Q & A with Barbara Derubertis

Children’s author Barbara Derubertis is in the house and under the roof with us this week!  Welcome Barbara!  Remember to ENTER TO WIN!

BotH:

Barbara, we’re excited to have you as our featured author on Books on the House for Kids and Teens!  Would you tell us about your new book series, Animal Antics A to Z?

Barbara:

Thank you for letting me join the fun at your great website!  I’m very excited about this new series for several reasons.  First, I think the stories are great FUN!  When I set out to write 26 books, one for each letter of the alphabet, I wondered if it would be an overwhelming task.  But each time I came up with a new character for the next letter, that character seemed to come to life…and then helped me write the story!  R. W. Alley is doing a fabulous job of bringing humor and energy and excitement and tenderness to the stories.  It’s as if he can see the pictures I have in my head!  When you meet Alexander Anteater and Bobby Baboon and Corky Cub and Dilly Dog and their classmates, I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as I have!

The second thing I’d like you to know about the books is that they have been written to help children learn the sounds, or phonemes, associated with the letters of the alphabet.  This is the first important step in learning to read!  So each book has a ton of words that feature the targeted letter sound, plus some activities to help parents and teachers extend the fun and learning even further.  There’s even a website for each book with more activities–plus a tasty recipe that is connected to the story!

Thirdly, I have been delighted by the responses of kids to whom I’ve been reading the first Animal Antics A to Z books!  Kids ranging in age from 3 to 10 have loved listening to them, and older kids who already know how to read are enjoying reading them on their own.

BotH:

Do you have a favorite or inspirational children’s author?  Who would you say has influenced your writing?

Barbara:

I must tell you first that I LOVE children’s literature.  In fact, I was the elementary school librarian here in Cashmere, Washington, for 19 years!  So being asked to choose a favorite author is like being asked what kind of ice cream I like best!  But I must say that I love some of the classic children’s stories by Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows), A. A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh), and Michael Bond (Paddington Bear).  Most of my books have animal characters, so these authors were important tutors!

Some of the more contemporary authors I most admire are Patricia Polacco, Tomie de Paola, John Steptoe, Gary Soto, Patricia McKissack, Robert McCloskey, Nikki Grimes, David Wisniewski, and Dr. Seuss.  Of course, I could go on and on and on…!

BotH:

How did your writing career come about?  Did you always want to be a writer?

Barbara:

I have always, always, always enjoyed writing!  I was particularly encouraged by a high school English teacher, and later I taught writing myself as a 7th grade language arts teacher.  But 20 years ago, a friend who had started her own publishing business came to visit, and we discussed her desire to publish high-quality children’s books under her own press name:  Kane Press.  One thing led to another, and by 2005, I had written 24 books for Kane Press.  With the addition of the 26 Animal Antics A to Z books, I will have written 50 books!

BotH:

What advice do you have for kids who love to write?

Barbara:

Writing allows us to process our own thinking, to entertain and inform others, and to just plain have fun!  I encourage kids to do lots of different kinds of writing for many different audiences:  journals, letters, cards, stories, poems, information-gathering projects, problem-solving suggestions, scientific investigations, cartoons, plays, whatever!  The more we write–and the more we try to write well–the more easily we are able to express our ideas and opinions and the more fun we have with writing.  Being comfortable with writing is such a help in life, whether or not we become professional writers!

BotH:

Would you give us a sneak peek at your next project?  What can we look forward to?!

Barbara:

For the next year, I will be VERY busy working on the remaining 16 books in the Animal Antics A to Z series.  Recently, I’ve been taste-testing my recipe for Jeremy Jackrabbit’s Carrot Muffins (yum!), enjoying the illustrations that just came in from R. W. Alley for Kylie Kangaroo (delightful!), laughing all over again at Maxwell Moose scaring himself with his campfire “monster” stories (silly fellow!), sympathizing with Nina Nandu being nervous about her first day at a new school (I felt that way myself!), and researching information for Quentin Quokka’s Quick Questions (I learn something new every day!). I’m having so much fun with this series, I will hate to see it come to an end!  So I hope there will be another project after this one that will be just as much fun.  I just don’t know what it might be yet!

BotH:

Thank you for being here, Barbara!  Hope to see you back again on Books on the House.  Best of luck with your series!

Barbara:

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit with you.  Books on the House is a terrific website, and I hope your readers enjoy all you have to offer them…and that they enjoy the books they learn about here!  Happy Reading!