Willow Glen Resident
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Binding words in a book can be part of the story's magic
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
Like Christopher Columbus found about the Earth, children at Hicklebee's Bookstore discovered not everything is flat--including books.
Nearly a dozen children of various ages huddle in a circle waiting to hear what they would be making as art teacher Claire Teel holds up a figure with many folds, each containing a bright design.
"We're making hexaflexagons," Teel says.
A hexaflexagon is a folded geometric figure that can be "flexed" to expose many sides. It could also be made into an unconventional book.
The class is part of a four-part series on bookbinding. This is the third class.
Once folded, the children's designs will take on a life of their own.
Teel says, "Expect the unexpected."
The youngsters sprawl onto the floors and get down to business. They quietly chat with one another about their ideas as they draw. Tables with pens and pencils and work boards come to life.
Afterward, they score the sheets in order to get clean creases and cut and fold them and finish the craft with glue or tape that binds their creations together.
"The children are happy in the classes," Teel says. "It's really relaxing. A number of these kids have taken all three sessions and already have an idea and know what they want do."
Teel was a school librarian and teacher before she became an artist who teaches people of all ages bookbinding and book art.
"As a school librarian, within minutes of school opening, you have broken books," Teel says. "I wanted to learn how they were made and how to fix them."
She took a binding class and discovered within the first few minutes that bookbinding did not start and end simply with putting a book together.
"A book's binding is a sculpture that holds an idea," Teel says. "It expresses the intent of the author. The structure needs to be in concert with the content."
This is what Teel hopes her students walk away with--the knowledge of how a book is put together and why it's done in a certain fashion.
Hicklebee's owner Valerie Lewis says she has worked with Teel for several years and that Teel's book-art classes bring something unique to the children involved.
"She's leaving them with something that couldn't be possible before," Lewis says. "The kids didn't know what a book was until these classes. It's this understanding. Claire opens up their possibilities."
Hicklebee's Books is located at 1378 Lincoln Ave. For more information, call 408.292.8880 or visit www.hicklebeesbooks.com.
