Welcome to Poetry Frida! This week Rose is hosting Here, at her blog Imagine the Possibilities. Thank you, Rose, for hosting!
I finally arrived home after a five week absence visiting my family and was greeted by snow upon my arrival. Not much, only an inch, but today, it is 26 degrees. Spring is holding out a little longer.
Today I received Laurie Purdie Salas‘ new picture book OSKAR’S VOYAGE! It was a Copy signed by the author and the book’s talented illustrator Kayla Harren.
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Oskar, the main character, a squirrel, is adventurous, sweet and engaging and the setting is also like another character. As Oskar leaves the comfort of his oak tree and finds himself on a Great Lakes freighter, we follow along, trying to spot him. The boat’s route is revealed on an engaging map, the first thing the reader sees after the front cover:
Tracing Oskar’s voyage through the Great Lakes will be fun for kids, and so will the boat with its various machines, the galley and even the mail bucket. Salas’ poetry will inform and entertain:
Rumble. Movement. Oskar wakes. Climbs four stairways lined with gear. Pilothouse holds charts and screens: tools to help the captain steer.
And indeed the illustrator takes the reader to the stairways and the pilothouse as we follow Oskar and try to locate him on the page, reminiscent of “Where’s Waldo.”
The back matter defines the boat terms and an interesting detailed map of this freighter, known as a “footer” because it is 1,ooo foot long. My oldest son, who loves all things maps would have loved this book.
While I was away the last five weeks, I took out my novel in verse to tweak it some more. My WIP, WHEN MY BROTHER WENT TO WAR, is historical fiction, that takes place during the Vietnam war in the year 1969-70. This is how the novel begins, in the voice of my main character Maddie.
SEWING
Just before I turned fifteen,
the end of eighth grade,
I began to stitch together
what I knew about
my family,
my town,
and the War, too,
just like I stitch a dress
at my Singer sewing machine
on our dining room table.
except
just before I turned fifteen
only stitching a dress
made sense.
Janice Scully 2024
I have doubts whether publishers would be interested in a book set in 1969, especially in verse. And I am told by a friend that a novel in verse as a debut novel might be a hard sell. Still reading it through, I still like it and it seems relevant in many ways, though there are no cell phones or computers. So I’ll keep trying to find a home for it. I enjoyed the process, and for me, that has meant a lot.
Well, everyone. Have a great weekend! I’ll close with a ground squirrel I encountered in Pacifica, California. A cousin of Oskar?
Ground Squirrel on the beach eyeing the sea and bright sun-- seeking adventure. Janice Scully 2024
Janice thanks for the glimpse at Oskar’s Voyage, which I’ve now added to my wishlist, and for glimpse into your verse novel. I think historical verse novels are wonderful, so don’t be discouraged. In fact, there is an Australian one set in the Vietnam war (also covering the moon landing) – Footprints on the Moon, by Lorraine Marwood. Not sure if it’s available in the US, but might be interesting for you to read as a comparison title.
Thank you for that title, Sally. I’d love to read it!
Thank you for that title, Sally. I’d love to read it!
Good luck with your novel, Janice. I have a friend whose debut book is a middle grade novel in verse, so don’t give up hope! Thanks for sharing the opening verse, a bit about Oskar’s Voyage, and that adorable squirrel – another adventurer!
Janice, keep going with your verse novel!! Your opening poem is wonderful…I love stitching/sewing metaphors so much. And OSKAR looks delightful…we can always count on Laura PS to bring us something beautiful! xo
Don’t be discouraged, Janice, I already love the voice, the poem’s ending will move everyone to read on! I am looking forward to Laura’s newest book, Oscar’s Voyage, and didn’t know about the maps. I have kids at the bookstore always asking for “searching” books. Thanks for the peek at it and your book, too! Hope it warms up for you!
Hoping to read Oskar’s Voyage soon, too. Janice, keep looking for a home for your NIV! I think this form is perfect for middle-grade and high-school kids, especially reluctant readers. But I enjoy them myself – because of the poetry.
Janice, your review of Oskar’s Journey is wonderful. I heard Laura read her book out loud on a zoom session. I enjoyed that. Your WIP sounds interesting. I like the start, especially the ending. Good luck with that project.
Don’t give up on your verse novel! As long as you believe in it, it’s worth fighting for. And I really like your main character’s voice!
I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Oskar’s Voyage!
Adding my voice to those encouraging you to keep going with your novel in verse. My daughter, a youth services librarian, adores novels in verse. Persevere!
Publishing is hard, Janice. Keep at it! Your voice is worth sharing. Thank you so much for ordering and sharing OSKAR, too! Not sure how I missed this last week :>)