(Hamilton, NY – May 2013) The Colgate Bookstore and the Syracuse Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America will host a discussion with author Jack Wang on Saturday, June 8 at 2 p.m. in the Class of 2003 Events Room at 3 Utica St.
The talk, entitled “Pride, Prejudice, and Picture Books: Adapting Classic Novels for a Young Audience” will focus on Wang’s Cozy Classics book series that presents well-loved stories to children using 12 words or less. The event – which is intended for parents, teachers, artists, and fans of classic literature – is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
The talk, entitled “Pride, Prejudice, and Picture Books: Adapting Classic Novels for a Young Audience”, will focus on Wang’s Cozy Classics book series that presents well-loved stories to children using 12 words or less. The event – which is intended for parents, teachers, artists, and fans of classic literature – is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
The concept for Cozy Classics is simple: every classic in the series is condensed to 12 child-friendly words, and each word appears alongside a needle-felted illustration. The words are carefully selected to relate to a child’s world, such as “friends”, “sisters”, “dance”, “muddy”, “boat”, and “leg”. Created with an integrated approach to illustration which combines needle felting, scale model-making, and photography, the books are a fresh take on the infant primer. The series was an official selection at the 2013 Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition. Current Cozy Classics include Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, Les Miserables, and War and Peace. A preview of upcoming titles will be presented at the event.
Wang earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Florida State University, where his major area was the history of the novel. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College where he specializes in fiction writing and serves as Chair.