I'm thrilled to welcome Jenn Bailey to the SCBWI Blog today.
We're eager to learn about your new books, Henry And The Something New (Chronicle Books, 2024), illustrated by Mika Song, Henry, Like Always (Chronicle Books, 2023), illustrated by Mika Song, and The Twelve Hours Of Christmas (Little, Brown For Young Readers, 2023), illustrated by Bea Jackson. Could you tell us what they're about?
Well, Henry, Like Always and Henry And The Something New are early reader chapter books that are based on my picture book, A Friend For Henry (Chronicle Books, 2019), illustrated by Mika Song. I am so excited we've added to Henry's stories and let him grow up a grade or two. He's got a bit more confidence and can have more involved adventures with his classmates. I have loved being able to continue sharing how Henry sees and experiences his world. As long as there is more to explore and share in an authentic way, I hope there will be more stories.
Actually, a third book, Henry's Picture Perfect Day, will hit shelves in 2025.
The Twelve Hours Of Christmas is a beautifully illustrated picture book that came out this holiday season with Little Brown. Bea Jackson did the art and it is everything!
I've always wanted to write a Christmas book and one day I just thought what even is a calling bird? Like, why are the lords leaping and how many drummers drum? I wanted to make that classic song something that kids could relate to and so instead of twelve days of Christmas, we follow a family through twelve hours of Christmas days. I grew up with my huge extended family all gathering for the holiday and Bea totally got that vibe and Ta-da. The book was born.
Does writing early reader chapter books for children give you a different perspective about the craft when compared to picture books? If so, how?
I love this question! I made some careful and considered decisions when I shifted from the Henry picture book to these early readers, but I hadn't stepped back to look at them as craft decisions and they totally are!
So first, let's look at what picture books and these early readers have in common. They are both highly illustrated. And the word count isn't that far apart - 700 words compared to about 1,200 words. There is a main story arc that finds a positive resolution at the end.
However, a big difference between my picture books and chapter books is that generally I consider picture books to be read, aloud, by an accomplished reader. The reader can handle big vocabulary and can be there to talk about concepts and ask questions to the listeners. I always write my picture books as conversation starters or interactive, oral experiences. Having broad engagement among multiple people is what makes picture books so magical!
With the early readers, I am dealing with emergent readers. These are kiddos who are tackling this great, wonderful world of books and ideas very possibly on their own. There is a closer style of storytelling here. You are closing psychic distance between reader and character, much like you do in a novel. So, I make sure vocabulary words have plenty of context or are illustratable. I make my first chapters shorter than other chapters in the book. I want this new reader to feel accomplished!
I also make sure each chapter has some kind of resolution. Sure, the book as a whole will have a positive resolution, but I want to reward the reader with a bit of story satisfaction for reading all of those words and making it to the end of each chapter. If they had to close the book midway because of bedtime or classwork, I want them confident and intrigued enough to open it back up when they get the chance.
There are other craft elements I play with but that is the biggest one.
What is your writing process like?
I'm horrible! I wish I were a better drafter. I can't seem to kick that disapproving editor off my shoulder so
I tend to write and rewrite sentences and paragraphs until I think they are pretty polished before I move on. This makes me slow, or should I say slower than I'd like to be.
And I have to write in sequence. I can have a story goal in mind, but I have to write my way there. No jumping ahead.
I usually start drafting with paper and pencil. There is something about the blank, white screen of the computer that makes it all feel too professional and too final. When I get a good start on the project in my notebook, then I can go to the computer and transcribe and move on from there.
I also do a lot of what I call "priting"-- that's pre-writing -- in my head before I even get to the paper and pencil part. I walk my dog, Oliver, every morning and he is my best audience as I flesh out story ideas and arcs with him. I try out different scenarios and scenes in my imagination. It's kind of like running a movie in my head, and when I feel pretty good about one, I'll share it with Ollie. He hardly ever disagrees.
What was the most challenging part of writing the Henry books?
Finding a publisher who would give them a shot. I thank Chronicle, and my editor Daria Harper, with all my heart! They have been a huge advocate and cheerleader for Henry. They shared my vision from the very start.
Henry is a quiet character. He's no Fancy Nancy or Captain Underpants. He's fairly shy, rather reserved, and has a quirky sense of humor. He's a lot like my own children and is crafted to appeal to those quieter kids who don't always get a voice. We are finally in an age where these voices are being valued more and being published. Hooray for that!
What would you like to say to writers who are reading this interview and wondering if their voices and visions for their stories matter?
Oh! It matters! All experiences matter. Otherwise, how can we understand each other and how can we learn and practice empathy? How else can we live a thousand lives so we can figure out how to navigate the life we are living? Stories that make us feel, stories with a point of view and resonance to personal truth always matter. And they come in so many forms.
I find the advice "write what you know" to be misleading. Until you get into the deep craft of storytelling, that advise can set you on the wrong path. I grew up reading a lot of science fiction and fantasy--worlds and magic systems that nobody could "know." While i read about wizards and aliens and dragons, I was really reading about resilience and loyalty and courage. I was reading about hope and companionship and love. These were the elements that made up the voices, visions, and experiences of those authors. And this is what connected me to their stories.
So let's change that advice.
To write stories that matter, write what you know in your heart.
Jenn Bailey is an award-winning author who has her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her work has received the ALA Schneider Family Honor award, Bank Street Book of the Year award, been star-reviewed by Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly, and been included in numerous state reading lists, among other accolades.
Jenn is a frequent guest lecturer and workshop leader for SCBWI, Heartland Writers for Kids and Teens, and the One Year Adventure Novel workshops. Jenn is published by Chronicle Books; Arcadia Press; Magic Cat Publishing; Little, Brown and Company; and Levine Querido and is represented by Erica Silverman with The Stimola Literary Agency.
Suma Subramaniam is a recruiter by day and a children's book author by night. Her picture books include Namaste is a Greeting (2023 Crystal Kite and 2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner), She Sang for India (2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner and 2022 NYPL Diverse Voices Book), The Runaway Dosa, and more. Suma is also the contributing author of The Hero Next Door (Finalist-Massachusetts Book Award). Her poems have been published in Poetry Foundation's Poetry Magazine, What is Hope?, and other anthologies for children. She lives in Seattle with her family and a dog who will do anything for Indian sweets and snacks. Learn more at https://sumasubramaniam.com.
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