Q&A with Ellen Tarlow

  

 

Ellen Tarlow is the author of the new children's picture book The Tiny Thing. Her other books include Looking for Smile. She lives in the Catskill Mountains. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Tiny Thing, and how did you create your character Mole?

A: The Tiny Thing started as a glimmer (during a yoga class). A story about a lonely animal who finds something tiny in the woods that will become meaningful. I didn’t know who the animal was yet (or what the tiny thing was). But I did feel the mood. And it felt urgent enough that I went home and quickly wrote what became the first half of the book.

All my (finished) picture books become “real” to me at different points. I guess that’s when it stops being an idea and becomes a living thing. The Tiny Thing became real to me when I wrote these lines on that first day:

The tiny thing was so tiny that Mole decided to tell it a secret.
“I’m afraid of loud noises,” he said.
He wasn’t sure if the tiny thing understood,
but it made him feel braver just to say it.

At that point, I started to cry (which may be a first, I should stress). I didn’t understand why, but that definitely meant I was invested and had to see the story through.

I think those lines pointed to Mole’s arc. That the story would take him from a small life of quiet inwardness and fears/secretiveness to a life where he could inhabit his larger self in the larger world.

It also pointed to how the tiny thing could help him get there. Just by being a quiet support or mirror. 

Anyway that is how the story began, how Mole came to be and how I knew I had a story that felt worth telling.

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Mole and the tiny thing?

A: To me Mole is any child (or person) who doesn’t have the core confidence to fully inhabit their best selves and to bring that in the world.

It may be that on some level the child is alone like Mole is. If you don’t have the support  (from parents or meaningful others) in your life, telling you that you can do it and that you are special, it can be scary to show who you really are. Or the cause may be more temperamental (also like Mole); some of us are just naturally more reticent, less confident.

The tiny thing becomes the quiet voice and positive mirror which has been missing in Mole’s life and which makes risk taking and growth possible.

 

The fact that the tiny thing is on some level an imaginary construct (Mole has literally given it a friendly face) may help a child feel that they too have the power to be their own inner voice.  The truth of the story is that Mole did it all on his own.

 

For a while I wasn’t sure what the tiny thing actually was. In the first draft it was a tiny creature (undefined but with consciousness), but that was hard to sustain because Mole’s journey into the larger world would necessitate him leaving the tiny thing which just felt sad and wrong.

 

In the next version, the tiny thing was more like a stuffed animal Mole created out of a small, intriguing thing he found in nature. That worked, but Lauren Stringer, the illustrator, had the wonderful idea of making the tiny thing a seedling that could also have its own journey too.

 

Q: Can you say more about what you think Lauren Stringer’s illustrations add to the book?

A: Oh, how to answer this! They add SO much. First off, Lauren Stringer illustrated my book Looking for Smile (also published by Beach Lane), and we since became friends. I related (in the question above) how it was Lauren’s idea to make the tiny thing a seedling that could have its own journey of growth. That added so much to the book without changing any of the words!

But more than that is the sensitivity and charm of her art. Mole is utterly adorable in a tender and poetic way. She captured the small changes in his bearing and expressions as he begins to come out of his shell making each page a new, deeply felt experience.

Also the world that she has created in Mole’s home (filled with things Mole himself made) gives readers a deeper connection to who Mole is and what he is capable of.

And the beauty of her natural world just adds a depth that easily might have been missing from the book. (As you can tell, I LOVE the illustrations!)

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “The tiny thing’s steadfast presence reminds readers that new experiences can feel joyful, comfortable, and liberating, especially with a patient friend who is eager to listen.” What do you think of that assessment?

A: Yes, I think that works. I think there are few ways to think about it. In fact, early responses to the book online seem to suggest that readers may have slightly different (and I suppose personal) interpretations of what the tiny thing means to Mole. But I think children will feel much like the Kirkus statement and see the tiny thing as a comforting friend. Adults may see the tiny thing in more of a metaphorical way.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: My next book is called The Tree That Fell. It will be illustrated by Mike Austin and also published by Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster.

It begins with the lines: A tree fell in the forest. Everyone heard it. And it then follows four very different animals as they come to terms with losing “their” tree. It’s a bit funny and also sad and hopefully provides a (light) introduction to the concept of mortality. As well as a lesson in the importance of trees. 

I have a few other books coming out after that featuring: a snail who wants to see a rainbow; a princess who won’t get out of bed; and a dachshund who tries to dig to the other side of the world. 

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: This was fun! Thank you for the great questions.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Ellen Tarlow.