A wonderfully thoughtful guest post by author Richard Morris
Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 06:52PM 
Few people understand the power of language better than a picture book author. In BYE BYE BABY, Richard Morris’ wonderfully quirky book about the angst of having a new sibling, the young hero goes from plotting his new sister’s demise to adoring her . . . all in the space of a few pages. Here, Richard chats about how a few, well-chosen words can echo through the generations.
Richard Morris' BYE BYE BABY (iIllustrator Larry Day)
AND IT WAS STILL HOT
By Richard Morris
These days in publishing it seems all anyone is talking about is new media. You know new media, the business run by bald guys in blue jeans. Or folks with glasses that make them look like German automobile designers. I'm a word guy so I'm not quite as enthusiastic as I should be. My friends tell me I better get with it or I’ll be like that guy a hundred years ago sitting up on his horse yelling, “Those damn cars will never take!” I know, you can’t stand in the way of progress.
But like I said, I’m a word guy and I appreciate writers who use them well. Ironically, most word people love writers who use less of them. Poets are obviously word people to the highest power. But poems don’t always have the added challenge of having to tell a story. Illustrated children’s book writers, on the other hand, have to do what a novelist does in about 1,000 words or less.
Did you know that Goodnight Moon lulls us to sleep in only 130 words? Olivia amuses us in just 321. Ferdinand the flower sniffing bull? 737. “Okay, word guy,” you might be thinking, “but these children’s books rely on illustrations to tell their story.” Fair enough. But take away the words and the illustrations have no soul.
A few weeks ago my family watched the movie version of Maurice Sendak’s classic story, Where the Wild Things Are. It was pretty good and I’m a big David Eggers fan so all I have is praise. But as the credits were rolling what I really wanted to do was read the book again. So the next day I snuck into my son’s room and found an old copy on his bookshelf. It was sandwiched between a half eaten lollipop and collection of old titles he no longer cared about. He’s seven now and has moved on to chapter books. Too bad because Where the Wild Things Are is such a wonderfully strange book. As I reread it I remembered how, as a child, I had been slightly afraid of it. There’s a pagan wildness here that you just don’t find in most books for this age group.
When I came to the last page I was struck by something I had never noticed before. Except for the words, “And it was still hot” the page is completely blank. No finishing sketch to lead us out. For a word guy this was a profound discovery!
"What’s so meaningful about these five words,” you might ask? Except for the word “hot,” the words are about as exciting as toast. But here’s the thing—what they do for the narrative is masterful. Not only do they bring the story full circle, but they keep the mystery of what has just happened completely in tact. Mary Pols, writing about the movie in Time Magazine, summed it up beautifully. “What makes Sendak’s book so compelling is its grounding effect: Max {the main character} has a tantrum and in a flight of fancy visits his wild side but he is pulled back by a belief in parental love to a supper “still hot” balancing the seesaw of fear and comfort.” Right. But here’s the miracle. Sendak pulls off this “grounding effect” in 45 words LESS THAN Pols. And without a single illustration!
So let’s go to the numbers again. The film costs 100 million dollars with a cast and crew in the hundreds. It takes 110 minutes to watch. The book took me about two minutes to read, cover to cover. Total cost to make? I don’t know exactly, but I’ll bet you it’s just slightly under 100 million dollars. Isn’t that something? You can spend enough money to run a small country on a creative project and surround yourself with hundreds of extremely talented and innovative people and still fall short of matching the power of five words on a blank page.
A hundred years from now when my children’s children are reading Where the Wild Things Are, whether it be on the 20th generation 5-D Kindle or an Ipad that attaches to your face like a giant squid, they’ll come to the last page and even with the most advanced graphics of the day, all they’ll see is a blank screen and those five words, “And it was still hot.” I know, you can’t stand in the way of progress.
Richard Morris' BYE BYE BABY (iIllustrator Larry Day)
Richard Morris is the author of BYE-BYE, BABY! (iIllustrator Larry Day) published by Walker/Bloomsbury in 2009.
Thank you, Richard! For a chance to win a copy of Spilling Ink, please leave a comment below. We'd LOVE to hear from you! Two winners will be chosen at random on June 20, 2010. Good luck! xo Anne & Ellen
Reader Comments (20)
Brilliant! Thank you, Richard. Love this. And I sort of dig the glasses too. :)
From a word-girl to a word-guy, great post, Richard. Love BYE BYE BABY too!
@erindealey
I love the whole predictions of the Ipad attached to your face....hahaha...and although pictures say a thousand words....'take away the words and the illustrations have no soul.' rings true!!!! =)
Great Post. I love the illustrations for your book, they look wonderful.
I, too, am a word nerd, Richard. Thanks for so aptly illustrating the importance of choosing each word carefully. Thanks for sharing. By the way, BYE BYE BABY is a hoot!
My two year old grandson, Gabe, is a HUGE fan of Richard's Bye-Bye Baby (Gabe has a 6 month old brother, Luke, so Gabe can really relate!) and Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The more children snuggle up to have books read to them and adults (be they parents, grandparents or whomever) love to read to them, the better! Richard M. and Maurice S. have created books for children and those who love them to share!
I LOVE this post. I plan on saving it and letting my students read it next year...maybe around a talk of what filler is and why it is worthless...but definately with a reading of "Where the Wild Things Are." And suggestions of thier fav books. Thank you for describing the joy and mystery of children's literature so wonderfully.
While the way we get our words may change, our need for them will never end. I think it is what separates us from the beasts. Thank you for your post that reminds me that words are precious.
Thank you, Richard for your thoughts on words. As an 11th grade English teacher, I make my living too from the promotion of words. The Sendek example is a good one and as I was reading I was thinking of the book, Love You Forever, with a refrain that must be less than twenty words repeated, but carries the story over to the transition in character roles.
An economy of words. One might be forced into this after they have spilled their ink.
Best,
Paul W. Hankins
I don't have children and I don't teach children, but I've always been a huge fan of children's books. This is a great essay and it makes me want to get my hands on Bye Bye Baby as soon as possible! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here.
Excellent post and a great reminder that "less is more."
Oh, Where The Wild Things Are still gives me chills and I have to say that I gave a silent cheer every time a line from the book made it onto the big screen. We all know we shouldn't go to see the movie of a much loved book: it invariably disappoints and makes us long for the comfort of the page and our imaginations. Can any man measure up to our idea of Mr. Darcey? Can any woman be as spunky as Little Women's Joe March?
OK, so we might seek solace in an ereader in future instead of a paper and card blanky, but the written word? That's what makes the magic.
I love Wild Things so much that I used to beg my kids to let me read it to them, but I never really thought about WHY I loved it. Like the kids, I just let the "pagan wildness" wash over me. Thanks so much for this. Now I , too, must go read that wonderful story one more time. Fortunately, I just bought a copy for my grandson.
P.S. I'm STILL a little dubious about those car things.
Reading to and for children is a great joy. Having them become readers is giving them a lifetime of treasures.
Interesting post. My daughter is terrified of the Wild Things, but loves Bye Bye Baby. So in this one instance, Morris's audience is greater than Sendak's. Perhaps this is progress?
Great book for young kids who have siblings, I personally recomend it!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for the reminder that words are the DNA of humanity.
Richard Morris is right on but is he swimming upstream against the current? personally I hope not. Hope we hear some more from him
Word guy- you are having fun with what you do so well. What a pleasure!
My daughter is now a junior in college (and 20 years old) and I STILL buy her a "picture book" every Christmas. Children's literature is my favorite form of literature, partially because of the things you so succintly described in your post. I once tried to edit "Horton Hears a Who" for a speech tournament to keep within the alloted 10 minutes and found it near impossible because EVERY WORD was essential to the story. Bravo to the writers and illustrators of children's books who help create incredible worlds for kids and parents alike.