The Ego’s Playbook is written from the POV of the Ego, and it’s chock full of art. Author Pam Grout says it’s “like a picture book for adults.”
Pam wanted lots of visuals, similar to Gun Violence 101 by Thomas Gabor, PhD, which I designed and illustrated last year.
POV
THE EGO’S PLAYBOOK is written from the persepctive of the Ego. Pam wanted the art to look as if the Ego had doodled his pernicious plans as they occurred to him, on whatever scraps he could find. Paraphrasing Pam (condensing from boatloads of emails), “I want the art to look as if the Ego doodled on the back of a coffee-stained napkin.”
Artifacts
I bought a scanner (joy! haven’t had one since we moved to Asia in 2019) and spent weeks collecting bits of paper from sidewalks and parking lots, amassing a giant cluttered pile. Did my stash include bags and wrappers from chopsticks and paper straws? You know it did! Bonus points for readers who can spot them in the book.
I love reading and writing first person POV in fiction, and have a deep affinity for books like Everything, Everything (Nicola Yoon) that include artifacts created by their characters. I’ve written several as-yet-unpublished YA novels that include artifacts, doodles created by the characters in the books (but really by me, of course), so assuming the role of the Ego while drawing was easy and fun. Many of the illustrations, including this one, were thought up by Pam.
Meet the Author: Pam Grout
Pam Grout and I had not met before this project. As we got acquainted, we discovered we have loads in common. I also discovered that she is a delight. You should definitely follow her blog and read her many books.
If you’re an American who has never been to the UK, Australia, or New Zealand and have never experienced entertainment (films, series, books) created by citizens of the aforementioned, what I’m about to share may shock you: Americans, on average, don’t speak as well as our neighbors from across the pond. A command of the English language is not prized in the US; in fact, in my experience, it is mocked. (I’m talking to you, Grinchman75—you meant “grammar Nazi” as a burn, but I have risen like a … what do you call that thingy? Oh yeah… a Phoenix!)
One American in particular—me—is especially guilty. I grew up in a family ruled by the ellipse. Rarely were sentences completed. Instead, we trailed off after a few words (…) ending our sentences with facial expressions, gestures, and—especially my father—laughter.
Dad (best father ever) also uses self-created replacements for words he doesn’t know or can’t remember, “jobbie” being a perpetual favorite; as in, “Kid, bring me that little jobbie (gestures towards object on table). No, not that one, the one we got from the…” (nod and smile, eyes sparkling, followed by raucous laughter).
Word Robbers
Sleep deprivation from motherhood whilst working two jobs did my brain no favors. I suspect wine with dinner (I swear, doc—two glasses a week) doesn’t, either. But lately, the main theft of my ability to speak proper English is my career. As a WRITER.
Sure, I spend months at a time locked in my studio wrestling with words, but here’s the thing: talking is different. Conversation is an art, a skill, and a muscle. Neglect it and it will atrophy. After speaking to no one apart from my husband (who, by now, understands my half-spoken, half-pantomime communication style), I’m barely able to ask a friend about her day. “How… you? Good?” Crikey.
Books
Reading sharpens my awareness of my verbal inadequacies. The last one to the party, I recently read Bridget Jones’s Diary. Helen Fielding’s vocabulary is stunning!
Same with Nicked, by National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson, which I was prompted to read by an Instagram Story by another amazing author, Rainbow Rowell. (Master American wordsmiths, both.) (USA! USA!) Rainbow’s recent best seller, Slow Dance, is a gorgeous slow burn.
Run, don’t walk, to your bookstores and buy all of these incredible reads!
Do it, now!
What I’m trying to say is, especially now that I’m conversing daily with well-spoken Kiwis (with killer accents, by the way)…
Goodbye, Duolingo!
After two years studying Spanish, Italian, and French, I’ve deleted your rude, mean, albeit educational app from all of my devices. (Image to left is actual app icon used to bully users to engage.) Instead of guiltily trying to recall high school French for fifteen minutes a day (because, let’s face it, le vocabularie in my long term memory is all I’ll ever have), I intend to use my Duolingo time to write and read gorgeous books, and talk about them. Hopefully my English usage will be strengthened in the process.
I am honored and completely flabbergasted to have been awarded the Hoffer Grand Prize for Alithia Ramirez Was an Artist, a picture book biography of Uvalde victim Alithia Ramirez that I wrote and illustrated in 2022. Alithia Ramirez Was an Artist was released by Michael Sampson Books in association with Brown Books in October 2023. All thanks to the Eric Hoffer Award committee, the publisher, my agent, and especially to Alithia and her family.
In addition to the honor of winning and a lovely cash prize which I will share with Alithia’s family, the Hoffer committee also provided the following commentary:
Hoffer Grand Prize
The Eric Hoffer grand prize is the highest distinction awarded each year.
Alithia Ramirez Was an Artist, Violet Lemay, Michael Sampson Books – A life itself can be a lasting image. Alithia Ramirez loved to express herself through art and share that passion with others. In fact, “her art voice was love.” She dreamt of studying in Paris and worked hard to become a better at her craft. This vibrant picture book combines the author’s illustrations with young Alithia’s original drawings, while honoring this gifted child and the love, color, and creativity she brought into the world. It was written with the support of Alithia’s parents, who lost her in the Uvalde school tragedy. The book does not however focus on the tragedy, but instead tastefully mentions Althia’s death only in the postscript. This could simply be avoided for the youngest audience or at least presented in the way of the parents’ choosing where death is part of life itself. It’s not easy for a children’s picture book to outscore expert works of fiction or heavily researched nonfiction. This book was wonderfully arranged, poignantly delivered, and brilliantly executed.
Order Signed Copies of “Alithia Ramirez Was an Artist”
Hey, everybody! Meet my friend Cynthia Majinau. Cynthia is the librarian at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Forest City International School in Johor, Malaysia—an American international boarding school, where we both happen to live. (My husband works SSM-FC.)
SSM-FC’s facilities include two amazing libraries, one for the lower school (ages 3-11) and the other for the upper school (ages 11-18). In the photo above, Cynthia is standing near her desk in the lower school library.
Empty slots on the display = kids reading books!
Besides managing SSM-FC’s two extensive libraries, Cynthia also teaches Malay language courses. Since there is only one of her and there are two library spaces, books are often signed out with pen, paper, and the honor system. Cynthia’s favorite task is re-shelving, because that’s when she sees what everyone is reading. Her least favorite moments involve missing books. (The honor system has its drawbacks.)
SSM-FC’s student body is incredibly diverse. For most, English is a second (or third!) language. The school’s libraries are curated by faculty wish lists. Cynthia acquires the books through Follette, and keeps the libraries looking like posh bookstores. Both are inviting, gorgeous spaces filled with contemporary titles as well as beloved classics, and plenty of comfy reading and study areas.
Shattuck-St.Mary’s Forest City is a marvelous school with terrific libraries, and we are fortunate to have Cynthia watching over them!
The Plight of School Librarians
In a recent Zoom interview with Children’s Book Insider’s Laura Backes Bard, author J. T. Fox advocated for school librarians. If, like me, you weren’t aware that school librarians’ jobs in the United States are in jeopardy, buckle up and click here to watch the interview.
This image is from J. T. Fox’s presentation; click here to watch the interview.
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