Educational Activities: Mars Is by Suzanne Slade

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Mars Is: Stark Slopes, Silvery Snow, and Startling Surprises
Author: Suzanne Slade
Illustrator: NASA photos
1 April 2021
Peachtree Publishing
48 pages

Book description from Goodreads: “Award-​winning author and former mechanical engineer Suzanne Slade (Countdown, A Computer Called Katherine) explores the remarkable beauty of Mars in this timely photo-​packed space extravaganza.

For young readers eagerly following NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and awaiting continued discoveries on the Red Planet.

For centuries, people have been intrigued by Mars, and over time, scientists have made exciting discoveries, such as the planet’s Earth-​like weather and seasons. But curious earthlings want to know more. Does Mars have deserts? Volcanoes? Or signs of life? Could people live there someday?

Scientists decided to take a closer look. They built a powerful camera called the HiRise (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) and loaded it onto a rocket. The rocket blasted off on August 12, 2005, and seven months later, the camera began orbiting Mars. It sent back astounding, revealing photos showing the world what Mars really is.

With elegant spare prose, award-​winning nonfiction author and former rocket engineer Suzanne Slade leads readers through some of these stunning photos taken by the most advanced camera ever sent to another planet. A visual feast for space enthusiasts and STEAM fans that will expand readers’ assumptions and understanding of Mars.”

Need some reviews of Mars Is?

As a bonus, here’s the book trailer for Mars Is.

Educational Activities inspired by Suzanne Slade’s Mars Is:

  • Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover: 
    • Do you think this will be a fiction or nonfiction book?
    • What do you already know about Mars?
    • What “startling surprises” are you hoping for?
    • Does Mars seem like an inviting place? 
      • If not, why not?
  • After Reading–Now that you’ve read the book: 
    • Where are we getting our best pictures of Mars from?
    • What type of different weather does Mars have?
    • What kind of land features might we find on Mars?
    • Why does the author believe that Mars “is more amazing than anyone ever imagined”?
    • A lot of people are trying very hard to get to Mars. Would you like to visit Mars?
  • Art–The nice people at NASA are as interested in Mars as you are! Get out your crayons and have fun with these coloring sheets that they’ve created: 
  • Crafting–Try your hand at one or more of the following Mars- and space-​themed crafts. Ask an adult to help, and use recyclable materials when you can! 
  • Further Reading–Which of these other picture books about Mars have you read? (Click on any book cover for more information on these titles!)

Author/​Illustrator Interview: Todd Sturgell

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This month’s interview is with Todd Sturgell, an author/​illustrator whose first book, Except Antarctica, hits bookshelves this month. While he’s originally from Ohio and then spent some time in Texas, Todd now lives in the North Carolina mountains with his “wife, kids, and an overactive rescue dog named Max.” Yes, the dog’s name comes straight out of Where the Wild Things Are.

Let’s be honest–anytime you start naming your pets (or children!) after famous picture book characters, you’re committing to a certain path in life. And we’re glad Todd did because his debut book looks terrific. Let’s find out more about it right now!

RVC: When did you realize you were going to do art for a living?

TS: I was either going to be an artist or a paleontologist. Around 10 years old, I settled on art. Up until then, it could’ve gone either way.

RVC: Did you go to school for art or are you self-taught?

TS: I went to East Texas State (now Texas A&M University-​Commerce) for art direction, specifically advertising and design. I’ve really enjoyed all the opportunities I’ve had to illustrate within the advertising and design world. Eventually, I admitted that I’ve got a calling to make picture books, and I needed to get after it.

RVC: How’d you end up in North Carolina?

TD: I worked at a very large advertising agency in Dallas and wanted a change. Since we always loved visiting the North Carolina coast, I started looking for smaller design firms there. I found one, so we moved out. And then the economy tanked, so it didn’t last.

I wasn’t going to go back to a big agency again. I’ve been freelancing since.

RVC: Let’s get to the book, which is called Except Antarctica (Sourcebooks eXplore). What’s it like being a debut author/​illustrator whose book isn’t yet out?

TS: I vary between panic and joy. I’m like, “Am I doing enough? Do I need to reach out to more people? Am I posting enough on social media?”

If I let myself sit back, take a deep breath, and hold my advance reader copy? Then I’m delighted. I’m so happy to be a part of the picture book world.

RVC: The “Am I doing enough?” question is one many writers face. What ARE you doing to help get the good word out about your book?

TS: I have a great marketing team with Sourcebooks–they’ve really reached out to a lot of people and made a lot of connections.

RVC: To people like me. That’s how I learned about you.

TS: That’s good to know! You can see why I’m kind of just following their lead. They find opportunities and ask if I’m interested. And I’m almost always interested.

I’m also part of STEAMTeam Books–it’s a group that supports each other with STEAM-​related book launches. And they’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. We lift each other up and share each other’s social media posts, that kind of thing.

RVC: That’s a terrific idea. But let’s talk about the post-​contract reality a debut author faces. What has surprised you the most about the whole process AFTER signing on the dotted line?

TS: How slow everything moves at the start. And then, when it all comes together, how fast it speeds up. You feel like you’re waiting and waiting and waiting, and then suddenly, okay, it’s almost here, and now you have a million things to do.

I would also say that debuting here on the back end of the pandemic has been something. I don’t know how typical my experience has been in 2021. Is it always this crazy?

I think my next book will feel as much like a debut as this one because the whole process could be so different.

RVC: That’s a good point. Plus, who doesn’t want to have two debuts, right? Back to your book. What’s the elevator pitch?

TS: What if you were watching a nature documentary, and the animals suddenly started doing the opposite of what the narrator says they’d do?

RVC: You’ve got a fun book trailer for Except Antarctica that explains a bit of this, but let me ask it outright–how did the idea for this book come about?

TS: I love nature documentaries, so I tried to expose my kids to as much of that as I could. And the phrase “except Antarctica” crops up over and over. There are so many species found all over the world, and you’ll hear the narrator say, “they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.”

One day, I was watching a show about owls. The narrator said that phrase, and I’m like, just yesterday, I heard that about turtles! Once I connected the concept of habitats to the idea of animals going off script, Except Antarctica was born.

RVC: What’s your favorite thing about the book?

TS: Even though the animals realize maybe they’ve made a mistake, I’m rooting for them the whole way. I especially love how they get to the ocean and the narrator’s like “Yeah, you’re done!” but on the very next page, they’re crossing the ocean! I loved putting that illustration together.

RVC: In terms of Except Antarctica, how will you measure success?

TS: Gosh, I already feel like a success just getting this far!

I hope that it’s successful enough to let me keep making more picture books. But I think the most important measure of success will be if kids–either having this book read to them or reading it themselves–laugh out loud. That’s the win right there. That’s the best type of success for me.

RVC: What was your pre-​contract experience with this book? How did the drafting process go?

TS: I have three other authors in my critique group who really helped the manuscript along. When I first started out, I knew the animals were going to break the mold. Still, it took a couple of versions until I got to the point where they were defying the narrator directly. Once I came up with that, the manuscript in its current form almost wrote itself. I’ve actually been shocked at how few changes I’ve had to make in the text since that point. There was a lot more emphasis on helping me develop the illustrations for these characters.

RVC: So, having a critique group made a real difference.

TS: Absolutely. I had a real sense of the stumbling blocks within the book thanks to valuable input from a lot of helpful people. The interaction with the narrator solved almost all of them! Utilizing a “meta” concept isn’t new or unique, but it was absolutely the right decision for Except Antarctica.

RVC: How many drafts did it take to get to the point where the book wrote itself?

TS: A lot. You’ve got to try different things. There was a point where I had a character who could be found on any continent except Antarctica AND Australia, but he wanted to come along. The others said, “Hey, maybe you should go to Australia first!” because they were afraid of him. That was an interesting little thing, but it really bogged down the book. I had to work that out and get through it before finally dropping it. I go through a lot of these moments where I try different things, and I pull back to see if it works or not. It’s a process.

RVC: Speaking of a process, care to reveal a bit about the actual process you use to produce a picture-​book manuscript?

TS: I’m drawing and writing at the same time. I don’t do one and then the other. It’s not like I develop characters and write or develop the manuscript, and then draw the characters. It all comes together in a storyboard format, rather than a Word document. For me, the art and the writing move forward together.

RVC: Any advice for young writers or illustrators?

TS: When they get started, a lot of people feel very competitive, very protective of their own ideas. The quicker you figure out that most of the people in the kidlit world want to lift each other up and make everybody better, the sooner you start to feel comfortable here. This is a great community. I love almost everyone I’ve met since starting this journey.

RVC: What’s something you know now that you wish you knew back when you first started out?

TS: Worry a lot less about agents and the business, and spend more time focused on craft. Thinking about submissions and gatekeepers felt overwhelming–it probably slowed me down quite a bit in trying to figure it all out. If I had just let some of that fall off, I think I would have enjoyed the process more.

RVC: Last question for this part of the interview. What are you working on now?

TS: My contract with Sourcebooks is for two books. They’d really like to see some of the elements from this book in the next one, so that’s what we’re looking at right now.

RVC: Alrighty. It’s time for the Speed Round. Are you ready, Todd? We’re looking for the opposite of turtle-​slow Q&A here!

TS: Ready!

RVC: Favorite place to go hiking in North Carolina?

TS: Graveyard Fields.

RVC: Best place to get North Carolina BBQ?

TS: North Carolina BBQ has too much vinegar in it for me. There’s a place around here called Haywood Smokehouse that has good Texas BBQ. I love that.

RVC: What secret talent do you have?

TS: I play a pretty mean pirate. I was a pirate guide for a ghost tour one summer!

RVC: Five things we’d see if we sneaked a peek at your writing and drawing studio?

TS:

  1. A mess (incredibly annoying!).
  2. Koh-​I-​Noor drawing pens that I have to clean incessantly, but they’re so great I can’t let them go.
  3. Lots and lots of books.
  4. Club soda. All the time.
  5. My dog, waiting impatiently for me to take him out on a trail.

RVC: What’s a recent picture book that really got your attention?

TS: The Wanderer by Peter Van den Ende is stunningly beautiful.

RVC: Your mission as a picture book creator?

TS: I want to connect with readers the same way that my favorite picture books connected with me when I was a kid.

RVC: This was terrific, Todd. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story with OPB. Best of luck with Except Antarctica!

Picture Book Review: King of Ragtime by Stephen Costanza

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Author: Stephen Costanza
Illustrator: Stephen Costanza
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
24 August 2021
56 pages

This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/​Operator of Only Picture Books) and longtime OPB pal (and Ringling College of Art and Design Illustration Professor) John Herzog.

–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–

King of Ragtime, the new picture-​book biography by author/​illustrator Stephen Costanza, drives home the point that Joplin created his music by using his own creativity as well as the sounds and music of the world around him. From the start, Scott Joplin was a quiet boy who “hardly spoke above a whisper” because he preferred to listen instead. And listen he did, to the “Buzzz-​zuzzz!” of a wasp’s nest to the “Chhh-​chhhipp!” of a cicada or the “Rrrrrrummm-​bum-​bum!” of a thundercloud that could just as easily be an unseen train in the distance.

Because sound is so vital to this story, Costanza employs subtle rhymes and onomatopoeia to emphasize the rhythms and music of life that Joplin took as source material. It’s clear that the King of Ragtime heard things in a way no one else quite did.

It’s a little surprising that Joplin’s parents were so supportive of his musical interest despite facing profound poverty. Yet his father didn’t insist his son join him for the dependable work on the railroad, and his mother traded cleaning services for piano lessons. They even “scrimped and saved” enough to buy a dusty, old second-​hand piano so that Joplin could make his own music versus asking to use pianos in the homes of wealthy white families where his mother cleaned.

“Who knew a piano could roar like a train or sing like a nightingale?”

Joplin did, of course. And he soon went from being a local sensation playing for church socials, dances, and Juneteenth celebrations, to living in St. Louis and working as a pianist in saloons and dance halls. He even played outside the 1893 World’s Fair–“Black pianists weren’t allowed to play at the fair, but in the nearby cafés a red-​hot piano sound filled the air”–and that seemed to help introduce the music known as ragtime to the world. Later, Joplin studied music in college and published “Maple Leaf Rag,” the first of his many popular songs.

The book’s Back Matter includes a Recommended Listening list of Joplin’s music and a short Bibliography, as well as 2+ pages of historical information that includes the story of how the author became interested in Joplin and his life. This material provides welcome context for how Joplin and his music was received in his own time, too.

Throughout King of Ragtime, Costanza doesn’t shy from issues concerning race. In both images and words, he shows many of the challenges that newly free Black people faced. Through it all, they returned to music “for solace and celebration,” which is something Joplin’s own beautiful music offered them, too.

This book is visually stunning from start to finish–so much so that I find myself imagining a wordless version, especially in those moments where the text and image line up perhaps a bit too linearly. I’ll let John say more about the art, but wow, it’s really evocative and memorable.

With King of Ragtime, Costanza has created a lively book that does justice to Joplin, the King of Ragtime, whose work inspired generations of jazz musicians. Libraries and teachers, in particular, should have a copy on their shelves. (I can also imagine amazing read-​alouds of this book with music introduction and accompaniment to help young readers appreciate just how different ragtime is from so many other types of music.)

4.25 out of 5 pencils

 

–John’s Review of the Illustrations–

Stephen Costanza’s King of Ragtime is an absolutely beautiful picture book and–dare I say it–an instant classic.

There. That’s my review.

What? You need more? All right…

From an illustration perspective, this book is an incredibly enjoyable combination of the surreal and the traditional. It’s a fever dream of bright colors, captivating perspective, and appealing characters. I suspect that Costanza’s mixing of popular art styles from the time of Joplin (Fauvism, Expressionism, and American Modernism) is not a coincidence. Instead of using a more classical illustrative approach for this reverential story–which, let’s be honest, would’ve been a bit hokey–Costanza’s illustrations reflect the style and methods of the time, trading in digital illustration for wax pastels, collage, and gouache. It not only feels true to the time, but also to Joplin and his music.

Each illustration is a feast–so much so that I often forgot there were words to read. The written story is perfectly fine, but the reality is that I was consumed by the art. And honestly, the illustrations do such a good job of telling the story that I feel this could’ve easily been a wordless picture book. There is so much story to mine from the visuals that the text almost feels a bit redundant.

Now, to acknowledge my bias: I am a massive fan of Mary Blair. Her use of color, design and composition–all of it is perfect in my opinion, and right up my alley. If you’re unfamiliar with Mary Blair, click here to learn more. While reading King of Ragtime, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Blair’s wonderful work. And while I don’t know if Costanza overtly referenced her art while making this book, he’s done an amazing job of capturing all of the qualities that makes Blair’s work so amazing and fun.

In conclusion, and I know I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but Stephen Costanza’s King of Ragtime is an absolutely beautiful picture book and–dare I say it–an instant classic.

5 out of 5 crayons

John Herzog is an award-​winning illustrator and educator. 

His clients include Hasbro, Dreamworks TV, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and Highlights for Children. He also teaches illustration classes at Ringling College of Art and Design.

John is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, where he received the 2018 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for his Highlights High Five cover illustration. He lives in Florida with his wife, two kids, a pair of geckos, a bearded dragon, and a tarantula.

Agent Interview: Adria Goetz (Martin Literary Management)

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This month’s Industry Insider Interview is with Adria Goetz, a Senior Literary Manager at Martin Literary Management. In addition to earning a BA in English (with a creative writing emphasis) from the University of Washington, she graduated from The Columbia Publishing Course’s intensive coursework in all aspects of book, magazine, and digital media publishing.

Before moving into her current role, Adria worked in the Pierce County Library System’s Communications department, in addition to spending three years as an intern and assistant at Martin Literary.

These days, she lives in an old Victorian farmhouse in the Seattle area—which she dearly hopes is haunted with friendly ghosts—with her husband and two cats.

Adria represents a wide range of writing, including:

  • picture books
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • graphic novels
  • adult fiction (especially rom-​coms, female-​driven thrillers/​suspense, and general fiction)
  • quirky gift books
  • Christian devotionals

Let’s share some links and get right to the interview!

RVC: I’ve heard rumors that you’ve got a secret weapon in terms of your agenting—the 5 in 5 Rule. Care to dish?

AG: Sure! The 5 in 5 rule is: if I can’t think of 5 specific editors I’d send a project to within reading five chapters of a manuscript, I pass. This is because I want to make sure that if I offer representation to someone, it’s because I love their work but also because I think I’m the right advocate for them. If I don’t have a good sense for which editors would be a good fit for a project, then I’m probably not the right fit for that writer and am better off cheering them on from the sidelines, rather than guiding their career.

RVC: What’s the picture book equivalent of 5 in 5?

AG: I think it’s the same general idea with picture books, in that when I’m reviewing a picture book submission, I really need to make sure that I have a strong sense for which editors are looking for that type of project. Most of the time with picture books, I can make that call at based off their pitch/​description of the project in their query letter. If the concept excites me, then I’ll take a good look at the manuscript to review the writing.

RVC: What appeals to you most about picture books?

AG: I’m a very visual person and I’ve always loved art (my house is covered in art and wallpaper with lots of different patterns and textures), so I love that picture books are a very unique and specific form of visual storytelling.

RVC: What was the story of your first picture book sale?

AG: Aw! The first picture book I ever sold was Rice from Heaven, which was written by Tina Cho and illustrated by Keum Jin Song, and sold to Little Bee Books. I represented the author, Tina Cho, who crafted a really interesting manuscript based on a real story of people in South Korea who fill giant balloons full of rice and float them over the mountainous border into North Korea, with the hope that they’ll be able to help feed the starving, impoverished people who live there. It’s a beautiful story of empathy and kindness.

RVC: That sounds absolutely lovely.

AG: We submitted it to a small list of publishers, and we received good feedback, but it felt like something was missing. It was sort of a straightforward text at the time. I shared the manuscript with my colleague Clelia Gore [OPB interjection and horn-​tooting here–we interviewed her back in 2020!] to get her perspective, and she encouraged us to rework the language to make it feel more lyrical. Once I gave that simple note to Tina, it was like she knew exactly what to do. She reworked it to make it more lyrical and poetic, and the text came to life. We shopped that new version and sold it pretty quickly to Little Bee Books.

Tina Cho was one of the first clients I ever signed, and she really, really took a chance on a brand new, very green agent. Since then, we’ve done a slew of books together: Rice from Heaven (Little Bee Books, 2018), Korean Celebrations (Tuttle, 2018), My Breakfast with Jesus (Harvest House Kids, 2020), The Ocean Calls (Kokila, 2020) which received three starred reviews, and an upcoming graphic novel-​in-​verse called The Other Side of Tomorrow, which will publish with HarperAlley in 2023. There will be many more in the future, too!

RVC: I know The Ocean Calls quite well. It even made it onto the OPB 20 Favorites of 2020 list!

AG: It’s a very special book!

RVC: What about Rice from Heaven initially grabbed you in manuscript form?

AG: I loved that it showed an example of a tangible way to show kindness in a very conflict-​filled world.

RVC: Let’s get into the agenting day-​to-​day stuff. You recently announced on Twitter that while you’ve never closed to queries before, you’re temporarily doing that. How bloated did you inbox get?

AG: That’s right, this is the first time I’ve EVER closed since I started agenting! It’s bittersweet because I love getting to review submissions every day. I’ve never felt like, “Ugh, my slush pile.” I still think it’s somewhat magical to wake up every morning and have a bunch of new stories in my inbox, waiting for me to read them. I only closed because I am taking a temporary medical leave while I recover from an upcoming surgery. (Nothing scary, for what it’s worth.) I already can’t wait to open back up, though!

RVC: I’ll definitely be sending you some warm, healing thoughts!

AG: Thanks!

RVC: In the past, you’ve given a workshop entitled “The Art of the Query Letter.” What’s the extra pizzazz you recommend people use to capture the attention of an agent or editor?

AG: I love teaching that workshop! The most important part of query letters is to make sure to include all of the basics: title, genre, reader category (meaning PB, MG, YA, etc.), word count, concise pitch, comp titles, and an author bio.

My hyper-​specific “pro tip” is to use a specific subject line in your email. When I receive a query, the first place I usually see it is on my phone when I get an email notification. So if I see the subject line “Query” or “Submission” it doesn’t catch my eye and I’ll probably quickly shuffle it to my query folder to look at later. But if I were to see the subject line “Query for MG Fantasy – THE LIBRARY OF CURIOSITIES” I’m instantly intrigued, and probably going to stop everything I’m doing to take a look. And that did happen, by the way, when Jenny Lundquist queried me with The Library of Curiosities, which we are now shopping. 🙂

RVC: When you start reading queries again, what type of picture books would you be most interested in seeing? Mermaids? Raccoons? Ghosts? Karaōke? Something else?

AG: Yes to all of those! Also, my picture book trinity tends to be the three following categories: humor, Own Voices, and magical.

RVC: I find that writers often aren’t sure how to navigate a career that spans both the Christian and general marketplace. What advice do you have for them? 

AG: I would say: learn how to tailor your projects for both markets. Some projects might be inspired by scripture, but if they don’t directly reference the Bible or the Christian faith, they could potentially appeal to the general market. It works the other way around, too. Rice from Heaven by Tina Cho and Keum Jin Song, Taste Your Words by Bonnie Clark and Todd Bright, and The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho and Deb Lee are a few examples of projects that were pitched to both markets.

RVC: Do you have other clients who offer a good blueprint for this kind of wide-​ranging career?

AG: Caryn Rivadeneira and Dave Connis both write for the general market and the Christian market, and juggle things beautifully, I think.

RVC: Speaking of advice, what’s the best piece of agenting advice you ever received?

AG: My boss Sharlene Martin has always said, “You can’t get what you don’t ask for.” And my colleague Clelia Gore has oftentimes told me, “Plead your case.” I keep both of these in mind when I’m negotiating for my clients, or advocating on their behalf. It’s amazing what you can get if you just ask for what you want, and explain why you should get it. It’s very intuitive and it’s basically Negotiating 101, but it’s stuck with me because I remember when I was a kid watching Trump on “Celebrity Apprentice” and just thinking… there’s no way I could ever be a businesswoman that negotiates because I thought you had to be a bully in order to be good at negotiating. It seemed so scary to me. Now that I’m in the real world as an adult, working with all female mentors and in a heavily female industry, I know that when it comes to negotiating, just being smart and respectful in negotiations can usually get you what you want.

RVC: I ask this a lot, but writers want me to keep asking, so here goes. What are your thoughts on illustration notes?

AG: I think a handful of illustration notes in a picture book manuscript is just fine. I encourage my clients to only use them when it’s something that is crucial to the storytelling, and can only happen within the illustrations themselves. It’s also a project-​by-​project basis. For example, comedic picture books that utilize dissonance between what the character is saying and what is happening in the art, like The Big Bed by Bunmi Laditan, might require more notes to clearly communicate what’s going on in the story.

RVC: We’re on the same page here, it seems. We reviewed The Big Bed, as well!

Now, here’s a weird curveball question—in your “My Favorite Books” board on Pinterest, you have Lisel Mueller’s Alive Together: New and Selected Poems. She’s one of my top five poets of all time because of how she (among other things) manipulates language and animates the world with wonder and sorrow in equal measure. I could go on and on about the bittersweet, shadowy depths of her writing.

What do you like about her work?

AG: Oh my goodness, that collection of poetry is just pure magic, isn’t it? I pulled out my copy this morning and have been rereading all of the dog-​eared and marked-​up pages I have. I personally love reading poetry that feels very accessible, but still has depth to it, which is exactly how I would describe her work. You can see how much empathy and imagination and whimsy she had as a person, but as someone who was a young girl in Germany as the Nazis were rising to power, and then immigrated with her family to the United States, she experienced a lot of trauma and grief at a very formative time in her life, and you can see that in her work. So, her poetry has whimsy, but it also has grit, and I think that’s a really captivating combination.

P.S. It makes me so happy to think of people visiting that Pinterest board, so thank you!

RVC: Happy to help!

Now… last question for this part of the interview. What’s a current picture book project that you’re totally stoked about?

AG: Lou by Breanna Carzoo. It’s about a fire hydrant named Lou who has grown weary of being the neighborhood dog toilet. It’s hilarious, the art is incredible, and I’m so excited for it to publish with HarperCollins in 2022.

RVC: Hah–sounds great! But now it’s time for the SPEED ROUND. Blasty fasty question and zippy skippy answers please. Are…you…ready?

AG: Let’s do it.

RVC: Dinosaurs, dragons, or dolphins?

AG: Dragons.

RVC: Best place to get a Seattle cup of coffee?

AG: Jewel Box Café. Mostly because of the atmosphere—it has a very dark academia aesthetic, you feel like you’re having a cup of coffee in the Beauty and the Beast library.

RVC: If you had to be “trapped” in a picture book for a day, what book would you choose?

AG: Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall! I’d love to be a lighthouse keeper.

RVC: What’s a recent Christian picture book that really got your attention?

AG: I thought The Wonder That Is You by Glenys Nellist and Aurelie Blanz was beautiful.

RVC: What’s the One That Got Away?

AG: Oh, gosh! Just one? So many people have turned me down over the years! Well, there is one wonderful author/​illustrator in particular who comes to mind, but I won’t mention her by name. She signed with an incredible agent though, so I really don’t blame her!

RVC: Your picture book philosophy in five words or less.

AG: Every child deserves a mirror.

RVC: Thanks so much, Adria! This has been fun.

Educational Activities: Albert Einstein by Inspired Inner Genius

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Albert Einstein
Author: Stephanie Willis
Illustrator: Aimee Hawk
30 March 2021
Inspired Inner Genius
34 pages

Book description from Goodreads: “Today, Einstein is widely recognized as a genius and one of the greatest physicists in history, but things didn’t start off that way. Einstein was slow at speech and spoke only from the age of 3. Despite his slow start, Einstein was always curious and imaginative. It was these qualities that eventually lead to some of his craziest ideas and experiments. Some of his most famous inventions include the mass energy equivalence formula E = MC2, the theory of relativity and quantum theory.

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. — Albert Einstein

Imagine the disaster if Einstein stopped inventing because of fear. Now, imagine the possibilities if everyone explored courageously just like him. Let’s realize that imagination.”

Educational Activities inspired by Inspired Inner Genius’ Albert Einstein:

  • Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover: 
    • Where and when do you think this story takes place?
    • Does think this book will be real or make believe?
    • What does the name “Albert Einstein” mean to you?
    • From looking at the images around him, what kind of work do you think Albert does?
  • After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story: 
    • Who was Albert Einstein?
    • Why was Albert so important?
    • How did you feel when that teacher said Albert would never amount to anything?
    • Why didn’t Albert give up when no one took his ideas about science seriously?
    • What’s the most useful lesson from Albert’s life?
    • Which of the pictures of Albert do you like the most? Why?
  • Creativity–Part of what made Albert Einstein so successful in everything he did was his creativity, which is finding new and useful ways of doing or thinking about something. Let’s practice that ourselves! How many different uses can you think of for a sock? A paperclip? A pencil? Consider having a contest with a friend to see who can dream up the most new possibilities in one minute.
  • Art–Albert Einstein had a lot of ideas about the sun and our planets. Make a drawing of your favorite planet, whether it’s Earth or not! Feel free to get creative with how you handle color, size, shape, and style. Have fun with it–Albert would approve!
  • Crafting–Try your hand at one or more of the following crafts (use recyclable materials when you can!) about the many things we find in space–Albert Einstein loved looking at and thinking about space! Get an adult to help, just to be on the safe side: 
  • Further Reading–Which of these other picture books about famous scientists have you read? (Click on any book cover for more information on these titles!)

 

Author Interview: Nicola Davies

On By Only Picture BooksIn Behind the Books

June’s Author Interview is with English zoologist and writer Nicola Davies, who was one of the original presenters for the terrific BBC children’s show “The Really Wild Show.” Nicola got her first pair of binoculars at age eight, and she’s been gazing out at the world of animals ever since, from geese in Scotland to humpbacked whales in NewFoundland to chameleons in Madagascar to bat-​eared foxes in Kenya to saltwater crocodiles in Australia.

Oh, and she’s written a good number of things along the way, including novels, poetry, and picture books. A few OPB favorites include:

That’s it–thinking about those books again has me excited to hear from Nicola. Let’s get right to the interview!

RVC: Which came first—the love for animals or the love for stories?

ND: I don’t think I could separate them. I came from a family which loved both. My father trained as a biologist and was a keen naturalist but he loved poems and stories too, so information was always imparted in some kind of narrative. My mother was a natural storyteller and instinctively packaged information in narrative. So I grew up with nature poetry and story twined together.

RVC: What inspired you to combine your love of stories with the love of animals?

ND: Entirely intuitively. The natural world is full of ready-​made stories…seasonal cycles, life cycles, nutrient cycles, food chains–all of these are narratives ready and waiting to be retold.

RVC: On a scale of 1 to 10, how interested are kids in animals?

ND: Oh, about 12! I’ve never met a child who wasn’t instinctively connected with and interested in nature. That is the connection that I seek to deepen and strengthen into a lifetime bond.

RVC: Most of your kidlit seems to blend nonfiction and fiction. How do you find the balance?

ND: Narrative is a psychological carrier bag–it can carry real facts and invented ones. But with an invented narrative structure that carries real facts, the narrative itself also has to reflect reality and the factual content you want to deliver. With my hero of the wild series, real conservation stories are told through the medium of invented characters and storylines, but both character and plot are very closely based on real people and events.

The Lion Who Stole My Arm is based on a real conservation project in Mozambique, in the Niassa reserve, and the child at the centre of the story on a real child who was attacked by a lion. The only things I changed were the location of the child to just over the border in Tanzania; the age of my character is 10, the real one 5; and which arm he lost, with the real child losing the left and my character the right. Then I engineered the plot to reveal other background aspects of the real situation. It’s like patchwork!

I did the same with Ride the Wind–a story about a Chilean fisher family who catch an albatross on their long line. It conveys information about the catching of endangered sea birds but also about how some S and C American families are affected by migration to the US. Ditto my book about Hummingbirds.

RVC: Ideally, where do you want those books shelved in the library or at a bookstore?

ND: Anywhere where kids will find them! Ideally two copies–one in fiction and one in nonfiction.

RVC: You’re the first person I’ve interviewed here who worked with/​for the BBC. How did you get that gig, and what was it like?

ND: I was working on a PhD on bat feeding ecology at Bristol University, just a five-​minute walk from the NHU’s home at the BBC in Bristol. When it became obvious that the Tory government were cutting grants for primary research and that, in any case, research would be “preaching to the choir,” I jumped ship and knocked on their door until they let me in. But I wasn’t really cut out for TV–it was very competitive and I’m not good at competing.

I did discover that I could write, so I started writing scripts for the programmes I presented.

RVC: You’ve said before that “while every book is a story, every book also has its own story of how it came to be.” What’s the story behind Gaia Warriors, which is a book about climate change?

ND: My publisher was approached by James Lovelock who wanted to collaborate with a children’s writer to do a book about climate change. I was reluctant to work with him but I was persuaded, and in the end he just left me to it and we got on fine.

I wanted to do a book that gave children:

  1. the arguments to use to put forward the case to climate change deniers,
  2. hope that action is possible,
  3. examples of interesting ways to live their lives that would be stimulating, satisfying, AND fight CC.

RVC: What’s the most important thing writers should know or understand about creating a picture book that deals with a tough topic?

ND: Do your research. Talk to people who have experienced what you write about even if you also have your own experiences to draw on. Be sensitive, be brave, and remember there are as many ways to tell the same story as there are threads in a spider’s web. Find your way.

RVC: Your book Just Ducks! came out just a few months back. How do you go about writing a book like that so it’s more than just a pile of duck facts? 

ND: Find the true narrative that carries the facts. In this case it was easy…I really did live in a house by the river (the river Exe in Devon ) and I heard ducks every morning. So everything in that book happened to me multiple times. All I had to do was imagine it happening to a young child.

RVC: You’ve got a very strong view on what narrative is. Care to share it once again?

ND: It’s a piece of writing with a shape. A beginning, a middle, and an end. It should be memorable–i.e. psychologically portable. It should have a clear voice that speaks to the reader. And I like narratives with answered questions and open ends that the reader can think about and engage with.

RVC: I’m guessing that the reason you sometimes rhyme—as you do in The Secret of the Egg and other books—stems from your love of poetry. What are some strategies for getting rhyme to really work in a picture book?

ND: Well, the first is to have an editor who lets you do it. Not all allow it.

The second is don’t let the rhyme dictate the thought. Don’t use words you’d never otherwise use just to rhyme (unless you can make a really good aural joke with it). Be super careful with meter…don’t cheat!

RVC: One last question for this part of the interview. In all your experience in writing children’s literature, what has surprised you the most?

ND: I’ve had many lovely surprises from children who respond to and remember bits of my books, identify with characters, and point out things I’ve never thought of. It’s the BEST part of writing for kids.

RVC: Alright. Here we go with the Speed Round! Six fast questions coming at you, starting with…most underappreciated animal?

ND: All the ones that we allow to go extinct before we even named them. All the unseen insects and soil invertebrates that hold ecosystems together, on whom our very lives depend and which we totally ignore. Darwin understood this. That’s why he spent so much time studying earthworms.

RVC: Most underappreciated Welsh food?

ND: Lava bread. It looks a bit like fresh cow poo but is wonderful and very good for you. (It’s seaweed!)

RVC: Which animal would you most want to write a picture book biography about you?

ND:The tiger in my new novel The Song That Sings Us. He’s called Skrimsli.

RVC: Your favorite animal picture book of 2020?

ND: The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.

RVC: Your one-​sentence mission as a picture book author?

ND: To fan the spark of childhood curiosity into a lifelong bonfire.

RVC: Best compliment a child reader ever gave you?

ND: About my book The Promise, a very disadvantaged child from a school in Boston said, “THAT BOOK WAS ABOUT ME!” 

RVC: Thanks so much, Nicola! This was terrific.