Interview with Karma Wilson

August 22, 2019 Stefanie Hohl

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a country girl, raised an only child by a single mom in the wilds of North Idaho. We only got 3 channels back in the day, and only 1 was watchable. Loneliness and boredom turned me to books at an early age, and I became a voracious reader. I started writing for children as a young married mother of three kids in 1996 and sold my first book in 1999, which was Bear Snores On (illustrated by Jane Chapman, published by Margaret K. McEldery/Simon & Schuster). I went on to publish over 40 books with various publishers and have been fortunate enough to receive numerous literary awards and make a few appearances on the New York Times bestseller list. I’m now an old grandma to my sweet granddaughter, Chloe.

You've written a lot of books! Which one is your favorite, or which one are you most proud of?

My books are kind of like my kids—I can’t pick a favorite! Frog in the Bog (illustrated by Joan Rankin) is the most fun for me when it comes to storytelling, and I feel the Bear books are very positive, kind books that are a bright spot for kids today. A Dog Named Doug is a new one I’m very happy with! The art by Matt Myers is so fun!

What is your work day like? Do you adhere to a strict schedule, or is it always different?

My schedule is all over the place! I tend to write in waves. I’ll go months with nothing, then a storm rolls through my brain, and I tackle several projects at once.

How many rounds of revision do you go through for each book?

The revision process totally depends on the book. Bear Snores On required almost no changes, but my poetry book revisions were much more extensive, as they both have nearly 100 poems each (What’s the Weather Inside, illustrated by Barry Blitt, and Outside the Box, illustrated by Diane Goode). I can’t count how many times those got revised. I also self-revise every line and verse as I go, so I rarely have multiple drafts, but instead, one ever-evolving draft.

What is your all-time favorite picture book (not written by you)?

Again, it’s so hard to pick one! As a child, Where the Wild Things Are and The Monster at the End of this Book were huge favorites and anything by Shel Silverstein (except The Giving Tree, which I didn’t like and still don’t like—sorry, Shel!).

Thanks for visiting us, Karma!

Top Ten Beginning Reader Books (Pre-Chapter Books)

April 25, 2019 Stefanie Hohl

Short sentences, generally simple words—these books are great for emerging readers. There are pictures on every page that support the text, so even when words are difficult, beginning readers can still usually figure out what’s happening from the illustrations. The print is usually larger and easy to read. Some of the books even have chapters, so readers feel like they are reading a “big-kid” book. These books are a great step between learn-to-read books (such as Level One books or the BOB books) and chapter books (where there is more text per page and fewer illustrations). My six-year-old is eating these books up right now and was so proud of himself when he read a Mighty Robot book all by himself. You may notice that these books are almost all series books. When kids are still learning to read, multiple books with the same characters help them feel more comfortable because they’re reading about characters they already know and love.

Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey

Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey is a great Good Guys vs. Bad Guys series for beginner readers! It’s about a mouse named Ricky Ricotta who rescues a robot from a Mad Scientist. Together, this unlikely duo team up to conquer anything from “Mutant Mosquitoes from Mercury” to “Voodoo Vultures from Venus.” There are over ten books in this series, each one filled with colorful illustrations, tons of action and adventure, and each page includes only a few sentences at most!

Owly by Andy Runton

At first glance, this seems like a decent-sized chapter book, but beginner readers will be pleasantly surprised to find out that Owly is actually a graphic novel, full of black-and white illustrations and minimal text. The text consists of mostly sound words, like “dink” or “knock” or “shake,” but children will enjoy the illustrations as they follow along with this “enchanting owl who's always on the lookout for new friends and adventure.” Plus, there are over ten books in the series! Owly is a great way to engage beginner readers and introduce them to the graphic-novel genre.

Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems

Elephant and Piggie books follow the hilarious adventures of two best friends, a very serious and literal elephant named Gerald and his whimsical and charming friend, Piggie. What a pair! With over 25 books in this series, your beginning readers will have plenty of books to choose from!

Narwhal and Jelly Books by Ben Clanton

Narwhal and Jelly are a series of books about a narwhal and jellyfish and their adventures under the sea. Written with a mix of comic-book format and large, uppercase print with easy-to-read words, these stories are full of hilarious and kid-friendly tales. And who can resist a waffle-loving narwhal and an adorable jellyfish? With more adventures coming soon, your little ones will delight in each new book, too!

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Frog and Toad are a series of stories originally published in the 1970’s which still hold value for today’s young readers. Each story features Frog, his best friend Toad, and the many adventures they have together. This compilation includes lots of funny tales, adorable illustrations, dialogue, and easy-to-read words. As the inside book jacket proclaims, “From the first enchanting story to the last, these….adventures of two best friends are packed with excitement, gaiety, and tender affection.”

Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold is a fun beginning series that features a pet fly named “Fly Guy” and his owner, Buzz. Together, there’s never a shortage of fun, whether it be through parties, fairy tales, playing football or hide-and-seek, and plenty more adventures! Each book is filled with big, colorful illustrations on every page, funny stories, and easy-to-read words, making these books a great start for beginning readers! And with over fifteen books currently in the series, there are plenty of stories to share and enjoy!

The Princess in Black by Shannon and Dean Hale

The Princess in Black is written by a husband-and-wife team, who explain: “Sometimes our daughters wear princess dresses and play tea party, and sometimes they don capes and fight monsters. We wanted to write a character who does both, too!” The Princess in Black series captures this essence perfectly, as each story in the series has a nice mix of Princess activities and Monster-fighting! Chapters with bright and colorful illustrations add to the overall charm and delight of these books!

Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo

Mercy Watson is the tale of a buttered-toast-loving pig who lives in a house with Mr. and Mrs. Watson, who believe Mercy to be a “porcine wonder.” With short chapters, bright illustrations, and as the illustrator, Chris Van Dusen, says, “wonderfully silly adventure with lots of action,” the Mercy Watson series will be sure to be enjoyed by your early readers!

Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss is a classic writer with over 60 beloved children’s books to his name. So many of his stories are silly, full of crazy characters, tongue twisters, repetitive text, positive messages and more! There is sure to be a Dr. Seuss book that your beginning readers will find and adore!

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Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat & Mitchell Sharmat

Nate the Great is a detective with a penchant for having fun by looking for clues, wearing disguises, and going on lots of adventures! Each book is organized into simple chapters and includes lots of dialogue, illustrations, interesting characters, and a fun mystery to solve! Plus, readers will love trying to solve the mystery right along with Nate the Great! With over 25 books in the series, there will be no shortage of fun!

We hope you discovered some new favorites from this list!

And in case you missed it, don’t forget to check out my Top 10 Classic Picture Books or my Top 10 Newer Picture Book list.

Happy Reading!

Interview with Cathy Breisacher

February 21, 2019 Stefanie Hohl

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I grew up in Altoona, Pennsylvania, attended college at Penn State University and earned my Master’s Degree in School Counseling. I started my career as a high school guidance counselor at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School. After enjoying the counseling world for many years, I decided I wanted to devote more time to writing for children. So I obtained my Master in Library Science Degree, made a career switch and became an elementary school librarian. That move enabled me to immerse more of my time in the kid lit world, and now I have two picture books coming out this spring. I live with my husband in Hollidaysburg, and we enjoy traveling, especially to National Parks.

Can you tell me about your books coming out?

Yes!
CAVEKID BIRTHDAY, illustrated by Roland Garrigue and published by Charlesbridge, will come out on March 5, 2019. In the story, Caveboy and Cavegirl are best friends and do all kinds of cavekid activities together. They also share the same birthday! So, with their birthday approaching, each one decides to get something special for the other. They both have something valuable that they can take to Caveman’s Collectibles to trade, but when it’s time to exchange gifts, they are in for a big surprise. However, these Cavekids are resourceful, so they use their imagination and creativity to come up with a way to have a satisfying and very happy birthday.

CHIP AND CURLY, illustrated by Joshua Heinsz and published by Sleeping Bear Press, will release on May 15, 2019. It is a story about two potatoes, Chip and Curly, who compete against each other in Spud City’s Annual sack race. Chip has his heart set on winning the Golden Bushel Award, but when Curly shows up with a spring in his step, Chip is worried. He practices and gains admiration from the other taters in town, but he wonders if he will be able to get this win in the bag or if his dreams of winning will be mashed.

Where did you get the ideas specifically for these books?

CAVEKID BIRTHDAY was initially inspired by a clipart picture of a caveboy and a cavegirl. I started thinking of a story that I could write using cavekids as my characters. At one point, I decided to mash the cavekids with Christmas, and I started writing. It didn’t take long before the idea of doing a twist on the Gift of the Magi popped into my head. I have always loved O. Henry’s story about the husband and wife who each take their most treasured possession and sell it to buy a perfect gift for the other one. So I decided to take that premise and have it take place during prehistoric time with cavekids. After many rounds of revision, the Christmas theme changed to a Birthday, and the rest of the story flowed from there. I kept the Gift of the Magi theme, so each of the cavekids ends up trading something they value in order to get the perfect birthday present for their friend. But there is a twist in the end!

CHIP AND CURLY – THE GREAT POTATO RACE was inspired by an annual potato festival near my town. Every fall in Ebensburg, PA, there is a Potato Festival with large crowds of people, delicious potato food, crafts and games. While at the Potato Festival one year, I felt inspired to write a book with potatoes as the characters. I wanted to have fun with this story and fill it with potato puns to make both adults and kids chuckle. I had a great time thinking of ways to add potato-related words and puns to the story.

What is your all-time favorite picture book?

CREEPY CARROTS by Aaron Reynolds. It is told so well. It is fun, clever, imaginative…everything great storytelling should be. There are many books that tie for my second favorite picture book, but CREEPY CARROTS tops the chart. I also love SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE by Mac Barnett– the page turns are brilliant. MOTHER BRUCE by Ryan Higgins is hysterical. THREE NINJA PIGS by Corey Rosen Swartz shows rhyme at its best. THIS IS NOT MY HAT by Jon Klassen is another favorite, and I also adore all of Kelly DiPucchio’s books.

What is your favorite thing about writing?

I love coming up with a fun idea that I think will make readers smile and laugh. I let my mind think of silly things: What if a hippopotamus went to the moon? What if a bear gets a new haircut? What if a moose tries to play hide-and-seek? I think of something and ask myself: what if, what if, what if? My mind does this every day until something takes up residence in my brain and I can’t stop thinking about it. My favorite part of writing is when I get a complete draft written and then I can delve into revising. Revising is my favorite part of writing.

If you could be any book character, who would you be?

I’d probably pick Clementine by Sara Pennypacker or Ramona by Beverly Cleary for their spunk and imagination. They both make me laugh. I also wouldn’t mind being Hermione Granger for her intelligence, bravery, and loyalty to her friends.