I am very excited today to be part of the
Hilary McKay Blog Tour! Today she is stopping by for an interview focused mainly on her books
Lulu and the Duck in the Park and
Lulu and the Dog by the Sea. These two endearing early chapter books are a delight to read. I will be giving away copies to two lucky commentors on today's post, so make sure you stick around and put in your two cents at the end! (Contest ends April 1, 2013. We can only ship to USA or Canadian addresses).
Also,
Lulu and the Duck in the Park is up for a
2013 Kiddo Award at ReadKiddoRead! From that site:
The KIDDOS honor those books published in the last year that
were the best at turning kids on to reading, the strongest at lighting
the spark that takes a young reader from one book to the next and the
next and the next.
Jump on over there and place your vote for your favorites! Then come back and have a hot cuppa and sit back and enjoy the interview.
AJ:
Ms. McKay (may I call you Hilary?) WELCOME!!! I have been a fan of yours for a long time.
Ever since I first read Indigo Star back in 2006 and of course had
to read all of the Casson series right up to Caddy's World, which I was fortunate enough to read for the Cybils award judging last winter. I know you've been interviewed tons of times and all
the good questions have been asked again and again so I am going to try to
reach to new territory. Sound scary? Not.
HM: Certainly you can call me Hilary if I can
call you Andromeda, which is a lovely name and shows great imagination on the
part of your parents. And thanks for liking the Cassons!
Yes, I have been interviewed tons of times,
and no you do not sound scary.
AJ: I seem to recall that sweaters and lost
sweaters in particular are involved in a lot of your books. Are you a knitter?
Do you have a sweater collection or tend to lose sweaters? Maybe know some
children who do? Just curious! I love to knit and have lots of sweaters, so I
wonder about these things. What is your sweater/story connection?
HM: Really? Sweaters and lost sweaters? How
did I miss that? My knitting fills my children with horror. They say
(suspiciously) 'Who is that for?' and sidle away. It is usually scarves because
I am better at straight lines. I too have lots of sweaters (bought not knitted
by hand) and so does everyone else I know. They are essential in this horrible
English climate. We have had no sunlight to speak of for two years straight. No
sweaters have been lost during this time because nobody has the courage to take
them off.
AJ: Oh. Well. Hmmm. Anyway. Your character Lulu is “famous
for animals”. You do such a marvelous job of writing the story from the dog's
point of view. I am not even a dog person and it brings tears to my eyes when
the Dog from the Sea bolts away from dog catcher trouble in Lulu and the Dog from the Sea. Do you
have a lot of pets? What would be the perfect pet in your opinion?
HM: My character Lulu is indeed famous for
animals. I am so sorry to hear you are not a dog person but perhaps I can
convert you. Dogs are kind and merry animals and many of them (not all) leave
the human race standing when it comes to civilized behaviour. True, their fur
is inclined to fall off (we had a black and white collie- well we had two
actually, and we used to marvel at how cleverly the dogs shed their white hairs
onto our black sweaters and the black ones onto our white ones). True also,
they sometimes, especially when wet, smell a little. Nothing compared to the
messiness and smelliness of the human race of course.
No, I do not have a lot of pets. Hardly any
at the moment. I am on the lookout for a perfect dog. I think he will be a
black poodle (non-shedding and non-smelly and highly intelligent) and I think
he will be called either Roly (after my beloved Roly) or Doodle the Poodle. I
have not yet 1. Found him. 2. Decided. (Watch this space) Lately I have been
feeling so dogless that I tell the children every time they leave the house,
'You are welcome to come home with any dog you chance upon. I will not
complain.' I don't know why this hasn't happened yet, but I have great hopes
that very soon it will.
AJ: I am sure it will! My
favorite word in these stories is "squished" and I notice you used it
gloriously several times in funny, clever ways. Open lines in Lulu and the Dog from the Sea,
describing the friendship of Lulu and Mellie: "They could visit each other
easily without getting lost or squished on the road." I think that is a
really lovely way to attract and draw in young readers. They will immediately
connect with the situation and the sentiment. What are some of your favorite
words that you recognize as being particularly connecting for early chapter
book readers?
HM:You seem to read these books far more
carefully than I write them. Squished is a more light hearted and liquid form
of squashed, and as such a useful word. I have never ever thought of any words
as connecting words in early chapter books. Never. I did not know people
considered such things.
AJ: Er…
Maybe you caught me being overly teacherly…
I might think too much about textual connections, it’s true. I’ll try to settle down and
just enjoy! Just a couple more questions…
I was really pleased to see the illustrations
in the Lulu books, drawn by Priscilla Lamont. They are lovely and charming and
perfectly compliment your story. I understand that authors often don't get much
of a say in the illustrations chosen for their books. I am curious about
whether you got to discuss your characters with Ms. Lamont before she drew
them. I see them as Black or at least some ethnicity other than white. I am
wondering if you indicated that they were Black before she drew them? Did you
have that concept in your mind from the beginning or did it develop in the
course of writing or the editing process? Did you have specific reasons for
that choice?
HM: I KNEW we were going to get on the
subject of Lulu being Black! (I see you use a capital B so I am doing the same
although it is not usual here.) And her father and her mother and her Nan (a
saintly woman) and her cousin. You
Americans are fascinated by the choice! Why? Why is it so surprising? Have you
not noticed, for instance, that you have a Black President? The Lulu books have
been out in the UK now for years and nobody has remarked on the colour of
Lulu's skin.
AJ: I guess I have some
background explaining to do for
the
race-related questions. I have been quite interested in diversity representation
in children's literature for a long time. I've been a librarian and teacher of
young children for many years, and I am parent to three boys aged 25 - 7. I
have found that a lot of the literature published for children mainly includes
central characters that are Caucasian. I believe it is important to strive for
more balance in representing a variety of ethnicities and skin tones. I don't
think that happens by co-incidence so I work toward it consciously. But please,
continue telling us about your collaboration with
Priscilla
Lamont!
HM: Yes, I have a lot of input in the
illustrations, from choosing the illustrator to scrutinizing each one before it
goes to print. And sometimes describing specific scenes we need to help the
story along. Right from the beginning I said, 'Let's make Lulu Black'. And so
she was. I did not have any particular
reasons. I suppose I was aware of the fact that there are more white children
than Black in early chapter books. However,
and a million times more importantly, we live in a multicultural society
here in the UK (hurray) and a class all of white children would be mighty odd.
Why should she not be Black? She is adorable and brave and smart and funny and
kind too. I wrote stories with children who were other than white years ago, they just were not published in
the US.
Priscilla's illustrations are lovely, I
agree. She drew my thoughts. It is a great partnership. They add so much to the
stories- she can draw in half a page what would take me two pages to describe.
AJ: I don't see much in the text that would
identify the main characters as a people of color, but I am so happy that they
are! We need to see all races/ethnicities represented in wonderful stories so I
am thrilled. Are there any parts in the text that you feel added to that
identification? Since the story is set in England and things are a bit
different there than the States perhaps I am missing some cultural information.
Can you share with us what went into the writing that builds their identity as
people of color?
HM: You
will not see anything in the text. There is nothing in the text. What would you
expect to see? There is nothing in other books that I have written to identify
white characters as white. I have always tried to leave how people look to the
readers' imaginations.
AJ: I see your point. In my
experience many parents and teachers have expressed interest in finding more
books that feature Black, Latino, Native American or Asian children, because it
can be a challenge to find really high quality books with those characters.
It's important for all children to see that but it doesn't always happen. When the teacher reads a book to my son's second grade class I would
love to have your Lulu books right next to the
Clementine and
Ramona books.
As wonderful as Ramona is, her world is white. I happen to think we all need to
see normal, average, quirky, fun, smart, interesting kids that are of diverse
ethnicities in our books. I would love to hear if you have some other books to
recommend that fit that description as well as Lulu.
The reason I asked about
whether you had included some indication of Lulu's family being Black in the
text is that I think, actually, Black families do exhibit unique cultural
aspects. If you are Black you have a cultural legacy. Not all the same,
certainly, and not in any stereotypical way. Black families are certainly not
all the same. But they do tend to be a little different from white families or
Latino families or Chinese families... KWIM? If Lulu's family were African
American (I know they are not, but if they were...) they might have relatives
down South, eat Southern comfort foods, BBQ with Southern recipes, listen to
RandB, Soul, Jazz, or Reggae, etc. Not that they have to. Just that they
might tend to do that more than my Anglo Scotch/Irish/English family would when
I was growing up.
HM: I
hear what you are saying about cultural references- I would have used them if I
thought they were appropriate, Reggae for instance, I am sure Lulu's father
especially listens to all the time! It wouldn't mean a lot over here though- we
listen to it a lot in this family too. Nothing went into the writing to build
their identity as people of color. It was not necessary- it was in the
illustrations. Perhaps if they had not
been illustrated I would have mentioned it. Perhaps if it had ever been a
problem to Lulu? But I am writing about a happy little girl in a normal
not-very-well-off but loving family. My children and my friends' children went
to school with people like that. My sister teaches people like that (only 10%
of her classes in her London school are what I think you would call White).
There is undoubtedly still racism in this country in places; there are all sort
of miserable intolerances. But in the world I live in, here in the countryside
and in London, in the education I know, and the health service and the cities
and shops and television, to be other than white is a normal and unremarkable
part of life.
Do your
sons (maybe they are too little) know the work of Malorie Blackman (guess where
Malorie and I last hugged each other!' No. 10 Downing Street', I hear you cry.
Yes. Quite right.) or Bali Rae (Sikh writer- brilliant- we have the same
agent). Bali writes for younger children sometimes- your boys might like his
books. I think he manages to squeeze a lot of football in- that would be soccer
to you!
AJ: Thank you so much for the suggestions! I will be sure to look them up and
find those books. And thank you for taking the time to really invest in this
conversation. It is fascinating to hear your point of view. I am
glad to hear that you live in a very diverse, multiethnic community. I live near Philadelphia and we have a complex history when it comes to race. I know from experience that talking about race is not a simple thing. I know it can be uncomfortable to put it out there. I do
think it's important to try to open the conversations though, and I
really appreciate your willingness to go there with me in this
interview!!
HM: I see your point of view entirely. Right
then Andi, there are at least 3 more Lulu books to come to you after the
first three. In the last one at least, the children's grandmother is
cooking- we could get in some cultural references there if the
publishers agree to a few extra lines but I will need your help.
American cookery is a closed book to me. If you would like to choose
supper for a hot day that a grandmother would cook for her two
grandchildren I will do my best to get it in. And I'll relook at the
other two, but mostly they are about animals. Perhaps I could work in a
bit of reggae...
AJ: In America she might be
making a pasta salad with chicken, potato salad, BBQ chicken, sliced
ham, corn bread, fruit salad, iced sweet tea, lemonade, corn on the cob,
a peach cobbler, or some kind of fruit/berry pie: cherry, raspberry,
strawberry/rhubarb, blueberry, peach. I vote for the pie! I was going
to ask where the girl's grandparents were and where their family was
from historically but I didn't want to pry. ;)
HM: Thanks! Jamaica. I asked about American food because I
don't really expect 7 year olds to get that they are reading about
British children. The UK versions are not quite the same as the US
versions, so I thought I could put it in when I did the US edit (here
they got lemon cake!)
AJ: My colleague in the library is
African American and his grandmother is Jamaican. I told him about our
conversation and asked him what his grandmother would cook. He said she
did a lot of Southern cooking and could "tear up that Spanish rice." LOL
he started daydreaming about it. He also said peach pie would be good,
or something with sweet potatoes. We found a recipe on a blog
- Sweet Potato Apple Casserole. I'll send it to you. He is going to take that recipe home
and try it with his wife and daughter. This is so much fun for me!
HM: Thanks Andi, if the US publishers are okay with it then, I will work in
some grandma cookery for US readers in Lulu's 4, 5 and 6. And some
reggae- my son can advise on that though! It's a very good idea, and
thank you very much for having it. That recipe looks good. We use lots of sweet potatoes, especially in curry and chili pasta sauces. You have been such a help! Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog,
AJ: Hilary this has been such a treat for me. I am delighted to be able to chat with you! I am planning to gift my son's
teacher with a whole stack of your Lulu and
Charlie books at the
end of the year. Thanks so much for writing them!
I hope the
conversation will continue with readers in the comments section.
Thanks so much for joining us! Now to participate fully you ought to leave us a comment. What struck you in our conversation? I will be doing a name drawing for two lucky winners of Lola books, courtesy of
Albert Whitman & Co. (Must be USA or Canadian addresses. Contest ends April 1, 2013). Please comment and give me an email address in case you win!
Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Priscilla Lamont. Published in 2013 by Albert Whitman & Company.
