Children's book author and illustrator Judy Schachner loves reading, tongue twisters and animals. And she's promised to spread the love when she visits with fans Friday at the King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City.
"I do a rapid-fire reading," Schachner said from her home studio in Swarthmore, Pa. "I love to get huge crowds barking, too. You'll have many, many, mucho, mucho barkers when I come."
Schachner's characters come from the things she knows best — family, children and especially pets. "I'm always telling kids that your pets are fantastic writers," she said. "If you really just observe them carefully, then you'll notice the things they do you can't make up."
In fact, Schachner's most popular character, Skippyjon Jones — a Siamese kitten who thinks he's a sword-fighting, Spanish-speaking Chihuahua — is actually based on her own cat. One day, Schachner's cat had an unfortunate altercation with a bumblebee and something magical happened, Schachner said. "He began to speak Spanish to me that day."
Five books later, and Schachner says her ideas for Skippy are endless. "I'm always thinking of things that Skippy would do," she said. "There's just so many opportunities for jokes and puns, and it just kind of takes on a life of its own."
Children identify with Skippy, Schachner says, because he's just a little kid with ADD. "They see themselves in him, and they see that he has this huge imagination and all the possibilities that imagination provides."
Skippy offers both children and adults the chance to play act, something that Schachner sees as an equalizer when it comes to the classroom and beyond, particularly when hindered by a language barrier.
"So many teachers have said (the books) bring their classes together," Schachner said. "The Spanish kids will correct the teacher for their incorrect pronunciation, and they take ownership of the words. And then the English-speaking kids who don't know Spanish learn to understand a little bit more about their (Spanish-speaking) culture and language through a really fun and a lovable character.
"I love, love, love the Spanish language," Schachner said. "I love the way that it sounds. And I think it leads itself to a rollicking good read. Sure, not all the words Skippy speaks are Spanish. He makes up the Spanish because he doesn't really know very much, but he thinks he knows Spanish. And the more I write them, the more real Spanish language I put in."
Schachner has always loved to draw; she says she was practically born with a pencil in her hand. But it wasn't until much later that she realized she had skills as a storyteller, too. "I was always making up dialogue when I was a little kid," Schachner said. "When I was drawing, I was creating stories, and all of these characters talked and had very rich lives. And that's the same thing I do now (writing them down)."
Children should never be afraid to exercise their imaginations, Schachner says. She hopes coming away from reading her books, or those by others, really inspires them to take chances.
"I say to them, 'Stop, drop and use your imagination,' " Schachner said.
"The best thing I can tell them is to read. The more I read, the more aware I became of voice. And if you can tell a good story, you can write a good story."
If you go …
Who: Judy Schachner
What: Reading of "Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice"
When: Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m.
Where: King's English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City
Phone: 801-484-9100
Web: www.kingsenglish.com
e-mail: jharrison@desnews.com