A few days ago a plain brown package arrived at our house. I opened it to find what may look to you like an ordinary children’s picture book. I assure you, there is nothing ordinary about this book, it’s author, or the incredible impact both have had on my life.
When I say that, it sounds like I knew David Saltzman, author and illustrator of The Jester Has Lost His Jingle. Unfortunately I never had the pleasure. David died 11 days before his 23rd birthday after having been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease during his senior year at Yale. This book was his senior project.
But THIS book, the copy you see here, is special. This 25th anniversary edition is a gift from David’s parents Joe and Barbara Saltzman, two extraordinary individuals in their own right. Both well respected and established journalists, Joe and Barbara have dedicated their lives to not only fulfilling their promise to David by publishing his book, but seeing to it that thousands of copies are given to ill and special-needs children around the world. And at the beginning of that journey, Joe and Barbara chose to hire Jon and I, two young booksellers who could never have known where David’s book would take us. Nor could we have predicted that the Saltzmans would become our second parents, mentors, and amazingly supportive friends.
I talk a lot about how much words matter, and how important our creative voices are in this world. David’s life and work are a powerful reminder of this. He never got to hold a copy of his beautiful book, listening to the miracle of a child’s laugh as they read about the Jester while laying in a hospital bed. I will be forever grateful to have done both.
As you enter the new year in search of a hopeful lift, I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself or someone you love. The secret is that it isn’t a book for children, it’s a story for all humans. Even better, proceeds from every copy sold help to provide copies to children in need of a smile.
Happy New Year, indeed.
Carrie Joy(ful) 