Q&A with Jane Kurtz

 

 

 

Jane Kurtz is the author of the new children's picture book Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros. Her many other books include The Bone Wars. She lives in Portland, Oregon. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write about Clara the famous 18th century rhinoceros, and how did you first learn of her story?

 

A: I grew up in Ethiopia at a time when many magnificent animals were roaming the savanna, and although I never saw a rhino as we bumped along in a Jeep, I did start thinking about them when I was young. As I got older, African rhinos started to be caught in immense habitat squeeze.

 

When I stumbled onto an adult nonfiction book about Clara, I was immediately captured, partly because I was reading it in a rather anti-science time in the U.S. (which seems to have rolled around again), and her story is one of curiosity and wonder, of people wanted to see and experience the world for themselves and not just be told what to believe by kings or powerful religious leaders.

 

Certain species intimidate humans. The ideas about what a rhinoceros was in those days emphasized ferocity and strangeness. But Clara caused a stir everywhere she was taken in Europe and changed people's views.

 

Probably because of my own childhood, I'm always drawn to "fish out of water" stories and the benefits of learning more about the wide world and everything/everyone who shares it.

  

Q: What do you think Claire Messer’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: I'm grateful that Claire Messer turned out to have been long intrigued by Clara's story. A lot of people (including illustrators) reacted to a story of a captive rhino who spent her life among humans with squeamish distaste, preferring to think only of rhinos in their natural habitat.

 

The irony, of course, is that modern humans aren't good at actually making sure they have the space to live. It's hard to share the world. Claire Messer had to overcome challenges in her personal life to finish her work on the book, and I'm so glad she didn't give up!

 

Q: The Booklist review of the book called it “The wild and wacky true story of an eighteenth-century rhinoceros' improbable journey through Europe.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Authors always hope that reviewers will be on their team in discussing the book we set out to write. As my editor said, Booklist really "got it." The review included a lot of the story elements I worked into the nonfiction story, including how Clara was part of a scientific revolution of her time.

 

I'm someone who felt left out of science as a kid, and nonfiction picture books, to me, are a great way to expand the conversation, to use true stories (including wild and wacky ones) to intrigue young readers and make them want to know more. 

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: Professor Glynis Ridley wrote an adult nonfiction book that was the basis for my research, and she was generous in communicating with me about questions I had as I coaxed my true story to life.

 

I was a little shy about reaching out to her. My daughter, who teaches 18th century literature at Boston College and was helping me track down any additional information about Clara's life told me that academics are happy to share their research and ideas, so I gathered my courage, and my daughter was right!

 

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam also ended up doing an exhibit about Clara and her impact while my story was being illustrated. It was a bit too late for my research needs, but of course I loved reading and learning more through that exhibit, too. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm at the stage of writing and life where everything seems to connect! I have an almost true story in verse coming out this summer about my childhood in Ethiopia and the first time my family visited the United States (another fish out of water story, for sure).

 

I've also found dinosaurs a wonderful way to expand the science conversation, so I have several nonfiction picture books about dinosaur exploration.

 

My newest one will come out next spring--about Mary Morland who was part of the story of the very first dinosaur to get a name (before the word dinosaur was even invented)--and I've been working on several others. I'll never get tired of exploring dinosaurs.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Jane Kurtz.