The Making Of A Storybook: Mary Calhoun--Storyteller

Children's author Mary Calhoun (Jack and the Whoopee Wind, Cross Country Cat, Hot Air Henry) explains her trade to a group of elementary school children in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in this engaging portrait of a writer. Although she was 30 years old when her first book was published, Calhoun began writing at the age of eight. As an adult, she would tell her children stories while she ironed, and while her children have long since grown up and moved out, Calhoun continues to get her ideas while ironing. Interspersed throughout Calhoun's talk are scenes of the writer working as well as iconographic animation scenes taken from her books. The scenes follow the antics of one of Calhoun's (and her readers) favorite characters: Henry the cat. She talks to them about the writing process itself and discusses her then work in progress High Wire Henry (published in 1991). A very nice, and rather inspiring program for both young readers and young writers. Highly recommended. (See GREAT EXPEDITIONS: ACONCAGUA--THE STONE SENTINEL for availability.)