That awkward moment when you think something is real and all along it has been fiction. #howsilly
I had some time to kill between meetings today and happened to be in the neighborhood of Barnes and Noble. Not that I have money to spend there or anything, but alas - I went. After aimlessly wondering the shelves for 10-15 minutes and realizing I should leave soon, I started for the door. And then stopped at a table with a myriad of children's books - "The books all kids should read." Of course, Shel Silverstein was there, along with so many Caldecotts and Newberys that I couldn't process all of the shininess.
Then there stood a book called "The Chronicles of Harris Burdick." I only passively glanced at the cover and then went inside the book flap to see that this book was a collection of short stories by various authors, all of which are based on Harris Burdick's famous pictures. I went back to the cover to see the picture, but only haphazardly. In my 2nd passing glance, I confused Burdick with M.C. Escher because the cover art - remember, in passing - kind of looked like those paintings we used to talk about all the time in math class (looking at the cover now, I was really off).
But anyway, I then noticed some of my favorite authors on the cover's border and in the table of contents: Sherman Alexie, Lois Lowry, Stephen King, Walter Dean Myers, Gregory Maguire, Louis Sacher...among others! Ok, the intro by Lemony Snicket became even more enticing. Mind you, even when reading the introduction by an author with a questionable identity, I whole-heartedly believed that indeed, these authors were creatively writing about existing famous artwork.
And then I thought...this would have been amazing in my classroom!!!!
And now, sitting at home in full view of Wikipedia, Harris Burdick and his inability to write the stories he intended to go with his illustrations is all fiction. But, I found out the real author of the book published the "Burdick" art years ago in a children's book that has been used as a springboard for creative writing. The story of Burdick making all of these illustrations, giving them captions, and mysteriously disappearing before he could write any more, has been around for years. Children have been honing their creative writing skills with Burdick's work for a long time.
Where was I?
Now, I'm debating whether I want to tear into the book - not because I'm disappointed it's fiction, but because I want to do creative writing with Burdick's art before my imagination is framed by Alexie's, King's, Myers', Lowry's, or Sachar's. I want to engage with Burdick without intervention.
But the prospect of fresh Alexie, King, Myers, Lowry, and Sachar all in one place may just be too much to pass up for an evening of relaxed reading. Or should I wait and just exercise my creative writing muscle?
That awkward moment when you have to pick a side. #suspense #anticipation
~MJ
