... will always be here for you.

If you've been having a bad day/week/month, and your inner child needs some cheers, you can start by ...
(*All pictures from Creative Commons. An attribution link can be found at the footer of this blog.)

{I'm sharing the whole plot of The Clown Said No today, because the book isn't the main point in this post. The experience of the author is. So ... Spoiler Alert, my Lovelies.}


There’s a story about a clown, a donkey, a dancing pony, a giraffe, a lion and a dog who walked out of the circus they were performing in. 

The clown was tired of playing the fool. The pony was tired of being just a trained dancing pony. The dog liked performing on a ball, but didn’t enjoy having a chain around its neck.

“What do you want to do then?” asked the ringmaster.

“I want to tell stories to children and poets,” said Petronius (the clown).

So these six rebels went out into the woods, happy to be free. They dreamed about their future. Petronius was more practical. He knew they would have to look for work to earn enough money for a circus tent and a trumpet.

But only the giraffe and the pony were able to find jobs. In the end they still couldn’t earn enough to buy a tent and a trumpet.

Petronius decided they didn't really need a tent. “It will be so much nicer to hold our circus out in the fresh air.”

And they did. They painted a poster and performed to their hearts’ content. No chains. No rules. The dancing pony even went to sleep in the middle of a waltz – something he had always wanted to do.

The children (and poets) loved the show. It was a wonderful circus! And the rebels felt truly happy.

                                                                                               …

Does this sound familiar, my writer/illustrator/reader/artist/dreamer friends?

Say no.

Walk out.

Break free from the chains.

Do what you love. Your way. (Our ways will get better the more we do them. So keep doing them.)

Don’t wait till we earn enough money. We can always set up a tent anywhere. Even if we can’t afford a tent, we can put up a poster. Start small. Start free. It’s okay. We'll grow.

                                                                                      …

I suppose The Clown Said No isn’t an ideal picture book for children. The plot and climax seem cracked. It is perhaps better as a read for artists and dreamers. Not as a story, but as a glimpse on our struggles. I don’t know if anyone else would like the book, but in the minutes I took to read it, I was smiling. I think it started from the bit on wanting to tell stories to children and poets …

Have you ever said ‘no’ to something you felt was keeping you from what you love? 

Mothers are of a different breed.

They carry a child around in their tummies, under their hearts* for almost a year. They cuddle. They coo. They fuss. They nurse. They kiss. They scold. They stroke your cheeks. They throw icy glares.

They’re multi-dimensional, multi-talented, multi-tasking Special Forces from a whole different planet.

Some of them praise you when you do well in school. Some of them never praise, but merely nod and tell you not to get proud. 

Many of them worry too much. Some of them worry just right. Few of them are perhaps too distracted to notice your bruises.

Most of them cook and make sure you’re well-fed and strong enough to step out into the world. 

Most of them stay up when you’re running a fever. 

Most of them rush to your defense when they think you’ve been bullied.

Most of the mothers I know cuddle more than glare. Most of them praise more than less, and aren’t quite so distracted. Many of them are great cooks. Many of them are great worriers, too. 

All of them carried their children around under their hearts. The bond was first made in their tummies. Nobody else is our first friend. Not many people we meet later on can give us the advice our mothers do.

                                                                      “Mama says
                                                                        Be honest
                                                                        Mama says
                                                                           Be true
                                                                        Mama says
                                                                   To put my heart
                                                                  In everything I do.”
                                  ~ Mama Says: A Book of Love for Mothers and Sons
                                           By Rob D. Walker and Leo & Diane Dillon


Happy Mother’s Day, all you mothers out there. Thank you for carrying us around, for staying up when we were sick, for making us strong, and for your wise words. Thank you for trying your best for us.

What’s the best advice your mother has given you? (What advice do you give your children?)
                                                                                    …

*The image of a baby living in his mother’s stomach, right under her heart, is from Andrei’s Search by Barbro Lindgren & Eva Eriksson.  It’s about an orphan searching for his mother. The ending is a little strange for me, but its setting and characters are wonderful.

I learned about this book from a writer-friend, Miranda 'Sibo' Paul, on her blog some months ago. {Please check out Miranda's thoughts on There here.} 

This book is about a child's curiosity in growing up. It's about getting There (or maybe not ... you'll see).

A little girl goes on a journey wondering about her future, wandering and finding There ~ the ultimate destination of becoming a grown up.

She's expectant:

                                                         "Will I be really BIG, There? ...
                                                           Will I never be too small again?"

She's a little wary:

                                                       "Will I never say anything silly again?
                                                                                Never,
                                                                                 ever,
                                                                                ever,
                                                                              ever?"

She's curious about the sunflowers and all the secrets she'll find There.

She's a little scared:

                                                                     "Is it a jungle, There?
                                                                Will I find my way through?"

The artwork adventure is as satisfying as the little girl's bravery. I don't feel I'm at my There yet. I do look forward to There though I'm glad to be Here now. Sometimes the wonderful There seems like a jungle that's intimidating and faraway. But our little heroine shows us  that it's okay to be unsure, and to continue liking what we like, or to take a break whenever we want to; we'll get There eventually. {Also, she shares a tip on how to tame dragons along the way. How cool is she, huh?}

How about you? Have you reached There? Your There?

{For more pictures on this book, check out Ms. Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick's author/illustrator page on Macmillan here.}