Ruben de Jesus

(Above) Ruben de Jesus in New York and his artwork for Mahiyaing Manok.

The Shy Rooster makes its mark in New York
by Ruben de Jesus

It was a wonderful experience being part of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators 
(SCBWI) 5th Winter Conference in New York City. I arrived in New York two days before the event. 
My cousins picked me up from the John F. Kennedy Airport and brought me straight to the Roosevelt 
Hotel in Madison Avenue and 45th, the venue of the conference. The hotel is ideally located in the 
heart of Manhattan, just walking distance from 5th Avenue and Times Square.

The documents mailed to me in Manila stated that participants in the New York Showcase should 
bring their own easels for their works. Two nights before my flight, I bought one of those portable 
wooden easels from National Bookstore but the night before my departure, I decided not to bring it 
because it was quite bulky for hand carry and too long for my medium-sized luggage.

So the day before the event, I called the front desk to ask if they had an easel that I could borrow. 
They referred me to the hotel's audiovisual department where the personnel kindly accommodated 
my request. The hotel staff personally brought the easel to my room. 

It was a beautiful golden easel.

First day of the conference

I lined up in the registration area with my framed Mahiyaing Manok illustration and my golden easel 
courtesy of the hotel. There were so many people in the hallway. I noticed the participants looking 
at the load I was carrying. I wasn't very sure if they were attracted to my work or to the beautiful 
golden easel. 

I finally got my conference kit. From the registration area, I had to go to the Terrace Hall to drop off 
my illustration, my self-promotion postcards courtesy of Epson, and my golden easel. Before 
submitting their entries, some participants were still putting some finishing touches to their works. 
Back home, we would say "Mainit-init pa ang gawa nila."

The Grand Ballroom (above); The Illustrators' Showcase (above right)

I moved on to the mezzanine for coffee and muffins. Then I joined the rest of the participants in the 
Grand Ballroom for the Opening Keynote and the First Plenary Session. The keynote speaker was 
Avi, a Newberry Medal Winner who is known for his tales of mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction 
for young readers of all ages. He was followed by Anita Silvey who spoke on 40 Children's Books 
Every Writer and Illustrator Should Know and the Stories Behind Them. 

Ms.Silvey is an editor and publisher with thirty-five years of experience in evaluating and publishing 
books. Some of the books which made her list are The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, The
Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett, The Hobbit by J. R. Tolkien, The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, 
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss, Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard, and Holes by Louis Sachar. 

What was interesting about her presentation was the input she gave on the original length of some 
of manuscripts, the problems encountered before some of the books finally got published, and the 
controversies which helped boost their sales. These 40 titles will be part of 100 Best Books for 
Children which will be published in May 2004.

Then we transferred to our pre-assigned sessions. That was when I finally saw a co-Pinoy, 
Pepper Roxas. Pepper, also a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan ( Ang INK), is in New York 
for her Fulbright Scholarship. Pepper and I got slots in Isabel Warren-Lynch's morning session. 
Ms. Lynch is the Executive Director of Art & Design for Knopf Delacorte Dell, Young Readers Group. 
Unfortunately, her presentation was marred by technical problems so I wasn't able to fully 
appreciate her visuals.

We decided to have lunch outside so that we can freely exchange stories about INK back home and 
her life in New York. Pepper has actually finished her studies. She just requested for an extension 
up to July to experience a more relaxed life in the Big Apple.

After lunch, we were both pre-assigned to Cecilia Yung, Art Director and Vice President of Penguin 
Young Readers Group. Ms. Yung oversees illustration and design for hardcover titles for two 
imprints: G.P. Putnam's Sons and Philomel Books. Her presentation was equipped with professional 
advice and technical input for budding illustrators who would like to get their first crack at being 
published. Ms. Yung started in children's books in 1980.

We moved to the Grand Ballroom to attend David Macaulay's presentation entitled Building Books. 
Mr. Macaulay is known for books on monumental structures. He studied architecture at the Rhode 
Island School of Design, where he received his degree in 1969 after spending his fifth year in the 
Rhode Island School of Design European Honors Program in Rome. Among his Caldecott winning 
books are Black and White, Cathedral and Castle. I was amazed at his great knowledge of history 
and culture as reflected in his own stories and very detailed line drawings of castles, cathedrals 
and mosques. He showed his sketches for his forthcoming projects and let us into the stories 
behind these drawings. His talk was quite unstructured (for a man who wrote about and drew 
structures) but the wealth of visual genius and architectural expertise was very evident in his 
presentation. 

After the presentation, Pepper and I got copies of his books and lined up for his autograph.

The last part of Day 1 was the opening of the New York Showcase Juried Exhibition and Auction. 

The New York Showcase is an opportunity for members of the society to present their works to 
esteemed industry professionals and vie for awards. Ten artworks will be selected as finalists by 
a panel of judges. These ten will be auctioned off and all the money from the auction goes to the 
artist. In addition to the auction, three prizes will be awarded: the Grand Jury Prize and two 
runners-up.

Pepper and I entered the Terrace and Palm Rooms to view the exhibition. People carefully moved 
around to see more than one hundred artworks arranged on long tables and easels. We had to 
inch our way through the crowded venue to scrutinize the entries. I was looking for my illustration 
but I couldn't find it. I couldn't find the Shy Rooster on that golden easel. 

Finally, after a few minutes of searching, I saw my illustration. It wasn't on that golden easel 
anymore. It was separated from the other entries and placed on the stage along with the other 
finalists. I made it to the top 10.

Amidst all the excitement in the exhibition area, I had to squeeze my way again to break the 
news to Pepper who was at the other end of the room. The presentation of the finalists was about 
to start and the emcee signaled the beginning of the auction. My work was third to be presented. 
At first, the emcee thought I wasn't around. I raised my hand and moved towards the stage to 
make myself visible.

The emcee interviewed me about my entry. I said that this particular illustration is from a published 
children's book in the Philippines and that it has already been cited in our country and in an 
international award giving body in Japan. 

I had to leave right after my part during the auction because my cousins Tomas and Gigi Encarnacion
Pleta were waiting for me at the hotel lobby. They came over from Virginia to just to see me. They got 
tickets for "Hairspray" so we were off to catch the 8:00 pm curtain time at the Neil Simon Theater. It 
was a very lively and entertaining show. I remember watching the original movie version on television 
several years ago.

The finalist artworks (top left and right); Ruben being interviewed by the emcee (lower left); 
Ruben and the lucky buyer of his artwork (lower right).

Second day of the conference

I caught a part of the Marketing Strategies Talk at the Grand Ballroom. Many suggestions were given 
by the panel in order to help promote your book. Among them are activities in coordination with 
bookstores, schools, and libraries. 

For my final workshop session, I was fortunate to get a slot with Tomie dePaola and Cecilia Yung. 
Mr. dePaola has spent almost forty years as an artist/author in the field of children's books. His book 
Strega Nona was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1976. In 1999, he was named a Living 
Treasure in the New Hampshire Governor's Art Awards. In 2000, his autobiographical book 26 
Fairmount Avenue was chosen as a Newberry Honor Book. Mr. dePaola has published over 200 
children's books in fifteen different countries.

While waiting for the rest of the participants to arrive, Mr. dePaola and Ms. Yung were having a 
chit-chat inside the room. The microphone was already on so their voices were slightly heard inside 
the workshop area. I vaguely heard my family name mentioned by Mr. dePaola. I thought perhaps 
they were just having a rundown of the participants' names in their session. Just the same, I felt 
there was something to it. So after the session, I approached Mr. dePaola and introduced myself.

"Mr. dePaola, I'm Ruben de Jesus from the Philippines."

Then he shook my hand and said, "Oh, you're the one who did The Shy Rooster. I voted for you."

Mr. dePaola had good words about my work. He also asked about my medium because he found 
my colors interesting. 

After our short talk, he said, "You should talk to Cecilia Yung. She voted for you, too."

So that was why I vaguely heard my name before the start of the workshop session with Mr. dePaola 
and Ms. Yung. Both of them were judges and they were exchanging notes about their choices in the 
New York Showcase. 

Unfortunately, I was not able to talk to Cecilia Yung. There were still many participants around her 
and we were supposed to go back to the Grand Ballroom for the session on the Art of Negotiation.

I made a short stop to my hotel room. I suddenly got a phone call from my cousin Gigi. We already 
said our goodbyes earlier in the morning because they were going back to Virginia before noon. 
I wondered why she had to call me.

She had to tell me that while they were inside the elevator, she and her husband Tomas were 
mistaken as participants. She told them that they were not part of the group and they were just there 
to see their cousin from the Philippines.

One of the persons inside the elevator suddenly remembered my work and mentioned the Shy Rooster. 

My cousin just couldn't control her excitement over the fact that the people inside the elevator knew 
the work of her relative from the Philippines. She just had to share this with me before they left.

Pepper and I were back in the Grand Ballroom for the talk on The Art of Negotiation and Tomie 
dePaola's Closing Keynote. 

The Final Word is NOT the End. This was what the closing keynote speech was all about. The end of 
a story is not the final word. "The End" may be a great relief for writers and illustrators because they 
have finally finished their task. But to the reader, the end can mean many things. The book might be 
so interesting that the end will make the reader want to start the book again. The ending can also stir 
up the reader's imagination and create other stories and images. Mr. dePaola closed the conference 
with "Hallelujah", rejoicing over the fact that the "The End" of a book can still have so much power 
and that the finality can give birth to a lot of wonderful things.

Just like the end of a wonderful children's book, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators 
(SCBWI) 5th Winter Conference ended with the announcement of the winners in the New York 
Showcase Exhibition and Competition. 

I got the runner-up prize. The Shy Rooster made its mark in New York. 

[ Additional Note: Ang Mahiyaing Manok is a story of a young rooster who was so insecure. He 
thought that the other roosters were making fun of him because of the unusual sound of his crow, 
so he would spend his time sulking. It was only after his friend and his mother encouraged him to 
believe in himself, that he started to raise his head up high and the sound of his crow became better. 
After continuous practice, his crow became fuller and stronger. He vowed to his mother that when he 
grows up, he will teach young roosters how to crow. 

Ang Mahiyaing Manok, published by Adarna House, Inc., was written by Rebecca T. Anonuevo 
and illustrated by Ruben de Jesus. The children's book was a finalist in the 2000 National Book 
Awards of the Manila Critics Circle. The illustrations received the Encouragement Prize at the 2000 
Noma Concours for Children's Picture Book Illustration in Tokyo, Japan. Adarna just published a 
big book edition of Ang Mahiyaing Manok this year. ]

Ruben de Jesus is currently College Secretary of the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts.
He lives in Cubao, Quezon City and may be contacted at [email protected]

(Above) Ruben de Jesus with his cousin Dr. Gigi Encarnacion Pleta in front of the Neil Simon
Theater. (Above right) Ruben and Pepper Roxas catch up on stories about InK and home.
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Related links: Report on the 2003 NY SCBWI Conference. Article by Carla Pacis "Was the SCBWI New York Conference Worth
the Expense?" To see the webpages of our other members go to the Contents page. Copyright 2004 scbwiphilasia and the
contributors. Please do not copy without permission. Contact: Beaulah Taguiwalo, Regional Advisor [email protected]