We start 2021 with a fabulous guest post from author Vivian Kirkfield, with a look at writing picture book biographies, using her newest, stellar compilation of picture book biographies, FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES as a mentor text. Being one of Vivian's critique partners, I had the privilege of seeing these 9 stories all come together in one book. Vibrant illustrations accompany Vivian's rhythmic texts. I will say, my favorites are the stories of Bertha Benz and Raye Montague. Take it away, Vivian!
Thank you so much for inviting me to Grog Blog, Tina! I’m so
excited to be celebrating the launch of my newest book baby, a nine-story
compilation of nonfiction picture book biographies, illustrated by the
brilliant Gilbert Ford and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Book Baby. When I first heard that term many years ago, I
wondered what it meant. A writer friend explained that it was what authors call
their new books. Having experienced childbirth three times, I wasn’t sure about
equating having a baby with creating a book. The planning. The pleasure. The
pain.
Hmmm…then again, maybe creating a book is a lot like having a
baby. Especially this one about visionaries whose innovations altered the
landscape of the planet. But how, you may be asking, did such a compilation
book come about?
The path to publication started in 2016 when I wrote a story
about Eric Wickman, the founder of the Greyhound Bus Company. I had gotten in
the groove of writing nonfiction bios a year before and I already had a
contract for Sweet Dreams, Sarah. My sister told me about a friend who
was a friend of Eric’s granddaughter. A Swedish immigrant, Eric came to America
in 1905 with only $60 in his pocket. After several failed business ventures, he
opened a car dealership, but when he couldn’t sell even one car from his showroom,
he bought it himself and started a shuttle service.
Of course, I said YES! Ann originally asked me to give her a
list of 5 or 6 ideas. I submitted a short list with a brief description of what
I might write. I guess you could call that a proposal, but it was nothing like
a true nonfiction proposal…here’s a glimpse of what I sent her:
READY!
SET! GO!
From the beginning of time, people longed to go.
Fast. Slow. High. Low. First, they walked. Next, they used animals. Then they
set their sights on faraway lands, peered into the depths of the oceans, and
cast their eyes on the stars, and wondered…how can we get there?
With a bucketful of determination, a willingness to
work hard, and a spark of imagination, these visionaries changed the way we go.
Note
to editor Ann:
I’m attaching the two sample stories: BUS (tightened
from 650 words to 420, hopefully keeping all the fun and quirky bits that you
loved) and BIKE (which you mentioned you thought would make a very kid-friendly
chapter).
And here are some ideas for the other three or four
things that go, but I am open to any ideas you have and can research and write
on any topic you prefer.
COMPUTER-DESIGNED
SUBMARINE: of great interest because it
gives the collection some diversity (Raye Montague is an African-American
woman, one of the hidden figures, not of NASA as portrayed in the movie, but of
the Navy during the 1950’s).
SKATEBOARD:
originally created by surfers in
California to use when stormy oceans prevented them from riding the waves. They
screwed roller skate wheels onto their boards and surfed the city streets. And
in 2020, skateboarding will debut as an official sport of the Tokyo Olympics.
HOT
AIR BALLOON: has a fabulous aha moment and was
invented by two brothers working together as a team – the creative genius with ADHD, and the
practical scientist who kept the project on point. (I wrote this as a
stand-alone picture book, but can tighten it for the compilation).
CAR:
might never have left the
workshop of Karl Benz if not for his wife’s secret plan to promote the car by
taking the kids on a road trip to grandma’s house. (there is a stand-alone
picture book coming out in October from Charlesbridge)
Ann and I chatted, both via email and on the phone, as we
made decisions regarding what stories I should write. Early on, she encouraged
me to be careful with my research:
Looking forward to
chatting, Vivian! Just fyi, as you write the stories, its best to keep
notes for the back matter close at hand. Documentation has become more
important these days; all direct quotes, for example, need citation. We
can discuss further but, in the meantime, attached please find documentation
guidelines from HMH.
Over the next few months, I
researched and wrote. In October, Ann decided that instead of targeting Grades
K-2, we were going to gear the stories to Grades 3-6. In addition, she suggested
we change the title to THINGS THAT MOVE so that we could include robotics. By
December, I had a better idea of what I wanted to do and had already written a
few of the stories although I still didn’t know how many stories there would be.
I reached out to Ann again with this email:
Hurray! What a joy to connect with you! Yes,
I, too, am excited about this project and thrilled to join with you in shining
a light on the lives of these incredible visionaries.
You mentioned that Eric Gets America Moving is
perfect in tone and format...this truly helps me as I craft the other stories
for the collection. I thought it would be cool to have inventions that span
air, water, and land. Each was a ground-breaking moment in history that changed
the way the world moved and left a legacy that touches our lives today. In
addition to that BUS story:
· TRAIN (All Aboard: George Stephenson and
the First Steam Passenger Train - which you have seen and which already has the
sidebar notes).
· BIKE (With His Own Two Feet: Karl Drais
and the Invention of the First Bicycle - this needs sidebar notes and I hope
you love this story as much as I do...I think kids will think it is cool to
find out how and why the first bike was built)
· BALLOON (The Boy Who Dreamed of Flying: Joseph
and Etienne Montgolfier and the First Manned Balloon Flight which has an
awesome AHA moment and is polished, but would need sidebar notes). Or, if you'd
rather have a story about an airplane/drone, I could write that.
· ROBOT (George's Robot...taking your
suggestion, I wrote a story about the man who invented the first industrial
robot which should appeal to kids who love science fiction. It also has a great
AHA moment.
· CAR (Genius Camp: How Three Men and a
President Paved the Way for Better Roads. It's about how Henry Ford, Thomas
Edison, and Harvey Firestone took President Warren G. Harding on a camping trip
to convince him to sign a bill to allocate $162 million for better roads...this
story is polished, but needs sidebars - or if you don't feel that topic relates
closely enough to 'inventing', I also had started writing a story about Bertha
and Carl Benz and the first gasoline powered automobile.
· SUBMARINE: I thought injecting some diversity
into the collection might be a good idea (Raye Montague is an African American
woman) and it gives the book something that moves in the water. The story has a
great AHA moment, but I need to flesh the story out and I wasn't sure if
creating a program that designs submarines with a computer was too abstract an
invention for the book. If you'd prefer another water vehicle, I am happy to
research and write that one.
This makes seven...so if you only want five or
six, we can eliminate whichever you wish. Or Ann, I am totally open to any
suggestions regarding these stories or any others you would prefer for THINGS
THAT MOVE. I embrace feedback, revision is my friend, and I look forward to
working with you.
At this
point, Ann let me know that she really wanted 7-10 stories…and she definitely
wanted one about the rocket. She also preferred the story about Bertha Benz
over the Genius Camp one. I felt we needed more diversity as well – and I
suggested doing a story about the folding wheelchair, which opened doors for
mobility-challenged individuals. She loved that idea!
In one of her
previous emails, Ann had let me know that she loved the structure of the BUS
story. And that information was very helpful as I wrote each subsequent
manuscript because ‘all’ I had to do was use BUS as a template and recreate the
magic. 😊
1. Engaging opening lines.
2.
Child main character who has a dream/goal.
3.
AH-HA moment.
4.
Fun language/great rhythm/excellent pacing.
5.
Legacy paragraph that shows how the invention impacts us
today.
6.
Satisfying ending that echoes the opening lines.
Once I had
my list of visionaries, I researched them, online at first, and then I dug
deeper, using books, newspapers, and when I was lucky, interviews with family
members. I would write a rough draft and revise and give it to one of my
critique groups. And would move on to the next story. When I received feedback
on a previous manuscript, I’d revise that one. Somehow, with the help of my
amazing critique partners who were always ready to look at a new draft or a
revised one, I did it!
The
contract called for all of the manuscripts to be delivered to Ann’s inbox by
May 1, 2018. Counting back nine months brings us to the end of August which is
when I started to seriously write these manuscripts. Nine months. Yup…creating
this compilation was definitely like having a baby – and, like having a baby,
it was definitely a labor of love!
Vivian Kirkfield~
Writer for children—reader forever…that’s Vivian Kirkfield in five words. Her bucket list contains many more than five words – but she’s already checked off skydiving, parasailing, banana-boat riding, and visiting critique buddies all around the world. When she isn’t looking for ways to fall from the sky or sink under the water, she can be found writing picture books in the picturesque town of Bedford, New Hampshire. A retired kindergarten teacher with a masters in Early Childhood Education, Vivian inspires budding writers during classroom visits and shares insights with aspiring authors at conferences and on her blog where she hosts the #50PreciousWords International Writing Contest and the #50PreciousWordsforKids Challenge. She is the author many picture books including Sweet Dreams,( Sarah (Creston Books); Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe (Little Bee Books); From Here to There: Inventions That Changed the Way the World Moves (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) and the upcoming Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around The World (Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills & Kane, Spring 2023). You can connect with her on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, or just about any place people with picture books are found.
I appreciated that From My Window provides background information, including that "while it is known for having problems with violence, there are many other parts of life in a favela." Junior tells us that a favela "is a whole world inside a city, with its language, culture, and traditions." 
In Amazing Places, Miralda Colombo describes 15 wonder-filled spots around the world, from the pyramids of Egypt to Machu Picchu to Easter Island and beyond. As a nonfiction nerd, I particularly appreciate the fact-rich panels, travel tips, the world map showing the locations of all the sites, and an illustrated glossary. 
