Renee Ting: December 2008 Archives

Illustrator Carolyn Reed Barritt Interviewed at Jumping the Candlestick

Renee Ting

on December 22, 2008 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deborah Diesen, children's book author and proprietor of the blog Jumping the Candlestick, has posted an interview with Carolyn Reed Barritt, illustrator of The Day the Dragon Danced. Barritt talks about her life, being a Michicander, The Day the Dragon Danced, and some future projects.

I love getting insights about how different authors and artists respond to being published. These little tidbits of information are so fascinating. For example, Barritt says,

"When The Day the Dragon Danced came out I had a reading at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor and did a school visit and I realized how bad a case of stage fright I have. It's pretty pathetic that a room full of 6 year olds can give me the shakes. When my own books get published I'll have to decide whether or not I do any more appearances."

Read the whole interview for more!

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"Carolyn Reed Barritt's exuberant painting highlights the joy of experiencing another culture for the first time."

-ForeWord Magazine

Kay Haugaard studied Art History at the University of Oregon, then moved to Pasadena, California with her husband. There, she acquired her Master's degree in Comparative Literature at Occidental College while raising her three sons who are now grown. Kay still lives in Pasadena where, over the years, she has written three other books: Myeko's Gift, China Boy, and No Place. The Day the Dragon Danced was inspired by a Chinese New Year parade that she attended in Monterey Park, California.

Carolyn Reed Barritt received an art degree from Macalester College and worked for 15 years as a graphic designer and art director in Michigan and Washington State before returning to her roots in painting and fine art. Carolyn painted the illustrations for The Day the Dragon Danced while living with her husband as the caretakers and sole winter inhabitants of a small island at the edge of the North Atlantic.

Shen’s Books is a publisher of multicultural children’s literature that emphasizes cultural diversity and tolerance, with a focus on introducing children to the cultures of Asia.

Through books, we can share a world a stories, building greater understanding and tolerance within our increasingly diverse communities as well as throughout our continuously shrinking globe.