It's been a fun week on Twitter, what with all the posts on Halloween stories, costume ideas and even video clips. (I watched an old Disney cartoon on Mickey, Donald and Goofy battling ghosts titled LONESOME GHOSTS. Don't you just miss cartoons like this?) 

Since I've never celebrated Halloween, I thought I'd read up on its history, culture and delightful superstitions. There is the usual sighting-a-black-cat-is-ominous-in-North-America-but which-is-considered-good-luck-in-Britain-and-Ireland kind of stuff. 
And then there are these surprising ones:

* Want to meet a witch? Put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night. 

(Or if you prefer not to meet any ghouls ...)
* To ward off evil spirits, walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween . 

* Do not sleep when thirsty, for the soul will leave the body to search for water. If the body is wakened too quickly, the soul may not have time to get back and the person will die. 

* Mashed potatoes is a dish used for divination. A ring, a three penny-bit, a button, a heart-shaped charm, a shell and a key are inserted into the mashed potatoes. The lights in the room are switched off, and each guest would be given a spoon or fork to find the charms. The person who finds the ring will be the first in the group to get married; the three penny-bit symbolizes wealth; the button, bachelorhood or spinsterhood (oh dear!); the heart, passionate love; the shell, long journeys; the key, success and power. 

Read more at Frightbytes. They have a Huge, Full Sack of Tricks & Treats for you: http://www.frightbytes.com/halloween_superstition/halloween_superstitions.html

Do you know of more unheard-of superstitions? 

 And, c'mon, confess: which do you follow? (I admit I do knock on wood whenever I feel I've said something that tempts Fate, and I try to keep my mind blank of nonsense chatter/comments/judgements when I'm driven past a cemetery.)  

Though we swoon in the magic of Autumn, and let October kiss our hair, we have to admit, too, that there's also something spooky in its air. 

And I like the thrill and the chill. 

Something witchy,
Wicked,
Spinebones-crackling,
Screaming,
Guts-A-Chilling,
Blood-A-Spilling 
Our Way Comes! 

This week, I have a list of creepy children's books characters (from picture books to novels), and I hope you scream in with yours: 

* My hair-raising-meter doesn't work due to the plunging temperature from the icy glares in the room as I type. (So you know, these evil characters are not listed in any particular order.)

- Captain Hook (J.M. Barrie's PETER PAN)
- White Witch (C.S. Lewis's THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA)
- White-Bone Demon & Other Demons (Chinese Classic JOURNEY TO THE WEST)
- Wicked Witch of the West (L. Frank Baum's THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ)
- Grand High Witch (Roald Dahl's THE WITCHES)
- Miss Trunchbull (Roald Dahl's MATILDA - The way she forced a boy to eat all that chocolate cake really made its mark on me.)
- Cruella de Vil (Dodie Smith's 101 DALMATIANS)
- Medusa (Greek Mythology)
- The Other Mother (Neil Gaiman's CORALINE)
- The Man Jack (Neil Gaiman's THE GRAVEYARD BOOK - If you haven't read the book, you might want to check out this video reading the author did on his book tour http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx)
- Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE - I never got out of imagining the Juggernaut trampling on a child's body ...)

Who else? Who else? Please SCREAMMMM in.

*A note regarding last week’s post on more-serious subject matters in picture books: I am not done with these issues after merely a post. Abuse, Self-esteem, dealing with Sickness, Death and Bullying, etc, are important and heavy topics which require more research and interaction with experts. I shall approach them one by one and revisit them when the time is right. Hope you’ll stay with me on this.

If you have any input on any of those topics, whether it’s a blog or website link or an FB or Twitter link, I hope you can contact me at editorial@carryusoffbooks.com/ http://www.facebook.com/CarryUsOff/@CarryUsOffBooks.

With thanks and cheers,
  Claudine
                                   .....................................................................................


Now. About this week’s post …

Eyes are faster.

It’s been said that the brain sends signals to the eyes to pick up the things the mushy pile wants them to see. That’s why we tend to notice certain things first.

But I think some times the eyes choose to see what they want before they even make contact with the nerves to the brains. If there’s a body organs shootout, the eyes might just draw faster than the brains. Especially when they are both encountering a fresh subject.

For each new picture book I come across, my eyes seek out certain details and skip over some.

It’s not always that I prefer one over the other. I do like trees and cats. I do find them in the pages quicker than I do mountains and bugs. But what about shoes? And children’s clothes? And hair (especially girls with bangs and boys with messy hair)?  What gives? I don’t even like shopping that much. So what’s with the shoes, especially?

I’d notice wallpaper rather than toys. Houses and windows attract me more than food and jewellery do. Trains and boats – yes. Cars and motorbikes – not so much. The characters’ suitcases fascinate me. But in Reality, I don’t care that much about them. I love pianos and would steal glances at them when I’m out, but in books, I don’t peer that closely at them. (I’d pore over the feet of the piano and its chair, though.)

If it’s a book on creatures (modern and prehistoric), I’m pretty sure I’d notice the snails but miss the dinosaurs.

And these are utterly new books, previously-unseen and entirely unexpected pictures. So how could the eyes and brains know which to seek?

Few things would never change, though: I’d always love looking at the sea. And the smears in the sky. And the trees. And the shadow of a cat lurking by …

For the rest, I can’t explain, but I like that whenever I flip a picture book open, I’ll be surprised by the things I notice, and curious about those I need more time with.

How about you and your children? Which details spring at you? And which elude you?

While reading picture books, do you notice the moon or the sun more often? How about between a horse and a bunny? Or shadows and stars?

{This post is inspired by one a writer-friend wrote some time ago: Ruth Schiffmann, on her blog ‘OUT ON A LIMB,’ wrote about a common thread in her writings. Check out her fun post here: http://outonalimbshywritergoessocial.blogspot.com/2011/10/dreaming-of-trees.html#comments}

Some moments some days, my heart thumps with anxiety.

Some days, it flutters. I’m not too sure what with - a mixture of Pride and Great Hope, perhaps. I try not to let negative chatters drag me down. (Hope they aren’t part of the fluttery package.)

Ever since last October, I’ve been working on a picture book manuscript. I’ve been wishing to write a book for quiet and shy children; for children on self-discovery and personal understanding/acceptance journeys.

MY CLEAREST ME is now in the final stage of production. Both words and pictures are ready to sail out into the world. What’s left is the e-book conversion part. (Pray everything goes very, very, very well.) For a synopsis of our first picture e-book, please check out our homepage. A book trailer is also in the making. I hope you’ll like it when it’s ready.

Yet, marketing our first picture book isn’t the main point of this week’s blog. (Please forgive the shameless self-promotion there ...)

This, however, is:

Like the children we hope to encourage and empower, I sometimes need flowers for the butterflies in my tummy. I need reminders to be a bit braver, a tad stronger, and to face the world with zest and gusto (in Ray Bradbury’s words). I have come across few picture books that made my heart soar or at least made me more confident of my truest self. To me, fiction on self-esteem and confidence (especially with quieter child protagonists) are what I’d look out for.

I’m lucky I only have butterflies. Some parents and children face worse than mere nerves or lack of confidence.

I know some parents look for picture books with issues their young children might be facing, like Autism, or living with an autistic sibling, or facing a school bully, or learning to cope with having divorced parents etc.

Honestly, I didn’t think children in the picture book-reading age would be offered books on this kind of family/social issues. I thought they would only be reading about bunnies and X’mas parties and the occasional monster. But really, the needs of young children have changed because, well, our world is changing.  I know of an ex-U.S. Assistant District Attorney who wrote a picture book on child sexual abuse because of all the tragic cases she had to prosecute, and all the parents and children she felt she had to warn. (Her book is called MY BODY BELONGS TO ME.)

It's depressing but it's also important to face the truth: we do need such books in our generation.


What about you and your children? What are the more serious themes you look for in picture books? Is it battling with an illness? Or standing up against injustice? 

Or is there a particular issue you want to find more picture books on?

Please come share with us?