#Lost in the storm carol carrick movie#
#Lost in the storm carol carrick full#

#Lost in the storm carol carrick full#

Interested in more? Try to find any of the following books of their collection:ĭark and Full of Secrets – A boy swims out too far and needs help. Books I pull of the shelves when a friend is in need of understanding, when nightmares run around the house, when the tough just seems to get tougher, and when I want to truly see through the eyes of a child. Patrick’s Dinosaurs perfectly toes that line and gives a stamp of acceptance to that uneasy feeling. One of the reasons I was fascinated with dinosaurs was that it made me feel both afraid and excited. The dinosaurs are huge and intimidating on each page, shadows under the water, eyes peeking through windows. Patrick is imagining dinosaurs as he and his brother walk through the zoo. Not until I was much older did I realize what Carol and Donald were doing in the book. I might have checked out Patrick’s Dinosaurs more than anyone else at the Bellingham Public Library.

The world outside is altered greatly, but adventure is still there. Christopher rafts down a river with downed trees. The Washout changed my perspective on these destructive forces of nature. The windstorm that knocked over an ancient cottonwood which killed the power for several days.

The silver thaw that coated the trees with thick ice and caused widespread power outages. The thunderstorm that clapped so loud it felt like the house was falling down. The handful of strong storms I can remember as a child were frightening. Bellingham is a temperate climate on the salt water and the weather is mild, year-round. We didn’t get strong storms like the one in The Washout in my hometown in Bellingham. I could read and see Christopher’s anger, his grief, and how he moved on. The Accident was a safe place for me to process. I was a young boy who loved animals, but dogs most and to lose some of them to tragedy was more than hard.

#Lost in the storm carol carrick movie#

Following Christopher through this story is a little like watching a movie where you scream at the protagonist, “Don’t open that door!” We had a few dogs growing up and many met a disastrous fate. The title itself is foreboding and the image of a boy fishing with his dog in a creek does nothing to lessen the feeling. No better place is this seen than in the book The Accident. They were both known to see the world from the eyes of a child and, remarkably, provide comfort in the words and pictures when the world within had become overwhelming. It was these books that held the greatest impact in my life. Christopher and Paul, their sons, were both inspirations and models for their words and illustrations. Married in 1965, they moved several times, and began collaborating professionally in 1966. They met while Carol was working for Coronet Magazine and Donald was freelancing. Donald studied at several arts institutes including Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center as well as the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Carol graduated from Hofstra College on Long Island with a degree in Advertising Art. They were a prolific team, working together on 37 books, and separately on many many more.

In researching some of the personal information I found that there is a startling lack of information outside of obituaries. Books like The Accident (death in the family), The Washout (fearsome power of nature), and Patrick’s Dinosaurs (the push and pull of fear and interest). With the comforting wrinkled smile of the experienced, knowing that the only way out of this pain is through it. They dealt with difficult topics with the gentle hand of one who has been there before. When I think of my childhood it is often in the sepia tones of their best books (in my opinion). Carol and Donald Carrick are one of those author/illustrator teams. Age caught them by the arm and helped them along. There are of course authors/illustrators that I will never see. It isn’t nearly as easy to see authors if you don’t frequent the conference circuit, but I’m blessed to live in the Pacific Northwest where the Western Washington University Children’s Literature Conference is located as well as the fabulous local Village Books bookstore. Josh Ritter, Wilco, Arcade Fire, James Taylor. Some that I admit that I probably won’t see thanks to ticket pricing. I have a list in my head of currently touring bands that I don’t want to miss.