Thank You, Moon Interview with Author Melissa Stewart

Thank You, Moon: Celebrating Nature's Nightlight
by Melissa Stewart
illustrated by Jessica Lanan
Alfred A. Knopf, 2023
Grades PreK-5

Thank You, Moon hits shelves today. This science nonfiction picture book from Melissa Stewart and Jessica Lanan highlights the relationship between the moon and the behavior of nocturnal animals. Stewart employs a parallel structure as the lyrical, narrative shows readers how animals respond to the moon. Expository paragraphs provide scientific details about the animals and their habitats. Gorgeous watercolor and pencil illustrations depict plants and animals in the moon's light.

We had the opportunity to interview Melissa Stewart about Thank, You Moon and writing nonfiction for children.

Author Interview with Melissa Stewart

The Nonfiction Detectives: How do you find topics to write about?

Melissa Stewart: I write about science because I’m fascinated by the natural world. I’m constantly encountering things that make me ask questions. And to satisfy my curiosity, I want to know more, more, more. Learning more gets me so excited that I’m dying to share my new knowledge with other people. That’s what fuels my writing.

For me, ideas are everywhere. They come from books and articles I read, conversations with other people, places I visit, and experiences I have. The hard part isn’t getting ideas. It’s remembering them when it’s time to start working on a new book.

That’s why I have an Idea Board in my office, hanging right above my desk. Anytime I have an idea, I write it on a scrap of paper and tack it up there. Some of those ideas lead nowhere, but others turn into books.

Young writers can keep a list of their own on the last page of their writer’s notebook. I call this an Idea Incubator.

The Nonfiction Detectives: What led you to write Thank You, Moon and the topic of how animals depend on the Moon?

Melissa Stewart: My editor, Katherine Harrison, gets all the credit. In February 2020, she tagged me on Twitter, alerting me to a conversation about how animals respond to the Moon’s cycle, and asked “Is this something you’d potentially be interested in writing? I just can’t get enough of the moon these days, and I feel like you could bring something special to it.” She also included a beautiful, eerie, mysterious image of the Moon partially obscured by clouds. It was an irresistible invitation. 

Not only was it a fascinating topic that had never been written about in a children’s book before, I immediately knew how I’d end the book. I could draw inspiration from a special moment I’d shared with my nieces, Caroline and Claire, about 15 years ago.

As I discuss in this video, when Caroline was in kindergarten and Claire was in second grade, I did an author visit at their school in Maine. They wanted to ride to school with me rather than take the bus, and on the way, I spotted the Moon.

“Oh, look, there’s the Moon,” I said, pointing out the passenger-side window.

Claire, who was on that side of the car, could easily see it. “Oh yeah. Cool,” she replied.

But Caroline couldn’t see it. She squirmed wildly in her car seat. “Where? Where?” she yelled. As her frustration grew, she exclaimed, “I’ve never seen the Moon in the day in my whole long life!” 

So I pulled the car over, and we all got out to admire that lovely, surprising daytime Moon. I’ll never forget Caroline’s joy and astonishment in that moment. She was discovering something new and exciting about how nature works. 

Even as an adult, spotting the Moon in the day is still a special treat. It feels a tiny bit magical because you aren’t expecting it. I wanted to capture that emotion at the end of the book, and it felt simpatico with the image Katherine had sent me. 

 

The Nonfiction Detectives: How did you decide on which animals to highlight in Thank You, Moon?

Melissa Stewart: There are ten animals (and one plant) included in the book, but I had many more examples to choose from. Whenever I write a list book about an animal behavior, I keep diversity in mind. I’ve included creatures from many different animal groups (reptiles, insects, birds, mammals, zooplankton, corals) and many different habitats and geographical regions. 

I also looked for ways to pair the animals by survival strategies to create a compare and contrast text structure. Some animals depend on the Moon to find food. Others rely on it to stay safe or reproduce or travel from place to place. 

 

Initially, I tried to write the book with a sequence text structure that followed the phases of the Moon, but that didn’t work because most of the Moon-related activity occurs either when the Moon is full or nearly full or when there’s just a sliver of a Moon. There weren’t enough examples in between to create a satisfying arc. 

For me, finding just the right text structure is the most challenging part of writing expository nonfiction. Sometimes it takes years. But luckily, it came pretty easily this time.

The Nonfiction Detectives: What was your writing process for Thank You, Moon? Did you write the main text first and then add the more detailed secondary text?

Melissa Stewart: When I write expository literature, I begin by looking for a hook--a unique lens that will spark the reader’s curiosity and encourage them to think about the topic in a new way. 

When a book has a strong hook, it’s often built right into the title, so brainstorming titles is one way to discover the great hook. It can really help to toss around ideas with a friend, so one Saturday, I asked my husband to help me think of possible titles while we cleaned the house. The ideas could be good or bad, silly or serious, anything at all. Any unique way of thinking about “our closest companion in space.” I liked the sound of that phrase, so I wrote it down to get us started.

A few hours later, the dust bunnies were gone, the bathroom sparkled, and we’d filled a notebook page with ideas. The next day, I typed them into a computer file along with all the adjectives I could think of to describe the Moon photo Katherine had sent me. My goal was to create a manuscript that evoked that image.

It didn’t take long for the title Thank You, Moon and the lens of gratitude to rise to the top. After all, life on Earth—including us—couldn’t exist without the Moon to regulate Earth’s seasons. 

I also thought it would be possible to use the phrase repetitively to craft the kind of lyrical voice I wanted for the book. 

Once I had a hook and I knew the text structure, I could start to write. I wrote the lyrical main text and more detailed secondary text in tandem, moving those large chunks around until I had an order that flowed well and represented the diversity of creatures, habitats, and geographical regions that would appeal to a broad, global audience.

The Nonfiction Detectives: Some writers say they write a certain number of words every day. What is your writing routine? 

Melissa Stewart: I don’t have daily word goals, but I do try to set aside the first few hours of my workday for writing rough drafts or complex revisions. I’m a morning person, so that’s when my brain is  at its best.

I do most of my writing in a spare bedroom in my house. My husband leaves for work at 5:45 a.m., so that’s when I start to write.

When I get stuck, I stop to take a shower. Something about the steam and running water frees my mind, and I usually solve the problem. After lunch, I switch my focus to researching, planning school visits, and taking care of business tasks. I stop working at 4:30 p.m., so I can start making dinner.

The Nonfiction Detectives: What is your research process? Do you use your local library to find information?

Melissa Stewart: I get information in four ways—reading books, articles, and scientific papers; using the internet (carefully), firsthand observations in nature, and interviewing experts. I do use the library and interlibrary loan to get books. I also am a heavy user of the library’s databases, which I can access online. 

The Nonfiction Detectives: How do you keep track of all the information you collect as you do research?

Melissa Stewart: There are some fancy computer programs that many people use, but I find it’s simpler to just dump everything into a computer file, which is easy to search. I organize everything by source, so I know where to look if I need to clarify my notes or go back for additional information. It helps that I have a very good memory. I can often picture where I found specific information without having to look it up.

The Nonfiction Detectives: What are some of your favorite recent nonfiction books by other authors?

Melissa Stewart: Oh wow, there are so many great nonfiction books coming out. 2023 is a banner year! 

Here’s a list of 20 titles I’m particularly excited about. You’ll probably notice a science slant because that’s my personal area of interest:

Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater

The Book of Turtles Sy Montgomery and Matt Patterson

Butt or Face? A Hilarious Animal Guessing Game Book for Kids by Kari Lavelle 

The Deep!: Wild Life at the Ocean’s Darkest Depths by Lindsey Leigh

The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of by Kirsten Larson, illustrated by Katherine Roy

The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island by Marni Fogelson, Mahani Teave, illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Glitter Everywhere! Where It Came From, Where It’s Found, & Where It’s Going by Chris Barton, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

Great Carrier Reef by Jessica Stremer, illustrated by Gordy Wright

The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music by Roberta Flack and Tonya Bolden,
illustrated by Hayden Goodman

How Do You Spell Unfair? MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison

Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by
Steve Sheinkin

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan

Making More: How Life Begins by Katherine Roy

The Monkey Trial: John Scopes and the Battle Over Teaching Evolution by Anita Sanchez

Mysterious Glowing Mammals: An Unexpected Discovery Sparks a Scientific Investigation by Maria Parrott-Ryan

Nature Is a Sculptor: Weathering and Erosion by Heather Ferranti Kinser

Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up by Rebecca E. Hirsch, illustrated by Mia Posada

Sisters in Science: Marie Curie, Bronia Dluska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood by Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusso

Superpod: Saving the Endangered Orcas of the Pacific Northwest by Nora Nickum

To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton, illustrated by Lauren Semmer

One book that I’m dying to read is The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicolas Day. I’ve heard so many good things about it.

It’s worth mentioning that I first heard about many of these books right here on the Nonfiction Detectives blog. Thank you for creating such a valuable resource for teachers, librarians, parents, and nonfiction creators like me.

An Interview with Maria Gianferrari

Cathy and I thought it would be fun to take a break from reviewing nonfiction to interviewing author's whose books we regularly review.  Our first interview is with Maria Gianferrari. We love her ability to compose engaging informational books that explore our natural world. Maria's books are perfect to share in story time or in the classroom setting. The language is lively, engaging, and just fun to read. A bonus is that the lively language is always coupled with wonderful illustrations. We hope you like Maria's books as much as we do.

Why do you write the kinds of books you do?

I write about the things that I love, so for nonfiction, that would be about the natural world and its inhabitants. I grew up in New Hampshire near a farmhouse, and nature was my playground—I’m still a nature girl. You can tell I love animals—all of my books currently published, or under contract, feature an animal main character J.

Where do you get the information or ideas for your books?

My ideas come from all kinds of places—observations of things I see on my daily dog walks, or places that I travel, from books or articles or films I’ve seen, or things that I’m curious about. My book Coyote Moon, was inspired by a close encounter with an eastern coyote when I lived in the greater Boston area. Terrific Tongues actually began with my then toddler’s obsession with tongues. We were living in Berlin, Germany at the time, and she was speaking more German than English. Every time she’d see a tongue of any kind, one in a book, the tongue of a dog passing on the street, she’d excitedly scream, “Zunge,” (the German word for tongue). I became curious, and started researching tongues and found so much cool information, and Terrific Tongueswas born.   

How did you become a writer? What was the first book you got published?

Writing was something that I had always wanted to do, but I did not fully commit to it until after my daughter was born. Reading wonderful works of kidlit re-ignited my dream of being a writer, and I decided to go for it. My first book is Penny and Jelly The School Show, illustrated by Thyra Heder (HMH, 2015). It’s about a girl named Penny and her canine best friend, Jelly, based on my daughter’s relationship with our dog, Becca. 

How do you pack so much information and emotions while using a limited word count?

I think that poetry is key to writing picture books, whether fiction or nonfiction, because it is spare, economic and can distill both ideas and emotions. Science and poetry really go hand-in-hand. Scientific language can be poetic too in its specificity. For example, in my book, Hawk Rising, I use the verb “kiting” to describe how a hawk floats in the wind by folding its wings. It’s a beautiful and descriptive verb, so apt AND it’s scientifically accurate too. 

How do you select your subjects for your books?

The topics are usually something that I’m very passionate about, like urban ecology—

the wild neighbors who live among us, who may be common, yet they are extraordinary in their own ways. It was important to me to have Coyote Moon set in the suburbs—to show coyotes living among us, and how we can co-exist with them. The same with Hawk Rising: the birder-girl watches from her home, where the hawk family has nested nearby.

I also like to write about things that I’m curious and want to learn more about, or things that inspire me. As a bird nerd, I have another bird book releasing in March 2020: Whoo-Ku Haiku, a story about a great horned owl family written in a series of haiku poems (again, science and poetry), coming from Putnam. I also really believe in the power of importance of play, so I have a book called Play Like an Animal, releasing from Millbrook Press next April. 

Do you get a say in who illustrates your books?

I am very fortunate to have worked with editors who have shared their prospective illustrator lists with me since they want to make sure that our vision for the books align. My expectations have always been exceeded. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with many extremely talented artists for both my fiction and nonfiction books. Lucky me!

What do you like best about writing for children?

It’s fun and it’s challenging—I get to feel like a kid again—full of curiosity and wonder. And kids are the best audience: they’re energetic and inquisitive, and when they’re engaged, that is the best feeling!

Do you belong to a writer’s group?

I LOVE my online critique group, CP (Crumpled Paper)! They are my trusted friends, and we challenge and buoy and champion each other professionally and personally. Their thoughtful and incisive feedback has made me a better writer. I wouldn’t be a published writer today without them! Thanks, Lisa, Andrea, Lois, Abby and Sheri!

Your books really grab the attention of children. Were you ever a teacher?

I taught composition to college students during my graduate studies for a Ph.D., and one summer I participated in a STEM program for middle school students, and that was a blast! They were full of energy and great ideas. I’ve never taught at the elementary school level though. I feel like we’re teachers as writers of nonfiction—we want to share the cool things we’ve discovered with kids in a fun, engaging, non-didactic way. 

Thank you, Maria! We are looking forward to your new titles coming out in 2020!

Interview with Monica Kulling and Review of Going Up!

Going Up! Elisha Otis's Trip to the Top

by Monica Kulling

Illustrated by David Parkins

Tundra Books, 2012

ISBN: 9781770492400

Grades: 2-5

The reviewers received a copy of the book from the publishers.

 

Inventors are popular subjects in the biography section. Most biography sections are chock full of books about Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. We're fortunate that Monica Kulling sheds light on little known inventors with her Great Idea series.  Kulling focuses on the life and work of Elisha Otis and his "people-hoisting machine" (also known as the elevator) in Going Up! Elisha Otis's Trip to the Top.

Kulling engages readers with her narrative style and fast-paced storytelling. She keeps the story moving without leaving out important details. As a librarian who frequently reads aloud picture book biographies to classes, I appreciate that Kulling provides the time period and location on the first page of the story.

"It was 1818, and Elisha Otis was seven. He loved watching farm machines at work. 

The hay hoist was the most fun of all. The ropes broke often, and when they did-SNAP!-the hay came tumbling down."

Otis was an idea man. During the construction of a bed-frame factory in Yonkers, Otis worried that heavy machinery would hurt workers if it came crashing down as it was moved to the second floor. Otis invented a safety brake that attached to a platform. It worked so well at moving machinery that Otis decided it would work for moving people. Children who enjoy figuring out how things work will be inspired by Otis's ingenuity.

Detailed pen, ink and watercolor illustrations depict history while also being kid-friendly. Parkins effectively captures the expressions on the faces of people throughout the book. In one illustration, Elisha looks eagerly at his boss who is delighted with Otis's plans for a new bed rail machine. In the background, readers can see the forlorn look on a worker's face as he makes a bed rail by hand.

A note at the end of the book provides more details about Otis's first elevator and how his invention made skyscrapers a possibility. The next time a child needs a biography for a school assignment, pull out Going Up! It is sure to captivate readers while teaching them something new.
_______________________________________________________________________

An Interview with Monica Kulling

Louise had the pleasure of interviewing author, Monica Kulling. Kulling is the author of a number of picture book biographies including In the Bag: Margaret Knight Wraps it Up and It's a Snap: George Eastman's First Photograph.

The Nonfiction Detectives: You have written four books in Tundra’s Great Idea Series. What drew you to the topic of inventors

Monica: I love reading about the struggle everyone goes through to achieve his or her goals. Inventors are clever and ingenious in finding ways to realize their dreams. For me the “aha moment” is the most fascinating. It’s that moment when a great idea first clicks in your brain and has you racing off in pursuit.

The first inventor story I wrote was about George Eastman and his Kodak camera. I shelved the story after sending it to several publishers and not getting even a nibble. I then wrote about Henry Ford and his Model T, and sold Eat My Dust! Henry Ford’s First Race to Random House, adding Listen Up! Alexander Graham Bell’s Talking Machine to the Step-Into Reading lineup a couple years later. Then, a fabulous editor at Tundra Books here in Toronto grabbed It’s A Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph and the Great Idea series was born. The picture-book format allows me to bring depth and breadth to each inventor’s story.

    The Nonfiction Detectives: You have written a wide variety of books for children. Do you prefer writing one genre over another? If so, why?

Monica: No, I can’t say that I do. I enjoy writing fiction because there isn’t much research involved and I can merrily fly by the seat of my pants, inventing away, and nobody can come along and say, “Hey! That didn’t happen.” I also love biography, giving kids a peek inside another time and at people whose lives were vastly different from our own.

    The Nonfiction Detectives: Where do you get your ideas?

Monica: I have ideas popping up all the time. The best place seems to be while walking my dogs through High Park, a large city park in Toronto. To quote Dr. Linus Pauling, “The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” When I am struck by an idea I jot it down in a handy notepad. Much later, I’ll see whether any of these ideas still contain a latent spark, an electrical charge. If so, I’ll pursue it. If not, forget it.

    The Nonfiction Detectives: What was your process for researching this book?

Monica: Going Up! was a strange book to research, because there are no books about Elisha Otis. I couldn’t tackle the subject in my usual way, reading widely and choosing facts from several sources. I gleaned all my information online. But because I had set out to write the story in the same folksy way as It’s A Snap!, I felt free to give the facts a supporting role and to focus on the story of a young man who took years and years to find his groove. Not everyone appreciates this method of serving up non-fiction. One reviewer, for example, didn’t like the phrase, “Betsy could almost see the lightbulb over her husband’s head,” rightly citing it as an anachronism. Oops.

    The Nonfiction Detectives: Did you always want to be a writer?

Monica: No. Writing came to me quite by accident. In my teens, I needed my own space and a place where I could get away from day-to-day family life. I took to writing poetry after being struck, and I know this will sound trite, by the passion and lyricism of Melanie Safka’s song, “Lay Down (Candles In the Rain).” It was the opening that blew me away, for some inexplicable reason. The power of it woke me up! And I started to write.

    The Nonfiction Detectives: Do you make your living as a writer?

Monica: Yes, such as it is.  

    The Nonfiction Detectives: What is your writing schedule like? Do you write every morning? Do you have a studio?

Monica: I have an office and write every morning. I research most afternoons. But I can write any time, because writing is never far from my mind.

    The Nonfiction Detectives: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

Monica: That’s a good question, and one I can’t easily answer because I wasn’t much of a reader when I was younger. The few books that made a deep impression on me were the ones I actually got through in high school, such as Jean Valjean’s story from Les Miserables, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Animal Farm, and Steinbeck’s The Red Pony. As for influences today, there are many writers I read and admire and think, “Wow. I could never write like that.”

    The Nonfiction Detectives: What do you hope readers take away from In the Bag! and other books in the Great Idea series?

Monica: I hope readers will realize that life offers a world of possibilities, and that they can do whatever they choose to do if they put the time, energy, and will behind the enterprise. In the case of Elijah McCoy (All Aboard!) and Margaret Knight (In the Bag!), I’d like readers to see that struggle is part of life and that if you are at a disadvantage by virtue of something beyond your control, there are ways to overcome that unfairness.

I’d also like them to know that people living long ago in less comfortable conditions than many of us enjoy, made a contribution to the way we live our lives today, and these contributions have nothing to do with anything digital.

    The Nonfiction Detectives: What do you hope readers will take away from Going Up!?

Monica: Again, I hope readers will come to learn a little about a man who made elevators a reality. We take those “quiet rooms” for granted whenever we step into one, but all you have to do is look up to see the “Otis” name. Going Up! will clear up the mystery, just a little, about who that man was, how he came to invent the safety brake, and what it meant during his lifetime and what it means to us today.

Annie and Helen Blog Tour: Book Giveaway and Interview with Deborah Hopkinson

Annie and Helen
by Deborah Hopkinson
illustrated by Raul Colon
available Sept. 11, 2012
Random House
ISBN: 9780375957062
Grades K-5

Reviewed from an f&g sent by the publisher.

For decades, children have been interested in the story of Helen Keller and how she learned to communicate, despite being both deaf and blind. In Annie and Helen, accomplished author Deborah Hopkinson writes about the relationship between Helen and her beloved teacher Annie Sullivan, whose hard work and dedication would unlocked Helen’s brilliant mind. The inclusion of Sullivan’s observations from her diary as chapter headings, and Raul Colón’s illustrations, done in watercolor, makes this nonfiction picture book a necessary addition for all libraries. Historic photos of Annie and Helen grace the endpapers.             Louise                                                                                             

 

 Annie and Helen Blog Tour: Author Interview & Book Giveaway

Today we are taking part in Random House's Annie and Helen blog tour. In honor of the September release of Annie and Helen, we will give away one copy of the book to a lucky reader. See contest details and entry form at the bottom of this post.

 Interview with Deborah Hopkinson

We had the pleasure of interviewing author Deborah Hopkinson about Annie and Helen  and her work as an author of children's books.

The Nonfiction Detectives: What drew you to the topic of Helen Keller?

Deborah Hopkinson: Both my kids were fascinated by Helen Keller.  Actually, I think many people are, and Keller  is listed as one of the most important figures of the 20th century.  We admire her courage and accomplishments.

After seeing a news article about a long-lost photo of Annie and Helen that was re-discovered in 2008, I decided to research Helen as well as Annie Sullivan.  Instantly I became fascinated with how Annie Sullivan, who was only 21 herself invented on her own an innovative way to teach her young charge.  Annie and Helen includes excerpts of Annie’s letters during the first four months of her time with Helen.

The Nonfiction Detectives: You have written a wide variety of books about history for varied age groups, including nonfiction and historical fiction books for children. Do you prefer writing one genre over the other? If so, why?

Deborah Hopkinson: I like writing in a variety of genres.  I do find that nonfiction is easier for me, in part because I also have a full time career in philanthropy. Longer fiction is tremendously complex, and harder to incorporate into a busy life with a demanding day job.  When I began writing more than 20 years ago I was drawn to picture books because they were short and seemed more practical for a working mom with kids!  

Overall, I’m happy as long as I am growing and learning as a writer – whether it be picture books such as Annie and Helen, long nonfiction such as Titanic, Voices from the Disaster, or novels such as my forthcoming middle grade historical fiction title: The Great Trouble, A Mystery of London, The Blue Death, and A Boy Called Eel.

The Nonfiction Detectives: What was your process for researching this book? Did you read a lot of original documents and travel to Perkins School for the Blind?

Deborah Hopkinson: I was in touch with experts from the Perkins School  for the Blind, who read the manuscript in advance, though  I wasn’t able to travel there.  Primarily I consulted the anniversary edition of The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, which includes Annie Sullivan’s 1887 letters to Sophia Hopkins, her friend and former house mother at the Perkins School, as well as David Lash’s excellent biography, Helen and Teacher.

As soon as I read Annie’s letters from her first few months with Helen, I knew that was what I wanted to focus the story on.  It’s so incredible to think that Annie arrived on March 6 and by July – just four months later, she had mastered enough skills to write a letter.   That says a lot about both the pupil and the teacher.

The Nonfiction Detectives: Did you always want to be a writer?

Deborah Hopkinson: Yes, I think I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was about ten years old, but it wasn’t until after my daughter was born that I began writing for children.  We would go to the library and check out picture books and I thought that maybe this was something that I as a working mom could do. My first book was published in 1993.

The Nonfiction Detectives: You collaborated with Raul Colon on A Band of Angels. Did you imagine Raul Colon as the illustrator while you were writing Annie and Helen?

Deborah Hopkinson: I don’t usually think about who the illustrator might be when I’m working on a manuscript.  Most of the time, the editor chooses and illustrator once my part is done.

I love Raul’s work on A Band of Angels and am delighted to be paired with him again.  Recently we were at the same conference and he shared that for Annie and Helen he took his inspiration from the paintings of Mary Cassatt.  You can certainly see how he creates that sense of a warm, loving relationship between Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller that is reminiscent of Cassatt’s portraits.

The Nonfiction Detectives: What is your writing schedule like? Do you write every morning? Do you have a studio?

Deborah Hopkinson: I have always combined writing with my day job, which means I don’t write every day.  Presently I am vice president for advancement at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.  Sometimes I take a vacation day to meet a writing deadline; most often I write on weekends. 

As far as where I write, I have two favorite spots. One is at the kitchen table; the other is sitting on my bed with my laptop and a portable ironing board.   I can look out the window, which is on the second floor.  I find this very relaxing, perhaps because I am in an office all week sitting at a computer.  And, of course, I usually have a dog stretched out next to me for company!

The Nonfiction Detectives: What do you hope readers take away from Annie and Helen?

Deborah Hopkinson: Well, I hope readers come away with a deeper appreciation of Helen Keller’s amazing drive to learn, something that she was committed to throughout her long and productive life.  I also hope readers will go beyond the famous scene at the water pump and be able to really see how inventive and dedicated Annie Sullivan was as a teacher.   It’s inspiring to think that this young woman,  who had faced so much adversity herself, was able to accomplish in these early months with Helen, when she herself was only just 21.
 
Annie and Helen Blog Tour Dates

September 1^st:  Watch. Connect. Read  

September 1^st:   SharpRead

September 2^nd: Nerdy Book Club

September 3^rd: Bakers and Astronauts

September 4^th: Two Writing Teachers  

September 5^th: Cracking the Cover  

September 6^th: Teach Mentor Texts  

September 7^th: Nonfiction Detectives

September 8^th: Booking Mama

September 9^th: Children’s Book Review  

September 10^th: Random Acts of Reading  

September 11^th: 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast

  Giveaway Rules

• Complete the entry form below.
• Only one entry per person will be accepted.
• You must be 13 years or older to enter.
• Entries will be accepted from September 7, 2012 until 11:59 p.m. on September 11, 2012.
• The winner will be contacted by email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, we will select a new winner.