Barbara Carroll Roberts is the author of the new children's picture book When George Washington Bowed to the New Nation. Her other books include Nikki on the Line. She lives in Virginia.
Q: What inspired you to write When George Washington Bowed to the New Nation?
A: A few years ago while having lunch with friends in Annapolis, one of my friends pointed at the Statehouse and said, “That’s where George Washington turned in his commission at the end of the Revolution.”
We went on talking about other things, but my friend’s statement stayed in the back of my mind, and eventually I decided to find out more about the significance of that action by Washington.
And what I learned was that many historians consider this to be one of the most important events in U.S. history—Washington wasn’t just handing a piece of paper back to the Continental Congress, he was giving up his power and returning to civilian life.
Today, when there are so many countries with democratic forms of government, this might not seem unusual. But in 1783, when other countries were ruled by emperors and kings, this was a radical act. And it was the first step in establishing our new country as a democracy. It seemed to me that an event this big deserved a picture book.
Q: What do you think Anne Yvonne Gilbert’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Apart from their beauty, Anne Yvonne Gilbert’s illustrations add so much depth to the book. When I first saw her thumbnail sketches, I gasped. The level of detail in her depiction of Washington and all the citizens in each spread provides so much information about the time and places these people lived in.
But I think what I love most about Yvonne’s illustrations is her ability to express the emotion and drama of these events. And of course, her horses. Yvonne draws beautiful horses.
Q: The writer Kathryn Erskine said of the book, “This beautifully presented seminal event will show children the essence of America — that a leader’s role is to serve its citizens.” What do you think of her comments, and why did you choose to highlight the word “king” in the book?
A: I’ll answer the second part first. Highlighting the word “king” in the text was the editor’s and art director’s decision. I didn’t know they’d planned to do that. But I think it was a great decision, because it emphasizes the central question of the book: Will Washington declare himself the new king?
I was so grateful to Kathryn Erskine for agreeing to write a blurb for this book. I think her words perfectly capture what this book is about: Washington’s action of giving up his power demonstrated what the relationship between leaders and citizens would be and should be in our new nation.
Q: What do you think George Washington would make of today’s politics?
A: Rather than supposing what Washington may have thought, I’ll answer this question with his own words. This quotation from his farewell address at the end of his presidency is prominent on Mount Vernon’s website:
“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have another nonfiction picture book coming out in 2028. It doesn’t have anything to do with American history. It’s about where insects spend the winter.
I haven’t been actively working on writing something new recently, because I’ve been focusing a lot of energy into trying to get the word out on this book. (Also, my daughter just got married.) But I’ve been collecting research for another picture book about an aspect of the natural world.
Q: Congratulations!
Anything else we should know?
A: I’d just like to mention that I hope families and educators will realize that picture books like this one aren’t “just for little kids.”
I recently corresponded with an AP American History teacher who said she often reads picture books to her classes, using them as jumping-off points for her students to dig deeper into primary sources. I love the idea of this book being a catalyst for high school kids to find out more about George Washington and the founding of our country.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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