Suzy Davies's Blog: Book News - Posts Tagged "science"

In Florida, it is rare to have a cold snap, but, in anticipation of a couple of days or so of chilly weather, I went out and bought some jazzy socks!
Imagine my surprise, when, on the underside of the sock feet, I discovered little "grip" pads sewn in, just like the papillae on Snugs' feet, which help him get a good footing on the slippery ice. Everything to do with Snugs has a touch of magic!

When I decided to write "Snugs The Snow Bear," I wanted to show that Children's Authors write on matters of importance, and the fact that they write Children's Books does not mean that their material is somehow more trivial than books aimed at adults.

In fact, it is my belief, as C.S Lewis famously suggested, that any Children's Book of merit, will appeal to an adult audience as well, and certainly stand the test of time.

So what makes a Children's Book a classic?

Philip Nel, Director of The Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University, suggests that Children's Classics "speak to those basic concerns that define human beings as a species - love, fear, hope, anger, family, power and the need for acceptance."

"Snugs The Snow Bear" is indeed about human emotion, and Snugs is a polar bear with endearing "human" strengths and weaknesses. His journey illustrates his quest for a sense of home, family, and belonging, and this little bear is a sentient being, who has a need to give, earn his place in the world, and be recognised and accepted for who he is : just a bear, but a bear on a mission to make the world a better place.

Hannah Boyd says that Children's Books are Classics when the author writes about "topics that matter."

As an author, I wholeheartedly agree! This is why "Snugs The Snow Bear" is a Children's Book with a message about Green Issues, Climate Change, and Global Warming, a message that is important to us all, and one which world leaders such as Al Gore and Obama have put at the forefront of Global Politics.

The world our children inherit, and generations after them, will depend on our action to avert man-made Global Warming now.

For me, you can never start to educate your children too early; the younger they are the better, and the more opportunity they will have to make a difference!

Children's Classics speak to the Zeitgeist, or spirit of the age, when a matter of great import captures the collective conscience, and gains a momentum of its own.This is what is happening now worldwide with regard to climate change - women, scientists, and mothers are rallying to make their opinion - one which is rightfully supported across the globe - count.

Children's Classics are indeed, timeless. Who can ever forget the whimsical wisdom of Pooh, the clever humour of "The Cat in The Hat" or Paddington's critical "hard stare." We take what we read in our childhood through to our adulthood; Children's Literature is something which we draw on for comfort, entertainment, and inspiration, as we did when we were young, for the rest of our lives.

I believe that Children's Classics should have uplifting endings, and give kids something to aspire to. The hero or heroine should be a good kind of role model, but three dimensional, with strengths and weaknesses, and appeal to adults and children.

For me, a Children's Classic draws on the traditions of oral storytelling, and upholds them. Children's Classics are written to be shared - at home, in the park, on the beach, and anytime of day, not just before bedtime. Children's Classics teach a love of language, and they are written to be heard.

I would never have dreamed up the idea of "Snugs The Snow Bear," my first Children's Book, without the image of "The Polar Bear on The Isle of Wight" which first inspired me to put pen to paper.
And, once the character of "Snugs" was born, my thoughts turned to something very serious, which has been preoccupying me in recent years.
People in certain areas of the world struggle to survive. They struggle for food. They struggle for water. Every day is a battle.
It seems likely that, in the future, more and more places on earth will become, at best, inhospitable places to live. At worst, they will be places where no human being can survive. I am talking about the phenomenon of Global Warming, a phenomenon that destroys life; it makes the survival of endangered species fragile, and survival of humans in certain areas almost impossible. This is a war - the war against Global Warming. And every day, we ignore the dangers at our peril.
How much more evidence, from the top scientists on this planet, do we need? How many more World Summits will we hold, before we listen, and take action?
The world is hot - too hot. And we need to take measures before it is too late.
We have seen record temperatures across The States, and this is taking its toll on people far and wide across the country.
The idea behind my Snugs Children's Series is to drive home this message in a way that is compelling, engaging, entertaining and inspirational. Colorful illustrations by Peter Hall capture the landscape of The British Coastline and Iceland. It is important that we preserve these landscapes for our children's children to enjoy.
My second Children's Book, "Luna The Moon Pig," illustrated by Sheila Graber of Paddington Bear fame, echoes the environmental concerns in my first book.
Behind a cute story of a little pig, is a message about caring for all animals and about the beauty within us. It speaks of the natural world, of which we, and animals, are a part. Remembering our roots is a metaphorical theme. The story is based on the stunning woodland areas in The Lakes Area of Florida. Captured to perfection in Sheila Graber's stunning illustrations, the book shows Florida animals, flora and fauna.
By showing our children fabulous natural world landscapes in picture books and middle-grade readers, we are bringing into focus one of the most important things in
life; the knowledge that the world is wonderful!

Sometimes, people overlook the value of reading fantasy to children because of our obsession with a hierarchy of knowledge that places “realism” above “fantasy” and “science” above “art.”

We want to cram our children’s heads full of facts, such is our banking system of education. But this is not what education is about.

Although my brain is more artistic than scientific, I value science and hope that my books will help to develop the imaginations of scientists in the making as well as budding artists. And I think they will! For nothing that has ever been invented by a scientist has been invented without an imaginative brain. And nothing created by an artist is created without the capacity to envision something out of the ordinary.

Although both my children’s books are based in reality, they are full of modern parables, tales within tales. This kind of fantasy is created at metaphorical level in the text and allows for a multiplicity of meanings and scope for children’s imaginations. It is through exploring the many threads that combining of metaphors can create, that children learn to innovate for themselves.

Learning to put unusual things together at metaphorical level helps "out of the box" thinking.

Older children will also learn to reason. Not all possible meanings in a text are equally valid. They will use logic and reason to uncover what is the most likely interpretation of the book or what the author intended the meaning to be. And they will have opinions of their own.

Some time ago a reviewer of “Snugs The Snow Bear” seemed to misunderstand why I had mentioned The Northern Lights in my snow bear tale, and gone into some detail describing them. They, of course, were a metaphor for the supernatural magic of the snow bear, and were meant to indicate that he should be free to show up like them, as part of nature, part of the environment and natural beauty of the world.

At another level, an older child might interpret these lights as triggers to fantastic memories of home, a kind of analogy to the way in which memory operates like cinema - a series of flashing images before one’s eyes, that can be fleeting and transitory. Of course, at a more literal level, The Northern Lights immediately conjure up the snow bear in his natural environment.

A quirky metaphor in Snugs The Snow Bear is an egg-timer. I will not reveal the literal meaning in the text here. But at metaphorical level, it may be interpreted to represent the “sands of time” running out on climate change.

Children’s books that are written clearly and simply mean very young kids can read them and enjoy them. Those that also have rich layers of meaning allow older children and adults to enjoy them, too.

It is my belief that imagination is like a muscle. Use it often enough, and you will develop it.

If we are to see future generations of artists, scientists, great thought leaders and innovative business people in the making, they will need imagination in bucketloads.

Children’s books are a rehearsal for life. Through fantasy, children can learn to problem solve, put themselves in the position of the characters and develop an imaginative empathy for others, including animals.

Rather than dumbing down and short-changing our kids, we should be posing questions about the world around them for which they can seek answers and solutions.

This does not mean our books have to be dry and boring. On the contrary, through being entertained, children will surprise us with the discoveries their imaginative minds make.