Students Interview Aaron Reynolds

Perhaps you’ve noticed I haven’t been posting for a while. There is an exciting reason!  Two other speech therapist and I are starting a new business, SpeechFix, providing literature based material for home and school. That is taking up a large chunk of my “free” time but it is well worth it. Our first project will be a package of activities to accompany the book, Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds. 

It was a natural choice since the book is already a favorite with my students. And since it is such a favorite, we decided to request an interview with Mr. Reynolds. Lucky for us, he readily agreed!

Welcome, Mr. Reynolds. My students and I love your books and Creepy Carrots! is one of our favorites. We’d all like to know, what inspired you to write this story?

I love getting creeped out and did when I was a kid. So much so, that I used to watch a TV show called The Twilight Zone every Saturday night. I loved it because it was creepy, but not terrifying. Spooky, but also kind of funny sometimes. I decided one day that I wanted to write a picture book that was like an episode of The Twilight Zone. That idea became Creepy Carrots!

Student questions: 

Jackie: How did you make all those words in the book? (She is hoping to make her own creepy story where a rabbit family turns into creepy carrots.)

Aaron: I write all my stories with pen and paper, rather than computer. I find that a computer is too distracting when I'm trying to develop a story. Pen and paper also frees me to be messy, which is an important part of writing!

  

Brooklyn: Why didn’t the carrots just talk to Jasper? Maybe then he would stop eating them. (She is quite a diplomat in her Kindergarten class.)

Aaron: There was something much creepier about the carrots never speaking. Just that mysterious tunk-tunk-tunk that let you know they were coming. 

Jose: How did the carrots get out of the ground to follow Jasper?

Aaron: Anything is possible in a picture book!

Sierra: How did you make this book? 

Aaron: Once I had the essence of a story, I began to put the story together into words. As the story took shape, I often went back to cross things out and change them to better things. I did this until the story was my very best work. 

Bella: Can you write a next story about Jasper and the carrots?

There is another adventure for Jasper coming this fall! A brand new book! But this sequel has no carrots in it. It is called CREEPY PAIR OF UNDERWEAR! 

That sounds fabulous – my students can hardly wait to read it!

Eleanor: Can you make an even creepier book about Jasper?

Aaron: You may find CREEPY PAIR OF UNDERWEAR! to be just as creepy, if not creepier than CREEPY CARROTS!

Ravel: Why did you think of a story that's so creepy?

Aaron: Let's be honest, it's kind of fun getting creeped out! Am I right?

99% of my students say you are definitely right.

Bella: How did you know how to spell all those words?

Aaron: Spelling is a big part of being a writer. Thankfully, I also have a tool called SpellCheck to help me out once in a while.

Azul: Why did, when his parents looked at what Jaspar saw, they weren’t there?

Aaron: I wanted you to wonder...is Jasper really seeing Creepy Carrots? Or is it in his imagination? How come nobody else sees them? 

You certainly accomplished that! My students had some great discussions on the imagination vs. reality aspect of this story.

Alexander: How did the carrots transform so quickly into other stuff?

Aaron: I never imagined that the carrots were turning into those things. Either Jasper's imagination is running away with him, or the carrots are trying to make him think that he's losing his mind. Which is maybe creepier than the carrots actually being there!

Autumn: Do you like carrots?

Aaron: Carrots are okay. They are a good source of beta carotene!

Melody: Do you like rabbits?

Aaron: Rabbits make great easily spooked out characters.

Eleanor: Does Jasper ever eat anything other than carrots?

Aaron: Not that we know of. Perhaps he should try canned carrots, though I can think of ways to make those creepy too.

Azul: When is your next story coming out?

Aaron: April 24th! I have a brand new picture book coming out called SEA MONKEY & BOB!

We’ll be looking for it! Thank you for inspiring these young scholars and for taking the time to answer their questions.

Below, you'll see artwork that accompanied student stories. From a tale of a Peaceful Pickle to one of Creepy, Sleepy, Sweet Peas - we had some riveting tales!

 

Thunder Boy Jr. Inspires

Back in August of 2012, I posted about The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. I loved the book then and still do. When I discovered Mr. Alexie had written a picture book, I rushed to get a copy. I can see why Publisher’s Weekly listed it as one of the best picture books of 2016. My students loved it—both the story and the bold, captivating illustrations by Yuyi Morales. 

I read the book, first, to a group of students that included a young boy on the autism spectrum. He was so enthusiastic, he insisted we read it again as soon as I turned the last page. The others in the group readily agreed. The following day, Calvin burst through my door and said, “let’s read my favorite book!” When I asked him what that might be, (although I was pretty sure I knew the answer) he said, “THUNDER BOY JR!” And he said it with thunder in his voice. He has requested the book many times since and he’s not the only one to do so. It was a hit with all of my students. 

The kids could relate to Thunder Boy Jr. wanting to carve out his own identity. But they laughed when they heard his ideas for a name that differed from his father’s: “Old Toys Are Awesome” and “Mud In His Ears.” When I read the line, “I want a name that celebrates something cool that I’ve done,” they didn’t laugh, they murmured, “yeah.” After we closed the book, my students decided to come up with new names for themselves, names like “Flying Through the Air,” “Firetruck Boy,” “Princess Sparkle,” “Peanut Butter Kid,” “I Can Do Anything,” and “Mr. Amazing.”

I especially liked those last two. As the new year approaches, perhaps we should all think of new names to give ourselves and those around us, names that celebrate hopes and dreams so we can “light up the sky” like Thunder Boy Jr. and his father at the end of the story and like Sherman Alexie does with his writing.

Author Interview - Lauri Fortino

I’ve been buzzing around our school campus lately—testing students, writing progress reports and attending into-the-evening parent-teacher conferences. Fortunately, I had time during one rainy-day recess to share a story with a group of enthusiastic second graders. I enlisted their help in interviewing the author, Lauri Fortino, about her book, The Peddler’s Bed. The story kept these cooped-up-on-a-rainy-day students in their seats and captivated by Bong Redila’s illustrations.

Welcome, Ms. Fortino! My students enjoyed your book and have a few questions for you.

Chloe: How long did it take you to write this book?

Lauri Fortino: It took about a day to write the story. But it took over a year for the illustrator to draw and paint all of the pictures. Then the publisher had to put everything together in the right order, make sure it looked perfect, and send it to the printing company to be made into a real book. From the time I wrote the story to when it became a book, it took almost two years!

Hunter: How did you come up with the idea for this story?

Lauri Fortino: The idea for this story mostly came from feeling grateful to family and friends for being generous and kind to me. But I’ll let you in on a secret—I also got the idea because my husband and my dog both snore. And sometimes their noses squeak while they’re sleeping!

The kids had a good laugh about those squeaky noses and they did an excellent job  imitating the squeaks and snorts they hear in their own homes.

Kaylee: How many books have you made up?

Lauri Fortino: So far, I’ve written around forty-five stories, but they’re not all finished yet.

Karson: Do you have lots of ideas for other stories?

Lauri Fortino: I have ideas for over one hundred more books.

Andy: How do you get your ideas?

Lauri Fortino: Story ideas come to me in many ways. I get ideas from dreams. I wrote a dinosaur story based on a dream I had when I was a kid. I also get ideas for stories from places I visit and activities I do with family, friends, and my dog. Sometimes I get ideas from reading other books, or from observing people, animals, and nature. 

Jose doesn’t have a question but he wanted me to tell you that he has a toy cart with a horse that looks just like the one in your book.

Lauri Fortino: That’s awesome! I love horses! I learned how to drive a horse and cart and it was so much fun!

Hannah: This is a nice book—are you famous?

Lauri Fortino: Thank you! No, I’m not famous. But maybe I will be someday.

Eric: How did you choose the illustrator? How did you know he would make good pictures?

Lauri Fortino: The publisher of my book chose the illustrator. He saw some pictures that Bong Redila had drawn and he liked them. He asked Bong if he’d like to illustrate the story and he said “yes.” I think he did an excellent job!

We think so too!

Keelan: When did you make your first book?

Lauri Fortino: I was about your age when I started writing stories. I made my own books out of paper I stapled together. Then I wrote the stories and drew the pictures inside.

Vanessa: Did you think of having the birdhouse on the cart or did the artist come up with that idea?

Lauri Fortino: That was the artist’s idea. I think it’s pretty neat! I like the round baskets too and how everything is so colorful. The trees are one of my favorite parts of the book.

Duke: How did you make such tiny words without messing up?

Lauri Fortino: Great question! The printing company printed all the words onto the pages of the book. Printing companies have machines that can print words and pictures in any size they want.

Arianna: How did you make the book?

Lauri Fortino: I had a lot of help making the book. First, I wrote the story. Then the illustrator drew and painted all of the pictures, including the ones on the front and back covers and on the jacket flaps. Then the publisher put everything together and sent the pages to the printer to be made into a real book. The printing company printed hundreds of copies to send to bookstores all over the country so that people could buy them.

Several students enjoyed the kind characters in the story and that made them want to know more about you – the author. 

Johann: Do you like eating bananas?

Lauri Fortino: Yes! I enjoy eating bananas, especially in a banana split with three kinds of ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and pineapple. Yum!

Eli: cookies?

Lauri Fortino: Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.

Alia: What is your favorite thing to do?

Lauri Fortino: My absolute favorite thing to do is write stories. I also love to spend time with my dog. His name is Java. He’s super smart. When I ask him to show me his belly, he’ll lie down and roll over on his back. I’ll send a picture to share with everyone.

Thank you for the picture – we think Java is adorable!

Marcos: Are you rich?

Lauri Fortino: No. It’s hard to get rich writing books. But it’s a lot of fun.

To wrap up our interview, do you have any advice for young writers?

Lauri Fortino: Use your imagination and write stories about people, places, and things that interest you. If you do that, you’ll always do your best writing. If you dream of one day becoming an author like me, your dream can come true.