Rashmi Bismark talks with Meghana Narayan about her picture book, A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING, illustrated by Michelle Carlos. RB: What was your inspiration for A Little Bit of Everything? MN: I am Indian American. My husband is bi-racial Chinese, and I knew that whatever way we brought children into our lives, our family would be inter-racial. How could I prepare them for this beautiful, unique life that they would have? So I started writing a love letter to my future child. I wanted to let my children know that they of course would have a bit of me, their mama, within them, and a bit of their papa. But they were also free to make their own path in this world. I wanted my children to know that while their home culture was incredibly important and I wanted them to hold tightly onto it, that they were so much more beyond that one facet of their identity. RB: Please tell us about your writing process. MN: I feel like I am still trying to find my rhythm as a writer. My schedule isn’t consistent; rather, it's fragmented throughout the day and week. My creative time comes to me in bursts! While I experience a lot of frustration and feel like I am moving at a glacial pace in my career, I made a deliberate choice to prioritize my time with my children. I try to lean into that and recognize this to be the season of inspiration. Stories are all around me as I’m surrounded by the boundless wonder of childhood! RB: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? MN: What I hope readers will take away most is that they are made up of lots of little parts and bits. And that if they take time to collect all of those memories and lay them out, they will discover this beautiful map of identity. No two maps are alike. Amaya meets her younger sister in this story and she gives her the space to make her own path, to write her own story. RB: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? MN: My biggest tip would be to find community. Share with the world that you are a children’s book creator. Once you start believing it and embracing this identity, you’ll find that connections with others can so easily be made. The writing community is incredibly supportive and generous. Lean on these creatives, seek their advice, and uplift their work. RB: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book(s)? MN: I try to write stories where the characters' cultural heritage is highlighted and they are proud of it, but it is only one part of their identity. They are free to try on new identities and change and take layers off. I feel like I was waiting for permission to do that as a young person, and I didn’t get it. Stories and media can offer that mirror, that affirmation, we are all craving. And I’m so glad that more and more children have that now. Meghana Narayan is the daughter of Indian immigrants. She graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University, has an MA in literacy, and taught in early childhood classrooms for over a decade. She is a mama of two girls and one rambunctious dog named Diggity. After stepping away from the classroom, she founded Teach for the Change, a platform where she shares her passion for creating more inclusive and diverse spaces and experiences for little ones. She is also a visual artist who creates alongside her daughters each day. Meghana lives in Maryland, where you can find her chasing her children through the garden and stuffing her pockets with all kinds of natural treasures! Connect with Meghana at: https://meghananarayan.com
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Today we're delighted to feature KidLit in Color member Valerie Bolling who has co-written, I SEE COLOR, with Kailei Pew. The book is filled with beautiful illustrations by Laylie Frazier. KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? VB: My co-author, Kailei Pew, reached out to me in January 2021 with an idea for this book and asked if I’d be interested in writing it with her. I said yes, and I’m so glad I did. We drafted and revised the book and submitted it to our agents, James McGowan and Emily Forney of BookEnds Literary Agency, within a month, and they got edits back to us within a few weeks. Our agents felt the manuscript was ready to be sent out, but we wanted to check in with some friends who could provide sensitivity reads. We eventually felt the manuscript was ready to be sent out in April. The day after James and Emily sent out the manuscript, Luana Horry, an editor at Harper Collins, expressed interest. She took I SEE COLOR to Acquisitions in May, and we received an offer after that meeting. So, it took four months from writing the first draft to selling the story, which we know was quite fast. Keep in mind that this occurred in 2021; three years later, the publishing industry is moving at a slower pace. KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? VB: I want children to learn about all of the important changemakers in this book. I want them to be inspired to learn more about these remarkable individuals as well as to learn about many other heroic people who aren’t featured in this book. Most importantly, I hope they’ll find ways to take action in their own communities and make positive contributions in our society, always leading with a commitment to equity and a heart for empathy. KLiC: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book(s)? VB: People who have supported my author journey thus far will recognize that I SEE COLOR is quite different from my previously published books. My other books are written in sparse, rhyming text and geared toward very young readers. I SEE COLOR is lyrical, but doesn’t rhyme, and is for older children. It’s also my first nonfiction book and my first co-authored book. Collaborating with Kailei throughout the process of bringing this book to life has been a blessing and gift because we moved from being co-authors to becoming close friends. Authors cannot be successful on their own. Our readers/supporters truly matter. Therefore, I appreciate you requesting my books at your local library, writing book reviews, and amplifying my books and myself on social media. Thank you so much! Valerie Bolling is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves and feel seen and heard, valued and validated. She is the author of six picture books: LET’S DANCE! (SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner), TOGETHER WE RIDE, TOGETHER WE SWIM (2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist), RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN!, BING, BOP, BAM: TIME TO JAM!, and I SEE COLOR (a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection). She also wrote RAINBOW DAYS, a Scholastic Acorn early reader series.
A graduate of Tufts University and Teachers College, Columbia University, Valerie has been an educator for 30 years and is an active member of the kidlit community – teaching picture book classes (independently and for the Highlights Foundation), serving as a mentor, and presenting at conferences. Valerie lives in Connecticut with her husband where they enjoy traveling, hiking, reading, going to the theater, and dancing. Learn about Valerie: linktr.ee/ValerieBolling Author Visit Information Essay by Sonja Thomas: Dreams, Nightmares, and Magic Dreams What do you want to be when you grow up? My answer was never the same. A backup singer like Wendy and Lisa in Prince’s the Revolution. A cartoonist for The Simpsons. A writer like Judy Blume. A dancer, a photographer, a Broadway actor . . . The main character in my new book, OLIVE BLACKWOOD TAKES ACTION!, dreams of directing award-winning movies, just like her dad did before he passed. Eager to apply to an elite summer film camp, Olive’s excited when her film teacher promises a personal recommendation to the winner of the class project. Nightmares In college, I was too afraid to pursue anything creative. So, I became an accountant instead. Eventually, I rediscovered my love of writing. But I was tormented with depression and anxiety. I wrote. I was rejected. I cried. A lot. After a decade, I sold a short story. Then several more. And soon my first novel. What if no one reads it? If they do, I’m sure they’ll hate it. My fear ballooned. Unlike her dad, Olive’s anxiety has her avoiding the spotlight. Staying behind the camera is much easier than having to interact with people. Speaking in front of an audience makes it hard to breathe. She’s plagued with catastrophic thoughts, nausea, sweating while shivering, and diarrhea attacks. Sometimes the fear’s so crippling, she stays in bed. Or it knocks her out with a panic attack. Olive and I share all these anxiety symptoms. Magic Olive and her best friend Kayla started their Book of Enchantment in the third grade and filled it with spells. They do their best to follow the rules of magic. Like life, magic is a mirror of what you believe. It’s stronger when done together and the possibilities are infinite. Magic is a verb. It only happens when you take action, unfolding in its own time and way. Olive and I live with anxiety, but it doesn’t define who we are. Family and friends make us stronger, reminding us that we’re never alone. That strength helps move us toward our dreams, one step at a time. We can’t control other people’s actions or the stuff that life throws at us. So, we try not to take it personally. Instead, we create boundaries, trust our gut, and open to all the possibilities. Magic is make believe. Our belief in ourselves is the most powerful magic there is. A silly introvert ruled by coffee and cats, Sonja Thomas (she/her) writes stories for kids of all ages. Her debut middle grade novel, SIR FIG NEWTON AND THE SCIENCE OF PERSISTENCE, is an Oregon Book Award finalist, an Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor recipient, and a Washington State Book Award finalist. She’s also a contributing author for GOOD NIGHT STORIES FOR REBEL GIRLS: 100 REAL-LIFE TALES OF BLACK GIRL MAGIC. Her second novel OLIVE BLACKWOOD TAKES ACTION! received “Two thumbs up for this necessary novel about anxiety and self-advocacy” from Kirkus Reviews. www.bysonjathomas.com
Today we feature Lisa D. Brathwaite and her new picture book, Miles of Style: Eunice Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair, illustrations by Lynn Gaines. KLiC: What was your inspiration for Miles of Style: Eunice Johnson and the Ebony Fashion Fair? LB: My Ebony magazine-impressed childhood, an enchanting museum exhibition about the Ebony Fashion Fair and a first grade fashionista named Kellie who was looking for a Black history book to captivate her inspired me to research and chronicle the stylish life and legacy of Eunice W. Johnson. KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. What kind of research did you do for your book? How long did it take you to write and sell this book? LB: I started broad research in January 2015. Google Books was a helpful online resource. I gathered a goldmine of information by searching its scanned Ebony magazine issues from the era of my focus. I love research and the more I did, the more deeply I got enamored. That September I learned about the call for submissions from Lee and Low Books for their New Voices Award and decided to get serious about writing. I asked my director for a week off from my job to buckle down and write the original manuscript that evolved into Miles of Style. In that week, bookended by two weekends and three additional nights of prep and polishing, it was done and off to the post office. After receiving word that December I’d won the award and publishing deal, I leaned into more focused research with the refining that comes in the revision process. That led me to inquiries, connections, personal interviews and travel for which I’ll forever be grateful. KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? LB: Whew! That’s a tough question, as I love Lynn’s work throughout. The spread with the models majestically coming down the runway depicting the start of the Ebony Fashion Fair “Americana” tour is one of them. I also love Mrs. Johnson at the Parisian fashion house entrance, meeting the resistance of a gatekeeper with resilience and an “Admit One” ticket. She knew as a Black woman once she gained entry, she’d make room and space for others. Finally, I adore the spread with the little girls and their mothers, grandmothers and aunties at the last stop of the tour. There’s a girl in a lilac shirt dress posing with her hand on her hip like an Ebony Fashion Fair model. Lynn had no way of knowing, but this is how I posed and pretended when I was a girl thumbing through the pages of Ebony magazine, so I see Little Lisa in this illustration. I hope children see themselves represented in her beaming beauty too as they go through the book. KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? LB: Join a writers community specific to the genre of your current project and if you’re able, another without a direct correlation, for a slightly different craft influence. Related, go to the movies. Go see live theatre. Go to an art gallery opening. Put yourself in position to absorb storytelling through varying disciplines. Surprising ideas or inspiration may emerge to augment your writing approach. Lastly, ask yourself, “If I had to yield 10 years of my life to bringing this writing project to fruition, would I do it?” If the answer is “No”, choose another subject/topic. You have to love it. Mine took nine years from ideation to publication. It was a road with a lot of curves. I’d still say “Yes”. KLIC: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book? LB: Time and again I’ve heard adults say “I was familiar with Ebony magazine, but I had no idea about the Ebony Fashion Fair or Eunice Johnson.” I welcome anyone to learn alongside young readers, and let the discovery spark a self-styled, intergenerational conversation. It’s my humble honor to provide Miles of Style as the vehicle. Lisa D. Brathwaite is a purveyor of creative self-expression. She loves playing dress-up
(still!), her family, finding herself in art spaces, and writing whatever suits her in a given moment. Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the EBONY Fashion Fair is her debut children's book. Lisa studied family and community development at the University of Maryland at College Park, graduating with a degree in Community Studies and a concentration in public policy and the Black community. She is a New Jersey native and has been designing her adult life in Atlanta, GA. Find out more at lisadbrathwaite.com To learn more about Lisa, please visit: Website: https://www.lisadbrathwaite.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa_d_brat/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lisabrathwaite We are proud to feature member Valerie Bolling on the blog today! Valerie shares her latest early reader book, RAINBOW DAYS: THE ORANGE WALL, illustrated by Kai Robinson. KLiC: What was your inspiration for RAINBOW DAYS: THE ORANGE WALL? VB: I wanted to write a Scholastic Acorn series and needed to come up with an idea that would interest young readers – a book that they’d be excited to read on their own. Since most children enjoy being creative and adore animals, I decided to write about a girl and her pup who enjoy making art together. Once I decided on my characters I had to choose their names. Zoya’s name is a combination of my nieces’ names, Zorah and Anyah. My younger niece, Anyah, loves art, so she’s part of the inspiration for art-loving Zoya. I pictured a brown dog, so Coco seemed like a good name for a pet-friend. (There’s no “a” at the end of Coco’s name because it needs to be spelled in an accessible way for early-readers, which is also why there’s no “h” at the end of Zoya’s name, even though my nieces’ names end with an “h.”) KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? VB: I want children to make art! Perhaps, if they’re fortunate enough to have their own bedroom, like Zoya, they may choose to give it a makeover, or do something on a smaller scale, such as decorate a notebook, t-shirt, or dessert. All children should see themselves as artists, knowing that with their imagination and some paint, markers, frosting, or whatever they’d like, they can make something fabulous! KLiC: What’s next for you? VB: On June 4, my co-author, Kailei Pew, and I are excited to welcome I SEE COLOR, into the book world. This book is illustrated by Laylie Frazier, edited by Luana Horry, and published by Harper Kids. We’re honored that it has been selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and has received a starred review from Kirkus. If you subscribe to the KidLit in Color blog, you’ll have the opportunity to read an upcoming post about our book. In the meantime, feel free to find out more about this book here. Valerie Bolling is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves and feel seen and heard, valued and validated. She is the author of six picture books: LET’S DANCE! (SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner), TOGETHER WE RIDE, TOGETHER WE SWIM (2023 Kirkus Prize Finalist), RIDE, ROLL, RUN: TIME FOR FUN!, BING, BOP, BAM: TIME TO JAM!, and I SEE COLOR (a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection). She also wrote RAINBOW DAYS, a Scholastic Acorn early reader series.
A graduate of Tufts University and Teachers College, Columbia University, Valerie has been an educator for 30 years and is an active member of the kidlit community – teaching picture book classes (independently and for the Highlights Foundation), serving as a mentor, and presenting at conferences. Valerie lives in Connecticut with her husband where they enjoy traveling, hiking, reading, going to the theater, and dancing. Learn more about Valerie: Website: valeriebolling.com Twitter: twitter.com/valerie_bolling Instagram: instagram.com/valeriebollingauthor Facebook: facebook.com/ValerieBollingAuthor Author Visit Information We're excited to welcome Brentom Jackson to the KLiC blog just in time for Easter. KLiC: What was your inspiration for Elijah’s Easter Suit? BJ: I wanted a character name that represented the human capacity for boldness, innovation, and inventiveness. Elijah McCoy, the engineer and inventor for whom the term “the real McCoy” was coined, came to mind. Applying that attitude to fashion design spurred the idea of “Elijah’s Easter Suit.” KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations by Emmanuel Boateng? BJ: I love the illustration spread on pages 15-16. Elijah connects with his ancestors after discovering a box of old clothing in the closet. This is such a powerful depiction of “Sankofa,” looking at our past so that we may move forward. KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? BJ: If you don’t see the things you want in the world (e.g., clothing, shoes, books, movies, games) go out and make them. KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? BJ: Focus on deepening your connections in the writing community and developing craft. The rest will come in time. KLiC: What’s next for you? BJ: Deepening my connections in the writing community and continuing to develop my craft. Brentom Jackson is an award-winning spoken-word artist, classically trained actor, and licensed psychotherapist practicing in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. With poetic voice, theatrical flair, and socio-emotional expertise Brentom writes stories that explore the universal lessons within Black-American history and heritage. With the hope of inspiring readers from all communities to celebrate their culture and cultivate their creativity.
Elijah’s Easter Suit is published by Random House Children's Books/January 23, 2024 We're thrilled to welcome Paola Santos on the blog to discuss her upcoming book, How to Eat a Mango with illustrations by Juliana Perdomo. What was your inspiration for How to Eat a Mango? My inspiration for How to Eat a Mango was my abuelita, my grandmother, and everything it means to return to my roots in Venezuela, the country I was born and raised in. I remember my Abuelita, sitting in the backyard of our house, completely immersed in the experience of eating a mango. Every time she offered me one, I would refuse, but I also remember watching her and wishing I liked them as much as she did. In Venezuela, the matriarchal presence is crucial. Mothers and grandmothers are the center of the home. My Abuelita lived with us. She had a strong character and was always bustling around the house. Abuelita wasn't as sweet as Carmencita's grandmother, the protagonist of my book. Still, every time she ate a mango, it was like watching a poem in motion: her delight, eyes closed enjoying every bite, hands bathed in pulp, her fingers and teeth opening the mango skin. I love that memory! In those days, however, mangoes meant work for me, picking them up when they fell heavily from the tree, breaking and scattering across our yard. The rancid smell of the sun-drenched rotten mangoes was a sensory assault. The ripest ones were squashed, becoming a feast for the bugs waiting for something to eat. But it wasn't all unpleasant. There were moments when I enjoyed watching the come and go of our neighbors, acquaintances, or even some occasional passersby who would take away bags of mangoes. That act of sharing and community has been a memory that has also been imprinted in my mind. Today, mangoes have taken on a different meaning for me. The memories of work or foul smells have been replaced by nostalgias, nostalgia for knowing I won't enjoy those moments with my abuelita again, and the nostalgia for knowing that perhaps I won't be able to return to my country and see it prosperous and full of dreams like in the memories of my childhood. Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? I had never thought about this! First, I daydream and search through the nooks of my memory and emotions for what filled me and made me reflect when I was a child. After that, I crawl under my sheets and write in my notebook. I let the words come to me in an endless mix of Spanglish without looking at grammar or spelling rules. I let out, first, what I remember and then loose ideas that could serve as the foundation of a story. This part is very intuitive. When I finally have a picture of the structure and the beginning/end of the story, it's time to go to my computer. There, I shake off my ideas, remove the excess, and write them down. Ready to subject them to a long rewriting process that varies with each story. In this process, I evaluate the technical aspects, the rhythm, and the musicality (which I love to apply to my manuscripts) and the layers that can add depth. After that, I rely on the help of my fabulous critique partners, who help me see things that have gone unnoticed. Then comes the best part, working with my agent in a back-and-forth of ideas that bring out the best in each of my words. Phew, it's a long process, which tires me out just writing about it. "How to Eat a Mango" was four years in the making, from the initial idea to its publication, which is slowly approaching! The moment that helped me find this memory was in 2021, during Tara Lazar's Storystorm, which I'm sure most of you are familiar with. That specific exercise was about exploring How-to's. Immediately, the image of my abuelita eating a mango came to mind, and I couldn't let it go. Right away, I started working on it, dedicating approximately a year to the process I described above until my agent and I considered it ready and started the submission process. The waiting period after that varies from one manuscript to another. With "How to Eat a Mango," I consider myself lucky. In 2022, a month after starting the submission process, Neal Porter Books made me an offer. The book will finally be released on July 16, 2024. This year! I cannot wait to see it out in the world and connect with readers. I hope you enjoy reading it! What are your favorite illustrations in the book? All of them are my favorites! Now, if I had to choose, I would choose the moment when Abuelita speaks to Carmencita about the sensation of tasting a mango. The first time I saw this illustration by the talented Juliana Perdomo, I cried. Seeing the joropo, the national dance of Venezuela, I felt the same as Carmencita. My heart seemed to beat with the stomping, the movements of the skirts, the sounds of the cuatro and maracas. It was an indescribable experience. But what moved me the most was how well the emotions of my words were conveyed in it. The music, the sweetness, and the culture are palpable in this spread. What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? I hope they take away a deep sense of respect toward nature and family and how they connect with every aspect of our lives. With this story, I wish young readers would slow down, pay attention to their surroundings, and treasure the moments that make their lives unique and fantastic. My goal with this book is to build a bridge between these moments and the present so they can create future memories. Paola Santos is a children's book author born and raised in Venezuela. After moving to Canada, she found the courage to share the words and stories that had long been enclosed in her imagination. Her stories are now woven with her culture, experience in a new country, hope, happiness, and diversity. Paola holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in Literature and Children's Literature and Reading Promotion. Her debut picture book, How to Eat a Mango (Holiday House), illustrated by Juliana Perdomo, will be released on July 16, 2024.
You can learn more about Paola here. Twitter & Instagram: @pgsantosb. To preorder How to Eat a Mango visit here. Interior from How to Eat a Mango. Text copyright © 2024 by Paola Santos. Illustrations copyright © 2024 by Juliana Perdomo. Reproduced with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ![]() What was your inspiration for Dear Muslim Child? Sometime in 2018 or 2019, I wrote a manuscript titled "Dear Black Child," and shortly after, I wrote the first iteration of "Dear Muslim Child." Both of these manuscripts were love letters I wrote watching my children. It came from a deep need to affirm their identity as Black Muslim children. Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? My publishing journey began as a self-published author, and I thought I would self-publish Dear Muslim Child one day, so I kept working on the manuscript for years. This book took so long to get right because I was so afraid to write something that would fall short of the goal of motivating and affirming Muslim children. It was also intimidating because I wanted to write about Islam and faith in the most precious and loving way. And so I kept returning to this manuscript repeatedly, never feeling it was ready. Then, in 2020, I signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins, and I was grateful to finally bring both these books to life with the help of my amazing editors. What are your favorite illustrations in the book? Ahh, it's such a hard question! Aya did a phenomenal job, and each page is stunning. But if I had to pick one, I would say the spread about the hijab. I was in awe of how Aya decided to draw all the different ways women observe the hijab. I was also glad it included a niqabi woman because this is seldom represented. What's the one thing you want children to take away from your book? I hope each child who reads Dear Muslim Child feels the warm embrace tucked inside each of the lines of the book. I want them to be proud of who they are, even when it's hard sometimes. Dear Muslim Child is a call to practice your faith out loud and with pride. And to the adults reading this to their children, I pray these words heal parts of your inner child who needed to hear these words. Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? Believe in your story and keep writing even when it's been months and years. It's ok to come to put some manuscripts aside while you continue to grow and learn. My biggest takeaway is that it takes time, and it's hard to wait for your moment, but if you keep walking towards that dream one day, it will be yours. Keep investing in your craft and immerse yourself in the writing community wherever you are. What's next for you? I am working on more picture books and dabbling in the world of novels in verse, which I have fallen in love with recently. I hope to be back with more book news and book celebration! *****************************************************************************************Dear Muslim Child By Rahma Rodaah, illustrated by Aya Ghanameh 9780063091993 / $19.99 hardcover On sale: February 6, 2024 Ages 4-8 / Grades pre-3 Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins DESCRIPTION:“A heartfelt love letter urging Muslim children everywhere to courageously embrace the tenets of their faith. . . . Nurturing, encouraging, and necessary.”--Kirkus Reviews From the author of Dear Black Child, this is a love letter to Muslim children that celebrates their faith and encourages them to take their rightful space in the world. Dear Muslim child, Do you know the meaning of Nur? Nur means light. Allah is light upon light. Keep walking toward that light. Gentle lyrical text and engaging illustrations depicting children and adults from a wide variety of ethnicities grace this joyful testament to the tenets of Islam and to each child’s worth and value. BIO:Rahma Rodaah was born and raised in Hargeisa, Somaliland. At the age of eight, her family immigrated to Canada where she still resides today. She is a mother of four children and enjoys reading and coming up with silly bedtime stories. She is also the author of two self-published picture books and firmly believes that children need to be able to identify themselves in the books they read. You can visit her online at rahmarodaah.com. SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram: Balzer + Bray/Harper: @harperids Rahma Rodaah: @rahmarodaah Facebook: Balzer + Bray/Harper: HarperKidsBooks Rahma Rodaah: Rahma Rodaah Twitter/X: Balzer + Bray/Harper: HarperKids Rahma Rodaah: @RahmaRodaah Threads: Balzer + Bray/Harper: @harperkids Rahma Roddaah: @rahmarodaah We're so excited to feature an interview with Margaret Greanias on her latest book, How This Book Got Red, illustrations by Melissa Iwai. KLiC: What was your inspiration for How This Book Got Red? MG: When I was growing up, I had the sense that my family didn’t quite belong–even though my brothers and I were born and raised in the US. I finally realized the reason why I felt this way, and it was such a big aha moment for me. I wanted to share this aha moment with readers in How This Book Got Red–the realization of the far-reaching impact that positive representation in books/media can have on those who were formerly absent or negatively represented in the books and media everyone consumes. KLiC: Red’s struggle with writing is reminiscent of human writer struggles LOL. Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? MG: I will generally get a story idea and will open a Notes document and capture any thoughts I have related to the story–plot, character, jokes, etc.,–including a story pitch. Once I feel like I have a good handle on the story, I will turn it into a first draft using my notes to help get over that first draft hump. For “How This Book Got Red,” it took about 16 months between when I first wrote this story to when we sold it. This included writing the story in two completely different ways–one meta which was widely subbed and rejected and the traditional narrative which was published. KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in the book? MG: My favorite illustrations, hands down, are the ones of the panda town. I love them because comparing the two represents the aha moment I talked about earlier—showing the impact of representation on Red the red panda and the rest of the panda town. KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book? MG: I want children to know that their stories are important, and others need them and will find value in them. I also want caregivers to understand why it’s so important for their children to read books and consume media that have positively portrayed characters that look like their child (especially main characters). And how important it is for their children to read diversely so they learn and can better relate to even those who don’t look like them or share their culture. KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors? MG: I know it sounds cliché but write what you love and what speaks to you. Each story requires an investment of time, energy, and emotions so make it worth it! Plus if the story gets published, that story will be with you for a very long time–you’ll be talking about it and promoting it A LOT. It’s much easier if you love your story and have a strong connection to it. Take your time to learn the craft. Publishing moves sooooo slowly. Taking some time to learn and develop craft is well worth it. And, when you’re ready, you’ll have a stockpile of manuscripts and the craft to be able to continue creating publishable stories. Margaret Greanias is a children’s book author who writes books to delight children, including MAXIMILLIAN VILLAINOUS (Running Press Kids, 2018), AMAH FARAWAY (Bloomsbury Kids, 2022), HOOKED ON BOOKS (Peachtree Publishing, 2023), and HOW THIS BOOK GOT RED (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2023). The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three children, and a fluffle of dust bunnies.
To read a previous interview with Margaret, about her 2022 book, AMAH FARAWAY, click here. To learn more about Margaret, visit her website here. Carole: Jeffery and I are an award-winning mother-son team. We are excited to introduce our third collaboration, Kin: Rooted in Hope. The verse novel is a powerful family saga spanning enslavement and freedom. My first-person poems combine with Jeffery’s stunning scratchboard illustrations to conjure the voices and visages of our ancestors and their contemporaries. We reimagine their lives at the same Maryland plantation where a young Frederick Douglass was enslaved. From scraps of history, we tell a story that is at both painful and empowering, personal and universal—from the first glimpse of our ancestors’ names in a 1771 inventory to our 2016 homegoing to West Africa. Here, we discuss Kin, its backstory and our roots. Carole & Jeffery: Why was it important to tell this story? Jeffery: Kin is our story of our own family’s roots. However, there are countless stories like this that deserve to be told. Carole: Absolutely! When the Civil War erupted, there were 4 million African descendants enslaved in the United States. Imagine all the untold stories. I felt obligated to my ancestors and to their offspring to pass this story on. Jeffery: Why did you fictionalize the story? Carole: Despite my research, mysteries remained. My ancestors were barred from reading and writing, and the enslavers deemed Black lives unworthy of documentation. So, I fabricated details and revived once-marginalized voices to compensate for omissions and unknowns. Kin’s characters share first-person accounts of life at Wye House, Maryland’s largest enslavement plantation, and in all-Black, Reconstruction-era villages. In the process of conjuring those voices and recreating the milieu, I forged ties with my forebears. Readers will also hear from a retriever, furnishings and the Chesapeake Bay. Carole: What did you aim to achieve with the artwork? Jeffrey: I wanted to render high-contrast portraits and atmospheres with a dynamic sense of emotion while at the same time evoking the past. My illustrations have the feel of vintage prints. Jeffrey: What was your research process? Carole: Years before conceiving this book, I was piecing together my family’s saga. As a young adult, I visited the grounds of Wye House. In 1998, a new historical marker in Unionville—honoring the 18 veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops who co-founded the village—led me to my great-great grandfather Isaac Copper. A passage from Frederick Douglass’s autobiography describing another Isaac Copper immersed me deeper into the past. That research produced my great-great grandfather’s military discharge papers. Once I decided to write a verse novel, I toured Wye House (which is a private home, not a museum) and the burial ground for the enslaved. I scoured the enslavers’ ledgers and studied material culture, the landscape and archeological reports. I also searched databases of slave ships and of the plantation’s enslaved residents. Carole: What challenges did you face in creating the illustrations? Jeffery: There weren’t many reference photos. That meant I had to imagine some elements and to use models including family, friends and, for one illustration, myself. I also had to find references for the landscape from various archives. Carole: Describe the artistic medium? Jeffery: Scratchboard is a subtractive medium in which artists use metal instruments known as nibs to scratch the surface off the top of the scratchboard paper to reveal lightness underneath. Scratchboard is a very meticulous design and execution process. One illustration may drawn up to three times before the final illustration is scratched. That is also true of digital scratchboard which I used for the first time in this book. Carole: Do you have a favorite illustration? Jeffery: My favorite is paired with the poem “The Rachel Speaks of Captain Richard Bruff.” My wife Bre’Anna modeled for that illustration. Jeffery: Do you have a favorite poem? Carole: My favorites are the question poems that aim to pinpoint my ancestors’ African roots. Although I went back seven generations to 1771, I still long for answers. As for the illustrations, I have so many favorites that it’s hard to choose just one. I really appreciate Big Jacob, the Gardener because I know how long you have practiced drawing hands. But Young Isaac reminds me of you, Jeffery, in Copperville as a boy, at our pond and at the creek. Carole: When did you first become aware of our family’s history on the Eastern Shore? Jeffery: My grandfather, who grew up there, showed me the one-room schoolhouse he attended across the road from our house. He also told me about community Christmas celebrations during his Depression-era childhood. But he didn’t discuss slavery with me. How about you? Carole: When I was a child my family would visit Copperville, the hamlet co-founded during the Reconstruction by my great-great grandfather Phillip Moaney. His portrait hung on the wall in the homestead. I would later learn that Phillip had been enslaved at Wye House—the same plantation as a young Frederick Douglass. As an adult, I heard about another great-great grandfather Isaac Copper, who co-founded nearby Unionville with other veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops. Jeffery: What discoveries surprised you most? Carole: In the Wye House plantation ledger, some enslaved people had surnames. By 1771, my fourth great grandparents, Isaac and Nanny Copper, were already in colonial Maryland. Local lore is that my great-great grandfather, Isaac, was called “the Royal Black” because he descended from African royalty. What if I had known that when we visited West Africa in 2016? Carole Boston Weatherford has written many award-winning books for children, including You Can Fly illustrated by her son Jeffery; Box, which won a Newbery Honor; Unspeakable, which won the Coretta Scott King award, a Caldecott honor, and was a finalist for the National Book Award finalist; Respect: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; and Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom.
Carole lives in North Carolina. Visit her website at CBWeatherford.com. Jeffery Boston Weatherford is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and a performance poet. He has lectured, performed, and led art and writing workshops in the US, the Middle East, and West Africa. Jeffery was a Romare Bearden Scholar at Howard University, where he earned an MFA in painting and studied under members of the Black Arts Movement collective AfriCobra. A North Carolina native and resident, Jeffery has exhibited his art in North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. Visit his website at CBWeatherford.com. -- You can purchase Kin: Rooted in Hope here. |
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