One is never too old to appreciate a wonderful children’s story or beautiful artwork.
Case in point, The Mitten a Ukrainian folk tale adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Many young people, and some not so young, know the story how Nicki lost his new white mitten in the snow while walking through the forest.
As Nicki searches for his mitten, one by one various wild animals find it and crawl inside to be warm. First a small mole finds it and then various others follow, increasing in size until a rather large brown bear fills it up. Finally a small mouse hops on the bear’s nose, causing him to sneeze, sending all the animals flying and a rather stretched out mitten is then found by Nicki.
To celebrate the book’s anniversary, Brett is traveling around the United States in her customized tour bus decorated in artwork from her books and will be at the Wegman’s on McKinley Parkway, across from the McKinley Mall in Hamburg from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Brett took some time out of her busy schedule to speak to The Sun from her home in Norwell, Mass. to talk about her career, her inspirations and shared some tips for aspiring authors and artists.
“As a child I read Beatrice Potter and Rudyard Kipling stories,” Brett said. “I loved the stories and the artwork, but I was one of those children that had to look at the last page to see how everything worked out.
“So now in my stories I illustrate all around the borders to give hints on what is going to happen,” she said. Brett has sold over 33 million copies of her books in the past 30 years.
Brett’s first book Fritz and the Beautiful Horses is the only book without the border pictures.
The next book, Annie and the Wild Animals, introduced the story within the story and there has been no looking back since then.
“I love the decorative part of my books,” said Brett. “All the beautiful folk art I use enhances the middle part of each page, which is the story. Plus it gives me a chance to expand what is happening to the other characters, whether it is a cat and her kittens, a hedgehog or a troll.”
When asked about the inspiration of her stories and artwork she said some comes from her own backyard, she has 45 Polish and Silkie chickens, 10 Mandarin ducks, and at one time a hedgehog, and from her travels.
Brett, with her husband Joseph Hearne, who is a musician with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, travels a lot here in this country and has been to Norway, Denmark, China, Africa, the Arctic Circle, Costa Rica and is planning on going to Sweden.
As a matter of fact, this is not Brett’s first visit to the Hamburg area. She has a friend, Joel Henning, who lives in the Town of Boston who also raises chickens.
“I was here for the poultry show that is held at your Agri Center,” said Brett. “That was a great show.”
Brett, an alumnus of the School of Arts in Boston, Mass., started off working in commercial art. She gave these words of encouragement to others who want to draw or write.
“Don’t feel you have to know everything right away,” she said.
“Don’t be discouraged because you can’t draw everything perfectly right away, especially people.
“Give it time. Many times in the beginning I thought I was there, but was rejected.
“You have to dig deep and try harder. You have to give yourself time to let the creativity flow without other input, like television, computers, music, things that will distract you.
“Everyone has that creativity inside them. Don’t pick it apart or force it. Take the time to unprogram yourself, relax and let it flow,” Brett said.
Brett went on to say she was sort of a solitary child, a bit shy and spent a lot of time drawing on her own.
“It was a wonderful way to express my feelings, thoughts and dreams,” she said. “I try to encourage that during my tours when I talk to the children.
“I would love to be able to drive across the United States and just talk to all the children.
“They really understand a lot more than people give them credit for. Their minds are so able to grab things. Children are very complex and I love them,” she said.
For more information about Brett, visit her Web site at www.janbrett.com which offers children drawing lessons, coloring pages, tour list, a list of all her books and a newsletter.

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