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I'd like to tell you about one of the publishers I write and illustrate for, because they're very special. They've
entered the publishing world because of their deep commitment to provide quality books for children, and in a field that's grown increasingly corporate and bottom-line driven, that's a rare and
refreshing thing.
I was first contacted by Boyds Mills Press five years ago. I'd been working as an illustrator and designer for nearly three decades,
when an editor named Larry Rosler phoned, asking if I'd consider illustrating a Boyds Mills picture book. Larry went on to say that the manuscript was beautifully written, a work of quality, and
though he wasn't sure it would do well commercially, he felt an obligation to publish it. Now I'm going to stop for a moment, and tell you that although I used to hear similar sentiments expressed during the early days of my career, I hadn't heard words like those in a long time.
I read the manuscript with great interest, and signed a contract within a week.
That was eight books ago . . . but it's one of my other Boyds Mills books, The Starry Night, that will give you an idea of how this
company operates. The book tells the story of a Black youngster named Bernard, who stumbles upon Vincent van Gogh in Central Park. Though Bernard has no idea that he's just met the famous artist, he
volunteers to act as Vincent's guide around New York. They spend several days together, and in the process, Bernard comes to see his hometown through Vincent's eyes. In the end, Bernard begins to
believe that he can be an artist too.
I shared the manuscript with my dear friend, Marc Broxmeyer, a board member of The Children's Aid Society (CAS), a nonprofit
organization that works with 120,000 inner city kids and their families. When I finished reading, Marc smiled and said, "This book would be perfect for CAS's art programs."
So I met with Kent Brown, the publisher of Boyds Mills Press. I told Kent about Marc's reaction to the story, and asked if there was
some way that we could connect CAS to the book. Kent proposed a meeting with the directors of CAS, and asked me how much I was willing to contribute.
"I'll give a quarter of my royalties to CAS," I said.
"Terrific," Kent answered. "I'll match it."
By meeting's end, we had created a fund, "The Starry Night Fund," dedicated to providing free copies of the book to CAS's kids.
There are about 10,000 kids who are age appropriate, and within two years, every one of those kids had received a free copy of the book.
The Starry Night is now in its sixth printing, and royalties continue to accumulate in the fund. It is our plan to use these monies to provide scholarships to assist CAS high school seniors who are entering art college.
That brings me to our latest project, a book entitled Dream Makers: Young People Share Their Hopes and Aspirations. Once
again, it's a joint effort between Boyds Mills Press and The Children's Aid Society, and once again, the kids of CAS will receive free books. This book commemorates CAS's 150th anniversary. It's an
anthology of children's writings about their dreams. The book was Kent's idea. Since CAS is in the business of helping kids to realize their dreams, it fits their mission perfectly. We asked
youngsters from schools in New York and around the country to submit pieces of prose and poetry about their dreams. Many hundreds of submissions were received, and forty-two were accepted for the
book.
"What about those kids whose pieces aren't accepted?" Kent then asked. "How are they going to feel?"
A moment later, Kent came up with another idea.
"We'll create a website that includes every single entry, and publicize it in the preface of the book."
As you may have guessed, that's exactly what we've done.
And one more thing: Their writings are remarkable.
So please spread the word; tell your friends and colleagues that each time they buy a copy of Dream Makers: Young People Share
Their Hopes and Aspirations, they're actually buying two books, and the second one will go to a child whose family couldn't have afforded it. •
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Photo source: The Starry Night Website
About the Author:
Neil Waldman began his publishing career as a designer/illustrator of young
adult book jackets. Through the 1970s and 1980s he created more than two hundred, including seven Newbery winners. Then, in 1988, he turned to picture books. To date, Mr. Waldman
has written and/or illustrated about fifty books, for which he has received many honors and awards, including The National Jewish Book Award, The Christopher Award, The Sydney Taylor
Award, The Smithsonian Notable Award, The Washington Irving Award, The Parents' Choice Award, and The ALA Notable Award. Mr. Waldman lives with his wife Kathy in Westchester, New
York. He has three grown children and three grandchildren. For more about Neil, visit his website at www.thestarrynight.com.
Recent titles written and/or illustrated by Neil Waldman:
The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story (Millbrook Press, 2003)
The Promised Land: The Birth of the Jewish People (Boyds Mills Press, 2002)
America the Beautiful, written by Katharine Lee Bates (Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002)
Wounded Knee (Atheneum, 2001)
They Came from the Bronx: How the Buffalo Were Saved from Extinction (Boyds Mills Press, 2001)
The Starry Night (Boyds Mills Press, 1999)
To contact this author or illustrator, please use the information for his or her publisher provided on our list of CBC member publishers.
Meet the Author/Illustrator Archives
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