One of the many storyboard drafts for SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR. Miri Leshem-Pelly's Scribble & Author centers on the ongoing dialogue between Author and the protagonist of Author's design, Scribble. Readers follow Scribble as she sets off on the story Author has crafted for her, faces seemingly impossible odds and, with Author's encouragement, devises thoughtful and imaginative methods to overcome them. Scribble & Author speaks deeply to imagination, perseverance, and the very act of creating stories.
In the second half of Miri Leshem-Pelly's generous interview, she describes the process of designing a story, both in general and in the specific case of Scribble & Author, offers advice to children who themselves aspire to create books, and discusses the imporance of childhood reading. Enjoy! And don't forget to check out part one here.
Take us through the process of working on a project such as Scribble & Author. Did you come to the text first, or was it an initial illustration that then inspired the story?
Miri Leshem-Pelly: The starting point in this project was--what else--scribbles! :-) I scribbled on the page, looking for a new character, not knowing where it would take me. When I saw Scribble, I immediately fell in love with her and knew I’d found my new character. I wondered, What was Scribble looking for? What does she want? So I decided to ask her and guess what--Scribble answered! And so the story began to unfold. But it wasn’t that simple. Creating this book took me two years! I sent Scribble on many different adventures, over and over again, until the final story started to get its shape.
In the second half of Miri Leshem-Pelly's generous interview, she describes the process of designing a story, both in general and in the specific case of Scribble & Author, offers advice to children who themselves aspire to create books, and discusses the imporance of childhood reading. Enjoy! And don't forget to check out part one here.
Take us through the process of working on a project such as Scribble & Author. Did you come to the text first, or was it an initial illustration that then inspired the story?
Miri Leshem-Pelly: The starting point in this project was--what else--scribbles! :-) I scribbled on the page, looking for a new character, not knowing where it would take me. When I saw Scribble, I immediately fell in love with her and knew I’d found my new character. I wondered, What was Scribble looking for? What does she want? So I decided to ask her and guess what--Scribble answered! And so the story began to unfold. But it wasn’t that simple. Creating this book took me two years! I sent Scribble on many different adventures, over and over again, until the final story started to get its shape.
What emotional terrain are you taking the reader through in this story? Facing fears, ingenuity, the support of a good partnership. These are all things that stand out to me. Certainly, the mechanism of storytelling itself to ask questions and provide answers is a metaphor for meeting life’s challenges.
ML: I agree with your analysis. I wanted the book to be inspiring and empowering for the readers. It talks about overcoming fears and challenges, believing in yourself, making the efforts needed to achieve your goals. It also demonstrates the use of creativity and positive thinking to find solutions, even when the situation seems impossible.
ML: I agree with your analysis. I wanted the book to be inspiring and empowering for the readers. It talks about overcoming fears and challenges, believing in yourself, making the efforts needed to achieve your goals. It also demonstrates the use of creativity and positive thinking to find solutions, even when the situation seems impossible.
Miri as a baby, reading a book. It's never too early to start reading! What practical steps would you suggest to children who recognize in themselves the desire to write and/or illustrate books?
ML: I loved writing and illustrating when I was a child. I think this is a very satisfying hobby. First of all, I suggest reading a lot. Then, if you don’t know where to start, you can create an “ideas page,” where you write (or draw) all the things you love and pick one as a subject for your story. Next, draw the main character--person, animal or imaginary creature--and start talking with him--just like in Scribble & Author. This way you’ll get to know your character, his dreams and fears, problems and ambitions, and then I believe your story will arrive very quickly.
Finally, what to you is the value of early childhood reading?
ML: Books can open up both the mind and the heart of the young reader and enrich his life in many ways. Children have natural curiosity and a sense of wonder, and good books can satisfy these needs and deepen their understanding of the world around them, of other people, and of themselves.
ML: I loved writing and illustrating when I was a child. I think this is a very satisfying hobby. First of all, I suggest reading a lot. Then, if you don’t know where to start, you can create an “ideas page,” where you write (or draw) all the things you love and pick one as a subject for your story. Next, draw the main character--person, animal or imaginary creature--and start talking with him--just like in Scribble & Author. This way you’ll get to know your character, his dreams and fears, problems and ambitions, and then I believe your story will arrive very quickly.
Finally, what to you is the value of early childhood reading?
ML: Books can open up both the mind and the heart of the young reader and enrich his life in many ways. Children have natural curiosity and a sense of wonder, and good books can satisfy these needs and deepen their understanding of the world around them, of other people, and of themselves.
Find information about Scribble & Author here and a direct link to the book here.
You can find Miri Leshem-Pelly online at http://mirileshem.com/english.
You can find Kane Miller Books on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vimeo.
You can find Miri Leshem-Pelly online at http://mirileshem.com/english.
You can find Kane Miller Books on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vimeo.
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