The Hat
On Saturday, November 22nd, bn.com welcomed Jan Brett to discuss THE HAT.

Moderator: Welcome to the barnesandnoble.com author Auditorium. We are excited to welcome Jan Brett, who is here to discuss her new book, THE HAT. Welcome, Jan Brett! Thank you for taking the time to join us online this afternoon. 

Jan Brett: It is great to be here, thank you!

Thom from Boston, MA:  Do you enjoy reading your books to kids?

JB: It doesn't happen very often, because our kids are grown up, but it is not like having the pleasure of having a child at home. I wish.

Kimberly Lewis from Oakland, CA:  My daughter and I am huge fans of your books. We just wanted to let you know. Keep up the great books.

JB: Thank you. It is great to have encouragement, because at this moment I am late for my book for next year, but I do like the pressure.

Frederick from Lehigh Valley, PA:  What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?

JB: I went to some classes that were adult-education classes and met up with some fellow illustrators, and that helped -- I needed to make a living when I first started, and knowing where some of the jobs were helped. That is kind of practical advice. Other than that, in artistic advice, I would say practice as much as you can and write about what you know. You will find it is so much easier to create a world with something that you are comfortable with. The creative process defies an explanation. As an artist you try to make that happen as often as you can, and the way I do that is to work a lot.

Nicolas from Austin, TX:  I heard somewhere that there is a set formula or outline that children's-book authors follow. Is that true? And can you elaborate a little bit on this?

JB: It is true in that it is a 32-page book always. As far as a formula, that couldn't be further from the truth. It is one of the few media where the author really does everything from beginning to end. It is not formulaic at all, other than the number of pages.

Franklin from Oyster Bay, NY:  Can you tell us a little bit about your editing process? How many of your drawings don't make the final book?

JB: I do a book dummy first, and I like that to be half-baked -- I don't like the dummy drawings to be the final ones. Out of those, probably three quarters of them make it. The final drawings, they go back but are not really thrown out. I will work things around, change a face, etc., when the editor looks at them. It depends on the book. In this past book, a lot of them were changed. Out of a 32-page book, one third get changed in some way. And I would say happily so.

Danielle Hosterman from Bellefonte, PA 16823:  Is your new book, THE HAT, like your other book THE MITTEN?

JB: It is a companion book. It has the same age group in mind, but other than that, it is very different. One is set in the Ukraine and the other in Denmark. Hedgie is the main character in the other. One is a folktale, and THE HAT I made up.

Roger and Samantha from Nichols, NC:  Which of your own books is your favorite?

JB: I have to answer in a multiple answer. My favorite is always the current one I am working on -- it makes it exciting. Once it is finished, it puts the book in a different category, my favorite is my daughter Lia's favorite, ANNIE AND THE WILD ANIMALS. BERLIOZ THE BEAR is my husband, Joe, who plays the double bass. They are like friends -- everyone has got a little piece of my heart.

Johanna from Raleigh, NC:  Have you been drawing all your life?

JB: Yes. The reason I became an illustrator is that when I was little, I was very shy, and it was the only way I was able to communicate. And if you asked me in kindergarten what I want to be when I grew up, I would have said children's-book illustrator.

Martha from La Jolla, CA:  Do you have any upcoming art exhibits?

JB: I don't, but next fall I will be auctioning off the artworks from the last five books, and I will be giving all the work to the Boston Symphony (look on my Web site next fall for further information). But right now I don't know where the artwork is. I think it is in Iowa, on a traveling show.

Matthew from Dover, DE:  My third-grade class at Fairview Elementary School just read your book THE FIRST DOG, and we liked it very much. Thank you.

JB: That was my dog Perkie Pumpkin, a Siberian husky, and all the expressions in the book are hers, but I wolfed her up.

George Gard from tggi@cyberia.com:  How do you get ideas for books? Do you ever get frustrated? How long does it take to write a book?

JB: Listening to music (I listen to the Boston Symphony a lot); running is also another way, and just before you go to sleep, in between conscious and sleep -- but the trick is not to fall asleep, but remember just before you drift off (good luck). For me the hard part is not stopping the ideas from coming but dealing with the continual flow of ideas in everyday life. It takes a year to complete a book, because so much of the storytelling I do is in the pictures, the writing to me is secondary. Sometimes I will be thinking and trying to put together the pieces of a book; for instance, I could have something on the back burner for six years. I realize I have been using a lot of cooking metaphors.... One of the best book ideas I got was after a pancake breakfast with lot of maple syrup, so I think food can help, too.

Stephanie from Ohio:  I just wanted to thank Jan Brett for the responses she has sent to the children in my classroom. They were very excited to receive your letter last year and the comments on how you got the ideas for your books. Thanks!

JB: The best part of my day -- we look at all our letters and emails from the kids, and it is really great, especially when they send drawings. I have a bulletin board where I put all hedgehog and armadillo drawings, and I think they look better than mine.

Mary and Elizabeth from Momence, Illinois:  Dear Jan, I'm so happy to be talking with you again. I met you in Springfield, IL, at the Reading Conference in March of l996. I teach second grade at JeNeir Elementary and am beginning an author study of you next week to run through Christmas. I love to wake up my students to your books and characters. We waited for THE HAT, and we weren't disappointed. Are you working on a new book? What is it about? We'll be looking forward to your next book. Elizabeth, my 12-year-old, receives your letters about your work and shares with her friends. Have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family. Best wishes, Mary and Elizabeth

JB: Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for the kind words. THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is the new book, "and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." But I thought things could be going on outside of the house. Two elves get things going up on the roof.

Janis from Atlanta:  How long does it take you to complete one full-color illustration?

JB: It takes probably a week; I tell children it takes an hour to do an inch, but I don't have a timer. It takes a long time.

Nicole from Willow Grove, PA:  I'm a third-grade teacher, and my kids love your books. Thanks for being such an incentive to my young authors by sharing your experiences!

JB: One of the best things about reading children's mail is that they do inventive spelling, and you can almost get characteristics on the part of the country they are from. I would love to know why they spell "picture" as "piture"....

Karen from West Chester, PA:  First of all, thank you for your wonderful books -- my sons and I love them. My question is, if I have a story or poem I want to submit to publishers, what is the best way to go about it? Do I need to get an agent first?

JB: I would say to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators -- great for everybody -- at 345 North Maple Drive, Suite 296, Beverly Hills, California 90210. It's $50 a year, and they have numerous information on children's publishing. If you are an artist, go to the publisher with a portfolio. Some publishers look at unsolicited manuscripts -- it is called the slush pile -- but it is unusual for something to get picked out of the slush pile.

Nessa Trachta from Cedar Rapids, IA:  When did you start writing (age), and have you always liked animals?

JB: My first book was published when I was 27, and yes, I have always loved animals. My parents were very understanding.

Matthew from Dover, DE:  What was it like when you first became an author?

JB: It was a dream come true. I felt totally fulfilled and happy. The first time I heard a child speak my name (like I was an author) I got goosebumps, and it has changed me -- it has made me nicer.

Sarah Knoblauch from lilkoala2:  What is your next book? Will it be about a rabbit? What is your hedgehog? My sister says your books are great. I love your books too. I got my books sign by you. Love, Sarah

JB: Hi, Sarah. I am glad I signed your book. My next book is THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, but my book after that will be THE GINGERBREAD BOY. You are finding out information that nobody else knows -- I haven't even started it yet. I will have to do a lot of research this Christmas looking at and eating gingerbread.

Peg Barton from Clearfield, PA:  Are you planning to do any more troll books? My students love watching what's going on aboveground and below.

JB: I want to do a troll book, but everybody wasn't as enthusiastic after the second one. One reviewer said "I dipped in the troll well once too often." But I would say there will definitely be another troll book in the future. Do you know you can tell how important a troll is by how many knots it has in its tail?

Sharon Holmes from Fredericksburg, TX:  Do you do many speaking engagements for schools, etc.? If so, how does one contact you regarding your schedule, fee, and other information? P.S. My five-year-old daughter Hannah is falling in love with your books. We recently read THE HAT, which I received free from Scholastic Book Club for ordering $25 or more. Keep inspiring our children! Thanks!

JB: I do quite a few schools, but they are all people that I am related to, so I do speak to schools. Last year on the Web I had a contest to get a real hedgehog, so to answer your question, no, but we might be having another contest. Thank you for your invite -- I would love to go back to Texas. I love Texas! Thanks!

Kay from Pennsylvania:  My fellow teachers and I enjoy using your books in class. The children really love them. Is there anyway the children can respond back to you about your books

JB: Thank you so much. I love the idea of being in a classroom. My sister is a teacher, and I know how hard you work. Thanks! You can write to me at Box 366, Norwell, MA 02061. You can write to me in care of my town; I live in a small town, and they know me -- especially if it has a child's handwriting on it.

Claudia from Belmont:  I'm a mom trying also to be a writer-illustrator. Thank you for the beautiful work, and could you speak about how you structure your day now and how you managed to work when your daughter was little?

JB: When she was little, she used to spill ink over my drawings. It was very hard. And now I work late into the night; I spend a lot of hours working. The challenge is to work on my social skills (you get very intense in what you do, and it is very easy to block out the real world ).

Chilton from San Diego:  Jan, I just read your ARMADILLO RODEO to my second-grade class yesterday. They were curious where the idea for an armadillo came from. They also wondered about the western theme. Each child in my class is enjoying your books! Thank you!

JB: Thank you for reading one of my favorites. (I got a chance to go to Texas and got a free pair of boots.) I saw some armadillos in Texas -- Texans have a love/hate relationship with armadillos, and I became fascinated with that.

Diane from Wheaton, MN:  I remember meeting you when you had just published your first couple of books. You didn't believe you'd be famous, and look at you now! It has been wonderful watching your career and talents bless so many. My class and I are anxious to read THE HAT.

JB: I feel like the same person. If you have a book that does well, that means you can do another one...it allows you to do future books.

Anne Orthner from Sicklerville, NJ:  With all of your great talents (as both illustrator and author) and your husband's musical talents, has your daughter shown any signs of following in your footsteps?

JB: Thank you for the compliment. My daughter is second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. The apple dropped a long way from the tree, but I am very proud of her.

Kara from Rochester, New York:  I wanted to let you know how much my kindergarten classes have enjoyed your stories and illustrations. We spend a long time looking at the pictures, and they are able to pick out the finest details. I wondered where you got the ideas for the books THE WILD CHRISTMAS REINDEER and CHRISTMAS TROLLS?

JB: Thank you! I went to Norway to do some research.... For TROUBLE WITH TROLLS, my sister and I would go skiing, and it would take an hour to climb to the top of the hill and we would ski down in a minute -- and that is how the little girl gets away from the trolls. We were in kindergarten, so tell the kindergartners that some of the things they are doing now might end up in books someday.

Anne Orthner from Sicklerville, NJ:  Our family just loves all of your books. (I believe we have all of them!) One of our favorites is FRITZ AND THE BEAUTIFUL HORSES. Do you have a favorite that you have authored? Why?

JB: I have always loved that book, because it was my first one. The pony in that book is a real pony -- he was the type of pony that if you were falling off, he would stop.

Janis Warren from Atlanta, GA:  Tell us a bit about your discipline as an artist -- do you keep to a regular work schedule?

JB: For me, it is so much a part of my life that it is not hard to keep a schedule, but the challenge is trying to get to the bedrock of emotion that is meaningful. And that process is not predictable, because you want your book to be fresh and alive.

Dana from Roanoke, Virginia:  I am a student teacher and am currently working on a literature unit based on your books for the third grade. I love your Web site. What is the best way for me to get the teacher packet?

JB: If you are a teacher or professional, you can write to me.

Kirby Smith from Coatesville, PA:  Why is blue your favorite color?

JB: I guess it is an emotional thing, like a favorite food. I don't know -- it just works for me.

Melva from Iowa:  Jan, what prompted you to use borders in your illustrating?

JB: I have too many ideas. By using borders, it is almost like embroidering with lots of different threads.

Moderator:  Thank you for joining us tonight, Jan Brett! Any closing comments?

JB: It has been wonderful to talk to people that I could not have communicated with in any other way. I appreciate your interest, and good luck. And please join me in my enthusiasm for all the kids who are writing stories and will become future illustrators with us adults giving them a helping hand. Thanks!