Meg Edson is the author of the new children's picture book Zig Zag Zeph: The True Story of a Special Cat. It focuses on her cat, who has a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia. A former special educator, she lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
Q: What inspired you to write Zig Zag Zeph, and how long did it take you to complete it?
A: The cat inspired me. I would watch him. He has cerebellar hypoplasia, he walks in zigzags, but he could climb a cat tree. He’s so filled with joy—he’s the happiest cat despite his disability. He didn’t let anything get him down. His sister has it too.
I started writing it about five years ago, and then I put it down for about four years. I had the words, but I didn’t know how to do the pictures. I got stuck—I knew I wanted pictures of him. It’s about him. But I didn’t know how to do that.
In May of this year, I wanted to revise it. I looked up digital collage online, and found freelance artists’ samples. I found a woman in Argentina, Analia Oliver, and I wrote to her and told her my vision. She sent back the first page, and I thought, she just gets it!
Q: I was going to ask you about the illustrations, yes.
A: I love the cover. She’s so good—it was great working with her. The illustrations make the book. She made my passion project exactly how I wanted it. She captured Zeph’s essence.
Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book?
A: No, I knew what their disability was before I adopted them. I wanted to be an advocate for CH cats—sometimes vets put them to sleep, which is so sad.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: If one kid reads it and feels, I have dyslexia but I will learn to read someday—look at Zeph climbing the cat tower…If you’re different, that’s okay. My third cat only has one ear. Embrace your differences, don’t judge people by how they look.
I taught special needs LD kids. We all have something, and that’s okay.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Give special needs cats a chance!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
It is very gratifying to see the book keep moving and see how Zeph not only reaches every home, but also the hearts of its readers ❤️
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