Who's up for a party?
Who doesn't like delicious candy treats?
Who doesn't like full-blown, giggle-inducing silliness?
And who doesn't LOVE a blobfish story?
What's a blobfish, you ask? It's a recently discovered, gelatinous inhabitant of the deepest waters off Australia, and it was voted (in an online poll) the world's ugliest animal! Check out the video on Miranda Paul's website to learn more about it, scientifically, here.
Despite that pathetically sad face, the central character in BLOBFISH THROWS A PARTY is one clever fellow. He's not happy with his circumstances:
"Blobfish lived at the bottom of the ocean.
The dark, lonely bottom of the ocean.
With no lights.
No friends.
And no delicious treats."
Rather than mope around, Blobfish makes a plan.
Two plans, in fact.
1) He can throw a party.
If that fails...
2) He can save the world, because heroes always get what they want.
little bee books, 2016 |
The resulting planet-wide party has everyone smiling, except BLOBFISH, who is still all alone in that dark depths of the ocean.
Final spread- don't you love it when a plan comes together? |
But when alien invaders on a mission to steal delicious Earth treats encounter the convoluted consequences of those shouted invitations, Blobfish's "Plan B" is surprisingly successful.
Illustrator Maggie Caton's vibrant colors and energized figures combine with Miranda Paul's cleverly wacky word play, laughably layering and entertaining as the story unfolds.
I'm a fan of all of Miranda's books, and I'm proud to be able to call her a personal friend. Miranda has major talent, boundless energy, and is overflowing with generosity. So, I'll say right away that this review is an objective response based on a library copy, not a favor to a friend.
But our friendship made me feel perfectly free to ask a favor with no promises about the nature of my review. And, no surprise to me, Miranda responded to my interview questions so that I could share them with you here:
SB: First, Miranda, I had loads of fun reading (and rereading) your latest
book. Thank you for taking time out of your very busy and productive life to answer a few questions.
The
back cover of your book says you’ve been a marine-life fan since childhood. I didn't know that about you! I wonder
if any BLOBFISH were among your posters, figures, or fantasies? Do you remember how
you first learned about these quirky pink deep sea creatures?
MP: Little to nothing was
publicly known about the Blobfish during my childhood. Scientific research and
public awareness about the blobfish have been more robust in the past two
decades. If I’d known about them earlier, they would have been next to my
posters of moray eels, Tursiops Truncatus and other cetaceans.
SB: How
did you decide to feature blobfish in a book, and how did you imagine the kind of story he had to
tell?
MP: I set out to write a book
which involved the telephone game—a game I loved to play as a child and still
play with my children. The game is all about laughing at your mistakes and
miscommunication. What animal is more misunderstood than one that got voted the
World’s Ugliest Animal in 2013? The story needed a creature who would have to rely
on calling out an invitation rather than passing out invites because they
didn’t have friends nearby. Blobfish was the animal who fit the bill:
misunderstood, alone, and perhaps a bit naive.
SB: Your
published work includes biographical/informational text (One Plastic Bag, Whose Hands Are These?), science (Water Is Water), and humor (Trainbots, 10 Little Ninjas and now, the charmingly funny BLOBFISH THROWS A PARTY). They are illustrated
in very different styles, as you would expect. What do you hope for from an
illustrator when a book moves out of your hands and into theirs?
MP: My hope is that readers enjoy
reading, and that requires me to let go of my adult sensibilities sometimes.
That means I leave room so that an illustrator can insert their vision and
style, too—making a book that kids will want to read again and again. I also
always let my agent and editor know that I’m available if they or the illustrator
have questions - especially if it’s a spare text or a nonfiction book and I
have research material for reference.
SB: What
was your reaction when you first saw the illustrations for BLOBFISH?
MP: It’s hard to describe my
first reaction, but a reviewer later went on to compare Maggie Caton’s bright
and busy artwork with the stylings of Lisa Frank. I think that sums up a little
of what I felt. (Not a bad comparison for a debut, either!) Her art is much
brighter than I originally imagined a book set partially at the bottom of the
sea, but since it’s a fictional account with a lot of chaos going on, I think
that the final look of the book is more than fitting. That’s the beauty of
collaboration—a good illustrator adds life to your book beyond your vision. Based
on questions I get from aspiring writers, I think that the letting go must be
hard for some writers. But picture books, to me, really are a collaboration and
I embrace the letting go parts. Besides, the editor and your agent always loop
you in and ask for your advice—and you get to have a say! I mentioned that I
wanted the delicious treats to all be the kind not wrapped in plastic
packaging, and that was one change that got made. I try not to be controlling,
but I also speak up if there’s something important that I think must be
changed. It’s a partnership.
SB: BLOBFISH Throws a Party uses
a combination of narrative and rhyming text. The text of all of your picture books is lyrical, but
not always in rhyme. How do you
decide which approach works best for the intended subject?
MP: One of my high school English
teachers drilled into us the need for form/format to match the function of the
work. It’s clear to me now. The way I write a particular story must be aligned
with the content or the audience. If it’s meant to be a lullaby, a clever play
on words, or a poetic celebration, I’ll often use rhyme. In Blobfish Throws
a Party, which is written in prose, the rhyming words are functional. The
similar-sounding words are due to the fact that each time Blobfish’s message
gets passed on, a character mishears the invitation. Instead of “share,” the
mermaids hear “wear,” and the shorebirds hear “tweet” instead of “treat.” In
the context of the new message the characters’ resulting actions are funny,
silly, gross, or even chaotic. Readers can follow exactly how the message gets
mixed-up and regard all the bad that happens as an accident—no one is
intentionally trying to mess with Blobfish or avoid him (or solicit evil aliens
to come steal Earth’s candy). So the ending is a bit more satisfying that we’ve
had well-meaning characters who deserve a bit of happiness. (And delicious
treats.)
Join me in thanking Miranda for taking time away from her writing, her family, and her travels to share some insights about this latest picture book. And stay tuned for her fall releases:
THE GREAT PASTA ESCAPE (little bee books, August, 2017)
and
ARE WE PEARS YET? (Neal Porter Books/Roaring Book Press, September, 2017
Join me in thanking Miranda for taking time away from her writing, her family, and her travels to share some insights about this latest picture book. And stay tuned for her fall releases:
THE GREAT PASTA ESCAPE (little bee books, August, 2017)
Join a ragtag group of pasta as they learn to
work together and complete the greatest escape of their lives!
and
ARE WE PEARS YET? (Neal Porter Books/Roaring Book Press, September, 2017
The stage is set! Watch two pear seeds endure the long journey of
growing up to bear fruit in this hilarious and informational picture book.
What a lovely interview! Miranda is always so generous with her time and talent. BLOBFISH is on the top of my 2017 Summer TBR pile!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Love your books, Miranda!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy, and thanks, Miranda, for joining me here!
DeleteThis is a terrific book. I love how all the pieces were put together for a satisfying surprise ending.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I agree completely. That's part of what makes it a "read it again" winner!
DeleteThe food was always great, I think they just updated their menu and it's off the hook. Who would expect delicious pizza at such big events. Not me, but you can get some of the best pizza there. The best event halls for rent in this area.
ReplyDelete