Dear Mr. Morrison…

Letter from June Volk to Slade Morrison; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

This is the story of how one teacher’s letter of thanks made its way from a New Jersey classroom to the landmark archives of the Toni Morrison Papers at Princeton University Library. It was discovered during our research for our current exhibit titled “They’ve Got Game: The Children’s Books of Toni & Slade Morrison.”

The author of the letter is June Volk, who at that time was student teaching at Upper Bradford School in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. She reached out to Slade Morrison after her students connected with the books in the Who’s Got Game? book series he co-wrote with his mother. She enclosed letters and drawings from the students, including these hilarious ones from David, both of which are proudly featured in the exhibit:

Letter from David to Slade Morrison; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Original illustration of Poppy and Snake by David; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Slade sent the letters to Toni, who was delighted. She in turn shared them with her editor, along with this lovely little note:

Note from Toni Morrison to Nan Graham; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

As Katie and I finished the exhibit, we were struck with a thought…was June Volk still in New Jersey? Was she still teaching? Would she be interested to know that her letter from decades ago was in a special place in the Morrison archive?

It took a little searching, but we finally found her! Today, we are delighted to share an interview with this award-winning educator.

Image courtesy of June Volk

Please take us back to 2004, and tell us a little about yourself as a student teacher!

After a career in retailing as a department manager for a major retailer and then as a buyer, I took time off to raise my two children. In the 1980s and 1990s, childcare options were difficult to secure and extremely unreliable for a working mother. To make matters worse, my position required many work hours plus a lot of travel time. I was fortunate to be able to make the choice to stay at home until my children were in middle school, substitute teach, and I decided to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching at Montclair State University. During the last year of a teaching program, student teachers are placed in classrooms to practice teaching and I was lucky enough to be placed in a Montclair elementary school.

I was assigned to a third-grade classroom as a newly minted student teacher and the memory of that group of students brings a broad smile to my face. Maybe because it was my first real classroom experience or more likely because they were a very bright and engaged group of students, I believe I gained more from these children than they did from me. Teaching mathematics was an easy task for me at the time and perhaps that is why I eventually became a teacher of mathematics. On the other hand, Language Arts lessons were more of a challenge. The children were not engaged or excited with the available and assigned reading materials. I believe it was because the students came from diverse backgrounds, but the stories did not.

After searching booklists and reviews, I discovered the relatively new versions (this was 2004) of Aesop’s Fables by Toni and Slade Morrison. The students were hooked! They begged for read-aloud time and some of them memorized Kid A’s and Foxy G’s lines. The children loved the lyrical rhythm and rhyme of the stories that Toni and Slade created. When I asked them to respond to questions about the theme or the characters, everyone had an opinion, and no one objected to a writing prompt. As their teacher, I learned an important lesson that I retained for my teaching career: well-written, authentic, and relatable reading material was the key to engaging students in reading and writing.

Who’s Got Game? Poppy or the Snake? by Toni & Slade Morrison, illustrations by Pascal Lemaître. Simon & Schuster, 2003.

Can you tell us about your educational journey since then?

I landed my first teaching position in the Livingston Public Schools as a fifth-grade teacher. All teachers taught language arts in their ‘homeroom’ class and then specialized in either mathematics, science, or social studies. Being the new teacher, I was assigned to teach mathematics which I tackled head-on. I eventually earned a degree and certification in mathematics for middle school students. Although I still love teaching language arts, mathematics became my specialty.

I left Livingston after ten magnificent years and moved to Utah where I continued to teach middle school math for several years until my retirement. I now tutor students privately, which became very popular during the pandemic.

The letter you wrote to Slade Morrison was so wonderful. What prompted you to write it?

The students were so attached to the stories and when they saw Slade’s photo on the back jacket of the book, the students thought he looked really ‘cool’ and wanted to contact him.

Were you surprised to hear back from him?

We were very surprised to hear back from him! I never thought he would have the time to respond to our little classroom. Yet he did and the children were thrilled. They loved his signature and tried to copy his cursive!

Letter from Slade Morrison to June Volk. Courtesy of June Volk.

Toni Morrison kept your letter, your students’ artwork, and she even shared everything with her editor at Simon & Schuster. You definitely made an impact are officially immortalized in the Toni Morrison Papers at Princeton University Library. Do you mind sharing how that feels?

I am deeply overwhelmed. As a retired teacher this news brings me full circle. From the moment I decided to become a teacher (I was an older student and in my second career) I really wanted to make a difference for my students. I wanted to connect them to the subject matter in any way possible and get them excited about learning. Those connections are difficult to find now, especially when teachers are competing with mobile phones, online gaming, and lightning-speed technology. The Morrisons’ books were a hook for my students, and I am forever indebted to them for their creation.

Do you have any advice for all the student teachers out there, just starting on their paths?

Get to know your students really well! What excites them? What interests them? How can you as their teacher create lessons from the required curriculum that will fully engage your students? I know it’s not always possible to do this, but if you can create a lesson or two in a unit of study that really gets your students excited about learning it will become contagious in your classroom and they will trust you and follow you in their learning journey.

Pascal Lemaître

PascalLemaitrePortrait01_72res2It’s always wonderful to see an artist’s finished work, but rarely do you get a chance to see their creative process. Especially when that process includes a correspondence with Toni Morrison! In researching the Toni Morrison Papers for our current exhibit, we were delighted to discover the charming and captivating work of artist Pascal Lemaître. From sending Morrison quick sketches in the margins of a fax, to a funny observation in a letter, to a touching dedication on a card, Lemaître’s warmth, playfulness, and vibrancy shone out of every folder and archive box we opened.

pig with flower 4

Original illustration of pig holding a flower by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Based in Belgium, Lemaître is a freelance author and illustrator with an impressive catalog of publications for both children and adults. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Le Monde, Libération, Le 1, Lacroix, Astrapi, J’aime Lire, Pom d’Api and Dorémi. In early 2000, he began working with Toni and Slade Morrison on their second children’s book, The Book of Mean People, and continued that collaboration with three subsequent stories: The Ant or the Grasshopper, The Lion or the Mouse, and Poppy or the Snake, which are all part of the innovative Who’s Got Game series.

mean_people original 4

The Book of Mean People original Illustration with inscription by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

I reached out to Lemaître to ask about his artistic process and experience in working with Toni and Slade Morrison. The interview was conducted in French and is translated below. The original French version can be found here.


How did you first meet the Morrisons?

In the office of Carolyn Reidy, president of Simon & Schuster. We had a meeting about the Who’s Got Game series, for which I had received the initial text draft. I had sent a proposal for a comic book adaptation with a range of dominant colors depending on the album and the place where the story took place. Madame Morrison had my envelope in her hand. She and Slade were excited. Madame Morrison had read comics in her youth and was partial to this medium and she gave me carte blanche. I was with my agent, writer Holly McGhee. Nan Graham and Alexis Gargagliano managed the project for Scribner.

Turtle and Hare_edited 3.

Original illustration of turtle by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Before we start talking about Toni & Slade’s books, had you ever illustrated for children before?

Yes, my first book was published in 1992 by Editions du Seuil and translated into English by Hyperion in 1993. But I had mainly worked in children’s publishing in Belgium and France, a lot for Bayard Presse which publishes magazines such as Astrapi, J’aime Lire, Pom d’Api etc. Some of my drawings had already been published in The New Yorker.

bunny and bug 3

Original illustration of rabbit and bug by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Can you tell us a bit about your creative and collaborative process with them?

For The Book of Mean People, my sketches went through Andrea Pinkney, editor at Hyperion. For the Who’s Got Game series, I spoke directly with Madame Morrison. She was very welcoming, open and warm. It helped me to feel free and to forget that she was a Nobel Prize winner. Slade, being a painter and a musician, also respected and encouraged my freedom. It was he who told his mother how much the morality of Aesop’s fables bothered him. I submitted my graphic-designed sketches of the characters and made adjustments according to their requests. I then moved onto dividing the stories into boxes with the speech bubbles which were reread and sometimes adjusted by Madame Morrison so that there was not too much redundancy between the content of the image and the text.

FINAL lion notes 3

Various lion sketches by Pascal Lemaître with notes from Toni Morrison; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

For The Ant or The Grasshopper the text’s lyricism made me think of poetry slams and hip-hop. So I set the action in Brooklyn with gray-blue tones that convey the chill of autumn and winter. For The Lion or the Mouse, there were passages of inner thought that made me think of Kurosawa films like “Ran,” when the clan leaders start monologues. The rhythm of comics offers these possibilities of slowness. The Lion or the Mouse has dominant warm colors and takes place in Africa.

Poppy or the Snake is the only book where Madame Morrison asked me to draw black characters. I proposed that the action take place in Louisiana and to have the book in swampy green tones to continue this idea of books differentiated by their color atmospheres. I drew a 1950s Dodge pickup for aesthetic reasons. I photographed it at a Belgian collector of American cars. He has a big hangar with lots of old American cars. It was the Belgian cartoonist Evermeulen who introduced him to me. For Poppy, I made a small sculpture of his face to draw from different angles.

poppy and the snake sculpture 3

Image courtesy of Pascal Lemaître.

I knew Louisiana from having stayed there. I was able to add symbols like dogs (inhabited by the souls of the dead) and make reference to the Blues by introducing a moment when Poppy meets a singer (Robert Johnson) while going shopping.This story within the story was a homage to Slade’s relationship to music and connected with the musical grasshopper of the previous volume.

poppy and the snake 3.

Who’s Got Game? Poppy or the Snake? Simon & Schuster, 2003

We did proof readings with Toni Morrison in her Center Street apartment. She was a joy to listen to. She spoke with such pleasure. She was extremely quick-witted and lively. She was very tolerant and patient with me given my very average English. Luckily for me, she loved Edith Piaf. P.s. – there is another story that was illustrated, but not published.

I’m curious – the title The Book of Mean People makes me think the “bad guys” would be humans, but the characters are actually rabbits. Has there been a lot of discussion about this?

At my level, no. However, I do not know if there was any between the publisher and Madame Morrison. I had received a rather short draft by fax in Brussels. To have a book of a minimum of 24 pages, I proposed making a double page per line. Additionally, this text seemed universal to me. It was about the gap between adults and children as well as a relationship to language (I will come back to this later). It is for this reason that I created animal characters, to avoid having to stereotype humans. Also, the rabbits allowed me to bring a softness to this rather hard text and to play more free and symbolic games with the ears, for example. The rabbits also allowed the final image to be a return to nature, to the forest. I think this idea of a story within a story interested Madame Morrison and opened the door for me to collaborate on the Who’s Got Game series.

the book of mean people 6

The Book of Mean People, Hyperion Books for Children, 2002.

A few years ago I proposed to do an illustrated French version of her Nobel Prize speech. This text is very strong and addresses the vulnerability of language just like in The Book of Mean People where the words also lend themselves to confusion and misunderstanding. Entre vos mains [“In Your Hands”] was published in 2018 by Editions de L’Aube.

Is there an illustration from your children’s book collaborations with the Morrisons that is really meaningful to you? And why?

I think it’s the grasshopper in the cardboard box in the middle of Central Park. I feel like text and image work well. The picture is so sad. It is also a reference to Charlot (a.k.a. Charlie Chaplin) poor and alone in the silence of the night and in silent cinema. Madame Morrison’s idea of crumbling wings is such a strong one.

grasshopper in box 5

Who’s got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? Scribner, 2003.

Toni Morrison is so amazing, what impact has working with her had on you as an artist?

I would define “extraordinary” in the sense of extra-ordinary, out of the ordinary. She is one of those people who are living proof that life can be vast, who broaden the horizon of thought and of humanity. I would also add this line from Guillaume Apollinaire that my friend Stéphane Hessel adored and which reminds me of her: “We want to explore the enormous kindness of the land where everything is silent.” Collaborating with Madame Morrison was so motivating, so nourishing. I had the feeling of being useful to a cause. It was a huge acknowledgement. It gave me self-confidence without forgetting the fragility of existence and of the world. It was also an apprenticeship with a heroine of history. It was something! I had a lot of affection for Slade and her. Slade was touching and very sensitive. But I’ll stop writing there because I am tearing up. We have lost the Sun.

toni morrison

Image courtesy of Pascal Lemaître.

In our archives, a ladybug walking a smaller bug appears several times in your sketches and correspondence. We see a final version of her on the first panel of The Ant or the Grasshopper Does this character have a special meaning for you? We have our theories…

I’m curious to find out your theory. This character is also effectively a story within the story.

My theory is that it is a tribute to an important woman that you hold in high affection in your life. Did I get close?

You got it ;)

ladybug canvas 4.

Illustrations (two original) of ladybugs by Pascal Lemaître; Toni Morrison Papers, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Thank you for interviewing today, it was truly an honor and a privilege! Is there anything you would like to add?

I would like to thank Ford Morrison and express my gratitude for their support.


Many thanks to Mireille Djenno, Global Special Collections Librarian, for her translation work. We appreciate it!

They’ve Got Game: The Children’s Books of Toni & Slade Morrison

CAAHB4 Jun 18, 2003; New York, NY, USA; TONI and SLADE MORRISON at the Who's Got Game? Book signing at Barnes and Noble Union Square on June 18, 2003.

CAAHB4 Jun 18, 2003; New York, NY, USA; TONI and SLADE MORRISON at the Who’s Got Game? Book signing at Barnes and Noble Union Square on June 18, 2003.

This winter, it was our honor to curate “They’ve Got Game: The Children’s Books of Toni & Slade Morrison,” an exhibit that runs in the Cotsen Children’s Library gallery until June 4, 2023. It’s part of the larger, absolutely magnificent exhibit “Toni Morrison: Sites of Memory,” which is currently in the Milberg Gallery of Princeton University’s Firestone Library.

In a nine book collaboration spanning well over a decade, Toni and Slade Morrison deftly crafted stories around themes such as individualism, independence of thought, family connections, freedom, imagination, and the empowerment of self

The Cotsen gallery exhibit primarily features the Morrisons’ Who’s Got Game? series, which reimagined Aesop’s fables without any concrete morals. Instead, the stories put that decisive power on the reader. Morrisons’ characters are not good or evil, smart or foolish, weak or strong. Rather, they are more flexible, and offer different perspectives, leaving it to the reader to ultimately ask themselves: who’s got game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? The Lion or the Mouse? Poppy or the Snake?

Visitors can enjoy viewing handwritten pages by Toni Morrison, the charming illustrations of artist Pascal Lemaître (interviewed here), and even some 2004 fan art from a New Jersey third grader! Please stop by, or take a look at the online companion to the exhibit.

We were also delighted to host a Zoom panel with the five artists who illustrated Toni & Slade Morrison’s children’s books! You will find that here.