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Bestselling children’s author draws fans at Lewes library

On national tour, Jan Brett encourages creativity
December 6, 2019

Story Location:
111 Adams Ave
Lewes, DE 19958
United States

As children and their parents watched in awe, a detailed illustration of a baby tiger cub came to life before their eyes. It was the work of acclaimed children’s book author and illustrator Jan Brett, who displayed her craft at Lewes Public Library Dec. 1.

As she painted the cub, she explained how she captures the emotions of her characters with her marker and talked about her work. 

“It’s children’s literature,” Brett said, “and in order for a child to be captivated, it has to have all of the elements you would expect from any literature. It has to have a strong plot and characters that motivate you, and it shouldn’t look like a greeting card.”

Brett’s visit, sponsored by Browseabout Books, was part of a national tour for her 38th book, “The Tale of the Tiger Slippers.” 

Brett said her books are inspired by the flora and fauna she studies as she travels the world. “The Tale of the Tiger Slippers” was inspired by a parable she read in Abraham Verghese’s “Cutting for Stone,” about a corrupt merchant who kept trying to throw away his shoes, but every time he did, something bad would happen. The point of the story, Brett said, is not to try to escape your past, but to remember its importance in shaping your current self. 

Brett was interested in spinning that idea in her own way. The classic tale, she said, wasn’t for children.  “So I decided to change the merchant into a tiger, which was much more fun to draw. I made it into a funny kind of thing, so that nothing really bad happens.”

Brett said children do absorb ideas, even though they may not be able to put a name to them. “The main point is that you can’t really control the things that happen to you, but you can put them in a place where they’re not going to haunt you and look at them and say that this is part of your life. It’s about being authentic to yourself.”

Along with the merchant story, Brett was intrigued by classic Mughal art, which flourished in South Asia from the 16th to the 18th century. Because her new book was based on the natural world, Brett traveled to India to find inspiration and to try to see a tiger in person. Three days into her search, she heard the loud roar of a male tiger and saw it looking back at her. From there, the book unfolded, bringing together many things that had piqued her interest over the year.

Originally from Massachusetts, Brett said since childhood, she wanted to be an illustrator, but she later realized that through her fascination for nature and storytelling, she could craft an entire book by herself. Each inch of art in her books – mostly watercolors – takes an hour, she said, so an entire book takes about a year.

“There was always that little concern whether I’m portraying characters as the writer perceives it,” Brett said. “So in this way, I’m creating my own world.” 

Brett now has more than 42 million books in print. Her tour was more than just promotion for the newest one. She also took the opportunity to spark creativity. 

“I make it like an art lesson to encourage the children to use their creative ability and tell them how unique they are,” Brett said. “That comes from my heart because I feel that human beings have always done art, and now that the computer and video games are strongly loved and people use them as an extension of themselves, I don’t want books to go away. There’s something about manipulating your hands while you’re drawing that’s very human-like, so I encourage them to draw.”

Brett’s presentation struck a chord for many who attended. “We’ve been fans for years,” said Chanta Wilkinson, a Lewes native who brought her two children. “Doing the illustration live was a great experience. It was so inspiring, and all of the kids definitely loved it.”

Brett’s tour bus, wrapped with the art of her new book, continues to travel across the country, provoking imagination in both children and their parents.

For more info on Jan Brett’s work and tour, visit janbrett.com.

 

 

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