![]() ![]() As an added attraction I demonstrated a snowman craft (the pattern appears at the back of the book) at one reading and at others I made decorations like the ones Hattie, Junior and their neighbours make and invited the audience to help “turn a plain old plant into one splendid tree.” These ideas were the brainstorm of Kids Can’s publicist, Melissa Nowakowski, and the children were only to happy to help. I was very fortunate in that my publisher scheduled a number of bookstore reading events for me. In the case of a Christmas book, you basically have from mid-November until Christmas. Holiday seasons come and go quickly so there is a much shorter time frame than usual in which to publicize the book. What, if any, special challenges are part of writing and publishing a holiday book? Though the mother and father appear as minor characters, my goal was to show it was their love and caring that made Hattie and Junior believe in the magic of Christmas and spread that belief to those around them. I wanted Junior, the youngest, to be the leader and his sister, Hattie, to create conflict with her initial reservations about the plant decorating. Psychologically, and this holds true for any story you write, the author needs to get into the mind and psyche of the characters to decide how they will act and react in various situations. I have to say though, that if I did a lot of research for the story, just imagine how much more the illustrator, Dianne Eastman, did for her exceptional photo-collage artwork! I even researched the children’s names to be sure that the ones I had chosen were popular in the 1940s. At a recent reading, when I came to the part about Hattie saving the brown paper from a package, an elderly gentleman in the audience called out, “I remember doing that!”. Victory bonds, war savings stamps, Salvage Drives, rationing and the necessity of saving anything that was reusable are all referred to in the story. I did a lot of research on World War II, especially about life on the home front. “One Splendid Tree” was already on the lengthy side for a picture book, so the challenge was not only to add these to the story but to do it in an economy of words. ![]() When Kids Can Press first read the manuscript, they suggested that I add more wartime atmosphere and references. What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, logistical) in bringing it to life? My publisher, Kids Can Press, is fastidious about the quality of their books which is one reason why I am delighted to have them as my publisher. Believe it or not, that is my favorite part of the publication process. Then we got down to the nitty gritty of switching a word here and changing a phrase there to create the best story we possibly could. Together we edited, revised and polished. Once my publisher accepted it, I went to work with a wonderful and talented editor, Debbie Rogosin. If memory serves me correctly, I began writing “One Splendid Tree” about five years before it appeared in print. I do this so that, if I run into difficulty with one story, I can switch to another and thus avoid the dreaded writer’s block (well, most of the time anyway). That is difficult to say because I tend to work on more than one manuscript at a time. What was the timeline from spark to publication, and what were the major events along the way? This theme crops up over and over again in my books and short stories. I used some of these in the story, such as the family not being able to afford a Christmas tree and the children having to wear boots and shoes that don’t fit because that was all they had.Īlso I’m a firm believer in the inventiveness, creativity and perseverance of children, especially in difficult times. The reason – I love Christmas!Īnother inspiration came from the many anecdotes my parents told me about life on the home front during World War II. I like to set writing goals for myself and one of my goals was to have a Christmas book published. What was your inspiration for creating this book?Īctually several things inspired me. #PERU MYPUBLISHER HOW TO#Includes instructions on how to make your own snowman decoration!” If he can only convince Hattie, maybe they can have a tree after all! Marilyn Helmer’s tender story and Dianne Eastman’s richly detailed photocollage art bring this Christmas past to vivid life. But Junior finds an abandoned plant in the hallway, and in his eyes, it holds the promise of Christmas magic. Money is tight, and this year a Christmas tree is a luxury the family cannot afford. From the catalog copy: “With Daddy away fighting in the Second World War, Hattie, Junior and Momma have had to move to the city so Momma can take a factory job. One Splendid Tree by Marilyn Helmer, illustrated by Dianne Eastman (Kids Can Press, 2005). ![]()
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