Adults often overlook books for young children when considering the importance of literacy, perhaps imagining picture books to be the training wheels to the actual bicycle of literature. The reality is, though, that children’s picture books are important turning points for children and their vivid imaginations, introducing youngsters to the wide world of reading. That introduction can be a springboard to developing a love of reading for pleasure and for learning about worlds and people real and imagined, opening their minds and bringing down barriers.
Burlington author Lana Button shines these ideas through the kaleidoscope of her storytelling, having been working as a children’s storyteller for a little shy of fifteen years. Button will be sharing her well-honed craft at the upcoming Telling Tales Festival at the Royal Botanical Gardens, hosting a reading of her new book, See You Later, Alligator.
See You Later, Alligator is Button’s thirteenth published book for children, though these will soon number 15 (My Grammie’s House is available for preorder and The First Ones on the Ice is listed on her website as “coming soon”). Her other books include a trio based on a young girl named Willow, four with animal characters (including The Cow Said Boo and Tayra’s Not Talking, the latter being part of Button’s Kitty and Friends series), and others based around the challenges of being a kid.
Originally from the east coast, Button enjoyed working with children from a young age, but decided to follow her dream of becoming a movie star out east, performing on stage, and in television shows and movies. Then, after studying early childhood education, Button decided to pursue both of her passions, educating and inspiring kids by way of her stories, and performing those stories for crowds of children.
I discussed with her the upcoming Telling Tales storytime and the parameters around her book and other works.
How did you get the hang of presenting to the most intimidating crowd of all — children?
Children are my favourite audience! (It helps that I speak kindergarten.) I have always felt the most at home amongst a crowd of kids. And when it comes to reading my picture books, children are indeed the most honest audience. There can be very few social graces if the preschool/kindergarten audience is not enjoying the story. And their budding attention spans set the bar high for keeping everyone engaged until the end of the book.
But children are also the most enthusiastic audience. They are genuine in expressing both disdain and appreciation for a story and I thrive on that honesty. Children are naturally in tune with imagination, play, and musicality, which makes the read-aloud experience so much fun! If a child cheers after hearing one of my stories, I feel like I’ve won the jackpot! They are the reason I write.
You’ve spent a fair amount of time in the publishing world, what do you think has changed most since you first started?
It has been wonderful to see the publishing focus on finding and telling stories through authentic voices. Children now have more books on diverse families, differing abilities, and mental well-being, which is bound to create a more empathetic and inclusive world.
As a former educator, a parent, and a writer of books for children, what is the most challenging obstacle when it comes to encouraging children to read?
The most challenging obstacles are time and opportunity. Our days are stretched thin and when something needs to give in a crammed schedule, whether it be at home or in a school, it is too often reading for pleasure that gets cut. Cramped schools are finding it challenging to even hold onto their libraries, and some librarians are challenged to bring book carts around to classrooms hoping to entice students to read. We need to value reading and provide our children with the time and opportunity to enjoy reading and fall in love with books. It is why a festival like Telling Tales is so very important. Every child who is at the festival is given the message loud and clear that stories are magical and worth celebrating.
Your first book came out in 2010, “Willow’s Whispers”; what has changed the most in your storybooks, and what has stayed the same?Word count is probably the biggest change I’ve noticed. Books are tighter, for sure. What has stayed the same is that children still enjoy being read to. And a good story well-told can inspire a child, and make them feel valued and seen.
What workshop, aside from your own, are you most looking forward to?
Oh my gosh, so many!!! I will be there all weekend and plan to take in as many sessions as I can. I can’t wait to pick up some writing tips from the hilarious Richard Scrimger, who is going to talk about his new guide to writing the book, Your Story Matters. I am excited to listen to Vikki VanSickle talk about her new book The Lightening Circle (and I’m definitely getting a signed copy to bring home.) And Kevin Sylvester and Helaine Becker on the same stage together can’t be missed! I’m looking forward to hearing about their new book, Puffin and Penguin.
The Telling Tales Festival will take place at the Royal Botanical Gardens on September 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days; Lana Button’s workshop will be taking place on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 10:40 a.m. in the Read Together Tent.
This year’s Telling Tales Festival is aiming to be more accessible than ever, with a nursing station for those with infants, a bouncy castle to get rid of any excess energy, and three sensory-friendly spaces across Hendrie Park for anyone needing a break from the literary festivities. There are five tents: the Main Stage, for presentations suitable for all ages; the Read-Together Tent, aimed at kids aged 0 to 6; the Early Reader Tent, for the 6 to 8-year-old crowd; the Preteen Tent, for tweens aged 9 to 12; and the Young Adult Tent, for youth aged 13 and older. Each of these tents will host age-appropriate readings, workshops, and/or presentation; the festival also boasts a book swap and two official bookseller booths. The official bookseller for the 0 to 12 set is Burlington’s own A Different Drummer Books.
The link to register for free festival tickets is available here or via the Telling Tales website, which also contains the author and illustrator presentation schedule, a site map, and more.
