Steven Kellogg Is Stopping In For A Visit This Weekend

By Shannon Hicks

For almost 40 years, Steven Kellogg has been delighting readers young and old with his bright, lively books full of feisty imagination and silliness, and always perfectly expressing children’s thoughts and dreams.

Now, for the first time, a treasury of Mr Kellogg’s books, including many of his best sellers and several little-known books that have been unavailable for many years, has been released as Pinkerton & Friends: A Steven Kellogg Treasury (Dial Books for Young Readers, New York, September 2004; hardcover $30, 336 pages; ISBN 0-8037-2979-0).

The former Sandy Hook resident will be visiting C.H. Booth Library this weekend and while the scheduled program is officially billed as a presentation by the author and illustrator concerning his latest releases, to be followed by a book signing, there will undoubtedly be plenty of attendees of all ages showing up just to say Hello to Mr Kellogg again.

Steven Kellogg will be at Booth Library on Saturday, November 20, for a 1 pm program. He will talk about his latest books, and then sign books for fans of all ages. Copies of Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, Jimmy’s Boa and The Bungee Jump Slam Dunk, Clorinda and the new Pinkerton & Friends collection will be available for purchase, along with a few additional titles.

Eleven books are included in the new collection: Can I Keep Him?, Won’t Somebody Play With Me?, The Island of the Skog, Much Bigger Than Martin, Pinkerton Behave!, The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate The Wash, Ralph’s Secret Weapon, Best Friends, The Christmas Witch, Library Lil, and The Mysterious Tadpole.

Because they are arranged chronologically, the stories allow readers to hear and see the growth of this artist’s words and illustrations.

There is also a biographical profile of Mr Kellogg by noted children’s book scholar Barbara Elleman. “Born With a Crayon in His Hand: A Profile of Steven Kellogg” presents a sketch of Mr Kellogg’s life, complete with personal photos and even some never-before-seen sketches.

A lovely introduction by the actress Helen Hunt opens the collection. A family friend, Ms Hunt recalls visiting her extended family, the Kelloggs, in Sandy Hook and how “few things [delighted] me more than getting to go into Steve’s studio. Ochre and crimsons overflowing out of tubes and onto little palettes and putty knives…”

Ms Hunt expresses eloquently what many of Mr Kellogg’s fans have long suspected: “…in every one of Steve’s books, as its narrative is driving along, and its pictures are exploding with color and magic, there is room at its heart for the person who’s too small. … As a child, it is comforting to read about the adventures of another younger sibling.”

Mr Kellogg has written and/or illustrated more than 100 books during his career, the vast majority of which are told from a child’s point of view.

Also to be featured during Mr Kellogg’s visit to Booth Library on Saturday will be a book that came out just before the Pinkerton & Friends treasury. Released in September, Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town gives author credits (and rightly so) to J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie.

Mr Gillespie was one of the great Tin Pan Alley writers and a 1972 Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee. He reportedly came up with the words to “Santa Claus is Coming To Town” in 1934 in less than 15 minutes — while riding a subway to his home after leaving his publisher’s office with directions to create a new Christmas song.

Mr Coots, also a 1972 inductee, wrote the music for the song. It was one of more than 700 songs he is credited with during his career.

Mr Kellogg has created a colorful and adventurous presentation to accompany the lyrics. The opening pages introduce a mouse, who has just returned from the North Pole with instructions for a young boy and girl on what they need to do to be in Santa’s good graces.

Readers of all ages will have a hard time not singing along to the very familiar words. Try to refrain from singing and flipping through the pages too quickly, however, at least once. Mr Kellogg’s beautiful illustrations are worth spending time studying.