Q&A with Sue Rama, illustrator of "Daddy Adventure Day"

It was such a thrill to finally have the book launch party for my picture book "Daddy Adventure Day" last Friday. It's been a long time since I wrote the story, so to see it brought to life by illustrator Sue Rama has been extra rewarding. It's quite difficult to describe the experience of seeing your story actually illustrated for the first time. It's truly a thrill.

Most people assume the writer and illustrator collaborate throughout the process, but that isn't how it works. Typically, the book arrives at the writer's doorstep fully illustrated, so opening that envelope is one of the most exciting parts of being an illustrator. I was lucky to have someone as talented and as insightful as Sue Rama to find the sweetness and humor in my little story. Here's an interview with Sue about the book and her life and career as an illustrator.

1.) How many books have you illustrated? How long have you been illustrating children’s books?
I've been illustrating children's books for five years, and I have illustrated 16 books.

2.) Have you always been a good artist? For example, were you the best drawer in your first grade class?
Yes, I was always drawing. My older sister and I used to write and illustrate stories on our long bus ride to school when I was in kindergarten and first grade. My mom sent me for piano lessons, but after a few months my piano teacher showed my mom my piano books covered in drawings and gently suggested that perhaps art lessons might be a better idea! I think it is REALLY important that everybody pay attention to the special gifts that children have and nurture them.

3.) What can you draw best? People? Animals? Cars? Monsters?
People, definitely. I'm not real fond of straight lines. I used to draw
storyboards for commercials, and I was told that my soft-sided cars
looked like there were blown up, like balloons.

4.) What is the hardest thing for you to draw?
A proper ellipse, like the opening of a jar or a coffee cup. They should
always be more narrow then I think they should be.

5.) As an illustrator, what did you like best about the story in “Daddy Adventure Day?”
The understated humor in the dialogue, absolutely.

6.) What was your biggest challenge in illustrating this book?
Casting… that is, figuring out what the characters should look like. I
got so frustrated trying to cast the dad that I finally prayed to be
shown. Seriously! The next day I came across a photo of some sweet guys
I know from Brooklyn and I thought, eureka! That's it. Kinda big, but
sweet and easygoing! In the end I combined those Brooklyn guys with a
bit of my Uncle Donnie from Queens.

7.) If you had to pick just one, which illustration is your favorite?
Probably the kitchen scene, where the boy is giggling because he hid
Dad's paper. I like the contrast between him and his grumpy dad.

8.) Did you ever go on a Daddy Adventure Day with your dad?
I don't remember one. But I do remember being really mad when my dad
took my older sister—who was seven—to Ebbets Field for a Brooklyn
Dodger's game, and left me home because he thought I was too young. I
think that might have been the angriest day I had as a kid.

9.) Where do you live?
I'm in the middle of moving from Connecticut to Hampton Beach, New
Hampshire. I'm looking forward to living by the ocean.

10.) Which sport is your favorite to watch? Which sport is your favorite to play?
I like to watch soccer and baseball. My favorite sport to play is racing
sailboats, but I haven't done that in quite a while.

If you'd like to see more of Sue's work, visit her newly redesigned website.
To order your copy of "Daddy Adventure Day," visit the book's Amazon page.

Q&A with illustrator of "Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain"

I couldn't be more proud of my picture book "Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain," in large part because of the absolutely awesome illustrations by David Clark. Here's an interview with David that gives you some interesting insights into his life and how he approached the task of illustrating a story about a kid whose brain has run off.

1.) Were you always the best artist in your class in elementary school?
I tried to be. I actually chaired the art committee in my elementary school, which I had no political talent for. I think I was impeached. I just wanted to draw.

2.) Did you go to art school? If so, where?
Yes, I went to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, one of the oldest art schools in America. Ben Franklin was one of the founders and a heck of nice guy, too!

3.) Had you drawn many brains before doing this book? Did you have to study brains before you got started?
I’ve drawn a few brains in the past for cartoons in magazines. I did do some research on brains and a lot of sketching. This time I tried to stylize Bobby’s brain more than usual in an attempt to give it a little more personality.

4.) Do you have kids and do you ever draw with them?
Yes, I have three kids, and they seem to be in my studio all the time, drawing, painting, and generally making a mess!

5.) What’s your favorite thing to draw?
I love drawing people and animals…and, of course, MONSTERS!

6.) How many books have you illustrated? What’s the hardest thing about being a children’s book illustrator?
I’ve illustrated more than twelve books. Waiting to hear what the publisher thinks of the finished art is probably the hardest part—it’s very nerve-racking!

7. Was illustrating Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain fun? Was he a fun character to draw?
I can honestly say it was one of my favorite books to illustrate and read. Bobby was loads of fun to draw, with or without a brain (by that I mean Bobby’s brain, not mine!).

8. Weren’t you worried about drawing a brain with legs and a kid with an empty head?
For your information, the legs were actually a mutated part of the brain called the medulla oblongata. (Hey, it’s possible.) And as for the empty head, no one is perfect!

9.) What’s your favorite drawing in Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain?
I kind of like the Hamlet/Poor Yorik pose on pages 28-29, when Bobby holds up his brain and considers it. But that’s just today’s favorite; tomorrow’s might be different.

10. Have you written any children’s books?
No, but I have tons of ideas. It’s not as easy as you would think. I have immense respect for what Dave Keane can do.

Q&A with "Sloppy Joe" author Dave Keane. Uh... that's actually me!

Last week I blogged an interview with Denise Brunkus, the illustrator of my picture book "Sloppy Joe." Well, I thought it only fair that I share the interview I did for "Sloppy Joe." Not to toot my own horn, but this is good comedy.

1.) Are you as messy as Sloppy Joe?
Well, I think “messy” and “sloppy” are really two different things. Messy means you make messes everywhere. Sloppy can mean a lot of things: you’re careless, or unorganized, or not striving for perfection—even having poor penmanship is considered sloppy. So to answer your question: I am sloppy and messy.

2.) Who inspired you to write this character?
Well, I grew up with six brothers, so there were seven rowdy boys in the Keane house. And let’s just say we weren’t famous for being tidy. My poor mom! There were dirty socks, empty glasses, and toys everywhere. Sometimes she’d say in frustration, “I’m raising a pack of wolves!” I think that was rather unfair to wolves everywhere.

3.) Why does Sloppy Joe love to catch frogs?
When I was a boy, all the kids in my neighborhood would ride their bikes to the creek near our elementary school and catch frogs. Lots of frogs. And tadpoles, too. We’d bring them home by the dozens in coffee cans and try to catch bugs and worms to feed them. We’d eventually get distracted, so they’d hop away. No surprise that my street had a ginormous frog population.

4.) Did you have a bearded dragon, too?
Nope. Always wanted one though. I had an aquarium with fish, I had red-eared slider turtles, and a hamster. I borrowed my friend’s snake once, but I lost it in the house at some point—but DON’T tell my mom, she still lives in that house! Today, my own family has a dog, a guppy that seems to be starving all the time, and a tortoise that seems very wise and very bored at the same time.

5.) Did you try to help your dad around the house like Sloppy Joe?
Ha! That’s a good one. Never. When it was time for chores, we hid. I usually climbed all the way to the top of a tree and ditched. My brothers and I would do just about anything to get out of chores, even scrambling out the window when we heard our parents shout, “Time for chores, boys!”

6.) Sloppy Joe likes grilled cheese sandwiches. Do you? What’s you’re favorite sandwich in the whole wide world?
Well, occasionally I’ll chow down a grilled cheese sandwich with my kids, but it’s not on my Top 10 Sandwiches list. My favorite sandwich? Pizza. Okay, I know that’s not officially in the sandwich category, but I fold each slice over when I eat it, so it sorta looks like a sandwich. What can is say, I LOVE pizza!

7.) So do you burp, and slouch and put your elbows on the table at the dinner table like Sloppy Joe?
Of course. Why wouldn't I? Next question.

8.) What inspired you to write Sloppy Joe?
Well, I talked with my editor, Margaret Anastas, about this book quite a bit. We agreed that the character had to be sort of the “anti-girlie-girl.” Most importantly, I wanted to write a book that was funny. I wanted the main character to be sloppy, but basically well-meaning. Most boys aren’t all cute and buttoned-up, like you see in movies and read about in books. They laugh at their burps, leave their shoes on the stairs for everyone to trip over, and they’re experts at making farting noises with their armpits, which is exactly the spirit I was trying to capture.

9.) What’s your favorite part in Sloppy Joe?
My favorite part in the book is when his friend’s mom won’t let Sloppy Joe come in their house. That’s a true story about one of my friend’s mom. I also used that same idea in my Joe Sherlock chapter book series: Lance Peeker’s mom never lets Joe Sherlock come into their house, which Joe Sherlock thinks is totally odd. All the weird stuff that happens in your life is useful when you’re a writer!

10.) What was the best part about writing this book?
Getting to meet and become friends with the book’s illustrator, Denise Brunkus. She’s hilarious. And when we weren’t talking about Sloppy Joe, she was giving me advice on the book I was illustrating at the time, called “Monster School.” She was a big help! And she’s a big crack up, too. I was glad I got to meet in person when we went on our two-week book tour across the country. That was the first time we met! I’m in California and she’s in 3,000 miles away in Massachusetts, so we're not likely to bump into each other at the grocery store! If I did, I'd buy her a grilled-cheese sandwich…or a bearded dragon.

Q&A with "Sloppy Joe" illustrator Denise Brunkus

I had the pleasure of having my picture book Sloppy Joe illustrated by Denise Brunkus, who's mucho famous for illustrating the Junie B. Jones series. I even got to do a two-week, cross-country book tour with Denise, who I learned is a rock star at every elementary school between Texas and New Jersey. She's also a funny and interesting creative type who loves nothing more than answering silly questions.

1.) So are you sloppy or neat? Have you always been that way?
Well, I started out neat and have pretty much been neat my whole life. But then Sloppy Joe introduced me to the perks and benefits of “sloppy,” so I have since lightened up on the neat thing.

2.) What's the single best thing about being an illustrator?
THE ART SUPPLIES!!! I have tons of colored markers and pencils, piles of beautiful papers and sketchbooks, colorful paints and pastels galore! And because I am “Boss” of my studio, I can have as many art supplies as I want. Ha!

3.) What is the hardest thing for you to draw? What's the easiest?
Hardest thing? Well, I'd say horses, but then, to be fair, I'd also have to admit that I am not good at drawing cars, airplanes, buildings, and straight lines. But years ago, I needed to draw a horse in one of my illustrations. I panicked! My 10-year-old daughter saved the day; she drew the horse for me. As for the easiest thing for me to draw........dots! I love drawing dots. And I am a pro! Dots everywhere.

4.) Did you want to be an illustrator when you were young?
When I was young I didn't even know what an illustrator was, but I did know that I liked to make art. And that's what I've been doing all my days. When I was a kid, I was always imagining, drawing, coloring and making things... artwork, puppets, Barbie clothes. And it is still what I do. Well, not exactly, because I HAVE stopped making Barbie clothes.

5.) What was the best thing about illustrating Sloppy Joe?
I'd say the best thing was getting to talk to the author of Sloppy Joe, Dave Keane. I don't usually get to talk with the authors of the books I illustrate: in the publishing business authors and illustrators are kept apart. But this time, our amazing editor, Margaret, believed it would make a better book if Dave and I talked throughout the creative process. So we talked and exchanged ideas, and I do believe our book is better because we did.

6.) What is your favorite page in Sloppy Joe?
I really like the picture of Sloppy Joe slouched in the chair with his lunch. although I must say that my favorite thing in Sloppy Joe is Sloppy Joe himself! I really had so much fun drawing him and making him move and react throughout the pages of the book. What a guy!

7.) Have you ever drawn so many frogs before? Do you feel you are now a frog expert?
No, never. Truth is, I do not particularly care for real frogs, so I am totally surprised at how many frogs I DID draw. Better yet, I am even more surprised at how much fun I had drawing them all. Maybe it's because my frogs look funny and friendly and not too slimy. Once I started drawing them, I couldn't stop. Frogs EVERYWHERE! But I am no expert. I only wish that real frogs looked more like MY frogs. Then maybe I'd like them more.

8.) Do you have a dog like Sloppy Joe has? Frogs? A bearded dragon? Crickets?
No, I don't have a dog like Joe's, nor do I have a bearded dragon. I didn't even know that bearded dragons existed until I read the Sloppy Joe story. (I had to Google "bearded dragon" to see how to draw one!) As for frogs, yes, I have frogs— way more frogs than I drew in the book! I live in the woods and so do they. Having frogs for neighbors is okay, as long as they stay in the woods. But every so often they decide to come OUT of the woods. And don't you know they come out and sit along the path that leads to my studio. They think it's real funny to jump out to scare me when I walk by. Yeah...real funny.

9.) Do you like grilled cheese sandwiches? How many could you eat? What is your favorite sandwich in the whole wide world?
Grilled cheese sandwiches are tasty enough, so I can definitely eat one, two if I am totally starving. But my favorite sandwich in the whole wide world? That would be a baloney sandwich. Yessir. Baloney on squishy white bread served with real chocolate milk. Dee-licious! I always have it on my birthday, which, by the way, is Barbie's birthday, too, although I don't know what her birthday meal would be. (P.S. Can you find the baloney sandwich that I put in the book?)


10.) If you were not illustrating children's books, what do you think you'd do for a living?
Oh, I'd be working in a beauty salon. For sure. And if that didn't pan out, I'd be a cowgirl, as that would give me the opportunity to wear fringe, yodel, and sit around the campfire playing the harmonica after the round-up.

Too Big To Fail

It's been a looong time since I posted on this blog. Mea culpa. To get this going again, I thought I'd share a quick "Sketch O' the Day" I did recently. It took about 6 minutes or so from beginning to end, the perfect timeframe for me!

For those of you who'd like to hear what's up on a more regular basis, be sure to follow me on Twitter.

Chow for now!

Why kids love author visits

Had a great author visit yesterday at Parkside Elementary in Menlo Park, CA. Here I am with Jamie, Brianna and Maya, winners of the "have lunch with the author lottery." Great school and great kids; everybody had a blast—especially me!

I try to imbue my school visits with a stand-up comedy concert vibe. It's been years since I did real stand-up comedy, but doing author presentations is amazingly similar. Kids love hearing about my goofy kids and I love making them laugh. I think it makes a real and lasting impact to meet the author or illustrator behind a book; we're not odd creatures (maybe odd people, but not odd creatures!). They learn that authors and illustrators are just regular people like them, and perhaps they too can do something as amazing as writing a book. (Hey, if Mr. Dave Keane can do it, maybe anybody can do it!)

And not only do kids love the break from routine, but I think the teachers enjoy a nice break for once, too!

It's been horribly slow on the school visit front these days, mostly because California has budget woes that could only be fixed by King Midas himself. But luckily some schools manage to procure the funding and I get the chance to entertain kids with stuff like where ideas really come from and how they can create a new character in 25 seconds or less. Best of all, I know when I leave there are roughly 450 kids who are newly interested in reading books. I guess that, after all, is my job.

Manless Pants?

Here's a recent sketch I did. Not sure what it's supposed to mean, but it does prove that not all the ideas a writer has are good ones!

Also, for fans of picture books and for the parents who read them, this New Yorker article is a must! I think the notion that picture books reflect current societal trends concerning children, parents and child rearing in general is really interesting.

Joe Sherlock: International Man of Mystery!

Whoa! Joe Sherlock is now an international man of mystery! Check this outl: the first book in the Joe Sherlock: Kid Detective series in Korean! I wonder what it says? I have no clue how they translated the runaway goofiness of the world's most unlikely kid detective into another language... I need a translator! Can't wait to see the Belgian version!

Fun Day Speaking at KidQuake Yesterday!

Had a great day yesterday speaking at KidQuake, the kids' portion of the weeklong literary celebration called LitQuake. I spoke on a panel with other authors and illustrators to a packed house of third and fourth graders at the Koret Theater, located in San Francisco's impressive new main library. I must say, it's always inspiring and insightful to hear others speak about pursuing the challenging, creative, and sometimes maddening endeavor that is children's books.

This photo shows moi and the other speakers on the panel: Cynthia Chin-Lee, M. Sarah Klise, and Scott Morse; a collection of cool cucumbers if there ever was one, no?

Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain—It's Out!

I couldn't be more proud than I am about the release of my first picture book, Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain. Here's what the critics are saying so far:

“Keane keeps the pacing as quick as the wit. Truly, a no-brainer.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“The raft of brain-related wordplay and the rueful musing on the fact that Bobby doesn’t have that much upstairs at the best of times add zing to the already zippy silliness of the story.”
— The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, June 2009

“This will be a huge hit with children who find it hard to sit still for very long—though they’ll sit still for this tale.”
— Jim Trelease, author of the Read-Aloud Handbook

“It’s not every day you read a book that climaxes with a boy riding his own brain down the road like a bucking bronco. But such freakiness is exactly what makes Keane’s take on the importance of using your noggin so refreshing.”
— Booklist, June 15, 2009

Friday was the book launch party and we had a crowd of roughly 100 show up; sold 55 books, too—not bad in this belt-tightening economy. Also had an enthusiastic and sizable crowd on Saturday in the "bubble room" at the San Mateo Public Library. Many kids skipped out with new books clutched in their hands—what more could a children's book author ask for?

I'd like to say thanks to everyone at Clarion for making this book a homerun—especially my word-loving editor, Marcia Leonard. And mega-kudos to the books maestro of an illustrator, David Clark. And, of course, to Linda Pratt, for making it all happen. And a special thanks to Christine, for her steadfast encouragement and endless insights. And, dare I forget, thanks to Sutter for the endless inspiration his non-stop noggin provides.

This book is about a kid whose head cracks open and his brain runs off, as if it had a mind of its own. Then the entire neighborhood and Bobby's entire family join forces to catch Bobby's wandering mind. Okay, so it's a bit of an autobiography, but it's truly funny, clever and smart. If you'd like to buy a copy, I say: BY ALL MEANS! You can order one here.

Thanks to all for making this dream come true!

Creativity vs. Education

During my long journey through the educational system, I always felt like a round peg in a square hole. Although I could never put my finger on what the problem was exactly, I always felt like I was at the wrong school, as if there might be another school across town that was meant for me. Looking back now, I realize that the root of the problem was that I was more "creative" and "artistic" than I was a "memorizer" and "regurgitator," which were the type of skills that were most highly rewarded in the school "system." Art was considered a way for us kids to "blow steam." Creativity was frowned upon, whereas following the strict, rigid guidelines was rewarded. Memorization was king; it was everything. And, sadly, it still seems that way today.

Now as an adult, I find that when I encounter someone who understands this "disconnect" that I experienced, it's very exciting. I just happened across a video by Sir Ken Robinson at the TED conference, which takes place in Monterey, CA. His 20 minute presentation made my hair stand on end. Funny. Clever. Insightful. Redemptive. I felt like doing cartwheels when I heard him say this:

"Many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they're not, because the thing they were good at at school wasn't valued or was actually stigmitized."

If you are a teacher, a school administrator, a parent, a kid, or have ever met a kid, you should watch this short talk here.

A fun way to waste 10 minutes

Okay, times are tough. People are miserable, broke and losing their jobs and homes. Hey, it's hard to be upbeat when you're eating your shoes. I'll give you that. But sometimes you run across something so wonderfully stupid and silly, you start snickering and you feel just a little less stressed. So...I've just got to share.

See that handsome Simpsons character? That's me! At least that's how I created my avatar at the The Simpsons Movie website. This avatar widget has been up for over a year, but I finally got around to creating myself. I couldn't quite get the hair right, but that's part of the fun.

So shake off the downturn doldrums, and go here and make yourself a Simpsons character—just click on "Create Your Simpsons Avatar." It only takes a minute and it's bound to make you laugh at yourself. Oh, and try the ginormous lipstick lips--it's hilarious!

DOH!

Eric Carle Rocks!

I noticed today that the main Google search page art was done by Eric Carle. "How cool," I said.

Eric Carle is an important American artist who is too often overlooked and underappreciated. What kid growing up hasn't read, re-read and chewed and drooled all over a dozen Eric Carle books? It's like a right of passage.

He's up their with Dr. Suess, a true giant of children's literature. And he seems like such a neat and interesting man—someone I'd like to meet someday! I guess he's turned 80 and his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar is turning 40!

Strange as it may seem, an hour later after seeing his Google art, I ran across this Newsweek article about his, his life, and his work. This guy deserves every medal, accolade and honor you can bestow on someone in the field of children's books. He makes it look so dang easy!

Did you know there's an Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art? You can see it here. And if you've been, let me know what it was like.

Hold onto your Kindles...Americans are reading more!

Yippee! As reported in a Time online article, a recent NEA report indicates the first increase in the rate of reading among American adults in a quarter-century. And the numbers are significant. But why? That's a tough one. I'll think on it. You think on it, too.

Could it be that we were all inspired by our book-gobbling president? No, the current one. President Bush. Seriously. Who knew? (He should have done a better job of letting us know what was on his nightstand.) Read it here.

The news about this sudden and unexpected uptick in reading certainly cheered me up, especially after reading this essay in The New York Times about the overwhelming ubiquity of screens in today's society. From the car to the computer, from the iPhone, iPod, Kindle and PSP, the article posits that we're slowly evolving into a screen-based society, in which screen literacy will replace book literacy. The death knell for the book? Who knows. I'll think on it. You think on it, too.

Speaking of Kindles, here's another piece from The New York Times about the growing popularity of e-books. Is it a growing trend? Or a passing fad? I only know two people who own a Kindle, and they love the white thick-as-a-brick device. Me? I'm a Mac guy. I love a beautiful design, and I don't see that when I look at a Kindle, albeit from afar; it may be a design marvel when you use it. Does the iPhone have a good book app yet? Is that screen just too small? I'll think on it. You think on it, too.

Lastly, there was this in the USA Today today about Greg Heffley's "Wimpy Kid" series, a runaway hit, to be sure. And something of a marvel for the reluctant reader crowd. As I've always said, sometimes it takes just ONE book to get a youngster "hooked on books." Seems like this series is working wonders. But why this book? Why not another series? What can a guy like me learn from its success? Is there a magic formula at work here? I'll think on it. You think on it, too.

Books and the Stinky Economy: Invest in yourself! Read!

Are you sitting down? Yes? Okay. Here it is: the economy is simply yarkful right now. Okay, that's not a word, granted, but I can't really think of a fitting adjective. Pardon the cliché, but words escape me.

It's hard to sell manuscripts right now. An editor of mine was recently let go. Bookstores are reporting a drop off in sales. And I keep hearing it's going to get worse—just in time for my two releases in the spring! Agh! Is it me, or is it even getting hard to keep spirits from spiraling?

Well, at least there are books. Books, I hear, do well in a down economy. Although this recent item from the LA Times informs me that it's actually TV use that tends to rocket when people can't afford to go out to Sizzler for dinner. In fact, it says that the average US household now watches 8 hours and 18 minutes of TV a day, the highest numbers they've gotten since they started tracking usage back in the 1950s. Holy slackers, Batman!

So...please read. Buy books; they're a cheap thrill. Go to the library; that's a free thrill. Buy books for Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers. Tell people about a great book you read recently. Read an old classic; I happen to be reading "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens right now and it's a hoot. I've ordered the 1951 move with Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge from Netflix (arriving tomorrow, so I gotta finish that slim tome, because I think this is that great old black and white movie I remember watching as a kid on rainy Saturday afternoons on our old black and white TV, the one with the broken knob, which required a pliers to change the station, which resulted in me getting my tube socks shocked off on more than 11 occasions—which may explain a lot!).

Anyhoo, I still say there's nothing quite like a good book, a warm blanket, and crackling fire—as long a there's sufficient distance between all three, of course.

Here are a few Dave's Book Bits-worthy links that I've come across:

• Here's a Newseek story about how watching lots of the idiot box can be unhealthy for kids—conjure up in your mind the characters on the spaceship in Wall*E.
• Here's a fun audio interview from NPR with Jon Scieszka, who doesn't seem to need my help in getting publicity; he's everywhere. But when you're the Library of Congress' first national ambassador to children's literature, you've got a bully pulpit, so why not use it?!
• Lastly, if you want more information on the detrimental health effects of media exposure on kids mentioned above, you can get the fully story and download the actual study here.

So as you can see, my thinking is a bit scatter shot these days, not that that's at all unusual. Hope your holiday has more yee-haw and less humbug! Merry Holidays!

The Barack Obama Book Club

The odds that President Elect Obama reads this blog are slim. Slim to none. Okay, they're none. But what if he did?

Well, if he did, first I'd say good luck on that Herculean task awaiting you at the White House: make the economy hang a u-turn on a dime—actually a nickel would be better. Next, I'd tell him that he really should make the Barack Obama Book Club "a thing." It could be huge. Bigger than Oprah (...hey, I didn't mean it that way). I have no doubt that President Obama's Book Club would get people reading again. Wouldn't that be an impressive accomplishment to chalk up in the first 100 days?

Let me back up. I get a daily email newsletter about the publishing business called "PublishersLunch." While scanning it today, I ran across the phrase "Obama Book Club." The bells went off in my head. The bologna fell from my eyes. I screamed "Holy Romano cheese! That could be bigger than Taft!"

Think of the positive influence he'd have on reading in this country if he made this thing "a thing." People are inspired by him. He's cooler than Clinton. He's our first real celebricrat. So if his press secretary announced the Obama Book Club selection on the first of every month, half the dang country would stumble out the door, buy the book, and read it immediately. That book would rule the water cooler roost. Imagine a "book" in that position.

Look, nobody can deny Oprah's Book Club has gotten lots of people reading again. It has, in a big way. But Obama is bigger. Much bigger. As far as I can tell, the Obama Book Club idea started out as a fun campaign strategy to get book clubs formed to read his autobiographies and discuss them. Cool idea. But since I've heard him say on numerous occasions that parents should turn off the TV and the video games, he should encourage them to use that free time to go hit the dang library.

Now here's the selfish part of this post (it always comes back to me somehow...). He's got two young kids, right? So in addition to his monthly grownup selection, he could simultaneously recommend a book for American kids, or two (since his older daughter is more likely reading middle school books). And guess what? Maybe in May he could recommend "Bobby Bramble Loses His Brain," a hilarious and heart-warming tale of a boy whose head cracks open and his brain runs off, written by a great American named Dave Keane, who he'd invite—with his wife and three kids, of course— to the White House to spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom—for a WHITE HOUSE SLEEPOVER!.

Hey, a guy's gotta dream.

But Mr. Obama, if you read this, seriously, I promise to make the pancakes in the morning.

And if not, would you consider posting a guest blog on Dave's Book Bits? The offer is on the table.

Getting goosebumps over "Goosebumps"

You cannot deny that there are a few authors whose books have made readers out of children who were non-readers before they encountered their books. Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" books come to mind, as does R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" series, which I still see kids reading all the time these days.

Both of these series has something in common: many teachers, librarians and parents don't like them. In fact, many books that are great for reluctant readers have this same trait. Many grownups think they're poorly written, are a bad influence, or will rot kids' brains right inside their skulls. Well, too bad! Kids love 'em because they're fun! Reading can and should be fun, believe it or not. And kids tend to like them for reasons tall people don't: they're goofy, silly, disgusting, gross, rude, milk-out-your-nose funny, sleep-with-the-light-on spooky and just plain childish...which is the why they're so DANG FUN TO READ!

Remember, those who fall in love with reading Goosebumps, Captain Underpants and—dare I say it?—Joe Sherlock: Kid Detective will not always necessarily read those types of books. They graduate and move on to bigger and "brighter" books, books that are more challenging, literate and "appropriate." Maybe. The point is that we need to get kids to consider books as essential, as viable forms of entertainment, as portals to engaging worlds that their game system just can't replicate.

So, by God, let them read, for reading at a young age is GOOD—and don't be such a stick in the book.

And if you'd like to know more about the 300-million-copies-sold-and-still-counting "Goosebumps" series and the man responsible for it, listen to this cool report by Lynn Neary of NPR radio.

Should We Do More to Celebrate Reading, Books and Authors?

There are fewer and fewer reviews of books in magazines and newspapers. In fact, on many newspaper websites, if you click on the navigation button marked "Entertainment" there is no subsequent section for "books." Oh, sure, there are reviews of music, movies, TV shows, restaurants and gadgets, but you often can't find anything about good ol' books. I'm afraid that throughout the popular culture books have slipped into an unseemly "also ran" category.

In relation to this decline, I've been thinking about books, authors and celebrities. This country has a few celebrity authors. A few. We could really use more. Perhaps there are so few because authors tend to be bookish, quiet types who spend their days with their noses in either a book or a keyboard—and they have that look about them. But not all authors. Some are sharp dressers, articulate, interesting. And authors used to be considered celebrities in this country, even when I was a kid I remember authors appearing on daytime talk shows and on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. But do enough people care about books for the media to pay attention to authors? I don't think the media thinks so.

Publishers have figured out that it's easier to pluck a celebrity off the pages of People magazine and have them pen a book, than to turn an author into a celebrity—after all, the hard part about becoming famous has already been done! Anybody read Pamela Anderson's latest novel? Sadly, the book itself has become an afterthought, the media attention is what's really important. Rightly or wrongly, the technique works and publishers, after all, are in the business of moving books, and if celebrities move books, they're good for business. We live in a celebrity culture, not a book culture.

At one of my book signings, an earnest woman told me she LOVED children's books. She then proceeded to tell me without a hint of irony that she had "all of Madonna's books." Good for her.

But there are things that work to bring attention to books. These things should be studied carefully, because they make books relevant again. Oprah's Book Club is a force for literacy, no argument there. Many women belong to social book clubs, which I'm sure account for millions of book sales a year. Movies based on books also help spur interest in the original source material. And things like the National Book Festival held every year in Washington, D.C. are great ways to celebrate books and make authors celebrities once again.

The point is, there are things that can be done to champion books and reading in the media and in the culture at large. Maybe we just need a task force to study these issues and work up a list of proposals, initiatives and plans. Then the question becomes: what celebrity can we get to head up such a committee?

Freakonomics and Reading Incentives

What incentive do kids have to read books?

Seriously.

Why read a book these days when you can watch a just-downloaded movie on your iPod? Or fire up a game of Super Monkey Ball on your iPhone? Or plop down on the LA-Z-Boy and watch the latest installment of "Dancing with the Stars?"

How do you get kids to pass up these easier, more enticing, and less mind-taxing options?

I just finished Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. The authors explain that "economics is, at root, the study of incentives" and that "the typical economist believes the world has not yet invented a problem that he cannot fix if given a free hand to design the proper incentive scheme."

As my mind is want to do, I start thinking about all this economics/incentive stuff and how it relates to getting kids to read more. The authors deftly explain that incentives come in three types: economic, moral, and social. Turn the knobs on these three types of incentives, they argue, and the economist believes that he can find the right combination to make folks do just about anything.

So how about kids and reading? Hmmmm.

Economic incentives might work: If Tiffany reads three books she gets $30, or $300, or $3,000. That could get expensive, but you could probably reach a number where Tiffany simply couldn't resist, at least until she got sufficiently rich on your unwise and costly incentive program.

Moral incentives might work: Little Kevin might read if society as a whole looked down upon kids who eschewed the book and chewed on the idiot box. What if a family felt shamed by a child who never cracked open a book? But moral incentives don't seem possible in this case, especially when the society as a whole prefers to collectively drool at the feet of "Deal of No Deal." Just not gonna happen.

Social pressure would work: This is the one knob I would suggest turning. Right now, kids who read a lot are made fun of, are teased, or called book geeks/nerds/pinheads, etc. That knob would have to be cranked back 180 degrees the other way. To me, this seems do-able. I'm not exactly sure how, but if kids by and large treated things like the latest Percy Jackson book as the must-have accessory for the Fall Season, books would be back in favor. But what's the plan? How do you make that happen? I haven't seen the show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" but that might be a place to start—sadly, it's another ding-dang TV show!

I'll think on it. Let me know if you come up with anything—of course not until after "Deal or No Deal."

Why everyone hates "required summer reading"

Today is our last day of summer. The kids start school tomorrow. Whew! It was a lovely summer, to be sure, but as of late the hot topic of conversation on the normally upbeat BBQ circuit is that "stupid, cursed book for required summer reading." All the hair pulling, snarling, and gnashing of teeth has caught my attention...and got me thinking.

Even for my older daughter (who read about 25 books this summer—an avid reader to be sure), it's torture. She is like a horseless stagecoach mired in cold oatmeal when it comes to the required summer reading book and project. Honestly, I think she'd rather move to a new town, assume a new identity, and just read "the books she wants to read."

Why is summer reading required when everyone I've ever met despises the concept? Let's face it, everyone hates required summer reading. Everybody. (If you know someone who likes it, please point them out to me, and I'll assign them a book that they don't want to read for the next time they go on vacation!)

Who invented this idea? Who decided that it was a good idea for school to spoil that sanctity and serenity of summer vacation? After all, what is the ultimate goal of this cruel and unusual punishment? Does it actually achieve anything? Yes? Than show me the study that shows that it is really useful. Where's the research? Where's the proof? Where's the beef?

Teachers have told us that if they do not assign a book and project during the summer, most kids will not read a book at all. And what, is the required summer reading book supposed to engender some kind of love of literature? Ha! Or is it supposed to keep their reading skills sharp? Ha! In fact, studies I've seen show that reading one book over the summer does nothing in terms of maintaining reading skills.

Often "required summer reading" consists of just one book, sometimes picked from a list of 5 or 6 age-appropriate titles that the teacher has deemed worthy, instructive in some way, and certainly "good literature." Then why does everyone put it off until the last moment, under punishment of no texting/email/internet/video games/TV/friends/food/oxygen—whatever the threat required may be to get Jimmy or Jilly to read that godforsaken tome?

Hey, why don't we just assign a book? Any book. Of the child's chosing! Some kids like humor books. Others like biographies about people that interest them. Others would like to read about American Civil War battles. But these kinds of books are usually not offered. This change would at least make the practice less torturous. I mean, c'mon, hasn't anyone ever thrust a book at you and said "you gotta read this," but you didn't because it just didn't capture your interest? That's "required summer reading" in a nutshell.

I think the practice just builds up resentment in kids for books. The ultimate goal may be a worthy one, but in practice it's a big, fat backfire. A dud. A failure that needs to be put to rest or overhauled in some way.

So I'll go on record: Required summer reading is not only ineffective, it's worthless, resented, irritating, and an invasion of privacy into what was once the carefree joy and freedom of SUMMER VACATION.

If we really want kids to read over the summer vacation, we can come up with something better. No?