Q&A with Sarah Howden

  

 

 

 

Sarah Howden is the author of the new children's picture book The Wise Pickle. Her other books include The Tunnel. She lives in Toronto.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Wise Pickle?

A: I had been thinking a lot about how one thing can transform into something else – like how a single rock can become many grains of sand, or how a puddle can evaporate and then become raindrops – and I couldn’t quite get a handle on that concept, as a story.

 

But then one day, this pickle character popped into my mind, and the story arrived almost fully formed. Like a pickle from the clouds, maybe? Haha.

 

Anyway, I realized it also showed change and transformation, as the pickle has gone from seed to cucumber to pickle to… this new role it finds itself in, after having been discarded at the side of the road.

Q: The Booklist review of the book says, “Prospective Samuel Beckett fans — or any readers open to receiving inscrutable life lessons from a pickle — will find much to chew over in this droll slice of deadpan dilly-dally.” What do you think of that description?

A: I really got a kick out of this review. I admire Beckett and appreciate his absurdist take on existence. I’ve always loved work that gives you a laugh but underneath makes you think about big topics. I couldn’t be more flattered.

Q: What do you think Sabina Hahn’s illustrations add to the book?

A: What I love about Sabina’s illustrations is she’s not trying to cutesy-up the characters but rather to show the pickle and the animals as real, fully-formed figures.

 

Her style brings a sort of gravitas to the subject matter, and a tenderness, like when the animals bring out that pillow for the pickle to rest on. And yet there’s a wonderful sense of humour infused in it as well.

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?

A: I hope they’ll find it funny and also that they might relate to the pickle if they’re feeling stuck or dealing with changes they don't have control over.

 

Maybe they’ll take away that there’s still humour in hard situations, or that when something unexpected or unwanted happens, you can still get through it, possibly make some friends along the way, and end up somewhere else that isn’t so bad at all.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’ve got a couple of picture books coming out from Owlkids next, the first one in Fall 2028. The editing process has just begun!

 

And then I’ve got a couple of other stories rattling around in my head that I have to start sculpting down into stories that are ready for submission. Always fun trying to hash out the particulars in the early stages (though I have to battle my procrastination tendencies).

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: I think my favorite illustration in the book is the one where the chipmunk says "Summon the dog." There's a dignified solemnity and ceremoniousness to the chipmunk's pose and expression, and a sort of fatigued acceptance in the pickle. So perfect!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb