Q&A with Martha Freeman

 

 

 

Martha Freeman is the author of the new children's picture book Kitty vs. Kindergarten. Her many other books include Zap!. She lives in Oregon. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Kitty vs. Kindergarten?

 

A: I don’t remember, but it was probably the pandemic Christmas.

I will explain.

 

Traditional publishing is a lo-o-o-ng process, and I wrote the original Kitty manuscript more than four years ago, shortly after Christmas 2020. At the time it was a Christmas story. That is, instead of kindergarten, Kitty – the ultimate resistant-to-change conservative – was railing against all the hubbub in the house surrounding Christmas.

 

I happen to love Christmas, but I acknowledge that the disruption can be a lot. Amid COVID uncertainty, the disruption that year was especially hard to take. I think I created Kitty to channel my own inner Kitty.

 

When my agent, Jennifer Mattson, and I brought that story to the marketplace, the publishing team was enthusiastic, but they didn’t want to start a series with a Christmas book. So we arrived at kindergarten.

 

Kitty vs. Camping will arrive next year, and I expect Christmas to appear sometime after that.

 

Q: What do you think Eda Kaban’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Eda is a master of soft, soulful facial expressions – whether the face is feline or human. I think her illustrations add heart to the story. I also appreciate her ability to capture the affection underlying an everyday family scene – playing cards in the living room, eating breakfast at the table.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Kitty and his little boy?

 

A: Kitty and his good, nice boy are devoted to one another! And maybe they have something to teach one another as well. For all that Kitty is resistant to change, he is also a rebel. You tell him to do something, and by definition he says no way.

 

The boy, on the other hand, is kind, gentle and tolerant - almost too nice. He has to be to put up with Kitty’s shenanigans. At the same time, the boy admires Kitty’s toughness and one day may be inspired by it.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

 

A: Be kind to your cat. And if you take him to school, be sure to protect the class pet – particularly if it is a rodent. Beyond that, sometimes things that seem scary turn out to be pretty cool.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: A lot! I have a real job at the University of Colorado tutoring writers, which I love. I just finished a years-long project, a mystery for adults, and hope to be revising and shopping it in the next month. I am drafting – early stages -- a middle-grade novel about a girl who loses her house in a fire. And soon I hope to be working on more Kitty books as well.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: That Kitty vs. Kindergarten is a perfect read, and a perfect gift, for kindergartners, aspiring kindergartners, and kindergarten veterans, not to mention cat lovers.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Martha Freeman.