twelve, I skipped this one).
Baum’s family also came under scrutiny in a
fascinating presentation about the author’s relationship
with his mother-in-law, the radical suffragist and
abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage, who worked closely with
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the
early women’s rights movement. The Gage Foundation is
currently restoring the Gage home near Syracuse, New
York, as a house museum.
There’s more—much more—but it’ll have to wait for
now, since I have a ticket on the next cyclone to Oz!
Baum Voyage . . .
Ooh, Toto, from page 5
John Fricke
Laughing the day away: Oz Conference attendees and speakers. Photos on this page by Howard Watkins
SIGN ME UP!
I/We would like to join the Arne Nixon Center
Advocates and enclose a donation. (Donations
are tax deductible as allowable by law.)
Make check payable to CSUF Foundation.
Mail to: Angelica Carpenter
California State University, Fresno
Henry Madden Library
The Arne Nixon Center
5200 North Barton Ave. M/S ML34
Fresno CA 93740-8014
Phone: (559) 278-8116
FAX: (559) 278-6952
E-mail: angelica@csufresno.edu
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7
Leo Politi Garden
and exhibitions
ore than 100 people attended the formal dedication of the
Leo Politi Garden on June 3. Speakers included President
John Welty, Provost Bill Covino, Associate Library Dean
Dave Tyckoson, landscape architect Bob Boro, ANCA
president Denise Sciandra, Arne Nixon curator Angelica Car-penter,
and Leo Politi’s son, Paul Leo Politi. Politi’s daughter,
Suzanne Politi Bischof, and her daughter Harmony, also
attended, as did representatives of the Leo Politi Branch of
the Fresno County Public Library.
The garden, located on the east side of the Library, honors
the friendship between Fresno’s most famous children’s ill-ustrator
and author, Leo Politi, and his dear friend, the late
Professor Arne Nixon. Politi, who was born in Fresno, lived
most of his adult life in Los Angeles, but returned many times
to speak, draw, and paint at workshops put on by Nixon.
The garden was funded
by ANCA, the Arne Nixon
Center’s support group.
ANCA raised $75,000 via
small donations and the
group’s annual fundraising
event, the Secret Garden
Party, to build the initial
stage of the garden. The
first round of funding pro-vided
walkways, a curving
bench, and a fountain like
the one in Leo Politi’s 1950
Caldecott-winning picture
book Song of the Swallows.
A second round of funding
will supply copies of two Politi statues to be added to
pedestals already in place.
Bob Boro designed the garden based on Leo Politi’s art.
“He never drew a straight line,” Bob said. The plants chosen
are typical of Los Angeles home gardens, like
Leo Politi’s. Because the garden is in a
sheltered niche, it includes delicate plants
that need extra protection in Fresno winters.
The Arne Nixon Center has mounted an
exhibition of Leo Politi’s art and books in its
reading room and in the Shirley Harnish
Brinker gallery, just outside the entrance to
the Center. This exhibition will be open
through December.
The Center is also offering a virtual
exhibition of the elaborate inscriptions that
Leo Politi painted or drew in books belong-ing
to Arne Nixon and others: see www.
arnenixoncenter.org under “Exhibits.”
M
I prefer to receive my newsletter via e-mail.
photo by Randy Vaughn-Dotta
photo by Howard Watkins
At right: ANCA Board members
California State University, Fresno
The Arne Nixon Center for
the Study of Children’s Literature
Henry Madden Library
5200 North Barton Avenue M/S ML34
Fresno CA 93740-8014
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Fresno, California
Permit No. 262
Can you identify book titles from these first lines?
(Answers on page 3)
Q3
Q4
Q2
Q1So Mom got the postcard today. It says Congratulations in big curly letters and at the very top is
the address of Studio TV-15 on West 58th Street. After three years of trying, she has actually made
it. She’s going to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid, which is hosted by Dick Clark.
When Manolo was nine he became aware of three important facts in his life. First: the older
he became, the more he looked like his father. Second: he, Manolo Olivar, was a coward.
Third: everyone in the town of Arcangel expected him
to grow up to be a famous bullfighter, like his father.
The Fossil sisters lived in the Cromwell Road.
At that end of it which is farthest away from the Brompton Road, and yet sufficiently
near it so one could be taken to look at the dolls’ houses in the Victoria and Albert every
wet day. If the weather were not too wet, one was expected to “save the penny and walk.”
When my mothers told me about how they brought me home to live with them shortly
after I was born, their eyes would shine and glisten and they’d grin from ear to ear. They
told me how they had walked across dry hot deserts, sailed through turbulent seas, flew
over tall mountains and trekked through fierce storms just to bring me home.
