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Marty Chan: Unexpected images
In honour of the December 25 broadcast of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" with WireTap's Jonathan Goldstein, we're devoting ourselves to Canadian children's authors and other Seussian surprises here at Canada Writes.
Here, the author of Barnabas Bigfoot: A Hairy Tangle on the nursery room mobile otherwise known as language.
"I believe kids see the world before they hear it, so I think of language as a nursery room mobile. I look for combinations of words that evoke images, preferably unexpected ones. My favourite strategy is to take something that is preconceived and then spin it in a new direction. In my picture book, True Story, I created a timid cat character that was a stress farter. If you can surprise the reader with your images, you’ll keep them reading."Marty Chan is a playwright and kids' author. Adults will remember his hit play Mom, Dad, I’m Living with a White Girl. Kids will remember his mystery series, which includes The Mystery of the Frozen Brains. His latest book is Barnabas Bigfoot: A Hairy Tangle. Follow Marty on Twitter @Marty_Chan.
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