Heather Lang and Jamie Harper on the Importance of Brainstorming -PLUS A GIVEAWAY!

Hello world!!

Welcome to my blog, Blissfully Bookish. I’m so excited today because I got to interview two people for this next book, SUPERDADS! It’s a picture book co-written by Heather Lang and Jamie Harper and illustrated by Jamie Harper, that reads like a graphic novel. It’s nonfiction in content though it strays into informational fiction through its humorous illustrations. It’s published by Candlewick Press.

BUT first- YAY! Heather and Jamie are generously giving away a FREE copy of their book. To be eligible to win, please enter the Rafflecopter contest by clicking HERE. Contest ends April 26, 2024, US only.

Please describe the journey to publication for SUPERDADS!: Animal Heroes.

SUPERDADS! is the second book in a three-book deal we sold to Candlewick. 

We’ve been friends for thirty years and critique partners for almost as long. When we first discussed collaborating on these books, we set out to make an engaging and fascinating picture book about moms in the wild. More than anything, we were interested in trying to incorporate humor into nonfiction, which isn’t done all that much. If you think about it, humor and fact-based information can be considered contrary to each other (unless the topic is inherently funny). So how could we combine humor with nonfiction and maintain the integrity of the book? Let’s just say it took a lot of experimenting to come up with a structure we both liked.

When we submitted the first book, SUPERMOMS!, we included a list of possible follow-up titles. SUPERDADS! didn’t make the cut, since the variety of super animal dads seemed limited. But once we decided to work with Candlewick, it was clear that they were looking forward to a second book about animal dads. So, we dug deep into the research. And we’re so glad we did because the dads we found are incredible.

Where did you draw the book’s inspiration?

While researching and writing SUPERMOMS!, we often noted that people gave moms ALL the credit. Our research uncovered some truly superb dads. Take the seahorse dad, for example: he’s the one who goes through labor and delivery! The Darwin’s frog dad keeps his tadpoles in his throat and “burps” them up when they turn into froglets. Amazing! While it’s true that moms do most of the parenting in the wild, we wanted to celebrate these unsung heroes, who go above and beyond to take care of their young.

Please paste a short and compelling excerpt from your book.

We can do better than that! Here’s a spread from the book:

9781536217964

I love the concept of featuring animal fathers instead of mothers, it makes a great hook. Do you have any advice on how to craft solid hooks?

A solid hook grabs a reader’s attention and sparks their curiosity. A great hook can be many things: a striking title, unique illustration style, or the format of the book. Sometimes the subject of the book itself will attract readers immediately. But usually, as authors, we have to put our special spin on a subject to entice them. Sometimes looking at a topic from a unique angle or point of view can lead to a hook. While searching for that perspective, always keep your reader in mind. Ask yourself: What would connect my reader to the topic? 

We decided that tying animals to superheroes would be a fun connection, filled with lots of opportunities for creativity. What kid doesn’t love superheroes? Taking it a step further, we tried to make the topic and concepts relatable for kids. To tap into a child’s own experiences with a parent or caregiver, we added a fictional element to the art, by having the baby animals make (often cheeky) comments. 

I enjoyed the comic strip panels and found they add humor to the text. Do you write it like this from the beginning?

We modeled SUPERDADS! after the text structure in SUPERMOMS!, so from that standpoint, this second book was much easier. But developing the structure for the series took a lot of trial and error. Our first attempt at SUPERMOMS! featured animal babies bragging about their moms and trying to one-up each other. We did a lot of brainstorming and experimenting together. Fortunately, over the years we’ve studied thousands of picture books together. Those conversations about how books are structured, what works, and what doesn’t, all fed into our brainstorming sessions.

Having said that, we are always open to adding new and fun elements to each book. For this book we added onomatopoeias. And Jamie really stretched herself with the art. She scanned mostly handmade papers to make SUPERMOMS!, but for SUPERDADS! she scanned plants, a Roll-Up snack, feathers, even her hair!!

What is your writing process and does it vary depending on the project?

Our writing process for this book (and the others in the series) is so different from when we work on books alone. We communicated by text, e-mail, and Google Docs, and we met in person regularly. Collaboration has many benefits and we tried to take advantage of every one. 

First, we created a shared spreadsheet with all the possible animals and divided them up for more in-depth research. Each of us reached out to experts to confirm our facts. Choosing which dads to include was a complicated puzzle. The facts had to be sufficiently different and show a variety of ecosystems and parenting strategies. We brainstormed which facts could lead to the funniest images and animal speech bubbles. After lots of debate, we selected eighteen animals that fit into five different parenting behavior categories: incubation, making homes, feeding, protecting, and play/teaching. 

Next we divided the animals between us and independently worked on the text and then edited each other’s work. From there we had the fun of brainstorming callouts. 

Please share your favorite books from 2022-3 that inspired you.

Ohhhhh there are so many gems! Here are a few of our favorite recent humorous nonfiction/informational fiction titles:

–THE TRUTH ABOUT PARROTS (and all books in The Truth About Your Favorite Animals series) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton (Roaring Brook Press).

–PLUTO! (and other books from the Our Universe series) by Stacey McNulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis (Henry Holt).

–THE WORLD’S MOST ATROCIOUS ANIMALS (and all books in the Quirky Creatures series) written and illustrated by Philip Bunting (Happy Yak).

–I AM SHARK by Joan Holub, illustrated by Laurie Keller (Crown Books for Young Readers).

–THE GREAT STINK: HOW JOSPEH BAZALGETTE SOLVED LONDON’S POOP POLLUTION PROBLEM by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Margaret K. McElderry Books).

What is the best piece of advice you would give to other writers?

Heather: Join a critique group! When you are part of a writing community, not only will your writing skills grow and improve, but you’ll make life-long friends and develop a support system, which is essential in this tough business. We celebrate each other’s successes and help each other navigate the ups and downs. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. 

Jamie: Read, read, read whatever genre of children’s books you are interested in developing. Make it a weekly habit. Doing so will give you a feel for what works and what doesn’t and give you new ideas on how to approach your own project. The really good ones you find will generate lots of inspiration.

And a bonus question just for kicks! What was your favorite book when you were a child?

Heather: I adored SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE by William Steig. It’s a sweet, heartwarming story that’s also filled with suspense. And it reminded me to appreciate what I had. 

Jamie: The Amelia Bedelia books, written by Peggy Parish and illustrated by various illustrators, always made me roar laughing. I remember thinking how clever the concept was and I never tired of reading them. I thought the marriage of words and pictures was perfection. I’ve always loved the art in Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline books. The fearless, independent, and kind Madeline will always be my role model.

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BIOS

Jamie Harper is the creator of many books for children, including MILES TO GO and MILES TO THE FINISH, the BABY BUNDT board book series, and four books about the indomitable Miss Mingo and her kindergarten class of lovable animals. Among them is MISS MINGO AND THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, about which, in a starred review, Publishers Weekly said: “Young animal enthusiasts won’t soon forget these unique students or Miss Mingo’s enthusiastic celebration of their diversity.” Jamie is also the illustrator of two chapter book series by Sally Warner. She lives outside Boston with her husband and their French bulldog, Louie. Now that her children are all grown up, she plans on filling the house with dogs.

• WEBSITE: http://www.jamieharper.com
• Instagram: jamieharperillustrator
• Twitter: Jharper_art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamieharper

Heather Lang writes picture books that celebrate our natural world and biographies about women who overcame extraordinary obstacles to follow their dreams. Her award-winning books include SWIMMING WITH SHARKS: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark and THE LEAF DETECTIVE: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest, an NSTA/CBC Best STEM Book and Green Earth Book Award winner. To research her books, Heather has observed animals in the Serengeti, climbed to the treetops of the Amazon, and gone scuba diving with sharks.

• Website: http://www.heatherlangbooks.com
• Instagram: @heatherlangbooks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.b.lang
• Twitter/X: @hblang

Link to purchase: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747036/superdads-animal-heroes-by-heather-lang-and-jamie-harper-illustrated-by-jamie-harper/