TooZooZEEM Is REAL! A Puppet Brings A Picture Book to Life by Carol Levin

My invitation to present my picture book, Haggadah Regatta, at the Detroit Jewish Book Fair 2019 came as a sweet surprise. I’m an indie author and illustrator and this fair in West Bloomfield is the largest of its kind in the country. I had two months to prepare for five-minutes-of-fame on the Michigan Authors Panel.

How could I squeeze all I have say about a Haggadah that combines the best parts of a traditional Passover seder with the tale of seder on a matzah raft? I drafted script after script, trying to whittle my message to five minutes and get the fact across that this family Haggadah is for everyone at the seder. Little kids, teens and grown-ups can all learn from my character TooZooZEEM and his crew of shoes. This night is different from all others.

Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor provided an answer. Lisa Wheeler, author of People Don’t Bite People and her cuddly puppet were at the store, charming a small gathering of kids and parents. That’s it! What if TooZooZEEM joined me at the Book Fair? Touring together would be great fun. Lisa steered me to Folkmanis Puppets.

I oohed and aahed through a virtual zoo of stuffies at Folkmanis.com, searching for Haggadah Regatta’s four-legged kid. The company has been making puppets since 1976. I focused on their split hoof collection. Screaming Goat had a spotted coat. Lamb’s ears were too short and Bleating Sheep’s ears were black. Sadly, TooZooZEEM was missing. That night, I awoke from a dream and padded down the hall to my office. TooZooZEEM was in the catalog, after all. He was hiding in a Longwool Sheep costume.

The little kid found his way to my door three days later. A few necessary adjustments completed the magic. First, a good shearing.

Then, a few tacks to pin down his ears.

I grafted horns to his head and stitched glossy floss upon his nose. After much wiggling in his new life vest, TooZooZEEM bleated, “It’s my birthday! I’m REAL.”

Getting real requires practice. We played and replayed lots of puppeteering videos. And we shot our own videos to improve our routine. Now we’re a team. We can gauge when to listen, and when to talk. When TooZooZEEM whispers in my ear, I scratch behind his ears. His favorite action is to stomp with the crew. We can be silly, and we can be serious. Our Yom Kippur debut with human kids featured TooZooZEEM, playing the scapegoat with “mistakes” we taped to his vest. Saying I’m sorry is easier when we say it with our friends.

TooZooZEEM makes holidays more fun. Join us for Passover!

Carol Bloom Levin is the author and illustrator of Haggadah Regatta. Carol and her kid puppet (the star of the Haggadah) will speak at the Detroit Jewish Book Fair on November 3 at 10:00 AM at the JCC in West Bloomfield. The Ann Arbor duo are booking author visits for Passover 2020. Learn more at www.carollevin.us.













SCBWI-MI member, Suzanne Jacobs Lipshaw, author of I Campaigned for Ice Cream, will also speak on the Michigan Author Panel at the Detroit Jewish Book Fair. See the panel line-up and full schedule here:https://bookfair.jccdet.org/schedule-2/

Important Announcements for SCBWI-MI members!

Registration has begun for the SCBWI Annual Winter Conference in New York City, and SCBWI-MI members have a wonderful scholarship opportunity thanks to Shutta Crum.

Learn more and apply here ASAP! The deadline is Nov. 3rd!

More info is also available on Shutta's website:
http://shutta.com/shuttaco/2020scholarship.pdf

https://michigan.scbwi.org/2019/10/24/shuttas-scholarship-solution-to-the-winter-doldrums-is-here-again/

SCBWI-MI is thrilled to announce:

In collaboration with the spring nonfiction conference (Save the date: March 7, 2020), SCBWI-MI is holding two nonfiction mentorships next year.

One will be for nonfiction picture books with mentor Patricia Newman.
The other is for nonfiction middle grade/young adult with mentor Stephanie Bearce. 

We're giving you plenty of time to get prepared!

The submission window for both mentorships will open on May 5, 2020.
The submission window for both mentorships will close when we receive 30 applications or on May 26, 2020 – whichever comes first.

The registration fee is $20.
All applicants receive constructive comments on their submissions from the three super-secret, superstar judges.

More information and complete submission instructions are available at: https://michigan.scbwi.org/2019/10/23/non-fiction-mentorship-2020/

Coming up on the Mitten Blog:

Introducing the SCBWI-MI Diversity Committee, interviews with the Non-Fiction Mentors, an ongoing series about local Michigan publishers, more Book Birthdays, a Writer Spotlight, another round of Hugs and Hurrahs, and much more.

More soon!

Subscribe to the Mitten Blog and never miss a post. See "Follow by Email" on the right side-bar.

Did you know SCBWI-MI is on Instagram? See what our illustrators are up to:

https://www.instagram.com/scbwimichiganillustrators/

SCBWI-MI Shop Talks are happening every month all around the state! Reach out to the coordinator in your area to get on their email list. It's the best way to stay up-to-date with the schedules and speakers. Go here to learn more and find a Shop Talk near you: https://michigan.scbwi.org/critique-groups-2/

Have a great weekend!