Author Interview: Sandhya Acharya

I'm so happy to have a dancing author with us today! Sandhya Acharya is the author of the new book Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India's Woven Trees (illustrated by Avani Dwivedi and published by Beach Lane Books). It's been garnering great reviews, including a starred review from the School Library Journal, and has been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Both of these are big deals in the world of children's literature. Woo-hoo!  

Living Bridges is an engaging narrative nonfiction book that follows a boy in Meghalaya, India, as he learns about the living bridges in his village, including how to care for them and the importance of keeping them strong and healthy for his community and the environment. 

I'm really interested in the creative process so have decided to interview picture book authors and illustrators from time to time to specifically learn about their creative processes. I'm excited to hear more from Sandhya about how this book came together. And, since I know she studies dance, I'll have to squeeze in some questions about that, too!

So happy you're here with us today, Sandhya! To start off, how would you describe your creative process while writing this book?

My creative process was to first read and learn as much as I could about the subject, then sit back and really feel the emotions and look for an entry point into the story. I kept drafting lines without worrying too much about the arc or where they fit into the story. Sometimes it’s a line or a word that’s the key to finding the right voice and unlocking the rest of the story. And once you do find that opening, it’s so exciting because everything begins to neatly fall into place -- like it was meant to be!

From initial concept through publication (including everything in between), what was your favorite piece of the process?

My favorite part was traveling to Meghalaya to witness these extraordinary bridges for myself. Imagine entering a misty wonderland full of clouds, trees, insects, and birds, walking across a bridge a hundred feet tall and long in the middle of a forest over a gushing river. It felt like I had crossed over into an alternate world. I was IN the story. I am also grateful to the locals and experts on the ground for sharing their knowledge and experience with me. 

What if anything did you learn about yourself along the way?

I played with multiple points of view and versions for this manuscript. Every time when it was clear something wasn’t working -- either by my own instinct or suggestions from my editor -- I learned to take a step back and try something new. Once I understood what the problem was, I could approach it in different ways -- sometimes the original suggestions morphed into something even better!

Ok...so now I'm super curious about your dance background. Can you tell us a little bit about the type of dance you're doing now, how you got involved, and what it means to you?

I learn Bharat Natyam. It is a classical dance form that has been practised for ages. It was a childhood dream that I fulfilled while well into my adulthood! Goes to show, it’s never too late! I love the art form -- the skill, the beauty, the challenge, the discipline it requires, the history hidden in its stories, the music that has been passed on through generations. More than anything, it brings me joy.

That's wonderful! I'm also curious if you've noticed any major similarities or differences between the process of publishing a picture book and the process of preparing for a dance performance?

Classical Bharat Natyam is not just the final performance we see on stage. It takes years of preparation as we train our bodies to move a certain way, follow complicated rhythmic patterns, and learn to express and emote. As I spend more time in the writing world, I realize it needs the same practice, discipline, and patience!

Thank you so much for sharing your process with us, Sandhya!

Sandhya is also the author of 10 Gulab Jamuns: Counting with an Indian Sweet Treat, illustrated by Vanessa Alexandre. Learn more about Sandhya and her books here.

Author Interview: Debra Kempf Shumaker

It's been a while since I've interviewed an author on my blog, so I'm thrilled to have Debra Kempf Shumaker here with us today to talk about her new picture book Wind Is a Dance, published this month by Kids Can Press. The text, with its lovely cadence, compares the wind to a dance, and the inviting, whimsical art by Josée Bisaillon allows you to almost feel the wind dancing on every spread. Small, unassuming sidebars describe different types of wind, and the back matter includes scientific details about how wind speed is measured and what effects different wind speeds have on the environment. I can see this book being used at home, in the classroom, and even in a dance or creative movement class. It's beautiful, educational, and versatile! 

Welcome, Debra. We're so happy you're here! I'm always interested in where story ideas come from, so I wanted to start off by asking you how you decided to write this book. 

First, thanks so much for having me on your blog! I’m exited to be here. Growing up on a diary farm with 120 acres as my playground, I loved being outside. And I loved that feeling in the air when the weather was changing. I’d sit on our porch, a rock, or anywhere and just listen to nature as a storm brewed. Fast forward to 2015 and I was in the middle of doing “PiBoIdMo” (Picture Book Idea Month by Tara Lazar, now knowns as Storystorm) and brainstorming picture book ideas. I was awed by Miranda Paul’s WATER IS WATER and how it showed water changing with the seasons. I decided I wanted to write a lyrical book about weather and wrote down “Lyrical NF book about wind—different types?”

 

Thanks for sharing that! I'm also curious how you decided to use the metaphor "wind is a dance" as a through line in the book. Was that the plan from the beginning, or did it evolve as you were writing or revising?

“Wind is a dance” was not initially my through line. The book literally started out as a string of poems about various types of wind. When I tried to string the poems into a picture book, it was very disjointed. I had written a few poems using metaphors to describe a wind type and I really liked the imagery it created and decided to use metaphors for each wind. (And boy, some of those metaphors changed a lot!) I also needed an opening and closing and something to tie it together. Initially, my opening mentioned that wind was air in motion—sometimes with a few words, sometimes with a lot. But all of those openings felt dry. I decided to try using a metaphor to explain that wind changes and tried “wind is a chameleon,” but that didn't work very well. As I visualized warm air rising and cold air going low, the idea of a dance metaphor popped in my head. It took a lot of trial and error to tie all of the metaphors together with the overarching dance metaphor, but I’m so thrilled with the end result. Revision took YEARS, lol.

Wow! How fascinating to hear the whole process and all the work that went into it. I am a bit biased, but I am also thrilled that the dance metaphor prevailed. It works so well! How did you choose which types of wind to include, and possibly exclude, from the book?

 

I started with individual poems about winds from all around the world. But when I started stringing them together, I knew the book needed some kind of “arc.” Initially I grouped them into seasons so I had winds like the Chinook and Santa Ana winds, but the flow wasn’t working for me. I tried grouping them geographically, but that felt scattered. Then I played around with going from relative calm to faster and more destructive winds. With the dance metaphor, that arc just seemed to work. As I revised, I decided to focus on winds that kids in North America would be most familiar with since that would likely be where the book would be published. Although the derecho is a wind not everyone is familiar with, we experienced one in 2012 and lost power for a few days. The derecho fascinated me so much, that I knew I wanted it in my book.

The book's cover is so inviting, and I love how Josée Bisaillon's illustrations are full of so much beautiful energy and movement. What are some of your favorite aspects of the art?

 

Oh my gosh, Josée’s illustrations are so amazing and so perfect for this book. I am so honored that she agreed to be my creative partner for this project. I knew it would be challenging to illustrate something that is not seen. I assumed she would incorporate the metaphors, but as in most traditional publishing contracts, I had no contact with Josée while she was working on it. The day I got her first sketches, I teared up. When the color ones landed in my inbox, I literally gasped. They were so beautiful. The somewhat transparent aspect of the wind with the objects of my metaphors flowing across the pages makes me swoon. The color scheme she uses is just so perfect.

The beautiful text coupled with beautiful art in this book will make a lot of people swoon! What impact do you hope this book will have on children?

 

I hope this book encourages kids to look at our natural world in new ways. I love the idea of kids coming up with new metaphors to describe other winds or other types of weather. I want them to see that science, while factual, is also awe-inspiring, and can be imaginative, too. I also hope that learning a bit more about the various winds, even the destructive ones, helps them fear storms less and also be proactive in knowing what to do if they face any dangerous storms.

And finally, to steal a line from the ending of your book (which is an ingenious discussion starter allowing for a variety of scientific, poetic, or other creative responses)... "How would YOU describe the wind today?"

            
It’s a very sunny, still, late summer day here in Northern Virginia and I only occasionally see the leaves move in my yard. So today the wind is a feather, barely tickling my skin.

Oh, I love that! And thanks again for being here with us today!

To learn more about Debra and all of her books, visit her website here. You can also follow her on social media: Instagram @debrakshumaker, Twitter/X @ShumakerDebra, or Bluesky @debrakshumaker.bsky.social.

An Interview with Author Rachel S. Hobbs

Congratulations to winner Angela Dose! Although the giveaway is now closed, I hope you will still enjoy the post!

I've always loved a good fractured fairy tale -- a retelling of a classic fairy tale but with a unique twist in one or more elements of the original story. I'm so happy to have author Rachel S. Hobbs here with us today to talk about her debut picture book, a fractured fairy tale Tango Red Riding Hood, illustrated by Carolina Vázquez and just released by Gnome Road Publishing. 

In this fresh, bilingual take on Little Red Riding Hood, a young tango-loving Argentine girl name Moni sets out to deliver some scrumptious alfajores to her Abuela. As she dances through the forest, she encounters a wolf playing tango music on his bandoneón! It might seem like the perfect pairing of two characters passionate about the tango, but hilarity soon ensues once Moni and the wolf start communicating (or trying to communicate) through speech instead of music and dance. 

A blend of two cultures (as 

Rachel was born to a Californian father and Argentine mother), this book would be great

 for English or Spanish learners, or for anyone who just wants to read a fun story with an Argentine twist!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!! Stick around after the interview for a chance to win a crocheted rose (inspired by a scene in the book) and a 20-minute ask-me-anything phone call or Zoom with Rachel! 

So happy to have you here with us today, Rachel! And congratulations on your debut picture book! 

Thank you so much for having me! I feel honored, and I'm excited to share my thoughts with a dance-minded community!

How are you feeling? Have you been doing anything special to celebrate?

I love food, so that's how I've been celebrating! We made some Argentine food recently, and I also plan on making alfajores (the treat mentioned in the book) for my author visits. Don't get me wrong, though. I don't enjoy cooking or baking, but I really wanted to share something I love with others!

As for how I'm feeling, that's a tricky question to answer! I'm extremely grateful that people can have this personal piece of me in their hands to enjoy what I enjoy. I'm so happy when friends show me photos of themselves holding my book. I'm also really anxious, but that's part of my mental health issues. My adrenaline has been really high. I've learning a lot about self-soothing and self-compassion, so I think that will get me back on track!

Yes, self-soothing and self-compassion are so important, and I hope you feel more balanced soon. I also struggle with self-soothing when I am anxious or overwhelmed, and have found that meditation and LOTS of alone time are so helpful, at least for me. Oh, and so is dance!

Speaking of dance, how did you come up with the idea for this tango-themed story?

That's a great question! I was listening to a lot of audiobooks at the time, and I was listening to the last book of Stephanie Garber's Caraval series (young adult). If I remember correctly, the main character was going to a ball, and just as she started dancing with someone, I found myself wishing it was tango. It wasn't! But that made me reflect on my love of tango, and how I grew up with it as part of my culture, but my peers didn't. I wished for a way I could introduce it to kids, and I immediately started coming up with the verses Moni sings in the book, to the tune of "El Choclo."

So dance was really the impetus for writing this book! I originally used more dance words to convey how Moni was moving through the forest. I wanted to show that dancing was always on her mind. Those words didn't make revisions, but I still used words like twirled, whirled, swayed, and of course, tango-specific words, along with actual tango dance steps!

I love the color palette and expressive faces of all the characters in this book. What was it like having Carolina Vázquez as the illustrator? 

I feel like the luckiest person alive that she was the illustrator! Her palette in the book is vibrant and bold, which is absolutely reflective of tango itself. I think the faces are as expressive as the dance! She added such amazing Argentine-specific touches to the illustrations that I didn't imagine, like the half-hood-half poncho, the other Argentine snacks and drinks, and the mixture of a North American and South American wolf. She is so brilliant and talented!

As a debut picture book author, was there anything that surprised you about the publication process?

I have learned so much through the years from SCBWI conferences, books, and classes, so not a lot surprised me, except that I couldn't have dreamed that someone else (the publisher/editor) could envision what I envisioned and loved it the way I had hoped. Finding someone who really understands your manuscript is a more beautiful experience than I had dreamed of. It's hard to get rejections, but those aren't the people you would want to work with on your manuscript. It is worth it to find "the one."

So happy that you found "the one" to share your vision for this amazingly multi-layered book. What are you hoping young readers will take away from it? And what are you working on next?

I'm hoping young readers will learn a new dance and new music. I'm also hoping they will see how they, too, can infuse their culture into new or familiar stories. And I also want them to know that when you learn a new language it's normal to make mistakes! I have made language mistakes -- both using a Spanish word that I didn't understand was Spanish in talking to English-only friends (realizing I said "the wrong thing") and confusing two Spanish words when I was telling someone a recipe, which would have made a non-edible food! It's something I can laugh about now, and I hope that people will accept that mistakes will happen and that it will be ok. That's how we learn!

As for what I'm working on...another way of sharing my culture! It involves food and it may or may not be a retelling...

Thanks again for having me -- this was fun! Now let's dance.

Thank YOU for being here, Rachel, and for offering a very generous giveaway. And yes, let's dance. As Abuela says in Tango Red Riding Hood, "Magical things happen when you dance!"  

GIVEAWAY TIME!! Leave a comment for a chance to win a 20-minute ask-me-anything session with Rachel, plus this BEAUTIFUL rose she crocheted just for you (pattern by @kati.crafts). And don't forget to leave an email address or social media handle so we can reach you if you win. The giveaway will close on Thursday, September 28th, at 11:59 pm EST. Best of luck!

An Interview with Author Michelle Meadows

All ballerinas are brave to get up on stage and share their talents with an audience. But one ballerina in particular--Janet Collins--had to be braver than most. A Black girl born in New Orleans in 1917, Janet had to overcome extraordinary racial prejudice to be given the opportunity to even dance on a stage at all. According to the author's note in the back of the new picture book Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins, Janet was once told she couldn't join a dance company unless she painted her skin white!    

I'm thrilled to have the author of this new book, Michelle Meadows, on my blog today to share her inspiration and process for writing this story. I've followed Michelle's career since my two daughters were in preschool, and I love the infectious rhyme in her books, including Pilot Pups, Piggies in the Kitchen, Super Bugs, and more. Brave Ballerina is Michelle's first nonfiction book for kids.

Congratulations on such a beautiful book! You write about this a little bit in the author’s note at the back of the book, but what inspired you to write about Janet Collins?

I was taking a wonderful ballet class when I started researching Black ballerinas. When I started looking into history, I learned that Janet Collins was the first Black principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera House. This was news to me, and I thought a picture book would be a great way to educate others about her inspiring story and her passion for dance.

Did your own experiences with dance affect any aspect of writing this book?

Definitely! I took ballet as a child and have always loved it. Taking ballet as an adult brought back some nice childhood memories. Doing the movements and dancing to music helped me with the language and rhythm of the text.

Before I move on to my next question, I have to share this adorable photo of you as a little girl, with your brother Marcus, after one of your ballet recitals. A great throwback shot!

All of your previous books have been in rhyme, but I was somehow expecting this one to be in prose. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen too many picture book biographies out there in rhyme. But I love your approach! Did you ever consider writing this one in prose, or did it come to you in rhyme from the start?

I love rhyme! I really love the music of language, and rhyme is so much fun to write. I often start out in rhyme. For this book, I actually started out in prose and it wasn’t working. When I switched to rhyme, things clicked into place. It felt natural and true to the subject matter. 

This book covers a lot of time, from Janet Collin’s early childhood to her rise as a prima ballerina, yet you cover this span of time in very few words. How did you go about deciding what to include in the book and what to leave out?

As I researched Janet’s life, I thought a lot about the events in her life that helped shape her as a dancer, the events that were most interesting to me personally, and the events that I thought would be appealing to kids. I was particularly interested in the fact that during times of racial segregation, some ballet schools would not admit black dancers. Doors were closed because of discrimination. I wanted to show children the various obstacles Janet faced and how she still kept dancing…

One of my favorite things about Brave Ballerina is the “This is the” phrase that is repeated frequently throughout the book as each new concept is introduced. How did you come up with this approach?

In addition to taking ballet while working on Brave Ballerina, I was volunteering to help kids with reading at a local Boys & Girls Club. I was spending a lot of time with children in first and second grade. I thought about how I would tell them this story about a girl who swayed with the palm trees in her yard as a child. “This is the girl who danced in the breeze…” popped into my head, and I let things roll from there.

I find the illustrations by Ebony Glenn to be very expressive and endearing, especially in terms of the facial expressions for Janet Collins. What was your reaction when you saw the illustrations for the first time? 

Joy! Gratitude! More joy! I love everything about Ebony’s illustrations. They are more beautiful than I could have imagined.  

As Brave Ballerina has been on bookshelves for a few weeks now, have you heard anything about the early response from readers? I can imagine the book is already inspiring many young children!

I have heard from parents and teachers who are very enthusiastic about the book. I recently posted a teacher’s guide for the book on my website. I also had the opportunity to share the book with students at the Dance Theatre of Harlem school, and they were excited. My husband and I watched the students dance in a show, and it was really special to think that it all started with Janet Collins! 

Are there any projects in the works right now that you are able to share with us?

Yes, Ebony and I are working on another picture book with Holt/Macmillan--a picture book biography of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Ebony again, especially on a book about such an amazing gymnast. I would do a backflip about it if I could! 

I am sure lots of little girls and boys will soon be doing backflips for you! Thanks so much for letting us know about your upcoming book and for sharing some of the backstory for Brave Ballerina! 

Visit Michelle and learn more about her picture books at www.michellemeadows.com.

"Favorite Things" & Giveaway for Diva Delores!

Diva Delores is a big seal, with an even bigger ego, who's finally graduated from the opera chorus to center stage. But she's a little too full of herself to admit she might need help preparing for her new role. Fernando is a tiny, ultra-cute mouse who has all the knowledge and talent to help Delores succeed. But will she let him?

Welcome to the final stop on the blog tour for Diva Delores and the Opera House Mouse by Laura Sassi and Rebecca Gerlings! Told in humorous verse with illustrations bursting with personality, Diva Delores is one of my favorite new picture books. So this post is going to be all about favorites! It includes:

• Illustrator Rebecca Gerlings' and author Laura Sassi's favorite parts of working on the book
• My favorite things about the book -- written as a poem to be recited to the tune of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music
• A **GIVEAWAY** courtesy of publisher Sterling Books (U.S. and Canadian addresses only)

Thanks, also, to Sterling for letting me include a couple spreads from the book in this post.

There's a lot to cover, so let's get started!


REBECCA GERLINGS' FAVORITE THINGS 

What was your favorite part of illustrating this story?

My favorite part of illustrating a picture book is always the character development. It's brilliant fun to bring characters to life and imbue them with personality. And what wonderful personalities Delores and Fernando are! (My second favorite part was choosing the color palette -- I hope it conveys the richness and old-world glamour of an opera theatre.)

Do you have a favorite stanza or stanzas from the book?

I particularly enjoyed illustrating the stanzas where Delores was huffing and tantrumming! It meant I could really go to town with her body language and accentuate the contrast between the two characters' personalities for added humor. Having young children means I have a lot of first-hand experience of temper tantrums to draw inspiration from...

The cast and the maestro

were greatly relieved,

but Diva Delores, 

quite frankly, was peeved. 

She bellowed and bawled.

"You helped me, it's true,

but a mouse help a diva?

That simply won't do!"

LAURA SASSI'S FAVORITE THINGS

What was your favorite part of writing this story?

My favorite part of writing this story, once I had settled upon the story's structure in terms of meter and rhyme, was to play with plot and wording until the story sang! And I love Rebecca's response to the illustrator's version of this question, because for me, too, it was loads of fun (and hard work) to really develop Delores' and Fernando's characters and to think about what made each one tick...and how to convey that within the framework of a rhyming text. It was a truly joyful moment for me when I had the idea to add the varying "Tra-la-la-las" at the end of the certain spreads to convey Delores' inner mindset, and eventually, her growth. Once I added that element, I knew the manuscript was getting close to submissions stage.

Do you have a favorite illustration from the book? 

This is an extremely difficult question because I am smitten with each and every one of Rebecca's charming illustrations! However, since story beginnings are very important in capturing and keeping the reader's attention, I think I will choose the opening spread. By using opposite background colors (gray and white) for this spread, Rebecca cleverly and effectively sets up from the outset the very different life goals and perspectives of Diva Delores and that adorable opera house mouse, Fernando. 

Fernando loved chocolate

and cheese on dry toast,

and popcorn and gumdrops,

but what he liked most...

was feasting on Mozart, 

Puccini, and Strauss,

and lending a paw 

at the Old Opera House.

Delores loved glamour and

spotlights and praise.

She longed to be showered 

with fragrant bouquets.

Now here was her chance, 

after years in the chorus,

to take center stage and be 

Diva Delores!

I feel compelled to add that I also love the glorious joy of the spread where Rebecca depicts Delores and Fernando singing on stage, but I don't want to spoil the story, so I don't want to comment too much on that one. Please note, however, that this is the spread that I have chosen to have framed so it can join the collection on the special wall in my house that showcases illustrated spreads from each of my published books.

What a wonderful idea to have a special wall in your house to "house" some of your favorite illustrations! I ADORE the spread you are speaking of and hope that our readers will buy the book -- or enter our giveaway -- so they can see it, too. But if they just can't wait, they should go to stop seven on the blog tour, at KidLit411, to see the spread :)


MY FAVORITE THINGS ♩ ♪  ♫  ♬  ♪ ♩

Diva Delores
A mouse named Fernando
One knows what pride is and one knows glissando
Red and gold artwork and verse that all sings
These are a few of my favorite things

Pink fluffy wig that looks fab on Delores
Unlikely friendship
And tra-la-la chorus
Sparkly gold cover that's worthy of kings
These are a few of my favorite things

When the book's done
When I close it
When I just can't grin
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I must read again


**GIVEAWAY** TIME

Now it's your turn to talk about favorites. You can enter the giveaway for one copy of Diva Delores and the Opera House Mouse by leaving a comment on this post that mentions one of your favorites related to the opera. It can be your favorite opera, your favorite song from an opera, your favorite experience at an opera, or anything else along those lines. I, for instance, might say that my favorite part of going to the opera is seeing the dancers! (Had to get dance into this post somehow :)

If I might not know how to contact you, please leave an email address or link to your social media site. One lucky winner will get picked randomly one week from today -- on April 17 at 11:59 pm EST. Good luck!!