Sherry Ellis is the author of the new children's picture book Happy Birthday to US!. Her other books include Don't Feed the Elephant. She lives in Atlanta.
Q: What inspired you to write Happy Birthday to US!?
A: The inspiration came from a rather unusual source: my day job. I am the executive director for an orchestra. As the board and I worked on planning the 2025-2026 season a couple of years ago, we realized that it would be America’s 250th anniversary. My author-brain immediately kicked in and thought it would be cool to write a book celebrating this milestone.
As I played around with the topic, I realized there weren’t any books addressing the possibility of a child having a birthday on the Fourth of July and thinking the celebrations were all for him. I thought this would be a fun way to explain the real meaning of the holiday plus incorporate the fun of a summer birthday.
Fortunately, the book was picked up by a publisher and is here in time for the semiquincentennial celebration.
Q: What do you think Nina Hvozdzeva’s illustrations add to the story?
A: I think Nina did a fabulous job with the illustrations. Of course there are plenty of patriotic scenes with red, white, and blue. But she also did a great job in covering all the ethnicities of Americans. People of every race and color are pictured, making it easy for everyone to identify as being American no matter what their heritage is.
Q: How did you get interested in writing for kids?
A: My writing career started more than 20 years ago while I sat with my
3-month-old son in a rocking chair at 3 in the morning. A poem started going
through my head. I have no idea why. Must’ve been sleep-deprivation. It was the
beginning of my first book, That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN!
It probably would have stayed in my head, but I decided to share it with my daughter, who was 3 years old at the time. She liked it and thought it should be a book. The rest is history.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from your new book?
A: I want kids to understand why we celebrate the Fourth of July. I also want them to feel a sense of pride in being American and to appreciate the freedom they enjoy.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have another picture book manuscript, an idea for another middle-grade book, an idea for an adult historical fiction book, and I’ve started a memoir.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: You can learn more about my work on my website, www.sherryellis.org
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This Q&A was conducted in partnership with Sherry Ellis. Readers who join this virtual book tour have the chance to win a signed copy of Happy Birthday to US! by Sherry Ellis and a $50 Amazon gift card. Here’s the giveaway link!
No comments:
Post a Comment