 |
| Photo by Connie Tsang |
Vikki VanSickle is the author of the children's picture book Into the Goblin Market. Her other books include The Winnowing. She lives in Toronto.
Q: What inspired you to write Into the Goblin Market, and how did you create your characters Millie and Mina?
A: Into the Goblin Market is my love letter to fairytales. I've always loved fairytales and fairytale retellings, and when I sat down to think about what story I'd like to retell, Christina Rosetti's poem “Goblin Market” immediately came to mind.
While it's not a traditional fairytale, it's incredibly visual, haunting, and has classic fairytale elements, but instead of a prince rescuing a princess, one sister rescues another. I thought that dynamic was unusual, felt contemporary, and was worthy of revisiting.
Millie and Mina are based on the sisters in the original poem (Lizzie and Laura), but the “goblins” in my story are based on fairytale villains instead of the more animal-like goblins in various renditions of the original poem. That way I got to fold more fairytale references into the narrative.
I don't specifically call these villains out by name, but I let the reader make the connection on their own. If they don't recognize Snow White's witch, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, or the Wicked Witch of the West, it won't affect their enjoyment of the story, but if they do, it makes them feel smart and invites deeper engagement in the story and the art.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between the sisters?
A: There is a lot of mutual love and respect between them, but they are also baffled by each other. In some ways they are like a cat and dog sharing a space. They don't fully understand each other's hopes and desires, but they care for each other and are very protective in their own ways.
Q: What do you think Jensine Eckwall’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Everything! I wanted to work with her because I love her attention to detail, which was necessary for the market scenes. But even with the highest of expectations I was blown away by how she elevated the story.
The page borders, black and white palette with a touch of red, the masks on the goblins--all her choices are references to Victorian literature and classic fairytales, but you don't need to know that to appreciate her work.
I love when a picture book can operate on numerous levels and speak to different readers in different ways. I have looked at this art a hundred times, and I am constantly discovering new things when I read the story at events.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: Mostly I want them to be delighted! Reading for me is an exercise in escape and wonder, and I want to create books where kids feel those things. I want them to be swept up in the world, compelled by the mystery, surprised at the twist, and then satisfied at the ending.
I also want them to appreciate how Millie outsmarts the goblins. It is her knowledge of books and fairytales (and her excellent inferencing skills) that leads to her success.
Millie is not a traditional hero--she's a homebody, bookish, and generally quite adventure-adverse--but that doesn't mean she can't save the day, in her own way, when it is required. I think that's something we can all be reminded of.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: In keeping with the spooky vibe of Into The Goblin Market, I am putting some finishing touches on a collection of Halloween poems due next year, called Mother Boo: Poems from Spookytown. It is “Mother Goose,” but for little witches, goblins, and Halloween creatures. The illustrator is Jennica Lounsbury, and I absolutely love her work! Look for it next fall, from Tundra Books!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: If you get your hands on a physical copy of Into the Goblin Market, be sure to take a peek under the dust jacket. See if you can spot all the differences between the image on the dust jacket and the one stamped on the cover.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment