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Where Adventure & Understanding Meet

Hi there to all the lovely Banbh Book readers, parents, teachers and friends! My name is Sarah. I am the illustrator and book designer for the wonderful creators and writers of the Banbh Book Idiom Series. Dana Sullivan Tyson and Sam Tyson are their names and they will normally be writing these blog entries to let you know all sorts of interesting things about the books. You can expect to hear about how they got the idea, about what the stories mean to them, about Dana's experiences as an elementary school teacher, cool tidbits about the characters and exciting news of items and new books!

One thing I thought might be of interest to you is what a "banbh" is and why they chose to name their publishing imprint "Banbh Books". When I first met with Dana and Sam, they were so excited about this project. They already had 4 books written and many more in the works. I was so charmed by the passion and exuberance of Dana. She explained how difficult it is as a teacher to explain the concept of "idiom" to a 4th or 5th grade student and likewise how difficult it is for those students to wrap their heads around this abstract bit of literary terminology. Sam who is obviously her best friend as well as shining new husband, grew up with a professional educator and was just as excited about getting these stories published and ready to be enjoyed and used by teachers. I asked them what sort of symbol spoke to them and might represent the energy of the project and themselves as authors. Dana piped right up about how she loves animals and how little piglets with their cute little curling tails and bright eyes were her favorites. I thought about this for a while. Dana and Sam are really both just as bouncy and bright eyed as the little piglets she described. They are so devoted to one another and so full of energy and have such a delightful, happy way of communicating. So I thought about how I could develop a logo and imprint that would say, These books are written with love, just for all the little piggies who are prancing into school ready to grow and learn. Now, I lived for a few years in Ireland, and learned a few of the Irish words. I remembered that a piglet that is big enough to be away from his or her Momma, is called a Banbh (Bon off). And so the Banbh Books imprint was born! We are considering making a wee Banbh Books stuffed animal and T-Shirt at some time in the future! Let us know how you feel about that!

December 10, 2019

July 4, 2020

Hey everybody. I've been doing a lot of reflecting on a lot of things this week. Watching our beloved country go through such trying and difficult times has made me so sad. There are most certainly things that we can do better. There are most certainly "bad apples" in every group of people, even the ones who are meant to protect us and do us the most good. No one is perfect; but, the founders of our country did want us to be a "more perfect union." We can only keep striving to be such. But in watching all of the events of the past month or so unfold, and especially in thinking about this year's celebration of our country's independence, I kept thinking about how badly people just want the freedoms this country promises. That led me to think about the very basic fundamental of reading. There was a time in our nation's history when some people were not allowed to learn how to read because they weren't allowed to go to school. This was a travesty that I hope and pray is never denied of anyone in this great nation again. These amazing people, though, despite knowing that they could face serious reprimand, wanted to learn to read so badly, that they would sneak and do it in secret. Oftentimes, the children of the very people who denied them the right were the people to whom they looked to teach them. This shows their dogged determination to better themselves and to hopefully one day get themselves into a better place in life. You see, what these determined, strong-willed, incredibly wise people knew that the people who lorded over them did not, was that reading was freedom. They knew that if they could read, they could do anything, go anywhere, and be anything. And they knew that once the knowledge was in their heads and had a stronghold in their minds, no one...NO ONE could take it away from them. This knowledge could, quite literally, take them anywhere. So as we celebrate America's birthday today, let us not forget any of the people in our history who helped to shape who we are today. And let us not forget all the sacrifices that so many people made along the way. And may we never forget that we are granted so many freedoms today that we take for granted. Reading is so akin to freedom that people have risked their lives to make sure they had the right to do it. Why not read a really good book this weekend, just because you're free to do it?

June 13, 2020

June 16, 2020

In my mind, I have always been a storyteller. Even as a very young girl. Now, I don't mean the kind of stories that could get me in trouble with my Momma--although I probably told a few of those too. I've just chosen not to remember those. The kind of stories I'm talking about now, are the kind that would demand that I had everyone's attention before I started telling them, would leave out no details, and would add in all dramatic emphasis wherever necessary. And if anyone dared interrupt me, then I must simply start over. Not paying attention? I'll wait. See, I knew even then, that in order to get my audience's attention, I had to be the best storyteller I could be. Hook them in, so they wouldn't want to leave. Make sure the story kept their attention all the way through. I look back on those days now, though, and laugh at my naiveté. Without fail, or so it seemed to me, every time I began one of my "masterpieces" of carefully crafted spoken word, either my Mom or my Aunt would look at me and say: "Is this gonna be a long story?" Cue my utter deflation. "Never mind," I'd say. "It wasn't very long, but I guess it would've been too long for y'all." Off to my room or another quiet spot I'd go to curl up with a book, the equivalent of my tail tucked between my legs, to lick my wounded ego. What I didn't realize then is that while good storytellers do hook their audiences in from the very first page, and they do use details all the way through, they DO NOT tell stories like I did. Great storytellers make it seem effortless. They slurp you in to a world that they create. You don't even realize you've been slurped in. You hang on every word they say. But most importantly, they DO NOT include every detail. They trust you, as the most competent reader, to fill in deleted details with your imaginations. Isn't it more fun this way? When was the last time you've ever said that the movie was better than the book? Take a minute to ask yourself why? I'd venture to guess that it was because the movie showed you way too much and left very little to your imagination. The book, on the other hand, let you create part of the world for yourself. Everything remained just a little bit magical. So, going forward, I will strive to be the best storyteller I can be for each and every one of you, my dear readers. Because you all deserve nothing less. I will do my best to not have you wondering if any of the books will be "a long story," but will instead let you help create a world in which each character becomes just as real to you as they are to me. And when your world for them is different from mine, that's the BEST story out there!

As a writer, it will probably come as no surprise when I tell you that I also love to read. I mean like I LOVE to read. In our house, the stack of unread books dwindles quickly. The stacks of books that have been read piles up, waiting to be passed along to one of my friends who goes through them just as quickly as I do. The love of both reading and writing are usually so intertwined that they can't be separated. This is the case for me; however, my love for reading developed much earlier in life than my love for writing. I started reading at the age of 2. When my mom picked me up from my first day of kindergarten, my teacher walked me out to the car and asked her if she was aware that I could read. My mom simply stated that she was aware. The truth, after all, doesn't need to be shouted. Since that day, my love of reading and respect of books has grown exponentially. I can be happy anywhere, doing just about anything, as long as I have a book. And I never leave the house without one in my hand. My love of writing, even though not really developing until my middle school years, is no less important to me. It has been an outlet for me--a way of giving voice to my feelings when I either didn't want to express them out loud, or felt I was unable to. Writing is powerful. Reading is, too. The two, in my opinion, cannot be viewed as separate entities. To read, is to write with your soul. To write is to read with your heart. Having now published my own books, I often get asked who some of my favorite authors are. I struggle to answer this. You see, for almost twenty years, I was a classroom teacher. I taught mostly fifth grade, taking a short, three-year detour in fourth. When I'm asked about favorite authors, my mind immediately goes to all the wonderful authors of those young adult books I read aloud to my students all those years. I think about all those rich picture books I used as mentor texts during reader's and writer's workshop. And, of course, I think about all the books I myself have read over my 43 years. All the books that I've gotten lost in. The names of the authors that I've looked up to find out more about. The "other titles by this author" that I've immediately purchased as soon as I've finished a book because either the book itself or the writer of it were JUST THAT GOOD. And so, when I'm asked the question: Who are some of your favorite authors? I hesitate. I just don't want to answer it. I don't think it's fair. I don't want to slight anyone, or do anyone injustice. Everyone had something about them I loved. And if I tried to explain the answer to that question, we'd all be here a couple of months. So reading and writing have to be a marriage. A writer has to be a reader to be able to see all the wonderful things that exist in every world of every book they read. A reader has to be a writer in order to open their hearts to all their hands and minds want to say. What a blessed union it is!

If you're following this blog, or if you've liked or followed our Banbh Books Facebook page, then you know that my husband Sam and I have embarked on a journey of writing a series of idiom stories. They are all children's picture books, starring animals, that tell a story while explaining the abstract concept of the idiom at the same time. So far, we have written three, with the remaining 9 in the series to be forthcoming. Currently, the fourth book, A Fish Out Of Water is in the works. All of the books have been my favorite in some way. Each one has had its pull on my heart; however, "the fish one," as it has come to be known between Sam and me, has a deeper story behind it. It is one that I wanted to share with you today, in anticipation for its release in a few months. The main character in A Fish Out Of Water is a very dapper fish named Frank. He wears a fedora, and loves to do odd jobs for families who live around the golf course that surround his pond. He seems to be very successful, until there is one job that he cannot complete. Despite all of his best efforts and his out of the box thinking, he continues to be unable to complete the job. He brands himself a failure, and retreats to his pond home in shame. After several days of sitting around feeling sorry for himself, something happens that changes his whole outlook and opinion of himself. He realizes that the reason he didn't complete the other job had nothing to do with his lack of intelligence. It had only to do with the kind of work suitable for a fish. The idea for the moral of this story was born out of all my years as a classroom teacher. All the years that I heard my students say "I can't...;" watching 25 students do a math problem 25 different ways and finding that I was the one who learned something new every single time; reminding my students that there was never anything wrong with doing something different than someone else in their group did it; giving them the example of my mom and I each going into our kitchens to bake a cake--each of us doing it very differently, but both ending up with delicious results. In my classroom, I never liked to use the words "wrong," "bad," "I don't care," "don't," or "stop." Unless, of course, someone was headed for imminent physical danger, and then I had to ask them to stop. Let me be clear in saying that. : ) But in the case of solving problems, or reading, or trying to sound out words, or work to become better readers, or think about a difficult question I had asked to help increase comprehension, I tried my best to give them the thinking space they needed, and not tell them they were on a "wrong" track. I didn't want to discourage them, or halt any sense of confidence they had to try things on their own. Once confidence is torn away, it is so incredibly hard to get back. I was also mindful of the phrase, "I don't care." I was so afraid that some of my students heard this so much at home in regards to their lives in general, that I didn't want them to think that I didn't care either. If we were doing a rotation of some sort, where they could start with any activity they chose around the room, I'd say "It's okay with me if you start anywhere you choose," instead of saying "I don't care where you start." The simple change in verbiage gives a whole different connotation. And the shift made a huge difference in the classroom climate. I also explained to my students that fair doesn't always mean equal. I evaluate each circumstance as it comes up and deal with it accordingly and fairly, for that particular student. Did it mean more work for me sometimes? Yes. Did it matter? No. Because did it help that particular student? You bet. That particular student was Frank the Fish for that particular "something," and needed a little modification. So that's what happened. No fish scales off my fins! ; ) As I end this blog, I feel compelled to say this: Please don't misunderstand me and think things were perfect in my classroom, or that I had or have all the answers. That is far from the truth. We had good days, and then we had days that were even better than that. But by just being conscious of my words and the things that their lives outside of school heaped on them, I feel like I was able to understand my students better than I would have if I just treated everyone as if they could all do the same thing on the same days within the same time frame inside those four classroom walls every day. At some points in our lives, every single one of us will be a fish out of water. We will all be Frank the Fish, if we haven't been him already. We will get a new job, we will meet new friends, we have moved to new schools, we have learned to drive, we have learned something new...period. But just because we don't do something the same way the person next to us does it, or can't do something they can do, doesn't make us wrong. A cow can't bark, no matter how long you stand in front of it, begging it to or trying to teach it how. That doesn't make the cow a bad dog. It just makes it a really good cow. Isn't that, after all, what we hope them to be? Embrace the differences we have, and love the fact that we have them. They're what make this world beautiful.

June 22, 2020

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