Jenny Lynn Pease is the author of the new children's picture book I Love Harriet Kippley. She is also a mental health advocate and she worked as an early childhood educator.
Q: What inspired you to write I Love Harriet Kippley?
A: Hi Deborah. Thanks so much for having Harriet and me on your blog.
This book was actually inspired by one of my favorite songs, "Answer: Love Myself." The song talks about how important (and sometimes difficult) it is to love ourselves. I wanted to convey this message in a way that was fun and relatable to young children.
After brainstorming for a while, I came up with the idea of having a young girl being given the task to draw a picture of something she loves. Of course, Harriet loves lots of things. She loves tubas, barbecue chip sundaes, and polka-dotted unicorns named Pattie.
However, these ideas are already taken. So, with a little help from her family, Harriet decides that the perfect thing to draw is herelf!
Q: What do you think Alessia Girasole’s illustrations add to the story?
A: I absolutely adore Alessia’s illustrations. I think she did a wonderful job of bringing out Harriet’s personality. I also love how much fun her illustrations add to the story.
Q: Can you say more about how you created your character Harriet?
A: I think I created the idea for my story first. Then, Harriet and her personality just kind of flowed naturally into it. Once I knew I wanted to write a story about self-love, the idea of having a determined and quirky little girl trying to figure out what she loved just happened.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?
A: It would make me so happy if this book encourages even one child to say “Hey, I love myself too!”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m constantly working on many things. So it’s hard to talk about just one. Right now, I’m working on some social emotional picture books, some humorous ones, and even a nonfiction book!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: If you read I Love Harriet Kippley, I would love to know what you thought of it. Please feel free to leave a book review on Amazon, Goodreads, and or the Barnes & Noble website.
I also love receiving emails from readers and fellow writers. You can email me with any comments or questions at jenniferpease@authorjenniferp.com
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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