Last Stop (+ a Giveaway!) on Clare Hodgson Meeker's GROWING UP GORILLA Blog Tour

Today my dear friend Clare Hodgson Meeker joins me for a chat about her latest nonfiction-for-kids title. I had the pleasure of interviewing her for an SCBWI Western Washington event as the book launched in early fall, so it’s an extra treat to end the season hosting her here.

Growing Up Gorilla (Millbrook Press, 2019) is the gorgeously photo-illustrated true story of how first-time gorilla mom Nadiri learns to mother newborn Yola, despite having herself been raised by humans. Clare deftly guides young readers through a suspenseful yet tender and uplifting narrative chronicling this mother and child's sometimes rocky bonding period, which is so carefully nurtured by an expert team at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo. Readers of all ages will worry over the gorilla pair's obstacles and cheer for their triumphs while also engaging in the fascinating reality of what it really means to be a gorilla, and to care for one.

Welcome to my blog, Clare, and congratulations on the successful launch of Growing Up Gorilla! I’ve so enjoyed watching your journey with this book. We'll talk more about that in a second, but why don't we start with having you share with our readers just a bit about your background. How long have you been writing for children? And how did you turn the endeavor into a career?

Since 1993. I left the practice of law and started freelancing as a grant writer after my two kids were born. Reading picture books to them inspired me to try writing for them, too. My first picture book, A Tale of Two Rice Birds, based on a folktale from Thailand, came out in 1994.

My second book, Who Wakes Rooster?, was published after the manuscript won first place in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s children’s picture book category that same year. The judge, an editor at Macmillan, offered me a publishing contract, but the book didn’t come out for another three years after Simon & Schuster bought Macmillan. I followed that editor to Marshall Cavendish for my next book, a biography of Abigail Adams called Partner in Revolution, which was published in 1998. That book got me hooked on research and writing as a career, and I’ve been doing it ever since.

Such an exciting start to your children's publishing career — and you're still going strong! Let's take a closer look at the creation of Growing Up Gorilla. What drove you to write Yola and Nadiri’s story? In other words, what aspect of their story most captured your own imagination?

Like much of the Seattle public, I was fascinated by a Seattle Times article about zoo staff helping a first-time mother gorilla prepare for birth by practicing having her pick up a burlap doll and holding it. The question of whether or not Nadiri would instinctively pick up her baby and nurse her was compelling, since she had been hand-raised by humans away from other gorillas for almost a year after her mother rejected her at birth. I had first heard about Nadiri when she was a baby and I was researching and writing a book about another animal celebrity at the zoo, Hansa: The True Story of an Asian Elephant Baby. But it was Yola’s personality — outgoing and determined — and the bond the zoo staff helped forge between mother and daughter in the gorilla dens where she was raised from the start that drove the plot and captured this writer’s heart.

How did you go about translating your passion for the story into a narrative that’s just right for younger readers? Did that process pose any challenges?

Kids are naturally drawn to baby animals and to reading nonfiction. Most of my books are written for 3rd- to 5th-graders who are hungry for facts and eager to share what they know in the context of a good story. My goal was simply to present Yola and Nadiri’s story through carefully chosen scenes with as little author intrusion as possible. The lesson that mothering is a learned behavior is presented here as something gorillas have shown us and zoos have learned and are responding to over time. The lesson might apply to humans as well, but I leave that to the readers to interpret. It is not my role to be didactic. I tried to focus on the social behavior and family dynamics of this amazing animal species that shares 97.7% of the same genes as us.

I think you accomplished exactly what you set out to do! While your nonfiction books for kids include a number of wonderful animal stories, you’ve also written some lovely biographies and fun sports-related titles. Besides Growing Up Gorilla, which of your nonfiction works is most special to you, and why?

Thank you for asking that question, Lisa. Here are a few special moments for me as a writer: Researching American history through primary documents from Abigail Adams’s time and discovering a swatch of silk material she’d pinned to her journal from her trip to Europe. During research for my Rachel Carson biography, I Could Not Keep Silent, I witnessed this famous nature writer’s beginnings when I found a story she’d written at age eight about two wrens setting up house among her personal papers archived at Yale University. Finally, after catching Sounders FC fever in 2010 with my Soccer Dreams book, I was thrilled to interview MLS soccer heroes Kasey Keller, Steve Zakuani, Fredy Montero, Osvaldo Alonso, and Clint Dempsey. Hard work pays off!

Those certainly are some well-earned writerly moments, Clare! Thanks so much for chatting. 

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Did someone mention a GIVEAWAY?

To celebrate our mutual love for putting books in kids' hands, Clare and I decided to add a giveaway to this post. The prize is a set of four FREE books — two written by Clare, and two written by me — all of which will go to one lucky winner!

Books in the set by Clare Hodgson Meeker:

• Growing Up Gorilla — see description above.
• Soccer Dreams — a fictional tale about a boy from Kenya who moves to Seattle and helps build a winning soccer team. Sidebars feature real-life game strategies and teamwork tips from the MLS Seattle Sounders FC.

Books in the set by Lisa L. Owens:

• Bigfoot: The Legend Lives On — a fictional story about a boy attempting to unravel the Bigfoot mystery in Mount Ranier National Park. Sidebars feature real-life Bigfoot research, cultural beliefs, and other factual information.
• Heroes of Dunkirk — a look at the World War II military campaign at Dunkirk as told through stories of heroes at the scene. Sidebars include STEM and hero highlights.

We'd love to get the word out to teachers, librarians, parents/families, and anyone with young readers in mind who could really use and enjoy this set of books.

Enter to WIN by leaving a comment on this post anytime between now and 11:59 PM on December 23. At the end of the giveaway period, I'll use an online randomizer to select a single winning entry. Then I'll post the winner's name in this space by December 26 and arrange to mail the books to the winner in early January 2020.

Thank you for reading, and good luck to all entrants!

Nonfiction Monday: A Chat with PURE GRIT Author Mary Cronk Farrell

I recently had the pleasure of attending one of Mary Cronk Farrell's readings in support of her terrific new YA nonfiction book, Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific. It was fun to hear about her experience creating the book — and I was especially drawn to the story, which features an incredibly strong group of women who faced unspeakable hardships and dangers as combat nurses and prisoners of war. 

Pure Grit is thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and gorgeously photo-illustrated, making it a perfect title to feature on this Nonfiction Monday. Be sure to track it down in your local bookstore or library. And in the meantime, enjoy my Q&A with its author.

Welcome to my blog, Mary, and congratulations on the new book! How long have you been writing nonfiction for young readers?

For about ten years. Except for a couple magazine articles, Pure Grit is the first nonfiction book I have published for kids.

Tell us what sparked your interest in this story and why you wanted to write it for young adults.

When I first heard about the POW nurses, I was immediately drawn to the story by my curiosity about how they survived three years in the harsh conditions of prison camp, especially since many others in the camps died. It was difficult to believe, and also disappointing that I had not learned about these courageous women in school and I wanted young people to know about them. I was greatly inspired by their strength of purpose, their resilience, and their dedication to their vocation as nurses. I knew their story would inspire others, too.

From idea to final draft, how long did the research and writing take you? Were there any major stumbling blocks along the way?

It is difficult to gauge the amount of time I spent on this project. I worked on it intermittently for five years. Both the research and the writing were done in chunks of time between other projects I was working on.  I didn't have any major stumbling blocks. The research and writing were quite straightforward, but I will say that at times the material was very difficult emotionally. I remember a time or two that I was typing with tears running down my cheeks.

I’d love to hear about any particularly memorable interviews you conducted.

By far the most memorable interview was with Mildred Dalton Manning, the only one of the POW nurses still alive at the time I was writing the book. She was most gracious, and I felt honored to meet her. Another memorable interview was with Sascha Weinzheimer Jansen, who was a child in Santo Tomas Internment Camp where the Army nurses were imprisoned. She had been in the hospital for a tonsillectomy and remembered being cared for by Army Nurse Denny Williams. Her throat was not healing after the surgery, because the girl and everyone in the camp were starving and malnourished. Sascha remembers the nurse sitting with her all night when she was deathly ill.

What knowledge or message would you like readers to take away from their experience reading the Pure Grit?

I hope readers will get a strong sense of what it was like for these women to find themselves suddenly in the middle of war and then to be imprisoned for three years. I hope the book will cause questions to rise in readers' minds. I don't have specific ideas I want people to take away, other than how brave and dedicated the nurses were, but so many issues arise from the story that I think are worthy of thought and discussion.

What’s next for you as a writer? Any new children’s books in the works?

My next book, working title Fannie Never Flinched, is due out in February 2016.  It's another amazing true story about courage and dedication, this time a biography of one woman — Fannie Sellins — who was an incredible labor organizer in the early 1900s garment industry, coal fields, and steel mills. Like the POW nurses, her strength was imbued with compassion. Unfortunately, she did not survive, but died in a hail of bullets on the picket line of a Pennsylvania coal strike.
 
That sounds fascinating — I look forward to reading it. In the meantime, where can readers and reviewers find Pure Grit, and you?

Readers can get Pure Grit through any bookstore, on the ground or on the Internet, and I invite everyone to visit my website for more information about the POW nurses and me.


Terrific. Thanks so much for chatting with me, Mary! 

Poetry Friday: Q&A with Author Carol Saller

--> My Q&A guest today is Chicago-based author Carol Saller, whose affecting middle-grade novel Eddie's War (namelos, August 2011) debuted last summer. The book's many impressive reviews praise not just the story, but also its unique and effective format: a collection of spare yet evocative vignettes that trace a young Midwestern boy's experiences before and during World War II.

Carol tells me she did not set out to write "poetry," but the novel's structure essentially established itself during the writing. (I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for writer-as-conduit experiences!) Having recently read this gem, I can tell you that — for me — describing the work as a historical novel feels equally as natural as characterizing it as poetry. Once you get caught up in the story, and that happens very quickly, the format disappears. You can call that good storytelling, precise technique, or the catch-all craft if you like — but I call it the very definition of poetry.

I am delighted to share this interview today as part of KidLitosphere Central's Poetry Friday roundup. (Thanks to Teaching Authors for hosting!) I hope you will enjoy peeking at Carol's writing process as much as I have — and that you'll be inspired to add Eddie's War to your reading list.

Welcome to my blog, Carol, and congratulations on the new book! How does it feel to have such esteemed sources as (not to name-drop or anything, but) Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Nikki Grimes praising this beautiful “baby”?

Thank you, Lisa — it’s wonderful to be here! And I’ll admit that it feels wonderful when people say good things about Eddie. This book in particular is very close to my heart.

That the book holds a special place for you really comes through in the writing. As a writer, I love hearing how individual story ideas take shape. How quickly after reading your father’s boyhood diaries did the inspiration to write something hit? And how did you decide to present the story as a collection of free-verse vignettes?

I was given the diary in 1994, and I didn’t start writing until 2003, but I suppose it was in the back of my mind all that time. The first vignette I wrote (“The Church Social”) wasn’t inspired by anything in the diary, in fact, but was based on something funny that happened to my grandmother and me when I was young. When I decided to expand that story into a novel, it occurred to me to use the diary for material.

The form was something I fought. I never thought of it as poetry; it just seemed that my paragraphs wanted to be chopped into lines. Most of it is very prose-like, except for the form. At least twice I rewrote it into paragraphs, but it just wasn’t the same, so I gave up trying.

Eddie’s War reads like a labor of love — the voice is so distinct and language so beautifully crafted. Did having that family connection to the work make your job easier? Do you think it changed your process at all?

Ha! I have to laugh, because my “process” was just a big mess. I wrote the scenes in random order as they came to mind. Sometimes I’d browse the diary for inspiration. I didn’t have a main character or a plot—when it was half written, I had a pile of unconnected vignettes. My editor Stephen Roxburgh encouraged me to stop worrying and keep “compiling,” and sure enough some threads eventually began to emerge and I was able to put things in order and develop some plot lines.

The family connection definitely made a difference, but I like to emphasize that the characters are all purely fictional. No one in my family makes an appearance.

You did a marvelous job of weaving very specific historical details into the story: Eddie’s realistic trip to the movies here, his telling observations of Army posters there. The reader can easily visualize the book’s world but doesn’t feel like “Oh, here’s another fact.” What were your most valuable resources for researching the rural setting and storyline-framing events? Did you do most of the research before writing . . . or as you wrote?

I love the Internet! I did huge amounts of research there. But I live just blocks from the University of Chicago’s Regenstein Library, so I also borrowed books there: timelines of World War II, books on Polish Roma culture. I bought an “audio history” of World War II that has some 35 hours of radio broadcasts: Edward R. Morrow reporting live from London in the middle of the Blitz; Churchill’s speeches; a fascinating treasure of information. And photos! Propaganda posters, aircraft, uniforms. That sleazy crime magazine Eddie sees in the store window, Official Detective? I found it at an antique shop; there’s a photo of it at my website. Now that I think of it, sometimes the huge amount of available material sometimes made it hard to sort and focus and select.

I researched in fits and starts. I’d stop writing because of something I needed to learn, and then my reading would inspire new scenes. I think the most valuable resource, however, was the family farm where the book is set. I’m not good at imagining places or picturing things in my mind. So using the farm as the setting — a place I’ve been visiting all my life — allowed me to create an authentic place that I couldn’t have otherwise. The diary, too: Being able to look up a Saturday in June 1944 and read “Today Gene and I dug dock and mullen,” I could slam that right into a scene and not even worry what the heck mullen is and why someone would cut it. (Don’t tell anyone!)

How long did the writing take — let’s say, from idea to first draft and then from draft to final manuscript? 

Well, you know by now there was never anything as organized as a draft. I wrote about the church social in April 2003 and namelos sent the book to a copyeditor at the end of 2010. I did take at least two years off to write The Subversive Copy Editor. But I’m really slow. It’s a short book. I once estimated that I averaged eleven and a half words a day.

Where can readers and reviewers find Eddie’s War — and you?

My website is www.carolsaller.com. At the bottom of every page are two links: Contact me and Buy Eddie’s War.

What’s next for you as a writer? Any new children’s books in the works?

I hope so! I envy writers who have stacks of ideas waiting. For me, it’s not that easy. My last two books were hugely meaningful to me: The Subversive Copy Editor contains everything I’ve learned from a whole adulthood spent editing, and Eddie has a million little hidden references to my family and my father’s past. It’s hard for me now to imagine writing a book just for the heck of it. I’m waiting for something to move me.

Carol, thank you so much for talking with me today. I certainly hope something moves you to write the Next Thing soon!