Dumpy the Dumptruck & A Kite for Moon

Emma has a case of writer’s block - and only a visit to the reading nook can cure it! Julie and Emma read a book they wrote together. Plus, a visit from another mother-daughter writing team: Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple.

Get Dumpy the Dumptruck: |

Julie's Library: Dumpy the Dump Truck — “Dumpy the Dumptruck” written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, illustrated by Tony Walton, published by Hyperion Books for Children. Copyright © 2000. Used with the permission of the authors.

Get A Kite for Moon: | |

Julie's Library: A Kite for Moon — “Kite for Moon” written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, illustrated by Matt Phelan. Copyright © 2019. Used with permission of Zonderkidz, HarperCollins Christian Publishing. All rights reserved.

PICTURE THIS: MORE FROM THE ILLUSTRATOR

The illustrations in A Kite for Moon are a combination of ink drawing and painting. Matt Phelan walked us through his process for combining both mediums!

A Kite for Moon illustration by Matt Phelan — Matt Phelan

“The ink drawing was made at the same size you see in the book. Then I did a painting that was 50% smaller than the ink drawing on a separate sheet of paper. In the computer, I enlarged the painting and matched it with the ink drawing. They never quite matched perfectly since they were made at different times and at different sizes, but that was what I wanted. The unpredictability gave the final art some life and energy. It was a really fun way to work! Try it!” -- Matt Phelan, illustrator of A Kite for Moon

And Tony Walton, Emma Walton Hamilton’s father, illustrated Dumpy the Dump Truck! He invited us into his imagination and described the real places that inspired his artwork.

Tony Walton's illustrations from Dumpy the Dump Truck. — Tony Walton

“Apple Harbor was conceived by Julie and Emma as a blending together of two special seaside homes Emma has lived and lives in: Sag Harbor, near the end of New York’s Long Island, and the beautiful, tiny sea-girt island of Alderney, between the coasts of France and England. As familiar as I am with both, it was a challenge indeed to combine such different locales in my imagination, but a challenge I thoroughly enjoyed, as I pictured being back in each of them.” -- Tony Walton, illustrator of Dumpy the Dump Truck

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY: WRITE A STORY WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE!

Creative collaboration is always an exciting challenge. We encourage you to try writing a story with a family member or friend!

If you need help getting started, try playing this little game:

Grab a few family members or friends, (you need more than two people to play this game), a pen/pencil, and a piece of paper. To start, have one person write an opening sentence at the top of the page. Their neighbor will read this sentence, fold the paper over, (so it’s hidden), write the next sentence in the story, and pass the paper on.

Everyone should only know what the person right before them wrote. Continue this cycle until everyone has written a sentence (or three) -- then unfold the paper and read your collaborative story out loud! Usually, they’re pretty funny. We’d love to read the stories you create!

THE BACKSTORY

Sons, fathers and grandfathers inspired both mother-daughter teams to write today’s stories. Emma’s son Sam was the inspiration for Charlie, the lead character in Dumpy the Dump Truck, and Heidi and Jane were inspired to write A Kite for Moon because Heidi’s father loved kites! Here’s what Heidi and Jane had to say about coming up with their story:

“Though the first inspiration for the little boy in A Kite for Moon was our kite-loving father/grandfather Will Yolen, the story grew to become more than just that. It is really about having a dream and working hard to make it come true. Our dedication is to Neil Armstrong because, like the main character, we imagine Armstrong had the same passion and drive. We hope the readers of this book will see themselves in the little boy and know that they can achieve anything--even a trip to the moon--if they just follow their dreams.” -- Heidi E.Y. Stemple & Jane Yolen