About the Book
On a beautiful spring day, sisters Jane and Cassandra enjoy tea with Mother in the garden. Jane is in the throes of writing a story for Father's birthday, but too many ideas swirl in her head, and she cannot get started. The Blue Willow pattern on the tea set catches Jane's attention ... will that be the inspiration she's looking for? This book commemorates the 250th birthday of Jane Austen -- it celebrates her writing, which continues to engage readers around the world, and highlights the deep love between Jane and her sister Cassandra. The book introduces children to Jane Austen and her enduring legacy as an author, and perhaps could inspire them to become writers themselves.
About the Author :
Catherine Little is an educator, consultant, and writer with a love of children's picture books. She especially enjoys reading her stories to families and has shared her work at schools, libraries, and special venues such as the Ontario Science Centre, Art Gallery of Ontario, and Royal Ontario Museum. Jane and the Blue Willow Princess is Catherine's fifth book. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with here husband and son. Also by Catherine Little
Twelve in a Race, illustrated by Sae Kimura Dragon's Dilemma, illustrated by Sae Kimura Endgame: The Secret Force 136, illustrated by Sean Huang Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill, illustrated by Sae Kimura
Sae Kimura is an artist and illustrator originally from Odawara, Japan, now working and exhibiting her art in Toronto and elsewhere. Her artwork can be found in many galleries and private collections. Jane and the Blue Willow Princess is done by acrylic, soft pastel and pencil crayon on paper.
Review :
"A lovely spring release that invites young readers into the world of a young Jane Austen, her sister, and two brothers. This enchanting tale follows Jane as she struggles with a swirl of ideas while trying to write a special story for her father's birthday. When Jane's gaze lands on the beautiful Blue Willow tea set, could it be the inspiration she needs? Will her siblings help to bring her story to life?...This book is a perfect way to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday, blending history, heart, and imagination. Whether you're already a fan of Jane or new to her world, Jane and the Blue Willow Princess is a delightful story that sparks creativity in children and reminds us of the lasting power of stories." Jane in Niagara @janeinniagara on Instagram
"Jane Austen's success as a writer flourished during her later years in Chawton, but it began as a young girl making up stories to entertain her family. This delightful imagining of a young Jane takes me back to my own childhood at Chawton House, with a tree house in the garden and tea served on Blue Willow pattern china."
- Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's fifth great niece, Founder of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation
"Just in time for the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, Catherine Little has crafted a highly original and imaginative tale that teaches young readers that inspiration can come from anywhere, even a tea set! Jane and the Blue Willow Princess is a splendid introduction to the life and legacy of Jane Austen and perfectly captures the spirit and essence of her work."
Teresa Iaizzo, Janeite and Children's Librarian
This lovely tale is sure to captivate little creatives, with its message that story ideas can come from anywhere and anything--in this case, young Jane Austen's mother's tea set. It's a message this Austen-loving writer (she inspired me to study literature and become an author myself) regularly imparts to her writing students! Author Catherine Little also beautifully captures Austen's close sibling ties. And Sae Kimura's illustrations are gorgeous!"
-Bev Katz Rosenbaum, author of I'm Good and Other Lies
"The name of Jane Austen is forever linked with her Regency novels of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and more, though she wasn't credited with their authorship during her lifetime. But how Jane Austen became the writer she did is purported to have its origins in her family and childhood, and Jane and the Blue Willow Princess is but one story of how she might have drawn inspiration from that place and time.
Catherine Little's story of little Jane takes readers to a family home in the late 1700s England where children entertained themselves and would take tea outdoors on Blue Willow fine china. In this story, Jane talks with her older sister Cassandra whom she calls Cassy, about her many ideas for her writing. Though young readers might not recognize key scenes from her books, like a young lady on a horse getting caught in the rain or a family with many daughters who walk the countryside and confide in each other, these are the basis of Jane's ideas. But on this day, she is considering what to write as a birthday gift for her father.
While enjoying their tea, Jane is fascinated by the scenes depicted on the plate. She sees a fleeing young woman on a bridge, an attentive man on a boat, a wealthy or important man looking agitated, and lush outdoor scenes. Within the chinoiserie design of the plate, even after it gets broken by a stray ball, Jane finds inspiration.
With that plate in mind, Jane creates a play about a Blue Willow Princess who chooses not to marry her prince. Jane and her siblings perform her play for her father's birthday and take a step forward in launching her writing career.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth and there will undoubtedly be many events and commemorations to celebrate the author. As with many historical figures, some information is known but there are always gaps that offer opportunities for fictionalized accounts and Jane and the Blue Willow Princess is one such imaginative story. Catherine Little, whose earlier books include Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill, Dragon's Dilemma, and Twelve in a Race, gives us a lovely story about a child who finds inspiration in a plate. And anyone who writes will understand that creativity can find a germ of an idea anywhere, whether in personal experiences with others, in local happenings, or in a plate. For Jane Austen, she found her ideas very close to home.
Sae Kimura, who illustrated all of Catherine Little's earlier picture books, has a style that is very well matched to a historical picture book. There's a lightness of line and colour that transports us hundreds of years ago to a time when girls wore simple empire silhouettes and boys wore breeches and waistcoats. But she also gets the whimsy in there with Jane's imagination as her writing takes on her flights of fancy.
A foreword comment to Jane and the Blue Willow Princess from Caroline Jane Knight, the fifth great niece of Jane Austen, submits that Jane's storytelling with her family was important in helping her to write the novels that she would complete later in life. With everything around her providing her with fodder for her writing, even a Blue Willow Princess, Jane Austen to her readers and her audiences to the places of her imagination and delighted them with her fancy."
Helen Kubiw, Canlit for Little Canadians
"This beautiful book is a commemoration of the birth of Jane Austen, born 250 years ago. Catherine Little has done a beautiful job of imagining Jane Austen as a young girl who enjoyed making up stories to entertain her family. The discovery of a blue willow plate dug up at Steventon Rectory in the United Kingdom (Jane's birthplace, ) provided an impetus for writing this picture book.The story also conveys the loyal love between Jane and her sister, Cassandra (Cassy). Sae Kimura's artwork helped to illuminate the life of Jane Austen, her family and friends and the environment she grew up in."
Dr. Larry Swartz, Dr. Larry Recommends
"A charming picture book for young readers that uses the blue willow pattern on the Austen family china as a springboard for a fanciful story of Jane (already a writer), and Cassandra Austen as children."
Betsy Groban, JASNA News book review editor
