Children’s Book Inspiration – Write About What You Know
Sure, when I set out to write the rhyming children’s picture book, “Wherever You May Roam“, I had a loose vision of what I wanted it to be – a playful, imaginative adventure that reflects the natural world in a way only a child, or maybe a dog, can truly see it. But I hadn’t anticipated the almost unconscious way in which small details from my own childhood would spill out onto the page.
You see, as I put pen to paper it became evident that the setting needed to be something familiar to me. But it was only when I began working with the illustrator that I began to appreciate just how much that would impact the final product. I grew up in a small town in the hilly countryside, just a short walk to the very early headwaters of the Cahaba River. There is a dam there where the river overflows into a meandering waterfall that chatters noisily down to the creek below. I could see that waterfall in my head as I wrote and I thought it was a good spot for Bailey, the black lab, to initiate her unintended commune with nature.
Authenticity – It’s Personal, Whether We Like It Or Not
I hope there is a certain authenticity that comes with adding details of meaning into a picture book. The type of small, but important accents that catch a child’s eye and imagination. As an example, those of you familiar with the Cahaba River (Alabama’s longest largely free-flowing river – despite the small dam I mentioned above) may recognize the distinctive profile of the Cahaba Lilly. And, dotting the landscape of Bailey’s world are the delicate Indian Blanket flowers I have always been fascinated with.
Now, admittedly, the pastoral scene is far from my life today, where I live on a small plot tucked neatly away, deep inside a sprawling subdivision some six-hundred miles from my small hometown. But, hey, I guess wherever you roam, home is still home… right?
