Q&A with Dale V. Atkins

  

 

 

Dale V. Atkins is the author of the new children's picture book Dear Deer. Her other books include The Turquoise Butterfly. She is also a psychologist, and she lives in Connecticut.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Dear Deer?

 

A: Dear Deer was inspired by a real-life experience I had while walking in nature in June of 2021. I encountered a baby fawn trapped in a pond as the tide was rising. Nearby, a distressed doe repeatedly approached, retreated, and watched me. It felt as though she was enlisting my help.

 

Together, in a remarkable way, we became partners in ensuring that her fawn did not drown. That unforgettable experience became the foundation for the story.

 

As a psychologist, mother, and grandmother, I am increasingly concerned that many children are growing up disconnected from the natural world. Too often, they experience life through screens rather than through their senses. Nature invites children to slow down, look closely, listen carefully, notice patterns, ask questions, and engage fully with the world around them.

 

When children spend time outdoors, they naturally activate all of their senses. They learn to observe rather than simply consume information. They discover how to focus, wonder, wait, and pay attention. These experiences strengthen curiosity, empathy, patience, creativity, and problem solving. They also help children develop a deeper sense of connection to themselves, to others, and to the living world around them.

 

Through Dear Deer, I wanted to encourage children and adults to reconnect with nature and with one another. The story is ultimately about paying attention, responding with compassion, and recognizing that we are part of nature, not separate from it.

 

It is also about empathy and stewardship. When children learn to care about the creatures and habitats around them, they are more likely to become thoughtful caretakers of the world they will inherit.

 

Q: What do you think Amelina Jones’s illustrations add to this book?

 

A: Amelina Jones's illustrations bring an extraordinary sense of life, warmth, and wonder to Dear Deer. From the very beginning, she understood that this story was not simply about two children encountering wildlife. It was about entering a living, breathing world filled with beauty, mystery, and connection.

 

What I admire most is her ability to capture the awe and curiosity of the children as they explore the forest. Their expressions invite readers to see the natural world through fresh eyes, noticing details, asking questions, and experiencing the excitement of discovery. You can almost feel their sense of wonder as they move through the story.

 

At the same time, Amelina beautifully portrays the animals as active participants in the life of the forest. The deer, birds, insects, and other creatures are not simply background characters. They are engaged in their own busy, purposeful lives.

 

Readers see animals caring for their young, searching for food, exploring, resting, and interacting with their environment. This helps children appreciate that nature is full of relationships and activity, whether or not humans are present.

 

Her illustrations are rich with details that reward careful observation. Each time I look at them, I notice something new. She has created a forest that feels both real and enchanted, a place where children can imagine, explore, and feel connected to something larger than themselves. The light, movement, textures, and expressions draw readers into the story and encourage them to linger on every page.

 

I believe Amelina's artwork does more than illustrate the text. It expands it. She captures the emotional heart of the story and deepens its message of wonder, empathy, and connection to the natural world.

 

Her illustrations invite children to slow down, look closely, and experience the forest not simply as a setting, but as a vibrant community of living beings. That gift is one of the things that makes Dear Deer so special.

 

Q: What do you think the book says about interacting with nature?

 

A: I believe Dear Deer reminds us that interacting with nature is not about conquering it, controlling it, or rushing through it. It is about entering the natural world with curiosity, humility, respect, and wonder.

 

The book encourages children and adults to slow down and pay attention. When we take the time to observe a bird building a nest, a butterfly moving from flower to flower, or a deer caring for her fawn, we begin to see that nature is full of stories, relationships, and lessons. We learn that we are not separate from the natural world. We are part of it.

 

One of the central messages of the book is that meaningful interaction with nature begins with noticing. In our fast-paced world, many of us move quickly from one activity to the next without truly seeing what is around us. Nature invites us to use all our senses. To look closely. To listen. To wonder. To be present. Those experiences help children develop patience, focus, empathy, and a deeper appreciation for life.

 

The book also suggests that caring about nature grows from connection. When children spend time outdoors and become familiar with the creatures, plants, and habitats around them, they are more likely to feel compassion and a sense of responsibility toward them. Stewardship begins with relationship.

 

At the same time, Dear Deer offers an important lesson about helping. Sometimes interacting with nature means stepping in when a living creature is truly in danger. Other times it means knowing when to observe respectfully and allow nature to unfold on its own. Learning that balance is part of developing wisdom and respect for the natural world.

 

Ultimately, I hope the book encourages readers to see nature not simply as a place to visit, but as a source of connection, learning, restoration, and amazement. Some of life's most important lessons can emerge when we slow down, pay attention, and allow ourselves to be fully present in the world around us.

 

Q: You also have a YouTube channel focusing on nature--can you tell us more about that?

 

A: I began these brief Nature Walk Talks during the COVID pandemic, when so many people were feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from one another and from the natural world. My hope was simple: to invite people outside, even for a few minutes, to join me and hopefully experience the comfort, perspective, strength, and hope that nature so generously offers.

 

On each walk, I encourage you to slow down, breathe deeply, and notice. Together, we explore the lessons nature can teach us about resilience, patience, adaptation, connection, and wonder. Sometimes we pause to reflect on a personal challenge. Sometimes we simply observe the beauty around us. Often, nature provides a fresh perspective that helps us see our lives differently.

 

As a psychologist, educator, mother, grandmother, and lifelong nature lover, I believe that spending time outdoors is not merely an escape from daily life. It is a way of reconnecting with ourselves and the larger world of which we are a part.

 

Nature reminds us that we are both significant and small. We are connected to something much larger than ourselves. A changing season, a determined seedling, a soaring bird, or the rhythm of the tides can offer wisdom, comfort, and perspective when we need it most.

 

I ask people to join me as I explore the simple yet profound gifts of the natural world. Together, we breathe, notice, learn, and discover how nature can help us live with greater calm, curiosity, gratitude, and hope.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have begun leading group experiences designed to help people slow down, connect, and restore themselves through time spent in nature and in conversation with others.

 

These walks bring together people who may know one another, such as colleagues, friends, or community groups, as well as people meeting for the first time. Along the way, participants are invited to observe, reflect, share, and learn from both nature and one another.

 

Whether walking with health care professionals seeking a much-needed break and reset, community members looking for connection, or groups interested in learning about local wildlife and ecosystems, each walk offers an opportunity to step away from daily pressures and reconnect with what matters most.

 

Drawing upon my experience as a psychologist, educator, storyteller, and lifelong observer of the natural world, I incorporate brief mindfulness practices, sensory awareness, gentle conversation prompts, poetry, and lessons from nature.

 

Participants may be invited to notice the resilience of an osprey returning each spring, the patience of a heron waiting for the right moment, or the interconnectedness of a forest ecosystem and consider how these observations might apply to their own lives.

 

Nature has a remarkable ability to bring people together. Walking side by side often makes conversation easier, reduces stress, encourages curiosity, and creates space for authentic connection. Participants leave not only with a deeper appreciation of the natural world, but often with new perspectives, renewed energy, and a greater sense of belonging.

 

I am also “playing with the idea” of writing a third children’s book about osprey. Like the osprey, we all face journeys that require courage. We may leave familiar places, encounter challenges, and sometimes feel uncertain. Yet with patience, resilience, and the support of those who care for us, we discover strengths we never knew we had and often find our way home.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Dale V. Atkins.