I'm happy to post my interview with the wonderful Lindsay Bonilla, author of POLAR BEAR ISLAND which just came out with Sterling on October 2nd! Below Lindsay and I talk growing up an avid reader, her inspiration for the book, and why she's drawn to writing picture books among other things. I will also be giving away one signed hard copy of POLAR BEAR ISLAND to one lucky winner!“Welcome to Polar Bear Island. NO OTHERS ALLOWED!” Parker is the mayor of this peaceful, predictable island, and he wants to keep it just the way it is. But Kirby, a penguin, thinks the place is paradise, and she wants to stay. Parker says no, but the other polar bears love Kirby —and soon they’re begging Parker to let Kirby (and her family) move in. Will Parker agree . . . and make the island fun for EVERYONE? With its gentle message of inclusivity, this playful and lighthearted story will delight children.
"The text is accessible and good fun to read aloud. A good bedtime read."--Kirkus Reviews
You were an avid reader AND writer as a kid. What sorts of things
did you like to read and write about?
I think my first love was reading about animals. I got the Ranger
Rick magazines as a kid and was fascinated by them. Growing up, I had two dogs,
Bernie and Wickett, who were the main characters in many of my early stories. I
also created many different animal kingdoms based on some of the animal facts I
learned. I still have the notebook with all of those writings and drawings.
Where did you get the initial idea for POLAR BEAR ISLAND?
I think it was building for awhile, but there was one day in
particular that my husband, Estith, a Colombian immigrant, came home from work
very frustrated. A supervisor on a job he was managing had avoided speaking with
him because of his accent. He felt both disrespected and hurt.
A few years prior to that some other Colombian friends were
walking through a store parking lot when a random person yelled at them, “Go
back to Mexico! We don't want you here.” Of course that was an ignorant comment
on more than a couple of levels, but the fact that someone would just shout at
two wonderful people who were going about their business, not bothering
anybody, was upsetting to me on so many levels.
I think I really started to pay attention to the negative
attitudes toward immigrants right out of college. That's when I'd taught
English as a Second Language classes to a group of seasonal laborers from
Mexico. At the completion of the class, they told me and the co-teacher that some
of their best times in the US were in our class because we treated them like
people.
So I think it was a slow build with tons of other incidents along
the way that kept pushing me to tell this story. But the pivotal moment was
that day with my husband. That's when I finally said, “I want to tell a story
that paints a different picture of immigration, one that children can connect
to.” I honestly don't remember how it came to feature polar bears and penguins,
but I think maybe the grumpy polar bear was the first thing that came to mind.
The art style for POLAR BEAR ISLAND is so much fun! What were your
first thoughts when you saw it?
I loved it! I'd gotten to see some examples of Cinta's work before
she began working on POLAR BEAR ISLAND, and I knew whatever she did was going
to be amazing. But when I saw her sketches for the first time I was ecstatic. I
felt like she really nailed the characters, especially Parker – and I loved the
way she gave each of the penguins such unique personalities with her special
touches.
What has been your favorite part of the publishing process so far?
Lately I've been posting on Twitter about how picture books aren't
created in a vacuum. There's a whole team of people involved in putting a book
together, and I'd say it's this collaborative aspect of publishing that I love
the most.
I adore the whole editorial process. Working with someone else who
is just as passionate about your story as you are is a gift. I love going back
over my manuscript and pinpointing the additions, changes, and improvements
that came about thanks to my editor, agent, and critique partners.
That is followed closely by seeing the illustrations for the first
time. That is quite a thrill too!
What draws you to write picture books? What do you think is the
most difficult part of writing for this age range?
Probably the fact that I still feel like a kid. No matter how old I get, I feel like I
haven't grown up. Sure, I have adult responsibilities, etc, but the things I
loved as a child -- to create, imagine, act things out – it's all the same. I
love that anything is possible in picture books – talking animals, kids who can
do/be anything. That's the kind of world I want to live in – one full of
possibility – so it's fun helping to create that.
As a parent, I also see the impact that reading books together has
on children. It's not just about the book, it's about the relationship that is
created when you read together. To be part of creating an experience that
strengthens relationships between parents and children, teachers and students,
etc – it's just an amazing thing.
I think the most difficult part of writing for kids is making sure
that I'm giving my young readers enough credit. It's tempting to try to wrap up
every story with a nice, neat moral, but that's not necessary or desirable.
Kids are astute. They can understand and appreciate nuance, sometimes with
greater clarity than adults, if we let them. My four year old has blown me away
with some of his observations in the books we've read – so I want to be sure
that my writing leaves room for children to draw their own conclusions about a
story.
Tell us about your work with National Storytelling Network!
The National Storytelling Network is an amazing organization
advancing all forms of storytelling in our communities. I don't work for them
directly, but I am a member, and as a professional storyteller, I owe a lot to
them in their commitment to keep the art of storytelling going strong. Through
their conferences, I have met and learned from some amazing storytellers. The
storytelling community is very similar to the kidlit community – tight-knit,
giving and very warm and encouraging.
I do an interactive style of storytelling that incorporates my
background in theatre and creative drama and that gets the audience to
participate both vocally and kinesthetically. I focus on telling multicultural
folktales because I love introducing people of all ages to other cultures
through folklore. I also love the way that folktales, which have been passed
down for generations, still resonate so deeply with listeners of all ages
today.
How has being an actor shaped your writing?
Probably one of the biggest ways is that when I'm writing I tend
to think in dialogue. When you're reading a play, all you have is the dialogue,
with only a few other sparse details to help you create the world of the
characters. I tend to visualize my
stories playing out in my mind, as if my characters were in a stage play. I can
see and hear their voices quite clearly. In college and beyond, I wrote a lot
of dramatic sketches. I also wrote two
screenplays which were turned into films under the direction of a friend who is
an indie filmmaker friend. These
experience so writing dialogue is probably one of the easiest/most enjoyable
parts of writing for me.
Are there any certain plays you’ve been in that inspired certain
books?
I don't know that any plays I've been in have inspired particular
books directly. I actually haven't done any stage acting for about ten years
now. I moved over to the world of storytelling not long after I got married. As
much as I love the stage, storytelling gives me more flexibility so that I can
be home most nights and weekends with my family.
Being immersed in folklore and fairy tales has definitely inspired
some of my stories. I think that all great art inspires my creative process.
Sometimes I'll see a play, hear a song or read a book and think to myself, I
want to create something that makes readers feel the same way I'm feeling now, or
that strikes that same chord or theme from a different angle. That happens
quite a lot actually.
You’ve traveled quite a bit! What have your travels taught you,
and how have they helped your writing?
Yes, I LOVE to travel. I could probably write a book about all
that I've learned, but one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that there
are many different ways of doing things. We all grow up in a particular culture
that influences the way we do things and how we see the world. Culture is such
a powerful shaping force in our lives, but we don't realize it. We think that
our way of doing something is THE way of doing it. Then we travel or become
friends with people from other places and realize that's not the case.
For example, when I moved to Spain, I was shocked that people
didn't eat dinner until 10pm. My first inclination was to think, “What!?
Dinnertime should be between 5 and 7pm. 10Pm is just WRONG!” I had the same
reaction to the siesta. How could all of the businesses in the city of Madrid shut
down for 3 hours right in the middle of the day at precisely the time I needed
to do my shopping? Again, everything in me said, “This is wrong!”
But in time I came to appreciate that these things weren't wrong
– just DIFFERENT. In fact, I've come to
love some of the aspects of other cultures that I've experienced and wish we
could incorporate some of them into our way of doing things here.
I think all of my travel experiences have given my writing a more
global perspective. In fact, I'm sure I'd never have written POLAR BEAR ISLAND
if not for my time living in Spain. (That's actually where I met my husband!)
Additionally, I think my travels have taught me to be more open-minded and
humble, and I try to bring both of those postures into my writing process.
Lindsay Bonilla performs interactive folktales for her company, World of Difference Ltd., and teaches children about foreign countries and cultures. She lives in North Canton, OH, with her husband, sons, and rescue dog.
You can pick up a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Target and your local bookstore! A discussion guide and activity kit are available here!
