BACA Off, Jamie Lee Curtis!

Ok, it's about time I do one of these BACA Off! reviews, don't ya think?. Thanks again to Mother Reader for the inspiration! I decided to start with a name that I figure most people know of, Jamie Lee Curtis, former teen scream movie star, and now popular picture book author. I've actually wanted to read one of her picture books for a while now, because I had heard over the years that she is supposed to be one of the good celebrity children's authors. So is she good? Hmmmmm....

I chose Curtis' first book, When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's memoir of Her Youth, which was published in 1993 by HarperCollins. The book is illustrated by Laura Cornell. My honest gut reaction when I read the title of the book? A little bit of eye-rolling. Contrived clever titles like that just annoy me. Not off to a good start. Also part of that annoyance is the fact that this book is obviously set up to "teach" a child all about personal identity. In fact, if you go to the book list of Curtis' site, you can see that each of her books has been written with a little "lesson" in mind, be it the subject of Family and Belonging, Imagination and Loss, or Self Esteem. Reading these descriptions makes me throw up a little.

The writing is nothing spectacular. It is, shall we say – competent. Curtis basically lists all the different things that a little girl couldn't do or wasn't aware of when she was little, and then how she has mastered so much now that she is sooooo much older.  Some examples:

When I was little, I had silly hair. Now I can wear it in a ponytail or braids or pigtails or a pom-pom. [I dunno. This description really bugs me. What the hell does she mean about silly hair?]

When I was little, I rode in a baby car seat. Now I ride like a grown-up and wave at policemen. [Apparently this description got some complaints from mothers on the Amazon site, since a four-year-old kid should obviously still be sitting in the back, in a car seat. I'm amazed the editors missed this one. Maybe Britney Spears can use this book in her defense].

When I was little I ate goo and yucky stuff. Now I eat pizza and noodles and fruit and Chee-tos. [I'm gonna sound like a real stick-in-the-mud here, but was it really necessary to have the product placement? And actually the mention of Chee-tos was another thing that cheezed off some of the mothers on Amazon. Heh. Cheezed Off. Aren't I funny? Maybe I should write children's books. After I get into acting in movies, that is].

Overall, the book didn't thrill me. There really is no story here to grab me. Absolutely no imagination in the writing. And I have my doubts that it's the kind of thing that little kids would get into, either. It's the kind of thing that parents think their kids should read. I'll tell you what kids will like about this book. The illustrations. They are delightful. Full of energy, and so cute and colourful. Had Jamie Lee Curtis not had such a talented illustrator, this book would have been a stinker, in my opinion. And that's one thing I have noticed a lot with celebrity children's authors. They (or their publishers) have enough sense to pick a very talented illustrator who can, quite frankly, carry the weight of the book. Because nine times outta ten, the writing on it's own, just won't do it.

When it comes to picture books, I guess I'm a bit of a grump. Or maybe it's that I'm still able to read picture books the same way I read them when I was a kid. I always looked for funny, snappy writing, an engaging story, and great pictures. I was usually drawn to picture books with very strong characters. Books like Harry The Dirty Dog, Or Curious George or anything by Dr. Seuss. I'm willing to bet big money that kids do not want to be taught a lesson when they read a picture book. They want to be entertained. And if they are entertained, they will discover how much fun reading can be, and they will continue to read.

When I was little, I would have stayed the hell away from this book.

Comments

[Kerry]

I have this book. My mom gave it to, maybe because she thought it was the type of book I should read, but I was twenty then so I'm not sure. I like it though-- it's sweet, and nostalgic, and I like that it's grounded in the material world. Not much of a narrative though, and I don't know how much appeal it would hold for four year olds as opposed to twenty-year olds. The illustrations definitely help the whole package-- you're right.

And I find the book "When You Were Small" (http://www.amazon.ca/When-Were-Small-Sara-OLeary/dp/1894965361/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/702-3544223-2246421?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193076515&sr=8-1) does something similar in a much more interesting and creative way.

Oh, and I feel sorry for you! You're just beginning your BACA reviews I think, and this really is the best celebrity penned book there is. If you think you're grumpy now...

[Beth]

Glad to see your first "BACA OFF!" review. (I love that expression.)
Silly hair? Chee-tos?
And why does she wave at policemen?
Not that I was going to read this book, but I might have bought it for a little friend of mine. Don't think I will now.

[John Mutford]

I didn't like this one either. I also read her "Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born" and felt it was okay. On the one hand it at least fills a niche (it's about an adopted girl) but at times it feels a little too p.c. and as you said, contrived. Still, it usually jumpstarts my own daughter into hearing her own birth story and I appreciate that.

[heather (errantdreams)]

Well, maybe she deserves a little leeway for it being her first book? But only if her others got better.

I sometimes feel slightly sorry for celebrities who try to become authors (not if they're just trying to take advantage of their fame, but if they really want to write). After all, odds are that everyone around them is going to fawn over their writing and tell them it's great while planning to run straight to the bank on their fame. Who's going to actually have the guts to tell them (or think it's worth bothering since their fame will drive sales) that their characterization or narrative needs work?

I have to hope that at least a few of them might be better authors if the people around them bothered to tell them they needed to improve.

[Patricia]

The thing is, Heather, why should we not hold up these 'authors' to the same standard as we would any other children's author? They have chosen to venture into new territory, they should accept the criticism as part of the package. One of my arguments is that had this story come from a 'regular person' I strongly have my doubts that it would ever have seen the light of day. It certainly would NOT have received the same amount of attention and marketing, that I know for sure. Why should Ms. Curtis, or any other celebrity, get special treatment? In my mind, they already have received pretty damn special treatment, by the obvious fact that their manuscripts get published, thus taking a much coveted spot that an unknown talented children's author should have acquired.

[Jack Ruttan]

I wouldn't worry about it so much. Celebs are always going to have children, and then think that writing a kids' book is "easier" than real writing. Then they'll get it marketed because of their names.

Still, the books aren't going to last. I'd think it'd be a way for some illustrators to ask for a lot of money.

Authors and critics are just going to look petty complaining about it. Better to do better work, and promote the really talented creators. I wonder who those are, these days?

What drives me up the wall personally are those corporately-conceived and marketed children's book characters. Man, would I hate to draw Caillou, or Franklin the Turtle! (no, actually, I'd do it, again if lots of money were offered) But it's all part of the publishing world. Friends of mine were surviving drawing Clifford the Big Red Dog colouring books.