Josh Schneider says getting hit by a door helped clear his mind.
Schneider is the winner of the 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for his book, Tales for Very Picky Eaters. Yesterday, at the American Library Association conference in Anaheim, Calf., Schneider accepted his award with a brief speech to a roomful of children's librarians.
Schneider said he had trouble writing his speech until he got hit in the face with a door.
"What being whapped in the face with a door made me realize ... is that I don't have to say much about this book -- it's not very long -- but that I do have something to say about learning to read.... Reading opens doors.
"When a child scraps her way through her first beginning reader, she is walking through a door that leads, not just to what Frog and Toad are up to this time, but to a new person.
"This person will someday be able to pass through the back of a magical wardrobe before moving on to fall in love with vampires and then spend vacations on the beach with James Patterson. This person will also be able to understand chemistry textbooks and the newspaper and the instructions for her new clock radio... All this, free with every Frog and Toad story at no extra charge. In these tough economic times, that's a really good deal."
Schneider concluded by thanking the door that gave him the idea for his speech.
"Because, after rubbing my nose and clearing my head, I looked down, saw that the sign said Pull, not Push, and walked through yet another door opened for me by reading."
Here's more on Schneider's book and the Geisel Honor winners: Welcome to the (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award home page! | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)