I read this book right after I returned from China last summer. It really hit home for me and my experiences, and I knew immediately I would share it with my first graders when they start their “around the world” unit in February. (Coming up soon!) In the meantime, Barbara Kerley talks a little about her book.

Tell us about your book.

One World, One Day follows a day in the life of school kids, around the world, from when they first get up all the way until bedtime.  My goal for the book was to share the idea that kids in America have lives remarkably similar to the lives of kids all over the world–that in spite of our differences, we have much in common.  So the book is a great mix of familiar and unexpected.  A boy in India may wash up in a pond, a girl in China may walk through rice paddies to get to school, and some kids in Brazil may sleep in hammocks instead of beds… but still, around the world, kids get up, go to school, do chores and homework, play with friends, and spend time with their families in the evening.

How did you get the idea for One World, One Day?

The book follows the theme of other books I’ve done with National Geographic: A Cool Drink of Water (a global look at water); You and Me, Together (about parents and kids, around the world); and A Little Peace (about small ways we can all make the world more peaceful).  At the core, all four books are about tolerance and reinforce the theme of how we are more alike than different, in the ways that matter.

The photos are so stunning. How much input did you have in choosing them? Which came first, the images or your text?

The photos were selected by Lori Epstein, the wonderfully talented photo editor for National Geographic Children’s Books.  She pulled photos from the magazine’s archives and also solicited photos from photographers she knows.  In fact, one photo of a big pizza was taken especially for the book!  Once we had the basic concept of the book established, Lori pulled dozens of photos and sent them to me, to give me inspiration for the text.  Then I worked from there.  She found additional photos to fill in the gaps, and I kept tweaking the text to make it fit the great photos she’d found.  We did a lot of back-and-forth, under the guidance of executive editor Jennifer Emmett and art director Bea Jackson.  I did weigh in a little bit on photo selection, but the three of them are such pros that mostly, I just tried to get out of the way and let them work!

How long does it take you to write a book? Where do you like to write? What time of day? (Or anything else you want to add about your process.)

My books with National Geographic typically take several months from concept to completion.  My editor Jennifer and I talk about the idea for a book until we get a concept and focus that we think will work.  Once we have a sense of where to go, I start working on the text.  Because all four books are illustrated with photos, I try to keep the text somewhat flexible to accommodate the availability of photos.  There are lots of issues that Jennifer and Bea and Lori have to keep track of, such as how well a photo will crop to fit a space, and making sure that there is a healthy geographic distribution–they really do work hard to make sure the all corners of the world are represented.  During the writing/photo selection phase, there is a lot of dialog making sure everything fits.  And then, I have to write the captions for each photo for the backmatter, which takes a while.  The whole thing is really a team effort.

The other books I write are picture book biographies with Scholastic Press, such as What To Do About Alice? and the upcoming title The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy). Those books are very research-intensive and take much longer to write, anywhere from six months to several years.

What were you like as a kid?

I was a voracious reader, loved playing dress-ups, and, when I got older, was very involved in theater (both on stage and behind the stage.)  All these interests have helped fuel my desire to be a writer, I think.

Did you like school?

I liked parts of school.  I liked teachers who gave creative assignments and I liked the shelves full of books.  I wasn’t as crazy about P.E., not because I didn’t like sports but because it seemed like I always got chosen almost last when it was time to pick teams.

So…readers want to know….what’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

I don’t remember a specific incident, but I do remember being very uncomfortable with my height in sixth grade.  I was the tallest girl and the third tallest kid in class (yes, I counted) and remember feeling a bit like a freak and being very jealous of the petite girls in class.  I know now that those girls each probably had their own physical attribute they were equally embarrassed about – the shape of their nose or the way their ears stuck out, or something.  Everyone has something at that age, I think.  But it did take me a long time not to be self-conscious about being so tall!

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

I’d love to be a chef and cook beautiful food that makes people happy.  Cooking is very nurturing and creative.

What’s one thing you’d love to learn to do?

I’d love to become a really good ice skater.  Clearly, I need to move somewhere with a skating rink!

And the coolest place you’ve ever been?

I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel a lot, so I’ve been to a lot of cool places.  The most unusual, I think, is Jellyfish Lake, in Palau, which is a group of islands in the Pacific.  It’s this small, brackish lake filled with non-stinging jellyfish.  The baby ones are the size of cherries, and the adult ones are the size of softballs.  They are a creamy orange color and seem to glow when the sunlight hits the water.  My husband and I went on a snorkeling trip to Jellyfish Lake many years ago.  You can swim out into the middle of the lake through all the jellyfish, which slide down your body as you pass by.  It is sort of what I imagine it would be like to swim through a Jello fruit salad.  Very cool indeed.

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that’d you’d recommend for kids who liked yours?

Yes!  A dear friend of mine, Deborah Heiligman, has a whole series of wonderful books called Holidays Around The World.  They are published by National Geographic and full of photos and information about different cultures.  There’s even fun stuff in the back of each book, like games and recipes.

What’s next?

Next up for me is The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy), published by Scholastic Press.  When Susy Clemens was 13, she secretly wrote a biography of her famous dad, Mark Twain.  So my book is a biography about her writing a biography.  Mark Twain was a really funny man, and Susy had a lot of spunk, so the book has a lot of humor and affection.

What do you wish we’d asked, but didn’t?

“Do you have a website?”  Yes, indeedy do, I do indeed.  It’s www.barbarakerley.com and it has lots of info about my life, including pictures of my pets and a photo of me as a fifth grade hippie.

Fast facts:

Age? 49
Family? A husband, a 20-year-old daugther, and a 12-pound fluffy orange-and-white cat.
Where do you live? For one more month, I will be living in California.  Then we are moving to Portland, OR.
Other books? Some of my other books include The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and the novel Greetings From Planet Earth.
Favorite superhero? Book? Sports team? As a kid, I really liked Batman cause he could walk up walls and drove a cool car.  My favorite book was Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, which I must have read at least a dozen times.  My favorite sports team was my soccer team.  I was a fullback and we rocked.

Related posts:

1. Author Talk: Pamela Turner and The Frog Scientist
2. Author Talk: Fran Cannon Slayton and When the Whistle Blows
3. Author/Illustrator Talk: Eleanor Davis

I’m not the only one excited about The Frog Scientist–it’s garnered starred reviews in The Horn Book, Booklist, The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books, and School Library Journal. Whew!

But enough about all that; here’s what Pamela says about her book, her writing and herself:

Tell us about your book.

In THE FROG SCIENTIST, biologist Tyrone Hayes is researching the links between declining frog populations and pesticide use. He loved catching frogs when he was younger, and he tells kids, “Whatever you want to do, stick with it!” He’s an amazing guy. I wrote about Tyrone’s life, about the dangers frogs are facing, and I describe one of Tyrone’s experiments all the way from start to finish.

How did you get the idea for The Frog Scientist?

I saw an article about Tyrone in the San Francisco Chronicle. He’d just published a scientific paper showing that if you raised tadpoles in water contaminated with the most widely-used pesticide in the U.S., atrazine, many of the male frogs grew eggs instead of sperm in their testes. And he found this effect at levels of atrazine contamination ONE-THIRTIETH (1/30) of the levels allowed in our drinking water by the EPA. The article in the Chronicle also noted that Tyrone nurtured a very diverse group of young people in his laboratory. My editor at Houghton Mifflin loved the idea of writing about Tryone and his work, and so I went to Berkeley to meet him. Tyrone is such a warm, funny, smart guy with such a great personal story that I knew he would be a wonderful subject for a “Scientist in the Field” book.

If you were a scientist, what kind would you like to be? Why?

I really love scuba diving, so I think I would want to be a marine biologist.

How long does it take you to write a book? Where do you like to write? What time of day? (Or anything else you want to add about your process.)

That’s always a difficult question to answer because I work on more than one project at a time, and often the writing part is less time-consuming than the research and putting all the photos together. For a book like THE FROG SCIENTIST, I worked on it over the course of two years. I write at home, usually at a computer set up in our family room, and usually during the day when my husband is at work and our youngest is off at school. I like to compose at the computer but I like to do final edits on a hardcopy. Go figure.

What were you like as a kid?

I was a big animal lover (still am) and I loved to read (still do).

Did you like school?

Yes–I was a good student. I read well above grade level and I was fond of math. I will admit that when I took Calculus in college I was appalled–”This stuff is HARD! I feel stupid!”

So…readers want to know….what’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

One time I was outside running toward a school building (we were playing some game) and I fell just before I got to the wall and scraped my scalp down the stucco. So I ended up with a big, gross, bloody stripe on the top of my head, sort of a reverse Mohawk, which took forever to heal. Ick!

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

Before I started writing for children, I worked in international public health. So I would probably be doing that, with a focus on women’s and children’s health.

What’s one thing you’d love to learn to do?

A few years ago I started studying kendo (Japanese swordfighting). I’d like to be better, but I’m slow and uncoordinated. I love it, though. And it’s OK to do something you love even if you’re never going to be great at it.

And the coolest place you’ve ever been?

Above water: the Serengeti in Tanzania. It’s a vision of what the world looked like before we plowed it and paved it. Below water: Palau, in the western Pacific. Beautiful reefs still teeming with sharks and manta rays, a vision of what the sea looked like before we overfished it.

THE SNAKE SCIENTIST or THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST by Sy Montgomery.

What’s next?

Just out: PROWLING THE SEAS: EXPLORING THE WORLD OF OCEAN PREDATORS, which tells the story of a leatherback sea turtle, white shark, bluefin tuna, and a pair of seabirds given high-tech tags by scientists who are following their travels. And PROJECT SEAHORSE, coming in August 2010. I went to the Philippines with the world’s expert on seahorses and wrote about what she is doing to save seahorses and the coral reefs where they live.

What do you wish we’d asked, but didn’t?

“How did writing THE FROG SCIENTIST change you?”

#1: I bought a White’s tree frog and named her Dumpy. There’s a photo of a White’s tree frog on THE FROG SCIENTIST’s title page, and I think it’s the cutest frog picture I’ve ever seen. So now I have my own adorable frog, which my kids think is a very strange pet. #2: I bought a Brita water filter and now I filter all our drinking water to keep the pesticides out. #3: When I bought a green Prius car I noticed it looked vaguely like a hunched-over frog, so I got a personalized license plate that says “Riibiit”. Yet another way of embarrassing my children.

Fast Facts about Pamela Turner

Age: 52

Family: Husband Rob (a lawyer), son Travis, 22, just out of college and looking for a job; daughter Kelsey, 20, a junior at Wesleyan University; and Connor, 17, a high school junior.

Home: Oakland, California

Other Books:
HACHIKO: THE TRUE STORY OF A LOYAL DOG
GORILLA DOCTORS: SAVING ENDANGERED GREAT APES
LIFE ON EARTH–AND BEYOND: AN ASTROBIOLOGIST’S QUEST
A LIFE IN THE WILD: GEORGE SCHALLER’S STRUGGLE TO SAVE THE LAST GREAT BEASTS
PROWLING THE SEAS: EXPLORING THE HIDDEN WORLD OF OCEAN PREDATORS

Favorite Superhero: I have to go with Wolverine. Maybe that has something to do with Hugh Jackman.

Favorite Book: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER by C.S. Lewis. 

Favorite Sports Team: I guess I have to say Oakland Raiders! 

Pamela’s Website: http://www.pamelasturner.com. And see frog scientist Tyrone Hayes hard at work in the book trailer for The Frog Scientist!

Related posts:

1. Author Talk: Barbara Kerley and One World, One Day
2. Favorite Reads of 2009
3. Author/Illustrator Talk: Chris Gall and Dinotrux

Describe your book:

Dinotrux is about an ancient race of primitive trucks that apparently existed millions of years ago. It turns out that they had not yet evolved into the kind, helpful trucks we have today.

How did you get the idea for the Dinotrux?

Dinotrux was inspired by a day stuck in traffic. As I was passing through an area of road construction on the highway outside of town, I watched a great line of heavy earth-movers lumbering in the median, making groaning sounds, and carving out a new road in the dirt. They seemed eerily reminiscent of dinosaurs—and my imagination took over. What if these same earth-moving trucks had ancestors? What if all trucks had primitive ancestors that existed millions of years ago and then somehow evolved into the kind, helpful trucks we have today? What would they have looked like? What would their personalities have been like? And what in the world happened to them?

Did you like dinosaurs or trucks better when you were a kid?

I think I liked trucks better because I knew that some day I might actually own one.  That’s rarely true with dinosaurs.

Which is harder for you, writing or drawing?

Always the writing. Because if the story isn’t just right, all the illustrations in the world aren’t going to help it.

What do you use to make your illustrations?

I have used everything an artist can use—pencils, paint, pastel, watercolor, wood block engraving, and my new favorite tool—my computer.

How do you work?

I work form 7am until 6pm almost every day. Every day is different because it all depends on what phase of a book I am working on at the time. I have a nice studio in my house so I don’t have to go anywhere. That way I can work in my jammies if I want.

What were you like as a kid?

I was usually described as “lacking self-control” on my report card. I was a day-dreamer and a class clown. I was always taking apart electronic devices and sometimes getting them back together again. I was interested in something new every day.   And that hasn’t really changed.

Did you like school? What was your favorite subject? Why?

I loved school and I doubt if I ever missed a day. My favorite subject was science, and later on, art.

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

I was once beaten up by football players for using the word “melancholy” at just the wrong moment.

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

Hmmmm, tough question. Perhaps a mad scientist.  They seem to have lots of adventures. A Pirate is out of the question because I get sea-sick.

What’s one thing you’d love to learn to do?

Play the piano.  I’ve had one in my living room for 10 years and its not going to learn to play itself!

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?

A town in Switzerland called Kleine Scheidegg.  It sits high in the alps in the shadow of three great mountains—the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau.

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that’d you’d recommend for kids who liked yours?

I always liked Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

What’s next?

I am currently working on my next book, Substitute Creacher, due out in spring 2011.

Related posts:

1. Author Talk: Barbara Kerley and One World, One Day
2. Author Talk: Pamela Turner and The Frog Scientist
3. Author Talk: Fran Cannon Slayton and When the Whistle Blows

Recently, Fran answered a few questions about her book…

Tell us about your book.  

When the Whistle Blows is a coming of age story about Jimmy Cannon who is growing up in 1940s Appalachia during an era of economic upheaval.   The backbone of his small town is the B&O Railroad, and with the engines switching from steam to diesel technology, Jimmy’s world is changing – and he doesn’t want it to.  Jimmy navigates the tracks of friendship, love, loss, and going head-to-head with his father as he struggles to carve out his own niche in the adult world.  Did I mention the secret society he discovers his father is a part of?  Or the Halloween pranks he engineers?  They’re in there too!

What were you like as a kid? 

I was a tomboy all the way.  Queen of the kickball field!

Did you like school? 

Yes, loved it.

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

I’m having a brain block on this, but when I was 18 my boyfriend (now husband) and I cut off all my hair, shooting for the Annie Lennox look (do you remember, the lead singer in the Eurythmics?)  But my hair didn’t turn out quite as cool as hers.  In fact it looked as if I might have just had head surgery!  One night a few weeks later I was standing outside with my coat wrapped up around me and a man addressed me as “son.”  Doh!

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why? 

Maybe a professional football player.  But I guess I’m a little too old.

What’s one thing you’d love to learn to do? 

Paint.  Oil and watercolor.

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been? 

Rowlesburg, WV.  Second place?  Reykjavik, Iceland – very cool geysers!

How did you get the idea for When the Whistle Blows?

Which story (chapter) is your favorite one? Why?

Oh I can’t pick a favorite story!  I love them all! 

How long does it take you to write a book? Where do you like to write?

It took me about 2 1/2 years from start to acceptance to write When the Whistle Blows.  Regarding where I write – I like to change atmospheres often, so sometimes I type away in my office, while other times I’ll go to the family room or out to a local coffee or pastry shop.  The time of day varies too, but mostly it’s during school hours or late at night.  If I didn’t have to keep a schedule I’d write from dinner until 2-3 in the morning and then get up around 11 the next morning.  But real world obligations don’t allow that!

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that’d you’d recommend for kids who liked yours?

Thank you!  It’s had to compare my own book to the work of others, especially books I admire and are well known!  But some books I’d like to think share some similar elements to When the Whistle Blows are Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, and Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.  Other book reviewers have compared my book to Richard Peck’s A Long Way From Chicago, which I consider to be an incredible compliment!

What’s next? 

I’m currently writing a fantasy about a girl who wants to be a pirate, tentatively titled Ship’s Boy.

Fran’s haiku about When the Whistle Blows!:

The coffin’s dark wood
Draws the boy from the shadows
Into his future

And finally, Fran’s facts on her author card:

Visit Fran Cannon Slayton’s website

Visit Fran Cannon Slayton’s blog

Related posts:

1. Favorite Reads of 2009
2. Author Talk: Pamela Turner and The Frog Scientist
3. Author/Illustrator Talk: Chris Gall and Dinotrux

Mac’s stats:

And look! He shared a haiku:

It’s the first haiku I ever wrote, in third grade:

The wind is so strong
Although we cannot see it
It can knock down trees

What Mac has to say:

So, what were you like as a kid? Did you like school?

I pretty much loved school, with the exception of the nines times tables and President’s Fitness Award season.

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

I was stung by a dead bee.

What’s one thing you’d love to learn to do?

I want to speak French.

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?

Valetta, the capital city of the island nation of Malta, is basically a huge, high-walled fortress that rich knights built to protect themselves from pirates. 

How did you get the idea for the Brixton Brothers? Billy Twitters? Guess Again?

When I was a kid, I fancied myself a brilliant amateur sleuth. I had mastered the art of detection as practiced by the Hardy Boys, and I waited around for a case to solve. But nobody ever hired me, so I mostly just snuck around my own house. So The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity revisits an old obsession. It tells the story of a kid who gets a big case and investigates it using the tricks of teen sleuths. The tricks don’t work very well.

Billy Twitters and the Blue Whale Problem and Guess Again! are both books that revisit shopworn children’s genres and dynamite some of their conventions.

So, a brilliant sleuth. What was the most mysterious thing that happened to you?

I grew up next to a haunted house. At night, I would hear music and slamming doors even though nobody was living there at the time. And this was a real haunted house–not one of those Hardy Boys “haunted houses” where a ghoulish light turns out to be a smuggler’s signal.

How long does it take you to write a book?

That depends on the book. I do a lot of drafting and revision in my head, so I’m usually thinking about or writing a book six or twelve months before I have something to show somebody.

Where do you like to write? What time of day?

I write at my kitchen table, usually very late at night. During the day, I think I’m going to work, but I end up watching a Real World/Road Rules Challenge marathon or something. By midnight, I’m feeling focussed, and I sit and type until I fall asleep.

Say you couldn’t write. If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

Either a kindergarten teacher or a medievalist.

So for kids out there who loved the Brixton Brothers, what else could they read while they wait for the next book?

If you liked The Brixton Brothers and haven’t read any Hardy Boys books, check them out. And Ellen Raskin wrote some great, funny mysteries. The Westing Game is her most famous book, but I also love The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel).

And finally, what can we expect from you next?

Well, next year there’ll be another Brixton Brothers adventure, The Ghost Writer Mystery, plus a picture book about a giant robot and another one about mustaches, and also a very secret book that I’m not allowed to talk about right now.

More about Mac and the Brixton Brothers:

• A Fuse #8 Review
• Simon and Schuster Video and Interview
• Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Interview
• Mac Barnett’s Website

Related posts:

1. Author Talk: Barbara Kerley and One World, One Day
2. Author Talk: Fran Cannon Slayton and When the Whistle Blows
3. Book Look: Take the Mummy and Run: The Riot Brothers Are on a Roll

Eve’s stats:

What Eve has to say:

What were you like as a kid?

I loved books, longed for a dog, or to be a twin, wanted to be a ballerina, loved crafts of all sorts, making up stories friends (who are still my friends) and mothering my little brother. 

Did you like school?

Loved school-  spelling, writing, reading, math,history and art!  My favorite homework was composing sentences for spelling words!  I’m still close to friends from elementary schools (website will eventually reveal more) and to my teachers!

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

Not ready to share that outside of a book-  for a fun take on gross, read THAT CAT! which has a passage that my son though would be too gross to be in print!

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

There is an actress, comedian somewhere inside me- likes to pop out especially when I talk to groups.

What’s one thing you’d love to learn to do?

Play the harmonica, be really talented with a yoyo (not kidding, either!)

What are your three favorite things to do other than reading or writing?

Enjoying my kids, other peoples’ kids, exercise, dancing, cooking- especially with fresh farm picked vegetables- and laughing!

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?

California and the waterfront by the Hans Christian statue in Copenhagen, also Mediterranean shore and of course, my own Atlantic ocean beaches!  Love the sounds, smells and charm of breaking waves.

Tell us about your book(s). 

Hm, most are humorous – have posted a few on my website with descriptions, will add more soon. All my books answer some question or question that I’ve thought a lot about and tried to

How did you get the idea for Billy and Milly?

The ingredients would include a love of words (have read the dictionary for fun), a mother who encouraged word play games, my fourth grade teacher, Ms. Kantor,  who introduced some great word puzzle games, teaching elementary school, teaching ESL overseas, teaching remedial reading in more than one language, and a love of laughter and ‘silly.’

How long does it take you to write a book? Where  do you like to write? What time of day? (Or anything else you want to add about your process.)

Each and every book has its own time from the first vague idea, to the writing, self- editing, rewriting and that’s all before anyone who might want to publish gets to see it. When not sitting and writing, still carrying around ideas and/or characters and plot in my head- always.

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that’d you’d recommend for kids who liked yours?

I don’t know of any book like mine but would recommend any and all of the books by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. All her books involve a love of words, some include word play, all are thought-provoking discussion starters. Examples: BLACK WHITE, DAY NIGHT; FIRST THE EGG; LEMONS ARE NOT RED; ONE BOY.  Her series, DOG AND BEAR , is also great for emerging readers before they can move on to the fun of Cam Jansen and then the great books of Johanna Hurwitz.

What’s next?

In April, a book of short stories and poems is coming out from Candlewick. The book is edited by Johanna Hurwitz and each story or poem will have these three words in it: “I fooled you.”   I have a short story in that book-  busy thinking of whether I should retitle it…     Working on more wordplay books and have several ideas for chapter books- all tossing around in my head simultaneously!

More about Eve and Billy and Milly

Eve B. Feldman’s website

Related posts:

1. Author Talk: Barbara Kerley and One World, One Day
2. Author Talk: Pamela Turner and The Frog Scientist
3. Author/Illustrator Talk: Chris Gall and Dinotrux

Eleanor says,

“The Secret Science Alliance is about super-smart Julian, Greta and Ben, three of the coolest kids in the universe! They’re secret scientists and inventors with an underground hideout and inventions galore. Of course, there’s an evil adult scientist, and of course, they have to stop him in his nefarious tracks! It’s a graphic novel (that’s code for comic book), and we tried to pack it with as many awesome pictures and details as was humanly possible!!!”

Eleanor’s Stats:

Look, she shared a doodle!

Here are some sketches of our three cats. They are rascally.

More About Eleanor and The Secret Science Alliance

What were you like as a kid?

I was a scrappy, awkward, tom-boy book-worm. I spent a lot of time doing small, fiddly art projects in my room listening to old radio dramas. Actually, this also pretty much describes me right now!

Did you like school? What was your favorite subject? Why?

I liked school a lot. My sister and I went to a small alternative school called Kino where my parents both taught, and kids had a lot of freedom to do and learn what they wanted. I always really enjoyed art, and math.

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid (um, keeping this PG, of course J)?

Once when I was four years old I was playing around in the mud, and then when my mother gave me a bath she found a worm in my hair!

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

I often fantasize about being a journalist, or in radio. I also often wonder what it would be like to work in at Jim Henson studios, or Aardman studios, making puppets and costumes and sets. I really like working with my hands! But, right now I’m pretty much in love with being a produce manager. I love fruits and vegetables!!!

What’s one thing you’d love to learn to do?

Speak Spanish. I’m really interested in and excited by the growing Latino population in America. But languages are hard!

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?

I lived in Kurayoshi, Japan for a year as an exchange student in High School. That was pretty cool! Japan is a really beautiful place, and its complex history and culture and the amazing people I met there made it a life-changing experience.

How did you get the idea for the Secret Science Alliance?

I just tried to think of the most exciting, adventurous story about the coolest, smartest kids I possibly could. I wanted to make the sort of book I wanted to read when I was 12!

Did you like science and making things when you were a kid? Any crazy inventions in your past?

I’m no science whiz, but I love tinkering and making things. As a kid I built a water timer where a little electric chicken would peep after x hours, a Kleenex box with a secret compartment for hiding snacks, a belt with hooks for things like binoculars, pencils, a pocket knife, and magnifying glass just like Harriet the Spy, as well as innumerable hide-outs, dolls, doll houses, and other projects. As an older person I’ve built a tiny house with wings that flap, a desk-bookcase-bunk-bed, and a little shadowbox with gouls that dance up and down when you turn a handle, as well as innumerable hide-outs, dolls, doll-houses, and other projects. Things haven’t changed much!

Which is harder for you, writing or drawing?

Whatever I’m doing at the moment is the hardest thing. I am better at drawing than writing, I think, but that doesn’t make it easier, exactly.

What tools (media) do you use to make your illustrations?

For Secret Science Alliance I penciled on copy paper with a 2B mechanical pencil. I’d scan these pencils, fix any mistakes, and then print them out in light blue onto Strathmore 400 Series Smooth Bristol, which the book’s inker, my husband Drew Weing, (www.drewweing.com) would ink with a Hunt 102 crow quill dip pen and Higgin’s waterproof ink. The art was colored in photoshop by Joey Weiser (www.tragic-planet.com) and Michele Chidester (www.michelechidester.com), SSA’s fantastic colorists!

I don’t always use such fancy materials or such a laborious process, though. I do a lot of final art on regular drawing paper, or watercolor paper, or whatever I find laying around. I do love drawing with a dip-pen, though – my current favorite nib is the Hunt 107, because it’s less scritchy.

How do you work?

When I was working on art full-time I would try to keep to a strict 8 by 8 schedule: 8 hours of drawing by 8 pm each week day. Now that I have a day job, I have the luxury of working when I feel like it, rather than having to keep to a schedule. I really like working in the morning and at night. Afternoons are the worst!

I do a lot of work with my husband, Drew Weing. We sit around our kitchen and brainstorm, or go to coffee shops and sketch together. Working with him has been so fun that I’ve been trying projects with other people too. Right now I’m writing a book with my mom, and that’s been amazing.

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that’d you’d recommend for kids who liked yours?

I’m so glad you liked it! I love The Little Vampire series by Joann Sfar and the Little Lulu reprints from Dark Horse books. As for non-comics books, there are too many to even try to list them all, but I love anything by Daniel Pinkwater!

What’s next?

I’m really excited about my next project! I’m co-writing a graphic novel with my mom, Ann Davis! My mom’s a history teacher, and we’re writing a historical murder mystery set in Samarkand in the 700s together! It probably won’t be done for ages, but it’s gonna be a doozy, I promise! Keep an eye out! ;D

Eleanor Davis and The Secret Science Alliance Elsewhere on the Web

•  Eleanor Davis’s Website
• Secret Science Alliance Website
• Fuse #8 Review
• 100 Scope Notes Review
• What Adrienne Thinks About That Interview
• Bees Knees Interview

Related posts:

1. Author/Illustrator Talk: Chris Gall and Dinotrux
2. Author Talk: Eve B. Feldman
3. Author/Illustrator Talk: Eric Wight

It’s Eric Wight, author/illustrator of Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom (Colonel Mustard’s favorite book of the summer!). Frankie Pickle is a hilarious graphic novel/chapter book hybrid about boy with a huge imagination and a very messy room.

Eric’s stats:

And look–he shared a haiku!

Writing with pictures
Is kind of like when you dream
With your eyes open.

More About Eric and Frankie Pickle

What were you like as a kid?

I was a lot like Frankie.  Very imaginative, always drawing or making up stories.  A constant day dreamer.  Pretty much the same as I am now!

Did you like school?

I loved learning, but my brain definitely didn’t process things the way it was usually taught.  I used to think I hated subjects like history and science, but now I find them fascinating and seek them out more and more.  As I got older, I came to realize that it wasn’t the subject’s fault, it was the way it was taught to me that I couldn’t connect with.  I was terrible at memorization.  But give me a book report or art project and I was aces.  

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

Once a week when I was in first grade, we would have a lesson about someone famous in history.  On this particular week, we learned about Walt Disney.  I had to go to the bathroom so badly, but I didn’t want to miss anything, so I held it until the lesson was over.  When I stood up to ask permission to go to the lavatory, I couldn’t hold it any longer and peed myself in front of my entire class.  It was pretty embarrassing, but I realized at that moment that I wanted to become a storyteller. 

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

I’d probably be a musician.  I have a deep love of music, and it’s always a part of my work, whether it be something I’m listening to while I work or something I’ve worked into my project (like Kenny).  I’ve been itching to take guitar lessons if I could ever find the time.   

What’s one place you’d like to visit in the world? Why?

I’ve yet to travel to Italy, and being half Italian I’ve been getting a lot of flack about it from my family.  

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?

When I was in college I interned with the Children’s Television Workshop and had the opportunity to visit Sesame Street.  I’ve seen a lot of movie stars in my career, but Big Bird trumps them all.  

How did you get the idea for Frankie Pickle?

I knew that I wanted to create something for kids, so I drew inspiration from what I was like in elementary school.  I was constantly getting lost in my imagination, and I thought it would be really fun to write and draw about a character who did what I did, but took it to a whole other level.

How messy was your room when you were a kid?

I was pretty good about keeping my clothes and toys put away.  My problem was that I always had a million art projects going at once, so my floor would be covered with cut paper and felt and art supplies.   

Which is harder for you, writing or drawing?

Definitely writing.  Don’t get me wrong, drawing is tough, but I’ve been doing it my entire life — since before I could walk or talk.  I’ve only been writing for less than two years, and had very little experience with it even in college.  So I have a long way to go before I feel like my writing ability will be caught up with my drawing ability.  

What tools (media) do you use to make your illustrations?

I sketch everything first digitally with a Wacom Cintiq and Photoshop, then I print it onto bristol board in a light blue color and ink it by hand.  The blue color allows me to remove the sketchy part easily, and the brush inking has a much more organic feel than the coldness of the digital pencils.  If there is any coloring to be done, I do that in Photoshop as well.

Where do you like to write? What time of day?

I’m forced to be pretty stationary in my office when I’m drawing, so I like to move around a lot when I write, whether it be other parts of my house, the library, a local coffee shop, or when the weather is nice by a lake a few minutes from my house.  I can draw at almost any hour of the day (and I’ve certainly drawn during all of them!), but I need to be a lot more focused with my writing and find my best time for me is in the morning.

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that’d you’d recommend for kids who liked yours? 

Thank you so much!  I had the pleasure of meeting Jarrett Krosoczka at Comic-Con this year, and my kids and I are really digging his new Lunch Lady series. For slightly older kids (9-12), Michael Buckley has a new book coming out called NERDS that’s going to be fantastic.  It’s illustrated by my good pal Ethen Beavers.

What’s next? Can you tell us about the next Frankie Pickles or your new series?

The next Frankie adventure is called Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000, which is the Cub Scouts’ Pinewood Derby meets Speed Racer.  Following that is Frankie Pickle and the Multiplying Menace, which combines math with medieval fantasy.  I have about a dozen books planned so far.  The goal is to put out at least two volumes a year until Frankie runs out of stories to tell.  Given his imagination, that will hopefully not be for a long, long while.

I also have a middle grade fantasy series in the works.  The first volume is called Sword of Fools, and is due in stores Fall 2010.  It’s also a prose/graphic novel hybrid, although the comic parts work much differently.  The story is about a boy who is a traveling minstrel on a quest to figure out his identity.  Along the way he finds a medieval comic book called The Scarlet Hood, which both helps him on his adventure, and leads him further into danger.

More About Eric Wight and Frankie Pickle

• Eric Wight Revealed
• Graphic Novel Reporter
• Comic Book Resources
• Newsarama

Related posts:

1. Author/Illustrator Talk: Chris Gall and Dinotrux
2. Author/Illustrator Talk: Eleanor Davis
3. Of Books and Boys and a Little Visit to China

First up, S. Terrell French, author of Operation Redwood.

Here are her stats:

Operation Redwood (one of Mr. E’s favorite books of the summer!) is about a boy, Julian, who stumbles upon an email to his uncle, the head of a big company. The email is a plea from a girl who lives next to a redwood forest—Julian’s uncle’s company is about to tear down her forest. When Julian emails her back, he gets caught up in the fight to save the forest.

The book has been called, “a satisfying eco-adventure starring a group of young people…gratifyingly diverse in age as well as experience and ethnic background.  A highly enjoyable read.” –Kirkus Reviews

And, “fast paced and full of fun . . . .” –School Library Journal

And here’s what she said:

What were you like as a kid?

I loved to read.  I generally enjoyed school but liked summers even more, when I got to go to camp and kayak and run around barefoot.

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

Once, I was rehearsing for a play at camp and, without turning my head, smacked what I thought was a mosquito on my left arm.  It turned out to be a large, fat caterpillar and I still remember the horror of seeing all that yellow green caterpillar smoosh smeared over my arm.

If you weren’t an author, what would you be? Why?

I’d probably keep doing environmental law because I think it’s important work.

What’s one place you’d like to visit in the world? Why?

I’d love to go to Bali or to eastern Africa because the lifestyle there is so different from here.  I always feel a little uncomfortable in the role of tourist, so in my perfect trip, I’d be doing something useful or visiting people I knew there.

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?

I spent one summer in southern India and another in Alaska, but the redwood forests along the coast of Northern California are some of the coolest places on earth!

How did you get the idea for Operation Redwood?

My first image of the book was of a lonely boy discovering an e-mail from a faraway girl, which would introduce him to an environmental issue he knew nothing about.  I decided to make it about redwoods because they’re so beautiful and because children seem to have an intuitive love of playing in forests and climbing trees.

How long did it take to write?

It took me about 9 months to write to write the first draft.  Once I had an editor, I spent another year and a half doing revisions.

Where do you like to write? What time of day?

I write at my kitchen table when my kids are in school or asleep.

What character in Operation Redwood are you most like?

Not surprisingly, I’m probably most like Julian (the main character). Like me, he’s a little reserved and worries about doing the right thing.  And he relies on his friends to make him laugh and spur him to action.

You’re an environmental lawyer, too. What environmental issue do you feel the most strongly about?

Climate change worries me the most because there are so many uncertainties and the impacts could be so grave.

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that you’d recommend for kids who liked yours?

Jean Craighead George writes lots of great books about kids in nature (My Side of the Mountain, for example) and Carl Hiaasen‘s books for kids also have environmental themes.  Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell and The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich are other favorites of mine.  For younger readers, I’m currently reading from the Akimbo series by Alexander McCall Smith, which addresses African wildlife.  I list some other books on my website.

Finally, what’s next?

I’m working on another book set in San Francisco.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read more about S. Terrell French and her book, Operation Redwood at her website: http://www.operationredwood.com, including a Teachers’ Guide for the novel.

Other blog interviews with S. Terrell French:

• Into the Wardrobe
• Shelf Elf

Related posts:

1. Author Talk: Pamela Turner and The Frog Scientist
2. Author Talk: Fran Cannon Slayton and When the Whistle Blows
3. Author Talk: Mac Barnett

Our Nonfiction Book Blast presentation at ALA on Sunday was a huge success. The (enormous) room was full. We had crowds waiting to come in! This was–frankly–amazing to me. Not because we didn’t deserve it (all the other authors were superb in their presentations), but I’ve been to pretty many conferences now, and nonfiction usually doesn’t get this much love. But the audience seemed to enjoy it and we’re already getting hits on our wiki.

Want to join us? You can add your nonfiction booktalk to our wiki. We’re hoping for a big collection of them for teachers and librarians to use. Our wiki also includes our own booktalks and handout.

In the meantime, here are some photos…

Related posts:

1. Author Talk: Barbara Kerley and One World, One Day
2. How to Create a Reader?
3. Create Your Own Comics…in the Library

Nonfiction Book Blast!

Sunday, July 12, 2009
Convention Center Room W181
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
ALA Annual Conference, Chicago

wiki at http://nfbookblast.pbworks.com/

Track: Children & Young Adults; Literature & Collection Development

Despite the emphasis on fiction for leisure reading in schools, many reluctant readers are often more drawn to reading nonfiction. Expand your nonfiction repertoire as 17 authors booktalk their latest work.

Panelists include award-winning and acclaimed authors April Pulley Sayre (Vulture View), Kelly Halls (Albino Animals), and Carla McClafferty (Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium), as well as many additional prolific or brand new authors. Their booktalks, plus new ones crafted by audience members, will be yours to take back home to excite your students about reading nonfiction.

The Nonfiction Book Blast speakers (click on name for author website and title for book description) who will join moderator Sharon Mitchell, include:

Lisa Rondinelli Albert, Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow Publishers, May 2009), So You Want to Be a Film or TV Actor (Enslow Publishers, 2008)

Mary Bowman-Kruhm, The Leakeys: A Biography (Prometheus Books, 2009)

Laura Crawford, In Arctic Waters (Sylvan Dell Publishing), The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving From A to Z (Pelican Publishing), Postcards From Chicago (Raven Tree Press)

Jeri Chase Ferris, With Open Hands: The Story of Biddy Mason (Lerner), Arctic Explorer: Matthew Henson (Lerner)

Kelly Milner Halls, Dinosaur Parade (Lark/Sterling Publishers, 2008), Saving the Baghdad Zoo (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, 2009), Tales of the Cryptids (Darby Creek Publishing, 2006)

Amy S. Hansen, Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter (Boyds Mills Press, 2010), Touch the Earth (NASA and NFB, 2009)

Gwendolyn Hooks, Makers and Takers (Rourke Publishing, 2008)

Katherine L. House, Lighthouses for Kids: History, Science, and Lore with 21 Activities (Chicago Review Press, 2008)

Patricia K. Kummer, The Great Barrier Reef (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), The Great Lakes (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), North Korea and South Korea (two books) (Scholastic/Children’s Press, 2008)

Suzanne Lieurance, The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Sweatshop Reform in American History (Enslow Publishers, Inc.)

JoAnn Early Macken, Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House, 2008)

Carla Killough McClafferty, In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008)

Wendie Old, The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman), The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman)

April Pulley Sayre, Honk, Honk, Goose: Canada Geese Start a Family (Henry Holt, 2009)

Anastasia Suen, Wired (Charlesbridge, 2007), The U.S. Supreme Court (Picture Window Books)

Christine Taylor-Butler, SACRED MOUNTAIN: Everest (Lee and Low Books, 2009)

Rebecca Hogue Wojahn and Donald Wojahn, Follow That Food Chain (Lerner, 2009)

Related posts:

1. Hey, This Sounds Familiar!
2. And We’re Back
3. Out and About

This is the face of one happy kid. For an early birthday treat, Mr. E and I took a road trip to the Red Balloon Book Store in St. Paul to see Rick Riordan and pick up a copy of the final Percy Jackson, The Last Olympian. We got there early, but the room (it was in a church) was already packed. Packed with kids reading away. It warmed the cockles of my librarian heart.

Read a full overview of the night on Publishers Weekly Children’s Bookshelf.

So, what author would you drive 1 ½ hours and wait in a sweltering church to see on a school night?

Related posts:

1. Favorite Reads of 2009
2. Author Talk: Fran Cannon Slayton and When the Whistle Blows
3. Author/Illustrator Talk: S. Terrell French