Children's author Tomie dePaola offers comfort in wartime

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 15, 2006 | by Diane Weddington, CONTRIBUTOR

THOSE who are worried about the impact of the war in the Middle East on children will find comfort in "I'm Still Scared," the latest "Avenue Book" from beloved children's author Tomie dePaola.

The book opens the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States went to war. Drawing on childhood memories and diaries, dePaola talks about how it felt to be in a world he no longer understood.

He talks about air raid drills and blackout curtains, adults crying or speaking in hushed tones, and his own wondering if the world was coming to an end.

At last, he returns to his familiar theme: The love of family and friends will keep him safe no matter what happens in the world.

DePaola has been writing and illustrating children's books for 30 years and keeps attracting new audiences. How?

"If I knew, I would be a multi-millionaire," he says with an easy laugh. "I draw on my own memories and instincts. My work is not time- specific, much like folk tales and legends. Children identify with that."

He says he is always curious about how children will react to books. "The most important book ever written is 'The Emperor's New Clothes.' It is the child who says, 'But daddy, the emperor is naked.' I've gotten bad reviews, but children still buy the book. It always warms my heart when a child says, 'But I need it'."

He writes every day when he is at home, usually in the mornings, then paints in the afternoon. He writes his drafts with a pen on a yellow pad or a green steno pad. His assistant of 20 years then transcribes the work onto a computer.

"I keep steno pads all over the house," he says. "E-mail is a wonderful invention, but we don't hand-write letters anymore. You can always tell someone's mood by how they write their words."

He also continues to hand-draw his illustrations, preferring that to computer illustration. "I can use the computer to send a sketch and get an instant reaction, but manipulating a mouse is simply not as sexy as using paper. I take time in choosing the right paper, the right brush. It's the difference between making soup from scratch and just opening a can."

His "Avenue" series is based on his own family. He says he makes certain those characters are drawn consistently in each new book because his family watches closely to see that he is portraying them accurately.

He has no regrets about his artistic path, but, "Every artist lives with the danger that someone is not going to 'get' his work."

And he's always growing and experimenting. "The first time I had to rely on words, it was hard. It was hard to do a board book. In the fall, I'm trying an adult book. As I get older, each new challenge keeps me young."

With the tour for "I'm Still Scared," a book in the works, and painting for a show he will mount later this year, dePaola has his challenges lined up for the year.