Teresa Argenbright is the author of the new children's picture book Charlotte & Penelope and the Neighborhood Stage. She also has written the book Charlotte & Penelope and Their Magical Menagerie. She lives in Texas and in Colorado.
Q: What inspired you to write Charlotte & Penelope and the Neighborhood Stage?
A: The characters are inspired by two young sisters named Charlotte and Penelope who were flower girls in my daughter’s wedding. I love the lyricism of their names and originally planned to write “a little ditty” using their names as a gift just for them.
But without knowing any of this, my daughter, the bride, suggested I write a children’s book. Her suggestion, at the time, was the farthest thing from my mind.
Q: What do you think Dan McGeehan’s illustrations add to the story?
A: EVERYTHING! I am the luckiest writer in the world to have him as my illustrator. He took my ideas, expanded on them, and the result was more than I ever imagined. His vivid colors have proven to be true magnets to the books’ youngest fans who aren’t yet reading.
Q: This is the second in your series--how did you come up with the plot for this book?
A: When my children were in elementary school, the highlight of the school year was the talent show. Most kids love to perform and many of those who don’t perform still want to be involved. Charlotte and Penelope’s illness - spoiler alert - provided a great reason to put on a show., i.e., helping friends when they’re in need.
Q: What do you hope kids (and adults) take away from the book?
A: Two things: 1) I hope this shows kids how to recognize and share their own talents. In this case, the entire menagerie pitched in to bring their friends some entertainment. Some used performative talents such as singing and playing instruments while others used more practical talents such as sewing, preparing food, and building the stage. Even the sisters helped as they could by making signs.
2) I hope kids see the reward of helping others - that even though the show was a gift for Charlotte and Penelope, the menagerie felt good and was enriched by giving of themselves and working together to make the show happen.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Book #3 in the Menagerie Series. Thanks for asking! I’ve got it narrowed down to two main ideas and I’m now noodling around with both to see which one rises to the top.
But rest assured, even if the entire menagerie doesn’t make it into book #3, there will still be a good representation of the characters everyone has come to know and love.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Yes. I hope parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, et al, will visit my website, https://www.teresaargenbright.com/book and take a specific look at the Educators tab. There, they can find fun and imaginative character profiles, word-related puzzles, and, because music is such a big part of my life, a playlist of songs curated specially for each book.
When putting the playlists together, my overriding intention was to find music that represented a character, an activity, or a theme in the book and could be played in the car without driving either the kids or the adults crazy. I hope I succeeded.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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