Holly Peppe is the author of the new children's picture book Sophie and the Swans. Also a poet and educator, she is a leading authority on the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. She lives in New York state.
Q: What inspired you to write Sophie and the Swans, and how did you create your character Sophie?
A: Some of this story is based on fact—my imagination wrote the rest. It is set on a lake in New York state, about an hour north of New York City, where my husband and I live.
Sophie’s cabin in the story is modeled after what I call my writing cabin, which is below our house near the lake. I’ve spent many happy hours there working on different writing projects, looking out as the swans swim gracefully by, as Sophie does in the story.
A few years ago, I made friends with a pair of swans I named Romeo and Juliet who visited me at the shoreline below my house every day and brought their new family over every spring. They would greet me by nodding their heads and snorting to say hello.
I was fascinated by their beauty and strength. I knew that swan couples stayed together for life, but I was also struck by their trust and loyalty to one another and hoped they never suffered from the often-thoughtless actions of human beings.
They were wild birds but they trusted us, even following us when we went out in our canoe or kayaks. It was an extraordinary friendship and we grew to love them.
I wanted to share my knowledge about these amazing birds and started writing a factual book about them, but decided it would be more useful to write a children’s book featuring the swans that gently taught a lesson.
I spoke with a friend and he said his 12-year-old daughter Sophie Sussman might be interested in illustrating the book, but she was busy with school so I decided to find a professional illustrator instead. Because Sophie is a vibrant, creative, kind girl who stands up for what’s right, I decided to make her the main character in the story.
Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book?
A: Not really, partly because I’m well-versed about swans, after researching their behavior for more than a decade.
I’ve also read extensively about bullying—its causes and its effect on others, and various strategies to prevent, curb, or stop the behavior. But it’s a complex problem, and because many (or most) children won’t be able to deal with a bully on their own, I learned that it’s best to advise them to share their experience, and seek guidance, from a trusted adult.
Q: What do you think Aeron Cargill’s illustrations add to the book?
A: I love Aeron’s use of vivid color and his realistic illustrations of both the characters and the swans. I think they bring the story alive for the reader.
Q: What do you think the story says about bullying?
A: I think the story shows that there are reasons why children display bullying behavior, including having been bullied themselves (as Ned was in his former school).
The lesson of the book is incorporated in Sophie’s comments to Sam about whether they should go out and save Ned when he is stranded on the lake: “My mother says we should always treat others with kindness, even if they aren't kind to you."
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I chose Animal Nation as one of the three charities that will split all the proceeds from the book because I’ve visited their farm (10 minutes from my home on the lake) with 250 rescue animals ranging from goats to swans to emus.
They do a wonderful job rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife; their mission is to “eliminate cruelty to animals while spreading compassion into the hearts of all beings.” This seemed to align with my effort to expose bullying and offer kindness as an alternative.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This post was created in partnership with Expound Publicity. Enter this contest for a chance to win a signed copy of Sophie and the Swans. Don't miss your chance to enter and win!
No comments:
Post a Comment