I was thanking my artistic friend Stephanie Schlatter today on the phone for her support of the new Ready Set Go books, and she said something I’ve heard from other people I’ve thanked in the past few weeks–I didn’t do much it was your determination blah blah blah. But here’s the thing…
If Stephanie hadn’t wanted to go create art in Maji, Ethiopia last year…if Maureen (seen with me at one of our hotels on the way) hadn’t created tissue paper art with kids at the bookmaking day in Addis Ababa…if Troy hadn’t scanned the kids’ art and created a prototype book…
…if Stephanie and Dr. Ann Porter in Grand Forks, ND, hadn’t financially supported us with materials and to help pay for design and translation…if people in Portland like Ann Griffin and Laurie Curtis and Beth Neel and others hadn’t helped set up a bookmaking day here…if Molly Curran hadn’t talked to her daughter’s school and teachers hadn’t said YES…
…if WEEMA and Ethiopia Reads hadn’t paid for a printing and wanted to distribute the books in Ethiopia…and if a whole other army of volunteers and supporters hadn’t stepped up…
…these kids and adults wouldn’t have instantly stuck their noses into the books and started to read and talk and laugh and love them.
Really and truly…it takes readers to make a book a book.
