Sometimes all a kid needs

Sometimes all a kid needs to feel powerful and huge

                                                  is for somebody to see that he already is.



or, other times, maybe he needs
to climb on a tree and show his massive muscles, with the sun setting behind him

                                               
or maybe that's not what my son was doing, or feeling, or needing at all.

Maybe he was being a warrior, or a mountain lion, or just checking out the view
or dancing to the music in his head
or testing the muck beneath his boots
or something else entirely.

Maybe it was just me who had the need,
and seeing him so big -- and so little -- against the horizon,
through my camera lens
suddenly separate and far from me
and seeing him run there, his back to me,
watching how he fit into the natural world so perfectly.
Maybe really that was what I needed:
to see him like that
perfect, strong, independent, joyous
and then to see him run, again
back to me
to see how I had seen him

Or maybe it was just a happy day
and today is happy in the remembering of it

A starred review for PIGGY BUNNY!

I just got this by email -- a starred review for PIGGY BUNNY!:

 This review will appear in the February 2012 issue of BCCB. 

 

---

Vail, Rachel Piggy Bunny; illus. by Jeremy Tankard. Feiwel, 2012 [32p] ISBN 978-0-312-64988-3 $14.99

Reviewed from galleys     R* 5-7 yrs

“All the other piglets wanted to be pigs when they grew up. Liam wanted to be the Easter Bunny.” That’s a peculiar and lofty ambition for anybody, let alone a young pig, and Liam’s perplexed immediate family tries to point him toward pragmatism (“‘You are a piglet,’ said Liam’s big sister. ‘Deal with it’”). It’s Liam’s grandparents who heroically defend his dream (“They just have the imagination of a kumquat, the lot of them,” sniffs his grandmother), rustle him up a bunny suit (“We will order one on the Internet”), and see him through to the fulfillment of his fantasy. Vail’s high-spirited and highly comedic text just begs for a whole-souled readaloud with rich vocal characterization that’ll make the most of both the humor and the touches of poignancy (“This is the kind of problem,” sighs Liam, “that is called heartbreaking”). It’s a hilariously absurd story about a pig, but it’s also a cheerful championing of the kind of role play for which “pretend” seems a dismissive term and which sees little kids wearing their superhero capes to the supermarket; even beyond that, it’s a subtle reassurance about finding workable ways to explore a dream or an identity that may seem initially impossible. Tankard, author-illustrator of Grumpy Bird (BCCB 3/07), employs thickly solid yet fluid brushstrokes in figures that have a touch of Japanese graphic flavor in their streamlined cuteness; digital color makes the piglets a luscious pink that stands out against gently patterned tone-on-tone backgrounds in stripes and spots. This will be an enjoyably loopy and stealthily reassuring readaloud any time of the year, and it would make a terrifically offbeat Easter entry. Oink.  DS

Piggy Bunny MOVIE!

Look what Jeremy Tankard made!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2yBAQo-uv0&context=C39fed4bADOEgsToPDskJ8cp5lG1iK0Pr9v7jIDWb3



Every time I look at little Liam's earnest face, I fall in love with that little piggy bunny all over again.

School Visits

I just got back from visiting 2 schools in Manhasset, NY today. I visited with over 200 third graders -- they were AWESOME. So full of ideas and enthusiasm. Thanks, all of you! Here they are.

(Okay, you can see why I did not become a professional photographer.)

Aren't they adorable?

I shared lots of secrets with them about my past adventures, current stories, and books coming out soon... and they shared some eavesdropping secrets with me, too! I'm not saying anything specific, just a word of warning to my fellow parents out there: Watch out -- they are ALWAYS listening!!! Yikes!

Thanks for a wonderful day, kids and faculty -- and parents of third graders across Manhasset: congratulations on how terrifically engaged your kids are.

As promised, here's the link for anyone who wants to purchase a personally inscribed, autographed copy of JUSTIN CASE (or any of my other books) by ordering from Bank Street Bookstore: just click here!

Love,
Rachel Vail

What I Am:

                                                               ... making cake pops.

Listen in...

Here's the mp3 of me and the wonderful Judy Blume on the phone last week. Did I get your question in? Thanks again to booktalknation.com and Bank Street Bookstore!

http://audio.booktalknation.com/recordings/judy_blume.mp3

Busy Day

I think my new Tortoise, Lightning, may be starting to write a book. 

Judge for yourself:

Hiding from the world

                                                       nobody here but us shoes!


                                                Seeming to do nothing but soak up the light

ahhh

And, occasionally, bathing.

                                                             what was that thought again?




Tell-tale signs for sure. Waiting to see if tomorrow he makes tea and then stares at the blank-screened laptop for a while before he decides the refrigerator needs alphabetizing.