Interviews
Roxane Orgill
I’d like to know a thousand things about this book because you’ve opened so many doors for my imagination. I’ll restrict myself to only a few of those questions, primarily to help students who are drawn in by all the stories within this photograph and the poems you’ve written about it. You have been a journalist and a
Marsha Wilson Chall and Jill Davis
I recently had the honor of interviewing Marsha Wilson Chall, the author of the new picture book, The Secret Life of Figgy Mustardo, and her editor, Jill Davis. Marsha Wilson Chall grew up an only child in Minnesota, where her father told her the best stories. The author of many picture books, including Up North at the
Francis Vallejo
We are pleased to share with you our interview with Francis Vallejo, the illustrator of Jazz Day: the Making of a Famous Photograph, our Bookstorm™ this month. This book is so rich with visual images that stir readers’ imaginations. You’ll feel like you’re standing on the street with the other onlookers! The title page says that you used
Eileen Ryan Ewen
Miss Colfax’s Light is a perfect example of the text and illustrations enhancing each other to make a picture book biography that is more than the sum of its parts. With our interview, we hope to help you look more deeply at Eileen Ryan Ewen’s illustrations.
Aimée Bissonette
In this interview with Aimée Bissonette, author of Miss Colfax’s Light, our Bookstorm™ this month, we asked about writing and researching this nonfiction picture book biography. Aimée, thank you for sharing your experiences and discoveries with our readers. We’re excited about this book that showcases an Everyday Hero, one of America’s female lighthouse keepers. When you were writing
Lisa Bullard
In this interview with Lisa Bullard, author of Turn Left at the Cow, our Bookstorm™ this month, we asked nine questions to which she gave heartfelt answers. Lisa, thank you for your willingness to share your writing process and your thoughts about mysteries with us. Mysteries have rabid fans and you’ve written a book that’s not only smart and funny
Melissa Sweet
In this interview with Melissa Sweet, illustrator of A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, our Bookstorm™ this month, we asked six questions and Melissa kindly took time from her busy days of visiting schools and creating art. Do you recall the first time you encountered a William Carlos Williams poem? My first introduction to William Carlos Williams
Jen Bryant
In this interview with Jen Bryant, author of A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, our Bookstorm™ this month. Do you recall the first time you encountered a William Carlos Williams poem? I was in high school — and it was part of an anthology reading that we did for English class. I had disliked/not understood/ been unmoved
Jennifer A. Bell
In this interview with Jennifer A. Bell, illustrator of many endearing books, we’ve asked about the process of illustrating Little Cat’s Luck, our Bookstorm™ this month, written for second, third, and fourth graders as a read-aloud or individual reading books.Jennifer was also the illustrator for Marion Dane Bauer’s earlier novel-in-verse, Little Dog, Lost. What media and tools did you use
Marion Dane Bauer
In this interview with Marion Dane Bauer, we’re asking about her novel-in-verse, Little Cat’s Luck, our Bookstorm™ this month, written for second, third, and fourth graders as a read-aloud or individual reading books. It’s a good companion to her earlier novel-in-verse, Little Dog, Lost. When the idea for this story came to you, was it a seed or a
Gennifer Choldenko
Bookology is proud to feature Gennifer Choldenko’s Chasing Secrets as its Bookstorm™ this month, sharing themes, ideas, and complementary book recommendations for your classroom, literature circle, or book group discussions. Were you a curious child? How did this manifest itself? I was an eccentric child. I was curious to the extent that I could find
Stephanie Roth Sisson
The first Princess Posey book was published in 2010. How long before that were you asked to illustrate the book? And were the plans to have it be a single book at that time or were there already intentions to publish more than one book about Posey? Susan Kochan and Cecilia Yung at Penguin contacted
Stephanie Greene
Is the “impossible game” something you ran across or is it something you invented? I read about it on a blog or the Internet, I can’t remember. I try to keep abreast of what six-year-olds are doing by talking to my nieces, who have little girls, or friends who do, or the children on the
Interview with Julie Downing: Illustrating The Firekeeper’s Son
interview by Vicki Palmquist and Marsha Qualey The illustrations in The Firekeeper’s Son are all double-page spreads. How did that design decision affect your choices and work? I decided on the format because the landscape is an important part of the story. The original dummy I made had fewer pages so I split many spreads
Interview with Linda Sue Park: Writing The Firekeeper’s Son
How do you begin the research for a story set long ago? I go to the library. I live in New York state, which has a wonderful interlibrary loan system. My local library can get me books from anywhere in the state. Many of my sources have come from the East Asian collections of university