a love letter to the brilliant Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I don't know the first time that I heard the name Amy Krouse Rosenthal. It was likely on the cover of a picture book, seeing as they have long been a big part of my life and she has written a multitude of them. Though my picture book collection is in storage for the year until we get into our new house, I know that nestled into those boxes are several of her titles, well loved from bedtime reading with my kids and preschool story times in my classroom.

At some point, I became aware of AKR's other projects, clever ideas come to life in unique experiences. Through the years of "The Beckoning of Lovely," I was bummed that I did not live closer to Chicago, as I would have loved to have been able to attend one of the gatherings on those special dates of 08/08/08, 09/09/09, 10/10/10, and 11/11/11.

We were fortunate to be able to participate in a few of her projects over the years. It began in the summer of 2010, when the kids were picked to be read a bedtime story over the phone by none other than AKR herself. I believe she posted something on Facebook and my comment was one of the randomly chosen winners. She sent the children a copy of Little Pea, and one night, she called our home and while the children sat together on the couch, she read them her delightful story over speakerphone. They were thrilled to actually be talking to a real-live author whose books they adored. It was a brush with fame, and in our family authors are at the top of the celeb totem pole. Little did I know then just how much AKR's work would come to mean to me.

the best bedtime story ever, June 2010

In 2011, we had an opportunity to take part in one of AKR's fun experiences, merging the joy of Little Pea with the classic fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea" to create "The Princess and the Little Pea." I could explain it, but why not take five minutes and watch the video. and don't blink around the 2:00 mark. (And though it's been almost six years, I still wonder who found the book we hid in IKEA back home!)

We continued to read AKR's picture books, especially happy whenever she collaborated with illustrator Tom Lichtenheld, as in one of our favorites, Duck! Rabbit!. In 2012, the National Book Festival lasted for two days instead of just one, and I was in heaven. With my handy-dandy press pass, I was able to set up a few interviews with children's authors, and Amy Krouse Rosenthal was one of them! Unfortunately, I can't find the audio file from our conversation, which from what I remember involved me fan-girling like mad. That day, then-12-year-old JAM was my companion, and AKR graciously invited him to come back and sit with us in a curtained off area in the media tent. We learned that he and her oldest child share the same first name, and she involved him the conversation so kindly. I remember feeling so in awe of her spirit, as she talked about her projects, animatedly and with pure joy.

9/23/2012, the date in which I scared AKR with my gushing adoration

9/23/2012, also that date in which my pre-teen son has better chill than me

the postcard AKR gave me that in my excitement I couldn't quite read correctly the first time through....

Fast-forward two years, I heard about another of Amy's upcoming projects, and I knew I wanted to try to get one of my children involved. At this point, I thought Red was the perfect age and had the best passion for reading and authors, so I nominated her for AKR's "Kid Study."

The project morphed a few times, right from the beginning when AKR decided to choose twelve kids to study over a course of a year instead of just one. Red was absolutely thrilled to be picked as one of the twelve! She was assigned the month of August, but in the end, the project became a video called "The Wisdom Project," a different end product than what we imagined, but one that showcased AKR's unique way of bringing people together and creating beautiful things with universal appeal.

In the time between the beginning of that project and the release of the final video, it was time for the National Book Festival, and when I saw AKR's name on the list of authors, I knew it would be another special experience. I got in touch with Amy through the emails going back and forth for the "Kid Study" project and asked if it would be at all possible for Red to say hello to her in between her presentations and such. Amazingly, she shared her cell number and told me to be in touch that day. To say that Red was excited would be a ridiculous understatement.

9/5/15, AKR asked Red if she wanted to try on her "Book Jacket Jacket"

9/5/15, fan-girling is in her blood

That amazingly unique piece of clothing Red is wearing is AKR's "Book Jacket Jacket," just another of her wholly original and delightful ideas. As you can see from her face, Red was a wee bit excited to chat with Amy, and she shared her excitement about the then-ongoing "Kid Study" project. Amy also gave her a copy of her newest book at the time, Friendshape, with her special embossed stamp and signed by illustrator Tom Lichtenheld, our favorite of her collaborators! 

Now, you may asking yourself what has brought about my love letter at this time. Yesterday, I saw an article go by in my Facebook feed several times, shared by more than a few friends. The headline made my heart squeeze and when I saw it, I knew I couldn't read it at that moment. By the time I finally had the time and fortitude to read it, the puzzle pieces fell into place and I was devastated.

See, a couple months ago, I joined Instagram, really only with the intention of seeing what the teenager was doing on there. Eventually, I followed a couple folks, but I ended up rarely even opening the app. A couple weeks ago, I did click it open for some reason, and somehow I got over to AKR's account, I think linked from another kidlit author I had followed. I saw her announcement that she was putting her latest project on hold, and mixed into the message was a note about how she had cancer. It seems as if her world was changed with an ovarian cancer diagnosis on the evening of the National Book Festival when we last met up with her in 2015. Devastating.

What?! I admit to not keeping up with all of her social media postings and ongoing work because honestly, that woman is a powerhouse of creativity. But I couldn't believe that I had missed such an important turn of events. I sent her off an email expressing our concern and sending our love. I hoped that she was receiving treatment that might be leaving her temporarily weak, but giving her the opportunity to get strong again in recovery.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Her essay in The New York Times that was published yesterday, "You May Want to Marry My Husband" is monumentally heartbreaking and showcases the ultimate level of love that one human being can have for another. It's a sob-inducing piece of writing that no person should ever have to write, and in one of her final acts of creativity, Amy Krouse Rosenthal has once again written something that will touch people in deeper ways than she'll ever fully understand.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal sees the world in a way that I long to see it. She can shine light on aspects of life that are routine or mundane and they suddenly sparkle with the beauty of relatability. How often I read or watched creations of hers and thought, "Yes, exactly that!" or "Damn, I wish I had thought to put those words together!" I have such admiration for her work, her creativity, her passion, her energy, and her ambition to do nothing more than share joy with the world.

In her latest memoir, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, she encouraged readers to engage with her in a texting experiment. As I read it, I followed most of the texting prompts, including one that asked readers to text their good luck wishes, for themselves or someone else. The plan was to print the messages out and place them in bottles to be tossed out to sea each year. My wish was for success for someone close to me who will soon be at a crossroads in life, and I'm thrilled to know that it was among these 800+ other well-wishes.

I've texted another message, and I encourage others to do so, as well, if you've been touched by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. As per instructions in Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, first text Hello to 312-883-9945. You'll receive a welcome message in response, but don't worry, you'll never get anything else unless you send one of the prompts. To send a message to be included in the next round of well-wishes bottles, which I can only assume will continue, first text Bottle in response to the welcome message you received, and then you'll be prompted to follow up with your wish. May 2018's bottles be filled with love and admiration for Amy herself.

It is so fucking unfair that this world will lose Amy Krouse Rosenthal's vision and spirit. She has touched people all around the world and brought to fruition more beauty than anyone else I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life. She deserves more.

Thank you, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, for sharing your heart with us. I wish you more love and joy and peace.

ETA: Amy Krouse Rosenthal passed away on Monday, March 13, 2017. Her obituary can be read here. There were many, many tears in our household that evening, as well as a snuggly and teary reading with my younger two children of I Wish You More and That's Me Loving You before bedtime.