Last week the renowned Jamaican writer of children’s books,
C. Everard Palmer, passed away in Canada where he had been living. For many of
us he was the consummate Caribbean and Jamaican children’s writer in that he
had succeeded in entering the imagination of our children of successive
generations. In a country, Jamaica, where reading is not considered a viable use
of time, he had entered the lives of many children. I suspect that
some of them will remember, for example, A Cow Called Boy or The Cloud with a Silver Lining. My favourite
was My Father, Sun-Sun Johnson. Was Everard
Palmer an influence in my wanting to write for children? I don’t know, but I do
know that when I would sit and stare adoringly at my shelves of books ( I am
inclined to look at my books as one might look at collections of exquisite
jewels), the sight of that particular book, My Father, Sun-Sun Johnson, filled
my heart. I know that the work of any writer encourages other writers,
especially when it comes to children’s writing. He has left behind a strong
legacy. Nuff respect C. Everard Palmer! I hope that you know how much you were
loved and admired.
And since we must go on, it is good to celebrate Tanya Batson-Savage
winning the first prize for Best Storyboard/Script at the Kingst00n Animation
Festival. Congratulations to Tanya, whose publishing house Blue Moon had a
launch of a children’s book (my previous post) last weekend. Multitalented
young lady! The judges for this festival included big names in animation in the
world, so clearly it was no ‘little, little festival’. (See report in The
Gleaner for June 25).
And so in a way, as
we mark the passing of a giant in children’s literature, we also welcome the future. The future is not just
books and publishing by young writers and entrepreneurs, but the new
technologies like animation. Yes, animation has always been with us courtesy of
Walt Disney , but it appears that more and more we might be seeing a marriage
between books and animation. The future awaits us.
Photo of Tanya Batson-Savage taken by Emma Lewis at launch of Bolo the Monkey
My condolences to the family of C Everard Palmer. It is hard to plan something quickly when someone passes, but perhaps we could look at his birthday, Oct 15, to celebrate his life and work - a celebration by way of highlighting his work, on radio programmes and special displays in bookshops, and libraries. Perhaps a competition for children, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea, Helen. I'll pass it by some others and we'll see if any of them pick it up.
ReplyDelete