Scarry, Lies, and the Anthropomorphic Tradition

The first author I remember writing a fan letter to was Richard Scarry. I got back a reply on onion-skin stationery. It had an ink drawing of Lowly Worm and Dr. Bones, and typewritten word balloons showing their conversation about the artwork I must have enclosed.

Decades later, I realized that the drawing must have been printed onto that stationery, with only the characters' speeches added for me. But I didn't care. I still have that piece of paper.

It was therefore heartening, though not surprising, to see this comment in author-illustrator Brian Lies's recent conversation with Seven Impossible Things:

My favorite picture books were ones with detailed illustrations I could spend hours looking at--Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever, for instance...

In addition to creating images filled with visual detail for such books as Bats at the Library, Brian also follows Scarry in depicting animal characters, with more or less anthropomorphism. He's moved from scratchboard to watercolors to acrylic paints, but the animals have been a constant.

At a Foundation for Children's Books event this fall, I asked Brian if he ever felt "typecast" because he's become so well known for his animals. He's great at creating furry faces with immediately recognizable emotions and personalities, but is he secretly planning a picture book with a completely different approach?

Brian replied that he's far from tired of animal characters, and finds he can express all that he wants through them. So we can look forward to more fine books in this venerable tradition.

Bats at the Beach takes off

Daniel Pinkwater and Scott Simon maintained their role as the Oprah Winfrey of picture books this weekend, producing top sales with one rave review broadcast to millions.

The Saturday-morning pair focused their sonar on Brian Lies's Bats at the Beach. Before the day was out, the book was #3 at Amazon. All of us Lies fans here in New England are thrilled for him.

You can hear the radio segment here. Here's Brian's website.

Bats at the Beach also gives the lie to a "rule" of writing picture books that a lot of newcomers think they've heard: "Don't write in rhyme." BatB is in verse, as are many other successful picture books, new and old. Verse requires both rhyme and rhythm. Rhyme seems easy, but rhythm is hard.

So I think newcomers should interpret "Don't write in rhyme" as:

• Don't write in rhyme just because you think all picture books have to be written that way.
• Don't write in rhyme unless you can manage the rhythm as well.
• Don't expect writing in rhyme to make up for a weak story, flat characters, wordiness, cliches, or other problems.

Brian's text actually shifts from iambic to anapestic rhythm for some couplets, which might trip up readers until they realize the pattern. Stick with it!