Learning to Fall with Sally Engelfried

Hey eager and worthy readers!

It's been a while. Today I am sharing an interview I did with debut author Sally Engelfried and her book Learning To Fall! Sally will be in conversation with Worthy Reader favorite Jennifer Bertman about her new book Sisterhood of Sleuths (out Tuesday 10/4/22)!

The conversation event will be Saturday 10/8 at 3 PM at Books Inc in Palo Alto!! 

Here is the info on this website: https://www.booksinc.net/event/jennifer-chambliss-bertman-and-sally-engelfried-books-inc-palo-alto

  

1. Introduce yourself and your debut book Learning to Fall in your own words please. 

Hi! My name is Sally Engelfried, and Learning to Fall is my debut middle grade novel. It’s about twelve-year-old Daphne, who is being sent to stay with her dad for the summer while her actor mother is away in Prague shooting a movie. Daphne hasn’t wanted anything to do with her dad ever since he broke a promise he made to her three years ago. He’s an alcoholic, which has made him unreliable in the past, but even though he’s in recovery now, Daphne is convinced it’s too late. Then her dad reminds her how much they’ve always both loved skateboarding, and skating together helps Daphne to begin to trust him again. When he ends up breaking that trust, she has to decide if she can accept her dad’s imperfections and forgive him.

2. What were the inspirations for the book, Both personal and professional?

The first inspiration for this book was pretty personal: I wanted to write about what it was like to grow up with an alcoholic father because my father was an alcoholic, an experience that definitely shaped me in many ways. On the other hand, I didn’t want to write specifically about my own childhood. As I was thinking about what kind of girl I wanted my main character to be, my husband happened to mention that one of his skateboarding buddies was coaching a twelve-year-old girl. I started thinking about what a powerful bond that could be between a father and daughter and how alcoholism could break that bond apart, and I wanted to explore that.

3. How did you create Daphne? What inspired you during her creation and your writing process with her? How did you create such a complex and relatable child? 

For me, creating characters is always a matter of inhabiting them as best I can and figuring out how they’d react when put in certain situations. I knew right away that Daphne would be someone who preferred to throw herself into something physical like skating than to ask questions of her parents that she doesn’t quite know how to articulate. That’s something that was also true of me as a child—not the skating part, but I didn’t know how to talk about my feelings at all! I wanted to make Daphne a little more willing to learn along the way than I was, and her dad’s determination to rebuild their relationship helps push her into talking about it. She’s reluctant at first because that’s pretty hard stuff, but in the same way she can’t resist the challenge of mastering an ollie on her skateboard, she also can’t resist the challenge of figuring out how to forgive her dad.

author: Sally Englefried

4. Your detailed and honest explanations of alcoholism and acute observances of skateboarding are blended very well in your debut!! What made you choose these two subjects? How did you integrate them so well? How did you make the two probably unfamiliar topics so real and palpably, and movingly relatable?

Thank you! Because I’m not a skater myself, I did a lot of research by watching countless movies, documentaries, YouTube tutorials, and Instagram stories. Little things would catch me, like a twelve-year-old skater saying that the main reason she skated was that it made her feel free. Or a thirteen-year-old boy after a skate session saying how much he liked the sound of the wheels on the skate bowl. Those kinds of details made me think about how skating would integrate itself into the way a passionate skater views the world. My research also really brought home to me how much falling is a part of skating, and that is such a great metaphor for life, especially if you’re trying to repair a broken trust between two people. It’s pretty impossible to fix damaged relationships in one go—it takes a couple of tries and both parties have to be willing to make mistakes. That same philosophy is built into the AA guidelines to recovery—as Daphne’s dad tells her, you have to take things one day at a time, and if you mess up, you go back to square one and start again.

5. Learning to fall is such a great book for all ages. In a previous interview you spoke of your growing up and your current family living situations. Who did you write the book for? Are there multiple target audiences?

Thank you! It’s true, alcoholism cast a somewhat mysterious shadow over my childhood. I knew it was there, but I didn’t really understand it and I didn’t know how to talk about it. It wasn’t until I was older that I discovered how many people shared similar experiences to my own. My husband’s father was also an alcoholic—it might sound strange, but it was one of the first things we bonded over! One of my sisters married a recovering alcoholic and I liked the way he spoke about it so openly, especially when it came to making amends. I wanted Daphne’s dad to model that openness too and to be blunt with his daughter that he was doing his best but that there was no guarantee that he was “cured.” Recovery is an ongoing state. It doesn’t end.

With that in mind, one of my hopes for readers of my book is that it might open the door to conversations for kids who are curious about alcoholism or addiction in their families—or any difficult topic, for that matter.

Another driving force behind writing Learning to Fall was wanting to show a girl doing something she really loves to do and to emphasize that the process of skating, just like writing or anything anyone wants to get better at, is as important as attaining the goal. It’s really common to think you have to get an ollie, or you have to publish a book. And then once you do that, you’re on to the next goal—a kickflip! Another book! It can be a bit tortuous, and I think it’s important for us all to remind ourselves that we like the doing of the thing, not just the attainment.

6. Daphne and her parents have some of the most complex relationships I’ve seen in a middle grade book.  Due to factors both chaotically beyond their control and things surprisingly manageable within their control. The details seem authentic and tend to be illuminating to the lessons in Daphne's story. What are some of your favorite falling and getting back up moments in the book and why?

Thank you again! Being an imperfect parent myself (aren’t we all?!) made me want to portray all the parents in Learning to Fall as people who want the best for their kids but maybe don’t always do the right thing. One of my favorite falling-and-getting-back-up scenes in the book takes place when Daphne is just starting to trust her dad a little. Then he has a burst of anger because he finds out he didn’t get yet another job he applied for. He throws his laptop on the floor and isn’t acting like himself, and Daphne gets really scared and calls her grandma. I won’t describe the whole scene, but I liked the aftermath of that, where her dad apologizes to her and tries to explain what was going on. It’s really the first time Daphne deals directly with his alcoholism without her mom as a buffer, and it’s an important moment in their relationship.

Another falling moment is when Daphne, in a moment of anger at her dad, blurts out something that hurts Arlo, her new friend who has been nothing but kind to her. That scene was hard to write because I love their friendship so much, but I thought it was important for Daphne to mess up too, to remind her that everyone makes mistakes. 

Silver Bowl Skate Park, an inspiration for Learning to Fall 

7. How long did you work on this book? What kept you determined? 

I worked on this book about two years, although I was working full-time while I was writing, so it was mostly weekend writing. Learning to Fall is not the first book I’ve written, but it was the first book where I kind of thought I knew what I was doing, and that helped my determination. I had an idea of where it was going and I knew some specific scenes I wanted to write, so that made it really satisfying to see it through.

8. I love the metaphor of falling and getting back up. Were there any notable falls and mistakes in your writing process?

Definitely! This book went through several revisions, including me writing an extra thirty or so pages at the end that I ultimately realized needed to be cut! The more significant writing falls happened before Learning to Fall, though. My agent and I had already gone through the submission process with two other manuscripts that didn’t sell. I was getting pretty discouraged, yet I was determined to keep trying. I really took that metaphor of falling and getting back up to heart as I dove into writing this book!

9. In a previous interview you talk about skateboarding vocabulary and your book being edited by your editor as well as real skaters. What was that part of the editing process like?

I interviewed some skater friends before I started the book and while I was working on it. They pointed me toward some movies to watch and helped me understand the culture. I had one of them read my manuscript before I even submitted it to catch any errors I made when I described skating. As a librarian, I really enjoy doing research and I didn’t want to make any mistakes with the terminology or descriptions. When my editor read it, she was more interested in clarity for the readers who might not know anything about skating, so I made more changes. The copy editor had still more questions about skating terms, so I checked with my skating expert one more time to make sure our changes were correct.

 

Learning to Fall cover 

10. If Daphne was here with us now what would she say to readers of all ages?

She’d probably feel a little self-conscious about talking to so many people at once, so maybe she’d make a joke about grown-ups saying the corniest things, but it’s true what her dad always says—everything’s like skating. If you find something you love to do, you should pursue it and don’t worry about making mistakes along the way. Embrace the mistakes as a part of the process and keep trying!

11. What’s next for you professionally? Anything you can tell us for your next work as an author? Thank you!!

I’m working on another middle grade contemporary novel that’s about a girl in a big family, a subject that’s close to my heart because I have three brothers and three sisters. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with it yet, but I am sure I will keep writing, because I’m like Daphne in that way: I don’t give up easily! 

12. Parting words?

Thank you so much for having me and for asking all these great questions!

Don't forget to support Books Inc and Sally Englefried by purchasing her book from this link!!

Thank you Sally Englefried (Her Website link)

Books Inc Palo Alto

and Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Ride all the Waves with Wave by Diana Farid

Hey Eager Readers!!

Its been a very long time since our last post on this blog! Today I have my 2nd interview with Diana Farid!! The first one was this linked post about her picture book When You Breathe!  

She will be at Books Inc Palo Alto on Saturday April 30th for Independent Bookstore day in the early afternoon!!

Wave is one of the best all the feels middle grade to Young adult cross over books ever! I will have her introduce the book and herself. Then we will start the rest of the interview! 

 There will be a later interview and blog post with reader questions from Books Inc Palo Alto's Independent Bookstore day celebration on April 30th 2022!!

Please visit any Books Inc in person especially Books Inc Palo Alto all year long and anytime online and on our social media pages!

Now on to the interview with Diana Farid about her new book Wave

Please introduce yourself and your new book Wave!!

Hi. My name is Diana Farid and I am the author of When You Breathe and , my new book, Wave. Wave follows 13 year old Ava, a Southern California surfer girl, as she experiences the ride of her life in the summer of 1987. Through family expectations, prejudice, and a changing relationship with her best friend, she finds the healing power of the waves of the ocean, poetry and music.”

1. In previous interviews, especially the amazing interview by Children’s Book Review, you spoke about how your picture book WHEN YOU BREATHE and your new novel in verse WAVE are related. You spoke of coming from the “same space” — a space rooted in science and captured through your evocative poetry. Why are both told through poetry? How are these fundamentally different works of word art so intricately related? 

The stories in WHEN YOU BREATHE, a picture book, and WAVE, a novel, are both told through poetry for several reasons. Poetry is a natural structure I turn to when I’m exploring. One of the reasons I write is because it is an act of curiosity. And when I can play with words the way poetry allows me to, the way it lets me play with space and structure, I make discoveries about the topic I am exploring in my writing. I love that learning, those surprises that the act of writing can reveal. 

Another reason both WHEN YOU BREATHE and WAVE are told through poetry is that the topics each book explores, the rhythm of breath and the waves of the sea, remind me of the cadence of lines of poetry. In fact, in Wave, many of the poems take the shape of waves, and I wouldn’t have been able to get that visual detail across in prose. 

And then there is song. Songs were my entrance into poetry. They were the first thing I loved to read (the liner notes of song lyrics folded next to my favorite cassette tapes). And for me, both WHEN YOU BREATHE and WAVE are songs — songs ultimately about what we are made of, what moves us, our awesome worth simply for being, recognizing our fundamental connections with each other and the universe. So though both are different in format, yet they are deeply related in fundamental ways.

Wave by Diana Farid cover

When you Breathe Picture book by Diana Farid

2.  What put WAVE in motion originally? What was the moon pull of your writing process like for WAVE? How was it different from the picture book?

Originally, I had a glimpse of Ava and her friendship with Phoenix. I knew I wanted to navigate how music holds us through hardship. I knew Ava was a surfer and that the ocean was her solace. But the story really found its anchor while I was walking at the beach one day and wondered about the waves and what the sea would be like without them, what the world would be like without the waves that carry sound and light, without music and sunset hues. Once I had that wonder, the final scene of WAVE presented itself to me and I wasn’t going to be stopped until the story was out — originally in a spiral bound green Mead notebook. I wrote my first draft by hand, pen to paper. When You Breathe had many revisions over many years until it took its final form. Wave took about 2 years. 

 3. All throughout WAVE, readers enjoy clearly crafted poems that evoke so many therapeutically deep and staggeringly authentic feelings for all readers. I have heard from many readers of all ages crying waves of tears for various feelings throughout the book. Seems you have shared experiences with the main character. How do you connect so well to readers' feelings?

I’ve heard the same, that readers have found deep emotional connections to the characters in WAVE. And, yes, I do have some shared experiences with the main character Ava, especially the cultural and religious background and family structure. That certainly helps authenticity come across. I tried hard to express feelings truthfully. Even if I didn’t ever experience what Ave does in WAVE, I pictured the experience. And I think it would be accurate to describe myself as an empath. So, once I pictured the experience, I always also felt it viscerally. Then, I tried to describe that feeling as accurately as I could.

Author Diana Farid

4. In other interviews you spoke of wondering about what if the world had no waves. How did that influence WAVE? 

On a very fundamental level, WAVE is my answer to that question: “What would the world be like if there were no waves?” 

What other questions did you want to investigate in the book? 

There so many other questions I investigated. Some of them explore the power of poetry and music to heal, what the definition of a meaningful gift is, what it is to be present, and what’s missing from our healthcare system. 

How does your poetry explore these things differently than prose would? Nuances with fewer words??

Exploring these questions with poetry allowed for layered meanings depending on the structure and order of the words and allowed for invitations to sit and think about the implications in the phrases.

Wave cover! 

5. How did you create and craft Ava? She is Clearly a crucial new voice in diverse voices, a non Islamic middle eastern girl. 

Some of my own personal experiences are layered into Ava. I noticed that a lot of “middle eastern” kid lit revolved around characters who identified as Muslim. And while that is a vital need, missing from the landscape was the representation of the diversity of faiths in the middle east. Specifically, Ava’s family identifies as Baha’i, as does mine. Her family experiences religious persecution and had to leave Iran quickly during the revolution. So did mine. Her mom is an immigrant, single mom, and obstetrician/gynecologist. So is mine! These shared experiences were perfect backdrops to explore themes of identity, meaning and worth.

6. Ava's closest friendship with Phoenix is crucial to the story. What makes their relationship so transcendent and unique? How did you create Phoenix?

I love Phoenix and Ava’s friendship so much. It’s transcendent because they see, respect, and understand each other’s deepest aspirations and share a love for the ocean and surfing — which serves as a constant reminder in their lives, and in the book, of the richness we have to be able to experience such grandness, when it’s just tickling the tips of our toes or taking us on our biggest rides. I created Phoenix as one of the catalysts for Ava seeing herself, her worth, and the joy in the ride of life.

From Wave, text© 2022 Diana Farid, Illus © 2022 Gotobean Heavy Industries, LLC. Published by Cameron + Company, a division of Abrams.

7. Ava’s desire to express herself is juxtaposed by doing her best to find a sense of belonging in her community are both universal elements of the experience of children of all ages. How do your own experiences growing up match up with Ava especially in terms of exploring that juxtaposition?

What Ava experiences ring true with emotions I experienced growing up, not being fully one culture or another. And I worked hard to show how that plays out in specific contexts, like family traditions, meals and expectations and how those can contrast with the culture outside of one’s home. Some of the contrasts mentioned in WAVE are ones I actually experienced, especially when it came to food, music, and language.

8. Mixtapes from the 80s and surfing are crucial to the flow of the book . Explain your feelings on mixtapes and surfing and why you chose those two core elements.

This is an easy one. I was obsessed with both growing up. I wouldn’t have been able to write a book set in 1987 without those both being elements of the story. 

                      Playlists from Wave 

From Wave, text© 2022 Diana Farid, Illus © 2022 Gotobean Heavy Industries, LLC. Published by Cameron + Company, a division of Abrams.

9. Rumi is preeminent In the book. How does his spirituality and poetry impact  Ava and Phoenix? How does Rumi impact you?

Rumi’s poem comes to be a solace for Ava. It’s a space where she finds spiritual wisdom that directly reflects an experience she is having, or it comments, almost like an omniscient guardian angel, on how to move forward. Rumi did the same for me as a younger person. I love that some of his verses have made their way into a book accessible to the middle grade and kidlit audience.

From Wave, text© 2022 Diana Farid, Illus © 2022 Gotobean Heavy Industries, LLC. Published by Cameron + Company, a division of Abrams.

10. You speak in a previous interview about creative self expression being the key to real connection, explain? I remember your answer included an elephant. 

I think of the world like that elephant in the south Asian parable about the people or mice who are blind and are each at different parts of a huge elephant arguing about what it is they are feeling. A tree trunk, a snake, a wall, a large floppy leaf — depending on where you examine, different parts of an elephant could be mistaken for each of those things. 

I think of our creative expression as the access we have to describe the world how we see it, where we are. And I think of our sharing it, the space of shared art, museums, fairs, bookshops, galleries, concerts, and the such, as our chances in our lives to see another perspective, and get that much closer to getting to know the reality of the elephant, or our world. Without each other’s stories about the elephant, aka the world, we wouldn’t be able to get the full picture or understand how fundamentally connected all the parts are in making the grand whole.

11. My blog is called the worthy reader in part because reading books like yours connect me to my self worth, if nothing else then I see myself as a witness to great art and how Your words transcend Ava’s story and apply so strongly to what I can do in my own life story. Thank you for all of your art, and your illustrators art!! What’s your response to those truths?

You are, indeed, worthy.

From Wave, text© 2022 Diana Farid, Illus © 2022 Gotobean Heavy Industries, LLC. Published by Cameron + Company, a division of Abrams.

12. What are you reading now? What are you reading with your kids? What are your kids reading?

I am reading this brand new translation of Rumi’s poetry, GOLD, edited and translated from the Farsi by Haleh Liza Gafori. With my kids, I am reading PAX, by Sara Pennypacker.

13. What’s next for you professionally?

I am working on a bunch of picture books. And, I have started my next novel in verse! 

14. What do you want all your readers to gain from Wave? 

How fortunate we are, to breathe, to sing, and to ride, the waves.

Thats all for now. There will be a later interview and blog post with reader questions from Books Inc Palo Alto's Independent Bookstore day celebration on April 30th 2022!!!

Don't forget to buy a copy of Wave at this link from Books Inc

Thank yous listed with hyperlinks!! Endless thanks to Diana Farid  and Cameron Kids and Abrams Publishing, and Books Inc   and Children's Book Review 

My family and I would also like to thank all my viewers and Subscribers to this blog and all my other social media! 

Quit your Kvetching and enjoy life with Gitty and Kvetch!!

    The debut picture book of local author Caroline Kusin Pritchard illustrated by Ariel Landry titled Gitty and Kvetch is a fun story of friendship and Language learning. Pritchard’s fun and heartwarming friend focused words match Landry’s laugh out loud cartoony illustrations perfectly. The use of Yiddish alongside the English in every scene is a creative and fitting use of language for Gitty and Kvetch’s story. 

    The story focuses on a relatable and quirky young girl Gitty and her pessimistic complaining bird friend Kvetch as they travel to a tree house on what starts as a what Gitty declares is a picture perfect day. Kvetch is pessimistic about Gitty’s outlook to start the day. Soon we are shown that stormy weather gathers around them and another storm gathers in Gitty as she goes from excited to sad quickly. Kvetch must help Gitty or the day may be completely and totally ruined. 

    Will Kvetch and Gitty be able to calm the storms before things get worse? Exactly how and why do the emotions of our Yiddish English speaking dynamic duo change from page to page? What role does language play in describing the characters and their storyline? Read this expressive and endearing debut picture book to explore friendship, discover feeling changes and laugh along with the clever language play. Back matter includes a helpful glossary of the Yiddish words used in the book.

Yours Drewly and my son Ryan, Gittty and Kvetch storytime 

Below is my interview with the books creators: Author Caroline Kusin Pritchard illustrated by Ariel Landry, their answers are in bold below!

Please Buy the book from Books Inc at this link!

or in store especially at

BOOKS INC PALO ALTO LINK HERE

1. Please introduce your wonderful newly released work in your own words….

[Caroline] At its heart, I think GITTY AND KVETCH is about connection and the ways we show up for the people we love— with humor, with loyalty, with surprises. And with a whole lotta Yiddish! 

[Ariel] GITTY AND KVETCH is the story of two close friends with very different perspectives on life. Gitty is upbeat and always looking on the bright side, whereas her bird friend, Kvetch, well, he likes to kvetch! Throughout their adventure the characters teach each other that neither perspective is perfect, and in fact, we don’t need to be searching for perfection.  

Gitty and Kvetch Cover! 

2. What was the process from draft to final process? How was this book's creation impacted by Covid?

[Caroline] I drafted the story in the middle of teaching a summer creative writing course to middle schoolers. We were all splayed out across the lawn free writing and Gitty’s character smacked me right in the face! I have pages and pages of me trying to keep up with her effusive ramblings to show for it. About three months and fifty full-blown revisions later, I submitted the manuscript to Atheneum Books for Young Readers and received a revise and submit request from my future editor, Alexa Pastor. Her notes were wildly intimidating… and absolute magic! Once Alexa made an offer and I picked my jaw up off the floor that this was really happening, it was months more of dreaming, revising, and copyediting.  

[Ariel] As the illustrator, I’m given the manuscript by Becca Syracuse, the designer from Atheneum and my contact person throughout the work. Then my favorite part begins: designing the characters. Sometimes it’s a challenging process and I go through many iterations, but for Gitty and Kvetch it was easy! The book gets a lot of positive feedback from readers that they know people just like Gitty and Kvetch and I felt the same way.  The characters felt so real (even though one is a talking bird) and so I came up with the final designs pretty quickly. After I receive feedback on my sketches from the publishers, I create the color palette and paint the final images. My color palette all began with the purple treehouse-- since this is the only color explicitly stated in the manuscript. I wanted bright, joyful colors to reflect Gitty’s perspective of the world, but to have darker undertones to the storm that comes to mirror Kvetch’s perspective. I believe the only major impact that COVID had was that the launch of the book was delayed due to shipping delays. 

3. Please explain how you worked together. Any highlights? Any most problematic moments?

[Caroline]: Ariel’s work is totally and completely irresistible— the Atheneum team knew right away that she was the person for the job. The first time I laid eyes on her expressive character sketches for Gitty and Kvetch I SHRIEKED. Very, very loudly. I felt like I was meeting the characters for the first time! While I never connected with Ariel until after her artwork was complete, the experience was a testament to how picture books are an absolute partnership. She breathed life into our ebullient Gitty and curmudgeonly Kvetch in a way only Ariel could. 

[Ariel] Usually in traditional publishing authors and illustrators do not have any contact until after the book is completed. People are sometimes surprised by this because, when done well, the story and the images should look like they go together effortlessly.  The editorial and design teams are our go-betweens and I think it works well for everyone. However, it was a delight to get to know Caroline afterwards, largely through instagram. She is a dream author to work with because she is incredibly passionate about, not only her work, but the work of others. She uses her platform to push for more inclusive kidlit and to lift up the works of other authors and illustrators doing the same. And she seems genuinely just like Gitty! 

4. Gitty and Kvetch are Characters that are relatable. Please explain their creation and development? 

[Caroline] I kept channeling memories of my siblings and extended family sitting around the dinner table, all of us talking over each other and pushing each other’s buttons with a relentless conviction. Around that table, everyone was given the space to move in and out of a wide range of moods and opinions— caricatures don’t exist in real life, so I wanted to keep them off the page, too. Even Gitty can’t stay permanently upbeat; Kvetch’s eyes do eventually get tired from rolling all day long. The unlock for me was playing with how we push ourselves beyond our comfortable tendencies in the name of showing up for our people. For example, I shared an early manuscript with my endearingly Kvetch-like older brother to get his take. He helped me realize that Kvetch wasn’t a two-dimensional grumpy pessimist at all. Instead, our beloved bird is a practical realist who’s genuinely motivated to protect his loved ones, namely Gitty. This compassion-filled reframe led to me to amp up Kvetch’s loyalty as a key counterbalance to his curmudgeonliness.  

[Ariel] I wanted Gitty’s physical appearance to reflect her buoyant personality, but also to look like the Jewish children that I know. I looked at my friends’ children, photos of my own father when he was little, and I looked at Caroline’s children (sneakily through instagram). The messy, curly mop of dark hair came first. I wanted it to be bouncy and a bit unruly. As for color, since I knew there would be many shades of purple throughout the story, I wanted Gitty to wear a bright, happy color that would pop-- so I put her in the canary-yellow top. Kvetch went through several different bird shapes, but I wanted something that would give him the crotchety-but-loveable, old man vibe that Caroline created through his dialogue. So he got a little round paunch, expressive eyebrows, a long, thin beak for kvelling. And of course the tiny panama hat! 

5. What were the most important influences on the book's creation and what sustained you both through all the revisions?

[Caroline] Let me first say that I’m currently SHRIEKING at the revelation that Ariel based Gitty in part on my children. I’ve always thought Gitty looks just like my oldest son, but now I have cold, hard evidence to back me up! Messy, curly mops of hair for the win!!! Which brings me to my answer for this question: my kiddos and husband offered all kinds of patient, unconditional love throughout the writing process. At any given moment, it was their energy mixed with a combination of green tea, noodle kugel, connecting with friends and family and their gentle reminders not to take myself too seriously that kept the wheels turning. 

[Ariel] A major theme of the book is the fruitlessness of searching for perfection, so I was inspired by artists with a loose, sketchy style. I wanted the art to have a splashy, spontaneous feel, which is why I let some color go outside the lines and didn’t try to fix every little mistake-- which is so tempting to do when working digitally! I don’t struggle too much with making revisions. I like to put trust in my editors and feel like we’re working together to make the best book possible. That being said, I am addicted to matcha lattes and they did get me through the most frustrating part of working digitally-- sending large photoshop files from an incredibly slow internet. My neighborhood dates back to medieval times and the internet speed does too. 

Author Caroline Kusin Pritchard

6. Why use Yiddish as the focus? Amazing back matter seems to add another dimension to the book!

[Caroline] The truth is that Kvetch’s character came to me spouting Yiddish off the bat! His voice sounds exactly like my Dad’s in my head, which is important for me to name whenever reading the book to kids. I initially found myself slipping into a stereotypical New York accent when reading his character, which was a big wake up call. It helped me realize how deeply entrenched that single story is of what it means to be Jewish in America. My mom’s great, great grandparents and my dad’s grandparents immigrated to Texas from Poland and Russia speaking only Yiddish. I grew up hearing Yiddish spoken in a thick Texas drawl and that’s exactly how I hear Kvetch’s voice now. Jews come from every geography, in every color and have wide-ranging, unique stories to share— and they are all critically valid. Exploring my Yiddish roots has cracked open an even deeper personal connection to my family history and Jewish identity. And hearing from adults about their own joyful experiences celebrating Yiddish with their kids through the book? It’s been the most delightful, unexpected gift. For anyone wanting to explore Yiddish as it relates to children’s stories in more depth, I can’t recommend Dr. Miriam Udel’s book more highly: HONEY ON THE PAGE: A TREASURY OF YIDDISH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE.  

[Ariel] I can’t speak to why Caroline chose Yiddish as a focus, but I can say how grateful I am that she did! My great-grandparents only spoke Yiddish when they set up their butcher shop in New York City. Words and phrases have passed down from my grandmother to my father to me. They are a cultural bond I share with my mishpocheh (extended family) in New York. Sometimes there is no replacing a good Yiddish word-- and I want them to endure. 

7. Explain how the characters' use of language and visual spacing add to the brilliance of the story?

[Caroline] Gitty and Kvetch’s voices always seemed to talk over one another in my head, which is my favorite chaotic flavor of friendship! I wanted to find a way to share that playful rhythm on the page without confusing or overwhelming the reader. We went big with using the ellipsis to show how their interjections offer contrasting insights that somehow build towards a unified, albeit topsy-turvy, dose of love. 

[Ariel] From the first moment Kvetch agrees to join Gitty on another adventure, he’s by her side. Readers can hopefully see how important their friendship is by how closely Kvetch sticks to Gitty, despite his relentless complaints. At one point he even uses his body to shield her from the rain during the shprits. 

one of Authors favorite book Spreads!

8. What’s your Favorite spread from the book?

[Caroline] Without a DOUBT it’s the “ruined, ruined, ruinedddd” spread where Gitty ends up flat on her face. I can’t share more without giving it away, but Ariel hit this one out of the ballpark. A parent reached out to share that her kid now refers to it as “the ruined book,” which makes my heart burst!

Pritchard's other favorite spread

[Ariel] My favorite spread is when Gitty and Kvetch are skipping (shlepping) through the forest and we get an excellent example of their differing perspectives. Gitty hears a “symphony of buzzes” and Kvetch sees mosquitoes. Also, I got to draw a beautiful, shiny cow poop!

Artist Ariel's favorite Spread from Gitty and Kvetch 

9. What is next for you professionally?

[Caroline] I have two unannounced picture books on their way— I can’t wait to share more! My brilliant agent is in the process of submitting a few more manuscripts, and I’m busy with all kinds of new story ideas filling up my journals and Notes app.

[Ariel] I’m continuing to work on illustrating two chapter books series: GOOD DOG, published by Simon Kids and CLASS CRITTERS, published by Abrams Kids. I’m also illustrating another picture book with a central jewish character. 

10. What is the non spoiler take home message from the book? What would Gitty and Kvetch say to readers today? 

[Caroline] Gitty: “Oh, what a delightful question! But Kvetch, how will we ever come up with just one majestically meaningful message?”
Kvetch: “Oh, come on, Gitty. Just pick one. Heavy-handed messages are didactic, anyway. And besides, you think anyone is still reading this far?”

Gitty: “Okay, let’s see. There’s the message of true friendship, of course...”

Kvetch: “Great. Done.”

Gitty: “... and adventure. And releasing perfectionism. And apologies. And pushing outside your comfort zone. And…’

Kvetch: “Oy vey, here we go again...”

Thank you for reading this big shout out to the creators of Gitty and Kvetch author Caroline Kusin Pritchard (link there) llustrated by Ariel Landry (link there)

Thanks to Atheneum and Simon and Shuster publishing

and above all Thanks Books Inc!