Padma Venkatraman
We’re pleased to welcome author Padma Venkatraman, whose every novel I have found delightful. Her perspectives as a world citizen and an oceanographer and a person who cares fervently about children’s well-being give a powerful depth to her writing. We asked Padma to answer the Skinny Dip questions that appealed to her:
How many bookcases do you have in your house?
Ten! But that’s not enough to fit all our books, so our house (unless I clean up before guests arrive), resembles the protagonist’s home in The Library (by Sarah Stewart and David Small)!
What’s the predominant color in your wardrobe?
Red is my favorite color for clothing, but not for anything else (definitely not inside homes or for cars, for example).
Which library springs to your mind when someone says that word? What do you remember most about it?
The library in a house by the ocean, called Saradindu, which I thought about when I wrote Climbing the Stairs. I loved the way sunlight would slip in through the windows, I loved the sound of the sea outside, I loved the musty odor of the books, and I loved how many books there were—rows upon rows of books, all along the walls, floor to ceiling, so you had to climb a stepladder to reach the books on the top shelf.
What’s your food weakness?
Lebkuchen (a gingerbread delicacy which is served around Christmas time in Germany)—so long as it is not too sweet and it’s dipped in dark chocolate on one side, with an apricot jam-like filling and a white wafer on the other side. I could eat oodles of them.
What’s your favorite form of exercise?
Yoga indoors every morning on weekdays, Hiking and canoeing when it’s warm and sunny outdoors on weekends and holidays.
What’s your favorite flower?
The lotus (and I am realizing as I write this answer, that this might be might be subliminally narcissistic because Padma means Lotus in Sanskrit—but you said to be honest and write the first thing that comes to mind, so there you go)!
Have you traveled outside of the United States? Which country is your favorite to visit? Why?
I’ve lived in four countries outside the United States: India, England, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates. I’ve traveled to many more. I suppose my favorite country to visit is India, because I still have family and old friends back there, and it not only has (in my opinion) the best vegan cuisine and the music that I most enjoy (live instrumental Carnatic music—which is sort of the soundtrack for A Time to Dance in my head), but also the most spectacular sunshine. I think the sun shines more brightly on the sands and seas of an Indian beach than anywhere else in the world.
Who’s your favorite artist?
My daughter!
Who’s at the top of your list of Most Admired People?
My daughter again.
What are your favorite pizza toppings?
Pineapple chunks and hot peppers.
Do you remember your dreams?
Yes, and when I get to the end of a novel, I usually dream the dreams of my characters, and so my dreams help me write.
What foreign language would you like to learn?
Sanskrit (which I sort of learned, but not really), so I could read the Upanishads and the Vedas.
If you had a choice, would you live under the ocean or in outer space, and why?
Outer space, because I’ve already spent some time (though, admittedly, not a whole lot of time) under the ocean. Plus, I’d rather see stars than sea-stars when I look outside my window.
If you had one wish, what would you wish for?
That no child would ever have to suffer hunger, violence or homelessness, like the four children in The Bridge Home. And that every child would be able to form friendships as strong as the bonds between the four in The Bridge Home.
What’s your food weakness?
Which book you read as a child has most influenced your life?
When you walk into a bakery, what are you most likely to choose from the bakery cases?
The Children of Primrose Lane by Noël Streatfield.
If you could be granted one wish, what would you wish for?
We are so fortunate to have dedicated and inspiring librarian educators working with children in many schools throughout our land. Becky Kruger not only serves as the librarian at Ray Miller Elementary School in Missouri but she also helps organize the annual Truman State University Children’s Literature Festival.
Pat Schmatz is the smart, well-read, insightful, and talented author of books such as Lizard Radio, Mousetraps, Bluefish, and her most recent The Key to Everything. She occasionally teaches writing, especially to middle school and high school students. If you have a chance, attend one of her classes.
Which book you read as a child has most influenced your life? 
Have you traveled outside of the United States? Which country is your favorite to visit? Why? 
If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would you choose (don’t worry about language differences.)
Which book you read as a child has most influenced your life? 
When you walk into a bakery, what are you most likely to choose from the bakery cases? 
If you could write any book and know that it would be published and tens of thousands of people would read it, which book would you write? 
I devoured books like they were potato chips, and I went for quantity—and escapism. I lost myself in books, and they were sort of like lost dreams afterward. I don’t remember too many individual books, but The Figure in the Shadows, by John Bellairs, was a big favorite. It showed me that family isn’t restricted to your biological family. And it scared the bejeebers out of me—I loved it! Two others I read around (I think) 7th grade, Crooked House, by Agatha Christie, and Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, still haunt me a little. 
Brenda Sederberg is the current facilitator of the 
Barefoot? Socks? Shoes? How would we most often find you at home? 
All-time favorite book?
Sarah Aronson’s most recent books, The Worst Fairy Godmother Ever (The Wish List #1, Beach Lane Books) and Keep Calm and Sparkle On! (The Wish List #2) are at once lighthearted and serious—stories that are fun to read and encourage working for causes that matter to the world. Sarah is widely known in the children’s book writing community as an enthusiastic and effective writing instructor. Thanks, Sarah, for taking a Skinny Dip with us in December!
Mr. Sigley awakened my creative spirit in many ways. He got me hooked on books in three distinct ways. First, our class read and performed Romeo and Juliet—unabridged! He showed me that even if I didn’t understand the individual words, I could infer meaning in a text! Second, he tirelessly handed me books—he was determined to make me a reader. The book that did it was John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. That ending blew me away! It made me think! This was what I wanted from books! A chance to think about injustice and relationships and family … and how I could make it better. Last, he taught us how to make books—from writing to illustrating to binding. This first home-made book, The Adventures of Prince Charming, connected the dots. Books were like theater. Books were unique for each reader. I loved getting into the heads of my characters. I loved holding a book, too.
Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)
Barefoot? Socks? Shoes? How would we most often find you at home? 
What’s your hidden talent? 
Which is worse: spiders or snakes? 
When did you first start reading books?
All-time favorite book?
Book on your bedside table right now?
Favorite flavor of ice cream?
Favorite lunch as a kid?
Book on your bedside table right now?
All-time favorite book?
Book on your bedside table right now?
Your favorite toy as a child …
What’s your best contribution to taking care of the environment?
When are you your most creative? 
Book on your bedside table right now? 
Your favorite toy as a child … 
Lyn was a year older so she went to first grade the year before I did. When she got home from school, she would bring her reading books (the “Fun with Dick and Jane” series) over to my house. We’d sit on my front steps and Lyn would teach me everything she’d learned in school that day. I am sure I read with members of my family, too, but Lyn was the one who really taught me to love reading.
Barefoot? Socks? Shoes? How would we most often find you at home?
When did you first start reading books?
All-time favorite book?
When are you at your most creative?
Book on your bedside table right now?
Illustrator’s work you most admire?
Favorite candy as a kid?
Illustrator’s work you most admire?
Our family recently took a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, mainly to visit 
This changes on a frequent basis, but I just finished reading the most recent Newbery winner, The Girl Who Drank the Moon. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it. Kelly Barnhill’s beautiful language, the world she imagined and described in such exquisite detail, the ultimate message of hope and forgiveness … I could go on and on about this book. I feel sure that the well-deserved award will bring this book to the attention of more readers—of every age—who need to know about it.
Again, I could never pick just one but I am currently swooning over Javaka Steptoe’s spectacular Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat! Since I moved to Brooklyn, I have become friends with Javaka, and when his name was called in Atlanta at the 
Which book do you find yourself recommending passionately? 
Favorite city to visit? 
Illustrator’s work you most admire?
What gives you shivers?
Linda Sue, thanks for these candid answers for our Bookology readers. If they haven’t read all of your previously published books, we encourage them to have a Linda Sue Park read-a-thon. Could you share with us which books comes out next?
Which book do you find yourself recommending passionately?
Hope for the world?
For this interview, we chat with 
Which book do you find yourself recommending passionately?
Which celebrity, living or not, do you wish would invite you to a coffee shop?
Currently, I am getting ready to do a presentation at a symposium featuring Naomi Shihab Nye, so I have fallen in love again with 19 Varieties of Gazelle, a gorgeous book that helps us to remember that no single story can encapsulate a people or a culture or even a single human. If you want to read a book with your ears, I think Tobin Anderson’s Feed is actually enhanced by the audio (and it is terrific with just your eyes).
Is Pluto a planet?
Your hope for the world?
For this interview, we visit with Cynthia Grady, author and librarian, at her home in New Mexico.
What’s your favorite late-night snack?
What gives you shivers?
Brother and sisters or an only child? How did that shape your life?
Which celebrity, living or not, do you wish would invite you to a coffee shop?
Your hope for the world?
Which celebrity, living or not, do you wish would invite you to a coffee shop?
Most cherished childhood memory?
What’s the strangest tourist attraction you’ve visited?
Which celebrity, living or not, do you wish would invite you to a coffee shop?
Best tip for living a contented life?
For this interview, we visit with Mélina Mangal, children’s book author and librarian:
For this interview, we visit with Rebecca Kai Dotlich, poet and children’s book author:
For this interview, we are pleased to share answers from Nancy Johnson, professor, children’s/young adult literature and English/ language arts education, Western Washington University:
Today we welcome author and educator April Halprin Wayland to Bookology. Her most recent picture book, More Than Enough, is a story about Passover. April was one of nine Instructors of the Year honored by the 
Collections of Barnaby comics by Crockett Johnson
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant. I read it at a time when I was struggling to find my writing voice. I was so struck by the strong sense of place in that book. It was obvious that West Virginia was Rylant’s heart’s home. So I decided to write stories that were set in my heart’s home—the South—and specifically the Smoky Mountains. I wrote her a letter to tell her the impact her book had on me and she sent me a lovely hand-written note back, signed “Take good care. Cyndi Rylant.” *swoon*
I’m actually a pretty good tap dancer. I took tap lessons for years, from childhood all the way up until just a few years ago. I love to tap dance. It totally suits me much more than yoga.
Which celebrity, living or not, do you wish would invite you to a coffee shop? 
What’s your favorite late-night snack?
One first grade day we were walking the six to seven blocks home for lunch. It had rained all morning and we were excited by all the earthworms still on the sidewalks. What if we gathered them all and sold them as bait? We began collecting the liveliest ones and putting them in the pockets of our raincoats. The pickings were grand and we didn’t notice the time pass. When we neared our houses, conveniently across the street from each other, something made us realize how late we were (A beckoning family member? Church bells? Kids returning to school? This detail is lost.). We rushed to our respective homes for a quick lunch and met up again at her family car for a ride back to school—we were that late.
I love environmental art—the concrete and bottle constructions that an individual artist builds over the years on his or her property. Thanks to the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and the Kohler Foundation several such installations in Wisconsin have been preserved. 
Author L.M. Montgomery, of Anne of Green Gables fame. I’ve read all of her books several times over, including the journals she kept from fourteen until the time of her death. In fact, I’ve committed to revisiting Maud’s journals every ten years. So far, I’ve read all five volumes twice.
I adore Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth. I’ve probably read it thirty times, first as a student, then as a student teacher, then with my students, and finally with my own children. It’s witty, it’s clever, it’s fun, and oh so quotable. It’s also great for teaching elements of story. There’s a reluctant hero on a classic quest, and even the climax takes place at the highest physical point in the story—the Castle in the Air.
I’m going to change this one slightly to my most starry-eyed literary childhood memory. My family hosted a Spanish exchange student named Paula when I was in fourth grade. Since then, Paula’s family and my family have continued to remain close. The Maciciors own a home that is hundreds of years old, a grand thirty-four room structure in the Spanish countryside, near the city of Pamplona. In the 1920s Ernest Hemingway rented a room there while working on The Sun Also Rises.
Brother and sisters or an only child? How did that shape your life?
Favorite holiday tradition?
Both! At times I was a model student and other times I was the class clown. I’m sure the clowning was a bit disruptive but I only got sent to the principal’s office once. This was at a parochial grade school. The principal was a nun who was about 6′3″. She was a gentle disciplinarian but it did sort of seem like her height gave her a direct line to God and all the gravitas that goes with that.
What is your proudest career moment?
But there’s a more difficult problem: Having spent much of my life imagining myself as a star left fielder for the Minnesota Twins, my status as an amateur is clearly in doubt. If it came down to it, I wouldn’t sacrifice my imaginary Twins baseball star status in order to imagine winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States Olympic team.
The book with the most crisply drawn characters is probably It’s An Orange Aardvark, a book about five carpenter ants who awake to a noise outside their dark nest in a tree stump. One ant tries to get clues as to what it is by drilling holes in the stump. As each new hole reveals a different color, a second ant, who is convinced that it’s a hungry aardvark, twists the information to fit his preconceived belief, even as his version of the truth becomes more and more absurd.
Favorite holiday tradition?
What’s the first book report you ever wrote?
Do you like to gift wrap presents?
What 3 children’s book authors or illustrators or editors would you like to invite to dinner?