Q&A with Lisa Mantchev

 

 

 

Lisa Mantchev is the author of the new children's picture book The Trouble with Giraffes. Her many other books include Strictly No Elephants. She lives in Washington state. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Trouble with Giraffes?

A: I told myself that I wouldn't do a follow-up to Strictly No Elephants unless the perfect idea came along. I won't lie... the idea was daunting as heck. It needed to be something with heart, and it absolutely needed to build upon the original.

 

If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that there's always more we can do to make this world a friendlier place, and that means not only making room at the table, but also making certain that everyone can get to the table in the first place.

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between the girl and the giraffe?

A: I'm not saying that having a friend who is triple your height and has twice as many legs as you might be unusual (at first) but I think their relationship can serve as a sweet testament to bridging gaps between big differences of background and nationality and religion, down to smaller ones like favorite colors and food preferences, etc.

Q: What do you think Taeeun Yoo’s illustrations add to the story?

A: As with Strictly No Elephants, Taeeun's incredible work does just as much storytelling as the words do. Anything that can be told visually is left in her capable hands.

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

A: That they can always pause, take a good look around, and see what other work can be done to make spaces as welcome and inclusive as possible.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I'm currently playing in my first (two!) D&D campaigns, and I'm contemplating ways to make all the clubhouse animals into playable characters in a D20 setting.

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I am absolutely not three kobolds in a trench coat, whatever anyone else might tell you (including that really shifty looking wizard... he keeps saying he has a quest for us, and my schedule is already packed).

--Interview with Deborah Kalb