THE KNOWING BOOK Author and Illustrator Q&A!
Rebecca Kai Dotlich is a poet and picture book author who has loved words as long as she can remember. She studied creative writing, art history and anthropology at Indiana University. She is the author of When Riddles Come Rumbling, Lemonade Sun and One Day, The End among other titles. Her books have won various honors, including the Golden Kite Honor Award, Bank Street Best Books of the Year, 10 Best Books for Babies and AAAS Suburu SB&F Prize honor. Her work appears in dozens of anthologies, magazines and textbooks. She has been a contributing columnist and poetry advisor to Creative Classroom magazine, and has served on both IRA and NCTE poetry award committees.
Rebecca lives near Indianapolis, Indiana, and gives presentations and poetry workshops across the country.
What was the inspiration behind this book?
It all started with an evening, a back porch, and a difficult day. It was a particularly trying and tangled time in my life. I was sad and confused and felt very alone. Sitting outside in the dark, I felt hopeless. People and circumstances had disappointed me; I felt so much had been taken away. I looked up at the night sky, and stared at this wide and wonderful sheet of stars above me; each sparkle a thing of wonder, each pinpoint of light a thing so everlasting and constant, and I felt an instant and surprising comfort. “They can’t take this away,” I whispered. I was, we all are, a part of something bigger. At that moment I felt stronger; braver. And then I thought, if I can put this into words, maybe I can comfort someone else, too.
What do you hope readers take away from this book?
That no matter how bleak things seem, no matter how much they hurt, there are, and will be, small miracles to marvel over, things to be hopeful about, people who will listen and understand; and to remember that this world is an amazing place and there are adventures and mysteries and unforeseen magical moments waiting around the corner. And that the universe is constant, and some things will never change or go away, and to take comfort in that.
How did writing this book impact you?
I’m not exactly sure how to put it into words. I thought that I had written a letter, in a way, to children who were feeling sad or hopeless, but I didn’t realize until I came to the end that it was for absolutely anyone; a child, a teenager, a grownup. It was also the first time I let myself hope that these emotions I put on the page could actually comfort someone. “Are you in this place? I am too. We’ll be okay together.”
How is this book different from others that you’ve written?
It’s more personal. It’s a bit deeper I suppose. And even though it’s woven, I hope, with a touch of whimsy, it has threads of curiosity and choice, and as all writers know, you don’t always write in a methodical way that can be explained. Sometimes (without trying to sound mystical) words tumble out and choose us. I would say this book is really my heart on the page. Even the penny in a puddle came from something my grandfather always said to me, and I never forgot.
What was your favorite book as a child?
Favorites are tough for me; like decisions. One? Oh, I can’t. Here’s a few: The Gingerbread Man, Heidi, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Treasure Island, Pippi Longstocking. I remember why I loved each of them. We mostly owned Golden Books, not traditional picture storybooks. So many of the popular books from that time I do not remember ever reading. (If only my 9 year old self could talk to me right now, while carrying that stack of books home from the bookmobile, I could tell you some I have forgotten.)
Matthew Cordell is the illustrator of many books for children including picture books, novels, and works of poetry. Several of which he has also written, including New York Times Notable picture book, Hello! Hello!. His earliest memory is of a picture that he drew of George Washington riding on horseback. Somehow, the drawing made its way to his older brother’s first grade teacher, and she was very impressed! He credits the pride and satisfaction he felt that day to his thriving career in Art.
Matthew lives in a suburb of Chicago with his wife, author Julie Halpern, and their two children.
What was your inspiration for the art in this book?
I knew from the beginning I wanted the main character to be ambiguous in some way. It's such a beautiful and elegant and inspiring text and I really wanted children (and adults) from all social and cultural and ethnic circles to be able to place themselves in this story. One good way to do this is to make a character an animal. When you do this, you have to be conscious of what characteristics different animals have in real life and in storytelling. I started out with a bear, a mouse, and a rabbit. (I've long admired Sendak's mysterious and ethereal rabbit in Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present and had a feeling a rabbit could work here too.) I also tried using a child, because it needed to be at least attempted to see if that might work. Ultimately, we all liked the presence of the rabbit. It felt so right and thoughtful and serene. I also wanted the character to not be identified as either male or female. It's completely up to the reader to decide that. Beyond that, we all wanted big, open, limitless backdrops to reflect the big, open, limitless words in Rebecca's text.
How did the text impact you the first time you read it?
I literally got goosebumps. I pretty much get goosebumps every time I read it. It's so poetic and poignant and open-ended. It's just so beautifully written. So exposed and from-the-heart. I have such respect for Rebecca Kai Dotlich and for this manuscript. It really leaves so much possibility for the art. And I was terribly excited about all of it.
How is this book different from others you worked on?
Because this text has such density in emotion, I really wanted to add another layer or more to what I typically do with my art. I knew that from the beginning. But I wasn't ever sure what that would be. When came time to create the final art, I started playing with some colored inks. (I normally only draw with black ink and all color is painted in watercolor.) I liked the look of adding more dimension and texture with colored, cross-hatched lines in places. To accent certain things. It almost makes it sparkle in places. I'd never done that before and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.
What was your favorite book as a child?
When I was little-little, I really loved Dr. Seuss books. I particularly liked Green Eggs and Ham. I think, in part, because my mom read it with such enthusiasm. (She apparently liked it too.) As I got a little less little (around 3rd or 4th grade) I was obsessed with Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. It was heartbreaking and beautiful. I became obsessed with Irish Setters and was saving my allowance to try and buy a puppy. I never quite got there. We had too many cats in our house anyways.
