When we learned earlier this fall that Louisiana author Coleen Salley had suddenly passed away, we were humbly privileged to realize what a gift she’d given when she called our author name pronunciation line. Listening to Coleen Salley’s Author Name Pronunciation gives one a distinct sense of her story-telling capabilities and the ease with which her performances could entertain children of all ages.
More recently we’ve had the honor of working with Deborah Kogan Ray who has published a picture book biography about Wanda Gág (1893-1946), the famous author/illustrator of Millions of Cats. In conducting her research, Deborah learned that Gág often had to correct people about the pronunciation of her name. Gág even had a special way to help people remember how to pronounce her name, which you’ll hear Deborah describe in the name pronunciation message she created in Gág’s honor. We agree with Deborah: Gág would be pleased to know there’s a new resource to help her current and future fans learn how to pronounce her name.
In offering these author name pronunciations to the wider community, we are striving to help keep alive the work and lives of some wonderful book creators who are no longer here in their physical form. We do it carefully and with the utmost respect for their contributions to the field of children’s and young adult literature.
Posted by Carin Bringelson, MLS, Information Manager
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