The first time I heard the title FIRST GRADE DROPOUT I said (yet again), “Why didn’t I think of that? Brilliant!”
(Also, the song “Beauty School Dropout” played through my head a gazillion times.)
This new book from dream-team Audrey Vernick and Matthew Cordell did not disappoint. In fact, it was very different from what I imagined and I loved it because it was so unexpected and clever.
You might already know Audrey from her BUFFALO and BASEBALL books. And, if you don’t know Matthew by now, I might have to whack you upside the head with one of his delightful picture books. (Don’t worry, I’ll use a paperback so it won’t hurt.)
Audrey once told me that humor often stems from inserting the absurd into the ordinary. That’s why I enjoy her BUFFALO (which, according to the title, is really MY buffalo…or YOURS…definitely NOT HERS). On one hand, it’s totally crazy to have a buffalo in school…but on the other, it seems SO VERY RIGHT.
Last time Matt (hey, we’re on nickname terms now!) visited my blog, he talked about his loosey-goosey illustration style in SPECiAL DELIVERY. Well, FiRST GRADE DROPOUT gets so loose that you’d swear Sir Quentin Blake illustrated it. Yep, it’s that amazing.
So today, I asked Audrey and Matt to interview each other. What a hoot…
Audrey: When you’re illustrating your own work, does it start with an image? How do you begin when you’re illustrating a text written by someone else?
Matt: In terms of my own books (ones where I do both the writing and illustrating) it’s been a little of both. Some have started with an image that materialized in my head or on paper that I wanted to wrap a story around. And some began as a fully formed idea that became a finished manuscript that I wove illustrations into. The ones that have come from an image in my head or on paper seem to be the most difficult to write. Wrapping a whole story around an image has not been easy for me. But when I have a full story idea and get it out and done, it’s much easier to plug the art into that scenario.
What about you, Audrey, how do you begin? Do you have an idea and just start attacking it and writing right away? Or do you plan and outline, and take a more plotted out approach to crafting your stories? Both? Neither? The art stuff always comes much more naturally to me. The writing… I’m still trying to figure this out, man!
Audrey: For this book, it began with that moment, the embarrassing one, something my sister, a second-grade teacher, told me happens every year in her classroom. But I had the idea (a PiBoIdMo idea!) for a long time before I wrote the text because for this book, that idea wasn’t enough. I needed the first-person voice, too. Ideas rarely come in images for me–usually in moments. I’m not sure that’s a distinction that makes sense to everyone–what I mean is that it’s not something I see the way a visual thinker would. Sometimes a title comes first and tells me all I need to know (So You Want to be a Rock Star). I never plan and outline, even when I’m writing novels. I am not recommending this approach.
In preparation for this interview, when thinking about embarrassing moments, I was remembering adult moments, many involving incoherence or humiliation in the face of celebrities. We’ll save that for another time. But when I hit upon one from childhood, I was surprised that the sting was still intense—tears came to my eyes!–more than 40 years later. At a seventh birthday party for a friend in another town—a party at which I knew only the birthday girl—I was mortified when her older brother kissed me in front of everyone. I called my mother to pick me up early. I waited outside for her, and when I opened the car door, I climbed onto the floor of the passenger seat, and just sat there and cried. Other kids had laughed and teased and I was mortified. Fun times. What embarrassed you the most as a kid?
Matt: Well, thank you for sharing that soul-baring moment here. The nerve of that kid! I mean, where does he get off?
Me, I was a pretty shy and awkward little guy, so I feel like I have a whole archive of cringe-inducing childhood memories. Ones that like to randomly resurface when I’m doing the dishes or taking a shower. Let me see… there was that one time that I almost won the school spelling bee. I was in the 4th grade and just figuring out how terrified I was of speaking in front of bunches of people, when our teacher made her students duke it out with a spelling bee. Unfortunately, I was not bad at spelling, so I kept standing up there spelling words right until I beat everyone in the whole classroom. (I could’ve–should’ve?–just thrown it and spelled a word wrong on purpose, but I guess my moral code wouldn’t allow for such.)
Then came time to compete against the other class winners before a packed school auditorium. Beforehand, my teacher was all excited and gave me this big book of insane words to study. Words I probably wouldn’t even be able to spell (or define) even today. And apparently if I was good enough, this spelling stuff could take me all the way to the nation’s capital to compete. NOOOOO!!
Anyways, there we were up on stage, the best spellers in the school (awesome, right?) and to make the thing worse, I had a brand new terrible haircut. My whole face and ears were burning up with awkward terror and embarrassment. Yet somehow I kept spelling words right over and over again. Until it was just me and this girl Becky. We went head to head for a while until I finally choked and spelled something wrong. (“a-n-c-o-r.”) And then Becky got it right. (“a-n-c-h-o-r”) It was a weird combo of feeling really bad and feeling really good. I felt like a real doof messing up like that in front of the whole school. But I was super glad it was over. Lucky for Becky, I don’t think she made it all the way to D.C. either.
Audrey: I dropped out of Girl Scouts the first week—Girl Scouts was no Brownies. And when a placement test somehow landed me in “double honors” math in high school, I quickly dropped out of that. What have you dropped out of?
Matt: This feels like a kismet-y moment, because I totally dropped out of the Cub Scouts! My brother and I got in with a small pack (troop?) and the whole thing seemed doomed from the start. Totally disorganized and chaotic and not right. (Fuzzy memories of kids running around screaming in button down Cub Scouts shirts.) We stuck it out for a little bit though. I remember liking all the gear–the hat, neckerchief, etc. I did my duties and was excited to earn my first badge (more gear!), the Bobcat. And then I discovered that to earn that badge I was going to have to get up in front of a room full of kids and adults and recite stuff and talk about what I learned. And I’d have to do the same for every badge that came after. You can guess what came next. I bailed fast and hard.
No idea what happened to all the gear, but I still have the card that came with the Bobcat badge. You can see by the scoutmaster’s (den mother’s?) spelling of my name that there really was something…not right.
Audrey: We’ve been teamed on a second book, BOB, NOT BOB, which I wrote with the truly wonderful Liz Garton Scanlon, to be published by Disney in 2017. So two different editors decided to put my text with your art. I take this as the highest imaginable compliment, but I’m not really looking for praise here (everywhere else, just not here). I’m wondering what it is in my stories that has made two different editors think of you. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Matt: That’s a GREAT question. Let me think…I feel like in both of these books there are central characters with serious quirks. It’s possible I’m a guy folks might think of for bringing some quirk to the table. (Or does owning that make one less quirky?)
Also I think, maybe, you and I are central characters with serious quirks. Well, I don’t want to slap that label on you, but my daughter calls me a “weirdo” at least 15 times a day. I think that might be a solid endorsement on my part.
I love both of these books and feel incredibly honored to have been tapped by two different editors at two different publishers to join up with you. I was particularly intrigued when I first read BOB (sooo clever and funny) and saw BOTH of your names at the top of the page. What led you two to collaborate on a picture book? I love that you did, and I love that I get to be the third one thrown into the monkey house on this one.
When I saw you in Chicago a few weeks ago you were telling me about other collaborations in the works and it’s all really fascinating to me. Can you elaborate on why you collaborate? I wonder if I could collaborate with another illustrator on a single picture book or if we’d just end up going after each other with x-acto knives.
Audrey: I’ve collaborated with Liz on two picture books (one of the two is yet to be officially announced) and with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich on TWO NAOMIS, a middle grade. And I wrote my very first picture book, BARK AND TIM: A TRUE STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, with the second-grade-teacher sister.
I don’t know that I would always love collaborating, but I LOVED collaborating with these women. Liz and I stumbled into it. Or, quite possibly, our agent–we have the same one–tricked us into it. She sent us both a review of a picture book and said something like “if you two had a book baby, this would be it.” And all I could think was My God. I want to have a book baby with Liz.
Soon after that, I got a profoundly disgusting cold and was telling both of them how gross I sounded, congested and too sick to think and I ended an email with “Aben,” how a congested person would pronounce “amen.” And our agent wondered if there might not be a story there somewhere. What I think made my collaboration with Liz so enjoyable was the decision that we wouldn’t track changes or include comments. We’d just keep slinging the manuscript (which started as maybe five lines of story) back and forth, freely making changes and additions. If something got cut that one of us missed, we could go back for it–but I don’t think that ever happened.
It was a completely different construct with Gbemi on TWO NAOMIS. We are each writing from the point of view of a nine-year-old girl named Naomi whose divorced parents are dating each other, alternating chapters. We tried to keep it fun, “free and easy” is our mantra. For the first three-quarters of the book, we wrote without an outline or real plan, other than the overall sense of what would happen in the book. Then we talked to figure out how to bring it all home.
I can tell you that on all collaborated-on the books, it felt like way less than half than the work. It is quite possible, however, that you might interview Liz and Gbemi and they may say, oh man, it felt like twice as much work. And then we’ll all know for sure that I’m a slacker.
Back to Tara again: Ha, you are no slacker, Audrey. Not with the slew of books you have coming out!
Thanks to you both for the dynamic-duo interview. I also heard you BOTH SIGNED A COPY of FIRST GRADE DROPOUT.
And you’re letting ME give it away!
So blog readers, comment below about YOUR most embarrassing childhood moment and you’ll be entered to win FIRST GRADE DROPOUT signed by Audrey and Matt.
One comment per person, please.
A winner will be selected in a couple weeks!
Good luck!
97 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 30, 2015 at 7:19 am
rlkurstedt
What a fun interview. Love the back and forth.
July 30, 2015 at 7:22 am
Michele Blood
Remember the “wrap around” skirts from the 70s? You know. those cute little ensembles held closed by nothing but a shoestring and a prayer? Well, here’s some advice. Don’t go trying to set a world jump roping record on the playground to test the durability of that more-important-than-you-thought shoestring. I assure you. It will not end well.
July 30, 2015 at 7:42 am
Sue Heavenrich
What a cool way to do an interview. And I love how they delve into their deepest, darkest memories – plus the practical stuff of which comes first, outline or art. Thanks for sharing this.
July 30, 2015 at 7:45 am
lindamartinandersen
In high school, I fell down a flight of stairs twice in one day. The same person was there at the bottom of the stairs to help me up both time. Embarrassing!
July 30, 2015 at 7:54 am
rnewman504
In grade school, we had to wear these AWFUL gym uniforms with bloomer shorts. Well one day I went one way and apparently the shorts went the other way. Not a good day!
July 30, 2015 at 7:57 am
laura516
First Grade Dropout hit home for me. I had the very same mortifying experience in first grade. Now I know I’m not alone!
July 30, 2015 at 8:01 am
tammisauer
I dropped out of volleyball after my coach started calling me RITA. I had been on the team TWO YEARS by this point. There wasn’t even a Rita in our school.
July 30, 2015 at 8:00 am
Pj McIlvaine
One Christmas, my Mom gave me a beautiful fur coat. She had one just like it, and I felt like a grown up. I wore it to school and the kids made fun of me. I never wore it again.
July 30, 2015 at 8:11 am
Andria
I also loved the Brownies (the name alone is delicious),
but was a girl scout drop out. Thanks for the fun interview and good luck with the book!
July 30, 2015 at 8:12 am
Donna L Martin
I was in third grade and HORRIBLY SHY. I was out on the playground trying to play tetherball by myself when a bully came up behind me and pulled my pants down all the way to my ankles. Everyone around me started laughing and pointing at me. I quickly pulled them back up and ran to the bathroom and hid until we had to go back to class…
July 30, 2015 at 8:15 am
Hayley Barrett
PiBoIdMo strikes again! I told my daughter about FIRST GRADE DROPOUT and she admitted to me that she called her 5th grade teacher “mom” once. Her 5th grade teacher was MISTER Lewis!
July 30, 2015 at 4:11 pm
erikammon
Happens to me often in 2nd 🙂
July 30, 2015 at 8:35 am
katrinamoorebooks
I loved this interview! Can’t wait to read the next book with you both! My most embarrassing childhood memory would have to be when I was modeling dresses for Macy’s at the mall and when I turned around at the end of the run way and lifted the dress so I wouldn’t trip…I mooned the audience! And my dad was front and center video taping!!!!! Worst part was I had no idea until after the whole show!
July 30, 2015 at 8:39 am
Carolyn Combs
Loved the interview! Thank you for sharing so candidly about your processes.
It’s camp season, and I was recently reminded of my first trip to horse camp. On the last day, each camper was assigned a pony to ride in the show. I was given a pony that had a “wild” reputation. Just a minute into my first class, I lost control, ran over the judge, and galloped off into the crowed. Fortunately I was far more embarrassed than scared or hurt!
July 30, 2015 at 8:46 am
gayleckrause
In kindergarten, I fought with a little boy, insisting his hankie was mine, so I took it away from him. When I got home, my mother wanted to know where I got the tattered hankie, because mine was in my drawer. Oops!
Would love to win a copy of First Grade Drop Out.
July 30, 2015 at 8:57 am
shiela fuller
I was a teenager working at Mcd’s and a guy I was friends with was my first customer. As I placed all the ordered items on the tray, I knocked over the very large, filled to the brim soda all over everything.
July 30, 2015 at 8:58 am
Kylie Burns
I am a first-grade teacher, and whenever children call me mom, I smile and depending on the sensitive nature of the student, I either say, “that’s okay, I am a mom as well as a teacher”, or “yes, son/daughter?” I always feel a little bit happy when they call me mom – it means they feel comfortable in our “home away from home”. My embarrassing moment came on my birthday in Grade 7 when my class surprised me when I entered the classroom. They were sitting at their desks, and the moment I stepped in the room they stood up and started singing Happy Birthday. Hating the spotlight, I turned and ran to the bathroom, bawling! Pretty sure that wasn’t the response they were expecting! Ugh!
July 30, 2015 at 4:10 pm
erikammon
I teach 2nd grade and get called mom A LOT! Me! Bald, deep voice…I always change my voice to a woman’s voice and say, ‘yes dear’ the first time it happens each year 🙂
July 30, 2015 at 9:00 am
Ann Kelley
I really enjoyed the fun interview and getting to know more about you. As far as embarassing moments go, remember little kids are literal so when my parents were talking about going to see the midgets race I thought they were actually going to watch midgets race not watch race cars.
July 30, 2015 at 9:07 am
Jana Eschner (@JanaTheTeacher)
When I was in Kindergarten, I accidently locked myself in my classroom locker after recess. For some reason, I was joking to a friend about being able to fit in the locker. I shut the door and my jacket got caught in it. I couldn’t open the door. The music teacher came in the room and started a lesson. So I had to start banging on the locker door so someone could hear me over the piano and singing voices. The music stopped, and the teacher had to come over and spend several minutes working the locker door open. Of course she wasn’t pleased and everyone else laughed. I was almost a Kindergarten drop out! Put I stuck with it & now I’m a teacher myself! This experience has made me a lot more sympathetic to the troubles kids can bring upon themselves!
July 30, 2015 at 9:08 am
Teresa Robeson
LOL! Too funny! My embarrassing moment happened when I was about 6 years old at a street market in Hong Kong. Everyone had their wares all exposed and laid out but one old lady had her cart completely covered in a tarp and I was soooo curious about what treasures might lie beneath that I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and wandered away from my mom and peered under the tarp. Well, I couldn’t even get one good look before the old lady spied me and gave me what-for in a loud voice. I was mortally embarrassed…and my career as a detective was dashed forever. Hah!
July 30, 2015 at 9:08 am
Nancy Tandon
12 years old. Lost in the crowd at a family friend’s wedding. Saw my dad’s curly gray hair and dark suit from the back, and went up and wrapped my arms around him. Only when he turned around and said, “Oh, hello, can I help you?” did I realize the man was actually a COMPLETE STRANGER. I was so embarrassed!!
July 30, 2015 at 9:20 am
Wendy Greenley
Thanks for the interview! In third grade a friend and I stood on the desks in an empty classroom, pretending to be rock stars. But of course, empty classes don’t stay empty . . .
July 30, 2015 at 9:20 am
winemama
What a great idea and fun interview @lindsayfouts
July 30, 2015 at 9:26 am
Tara Lazar
I want to jump in (although I am not eligible for the prize)!
In second grade I had a crush on Joshua Waldman. Our class was in the music room; we were all singing in a circle, holding hands. I was holding Josh’s hand. He asked the teacher if he could excuse himself from the circle to tie his shoe, she said yes, and he stepped back to tie it. I stood there with my arm extended back to him, waiting for him to re-grip my hand.
I was also staring at him while he tied his shoe but didn’t notice that everyone was staring at me. The teacher finally went “ah-hem” and I looked up.
“Tara,” she said, “you can hold so-and-so’s hand now until Josh returns to the circle.”
I was mortified! I thought everyone knew right there and then that I was crushing on Josh, I couldn’t wait to hold his hand again. I felt so stupid!!!
July 30, 2015 at 9:36 am
Bethanny Parker
I was incredibly shy, and it was rare that I even raised my hand. There was 15 minutes left until recess, but I had to pee so bad I didn’t think I could make it. I raised my hand and asked to go to the bathroom, and the teacher said no! I tried to hold it but I couldn’t. I was still getting teased about it in junior high.
July 30, 2015 at 9:44 am
Lynne Marie
Thank you to both of you so very much for this entertaining interview! I always love the story behind the story ❤
July 30, 2015 at 9:45 am
Jim Chaize
If you’re a boy, could there be anything more embarrassing than wear a bathing cap to go swimming? I had had a couple ear operations during third grade, so I had to wear one that summer. I loved the ocean at the Jersey Shore, so I wore it. I don’t remember people staring or saying much, maybe they thought I was a girl and I forgotten my top.
July 30, 2015 at 10:03 am
Tara Lazar
As a young child, my mother used to ENCOURAGE me to go swimming without a top. I would have been mortified! She’d say, “Go ahead. You don’t have anything to look at.” Ey yi yi.
July 30, 2015 at 9:48 am
lesleyburson
In 3rd grade my teacher had to send a note home explaining that I had interrupted the class that day with a Tarzan yell. A boy in my class dared me, so I did it. Our punishment was to do the yell again in front of the class or get a note sent home. You know what I choose. My mom kept the note and would share it with me for years after. We’d laugh until we cried!
July 30, 2015 at 9:55 am
Keila Dawson
Great title. As a former teacher, the idea is very real. Can’t wait to read it.
July 30, 2015 at 10:12 am
lgalaske
I was always the “good girl” in school. I followed rules, made good grades, and hated being the center of attention. At a volleyball game in the 4th grade, I thought the ref made a bad call. The gym was full of players, parents, teachers, and coaches – very noisy. I yelled out my opinion, thinking that I was at or below the noise level of crowd and that no one would actually hear me. I was wrong. The whole gym hushed, and everyone stared in my direction as the ref stormed over to give me a warning.
July 30, 2015 at 10:35 am
ritaborg
I am a storyteller as well as a writer, and go to a variety of schools. I love it when they come up to hug me and they wrap their arms around my hips, and say I Love you. One of the loveliest things I do on this earth is make children smile and make them feel loved, but they do exactly the same for me and boy, is it worth it.
July 30, 2015 at 10:42 am
katieinsaline
I went to the mall when I was in middle school. I don’t have any idea why I was wearing the rather dressy dress that I chose, but I left a store with it unintentionally tucked into my underwear and pantyhose (honestly, the 80s! What middle schooler needs to wear pantyhose?!) and didn’t realize it was showing off my bum until about 5 minutes later.
July 30, 2015 at 10:48 am
Natalie VanDusen
I was wearing my brand new turquoise stretch pants and fell off a boumcy playground toy into mud. It looked like I pooped my pants. My teacher had the secretary take me to a kindergarten classroom where they kept extra clothes. All of the kindergartners were laughing at me when their teacher gave me a pair of too small pants.
July 30, 2015 at 11:35 am
diedre
Fantastic interview – on all accounts! I wore a corrective eye patch in first grade which was kind of neat; looking like a pirate, until I ran smack into a pole in front of my very first crush…:-)
July 30, 2015 at 11:26 am
librarychickadee
I’m excited to read First Grade Dropout with the students at my school. My most embarrassing moment in first grade was a hairy experience… I thought it was cool to lean back in my chair and fan my hair over the desk of the kid behind me. The kid behind me didn’t think so — he chopped a hunk of hair out of the back of my head. Boy, was my mom mad…and I was embarrassed!
July 30, 2015 at 11:28 am
Lori Dubbin
What a delightful interview and peek into the stories behind their stories! Ok, Tara, you get us to tell you the darndest things :)… I was usually a rule follower, but one day in second grade I remember watching some kids having fun tipping back in their chairs and I wanted to try it. So I did. Of course, I’m the one the teacher noticed and she made me work at my desk standing up (and all hunched over as I tried to get my work done). I was mortified and felt like everyone was staring at ME. It was tough being a child in the early 60’s…but I never dared to tip my chair again. Note to self: you need to take more risks.
July 30, 2015 at 11:32 am
danielle hammelef
I decided that while I was in a crowded movie theater that I would inflate my empty popcorn bag. Then I proceeded to pop it, causing everyone to jump in their seats and turn away from the movie to face me. Unfortunately as I’m remembering this embarrassing moment, I think this would cause panic as the loud noise may be thought a gun shot. Not a recommended prank at all!
July 30, 2015 at 11:57 am
marlainagray
These are the funniest comments ever! OK, in fifth grade I was in the spelling bee. I misspelled “ecru.” It is FOUR letters and somehow I misspelled it. Out in the first round. To this day, I consider ecru an ugly, ugly color.
Fun interview, guys!
July 30, 2015 at 11:58 am
Lori Alexander
Boy, these are some embarrassing moments! Mine is a gross one, so be warned. I was a super quiet kid and hated to be the center of attention. In junior high at my K-8, I got to attend some ice cream party as a reward for good grades/behavior. Immediately afterward, it was PE and we had to run the mile in the hot sun. Well, I churned up that ice cream pretty good. After that last lap, I barfed the reward sundae all over the blacktop. Worst. Day. Ever.
July 30, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Angela Turner
During a Christmas program when I returned to sit down after my speaking part the folding chair collapsed. Friends around me thought it was hilarious. I was mortified. Turned out it wasn’t nearly as loud as I thought and my parents didn’t even know it happened. Great post.
July 30, 2015 at 12:13 pm
Johnell DeWitt
The principal caught me “running” up the stairs in kindergarten, but I hadn’t run, I had “skipped up” two stairs and felt like I’d been falsely accused, so instead of going back down and walking back up, like I was supposed to, I stayed at the top and wouldn’t move. My mom finally came to get me and take me home. It was in the days of 1/2 day kindergartens, I guess I’d outlasted most of it.
July 30, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Robyn Campbell
What an awesome interview. Loved reading. Most embarrassing moment? Which one? HA. I would have to choose my mother walking me to school. The other kids were making fun of me. I mean, she held my hand. ACK! SO embarrassing. I had to sit her down and tell her to back off. So she followed me, ducking behind trees so I wouldn’t see her. 😉
July 30, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Natasha Wing
Anything having to do with oral reports. I’d freeze up.
July 30, 2015 at 12:20 pm
Juliana Lee
Love this book and recommending it to all my friends!
July 30, 2015 at 12:20 pm
Kathy Grupe
In 3rd grade a boy who didn’t like me (or maybe he did), took the paste in the jar (remember that paste?) smeared it on his hands and then put his two handprints on the back of my jumper. I had to go through the rest of the school year with those paste handprints on my back. That night my mom called his mom and he got in trouble, which made it worse the next day when he came to school and was mad at me for telling my mom. Ah, the trials of 3rd grade. 🙂
July 30, 2015 at 12:24 pm
literaryfriendships
Reblogged this on Literary Friendships and commented:
Thank you, Tara!!
July 30, 2015 at 12:26 pm
Tara Lazar
And thank you, Audrey! ❤
July 30, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Rebecca Gomez (@GomezWrites)
This is a really fun interview! I especially enjoyed hearing about Audrey’s collaborations. It’s interesting to see how other collaborators work together.
An embarrassing moment for me was in 3rd grade, when a snotty little classmate of mine looked at me with a sneer and asked me if I shopped at Goodwill. I had no idea what Goodwill was, but could tell that, to him, there was nothing “good” about Goodwill. I simply answered, “No,” and walked away. Now I look back at that moment and think, “Hey, kid, you try clothing six kids on one income!”
July 30, 2015 at 1:12 pm
nicolepopel
This is super embarrassing, but here goes: In first grade, I wrote everything in cursive handwriting. Why? Because I lived and attended school in France, and at that time, all children were taught cursive handwriting in pen and ink. Printing with pencils was unheard of. So, when I came back to the US, I had to learn how to print with a fat pencil. I passed a secret note to a friend in class and the nun intercepted the unsigned note. She knew it was from me because of my handwriting. The thought never occurred to me that my friend could not read script in handwriting, but the nun sure could.
July 30, 2015 at 1:18 pm
rgstones
I love the interviews and just reserved First Grade Dropout online. Can’t wait to read it!
July 30, 2015 at 1:21 pm
svaisnoras
Love the interview. Can’t wait to read First Grade Dropout to students.
My sister skipped school one day in First Grade…walked home. Nobody called back then.
July 30, 2015 at 1:29 pm
Carleen M. Tjader
Enjoyed the interviews and what an eye- catching title!
July 30, 2015 at 1:54 pm
Marty McCormick
Great interview, great interviewees!
Thanks for all the inside info.
July 30, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Heather Pierce Stigall
Reading these has been fun. I remember a 2nd grade embarrassing moment: My friend and I were hiding out inside a play structure during recess, which did feel extra long that day . . . until the whistle blew. We ran to get in our class line and didn’t recognize any of the kids. We had missed the first whistle and stayed outside for the next recess period! We both ran inside to our classroom and sheepishly sat down on the rug with the rest of the class. Our teacher looked up at us and barely paused (I think she might have been reading a story?). She never said a word! I think the look on our faces probably told her how sorry and embarrassed we were!
July 30, 2015 at 4:00 pm
erikammon
From a teacher, I think she didn’t say anything because she didn’t realize she forgot you both until she came in…speaking from experience 🙂 I hadn’t remembered doing it until I ran into the former first grade student of mine after she graduated high school and she decided to remind me 🙂
July 30, 2015 at 2:32 pm
eileengordonsemo
It was recess time in second grade. Nora and I were playing with a jump rope. I ran as fast as I could on the black pavement holding on to the jump rope. It was dragging behind me like a long , wiggling snake! Well, Nora decided to stomp her foot on the end of the rope which stopped me in my tracks. I fell face first , cracked a tooth and the most embarrassing part was my uniform skirt went over my head and my strawberry shortcake underwear were exposed for everyone to see! Even worse was I was wearing a Tuesday pair of underwear on a Wednesday !
July 30, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Sandy Perlic
Oh my goodness: there’s just too many embarrassing moments to choose from! Like the first time I went snowmobiling, and decided I needed to pee about halfway through the ride. Somehow, I made it back to the restroom, but peed my pants before I could get in a stall. Then there’s the time I let my older sister cut my hair, and it went from midway down my back to shorter than a boy’s… and it was right before the start of junior high. And I look awful with short hair. Or the time… Ugh. I still cringe when thinking of all the embarrassing moments!
July 30, 2015 at 3:03 pm
kirsticall
My most embarrassing moment was when I stood up in front of a room full of people and the folding chair fell out from under me. The class president started clapping for me and all I could do was bow to hide my red face.
July 30, 2015 at 3:58 pm
erikammon
Oh my god, that was fun to read! So, my most embarrassing childhood moment…
It was first grade…oh, wow…another just popped in my head…I’ll go there…it was first grade (do we see a pattern?) and I was a bit of a goof (was? who am I kidding). I was joking around with a friend, and we got a few talkings too. He stopped, I didn’t…I ended up getting sent to stand in the corner…but that wasn’t the most embarrassing part…You see, my Aunt taught first grade in that school, too. She happened to stop in the room for something as I was crying in the corner…and proceeded to give me a vicious tongue lashing…in front of the class…that was embarrassing, though not enough to stop by goofballness 🙂
July 30, 2015 at 4:07 pm
Buffy Silverman
My mother signed me up for a charity fashion show when I was seven. We went to the sponsoring store to try on clothes, and I was horrified to learn that I’d have to wear a dress! The store also had said some baseball caps, so I agreed to the dress if I could also wear a cap. On the night of the show I made my entrance and the audience laughed in hysterics. I tried to refuse my next appearance, but my mother would have none of that…so I went out in tears, which got the audience laughing again. But I earned some lollipops at the end of the show (my mother made me share them with my sister and brother, but I was still pretty proud of my endurance and paycheck.)
Thanks for the wonderful interview, Audrey and Matt.
July 30, 2015 at 4:49 pm
katmaz2012
The interview brought smiles, thanks. Embarrassing moment in first grade, I couldn’t find the bus stop and just kept walking around. (It was a new house, new neighborhood and I had just transferred to that school. My mom had four other kids at home, so walking me to the stop was not an option.)
July 30, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Carol Jones
One day when I was in kindergarten, I decided to go to school without any underwear, just to see what it would feel like. (Of course, little girls always wore dresses to school in those days.) Well, it was a rainy day, so I had boots on, and I guess they were kind of hard to take off. To my horror, the teacher asked another girl to help. What seemed like an eternity of anguish followed, with me sitting on a chair as the girl tugged on my boots and I hoped she wouldn’t see . . . I don’t even remember any more than that, but I don’t think she did. OMG! I never told anybody this!
July 30, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Amy Lee-Tai
Fun interview and comments!
(Warning: Rated G for Gross) I was in 3rd grade and, well, I had to vomit. Being a rule follower, I made a beeline for my teacher (who was seated at her desk at the front of the classroom) to ask for permission to use the bathroom. Too late! I threw up my Cheetos right in front of the whole class. Oh, to be sick and embarrassed. Cheetos never again held any appeal! And I have taught my kids to just take care of business and forget about asking for permission in cases like this!
July 30, 2015 at 6:33 pm
Heather Elizabeth
Great post! I remember my mom calling me by the dog’s name in front of a bunch of people. Most embarrassing…the dog’s name was Duster!
July 30, 2015 at 7:01 pm
Cathy B
I won an award for the “best dressed” at a 60’s party. I wore a poodle skirt that had a poodle AND the letters P-O-O-D-L-E S-K-I-R-T stitched on it. The letters were large and went the entire way around the skirt, I’m sure I won because the teachers felt sorry for me and not because it was an outstanding costume.
July 30, 2015 at 7:42 pm
Elizabeth S
While talking loudly and passionately to a group of friends about a crush, said crush walked up behind me:)
July 30, 2015 at 8:19 pm
Rita Painter
My most embarrassing moment? Probably when I attended a roller skating party in fourth grade…I split my pants and EVERYONE noticed!
July 30, 2015 at 8:27 pm
Zach Roush
That moment would be when I was trying to show off while playing gym soccer. Stole the soccer ball was sprinting down the side of the gym and knocked myself out for a bit by running face first into a pull-up bar.
July 30, 2015 at 10:16 pm
Kathy Doherty
This was such a great interview, I read it twice!
July 30, 2015 at 10:32 pm
Carrie Charley Brown
I also remember being incredibly embarrassed when a boy in my first grade class kissed me….he jumped across the aisle and took me by surprise. But I was even more embarrassed by a memory from mommyhood. When my daughter was in kindergarten her teacher pulled me aside. I was a teacher in the building, too. “It seems Chloe came to school today without any underwear under her skirt.” Already, my face is red. “When I asked her about it, she said, “Well, my mommy doesn’t wear any!” From red to purple just like that! And yes, I do! Kids say the darndest things!
July 31, 2015 at 1:09 am
Stacy S. Jensen
Carrie, your comment gave me the giggles.
July 31, 2015 at 1:09 am
Stacy S. Jensen
Such a great interview. Hmm. In Kindergarten, my identical twin sister and I failed to make a clean switch. It should have been easy, but different shoes that day foiled our efforts. Reading all the other great comments, I fear I may have blocked out a super embarrassing moment. Thanks for the interview. Looking forward to the book.
July 31, 2015 at 3:42 am
tinamcho
One of my embarrassing moments was when we were at someone’s house for a church activity. I was in the bathroom, and a guy walked in. Evidently I had forgotten to lock the door. Congrats on this new book!
July 31, 2015 at 6:44 am
Ali Pfautz
Fun interview! My most embarrassing moment happened on a teeny, tiny airplane… 12-seater maybe?! I was sitting directly behind the pilot. I was 10 or 11 and traveling alone. We flew through a HUGE thunderstorm and the plane was tossed all around. Ick Alert!!! I puked all over myself and the back of the pilot’s chair. I didn’t know what to do, so I just stayed hunched over looking down… mortified. There was an adult next to me and several sitting behind me. NO ONE offered to help… not a kleenex, nada. The plane landed everyone hurried off and the pilot and co-pilot started talking about the rough flight. They had no idea what had happened. Finally after a minute with them chatting, I squeaked out… “Can someone help me?” Horrible. The funny thing though, my dad was waiting for me in the terminal. (in the days when you could pick someone up right at the door) He was standing there when this woman told her family all about the gross girl who puked everywhere. He knew that had to me. 🙂 Awful!
July 31, 2015 at 7:20 am
Penny Parker Klostermann
I dropped out of band. My band teacher and I disagreed on an important matter. He felt it was inappropriate to chew bubble gum while playing the tuba. I felt it was completely appropriate. This caused a bit of an embarrassing confrontation when he paused class, mid-song, to discuss the issue. Being the stubborn kid I was…I stuck to my guns (or maybe gum) and dropped out.
July 31, 2015 at 8:12 am
Joanne Roberts
I was a pre-school dropout. Yup. Three days. I remember each one vividly. Maybe that’s what caused so many awkward moments during my youth. In middle school we had to interview a random classmate and then give a speech about them while they stood next to us in front of the whole class . . . on the first day. I did okay talking about Billy, but when my turn came, I lost it. Standing there, all eyes on me, having every detail of my personal life and interests revealed by a total stranger was unbearable. I writhed, made faces, and I-don’t-know-what else. When I reached my seat, face burning, the smart alec next to me whispered, “You know you just made a total fool of yourself, right?” Yeah. Thanks.
July 31, 2015 at 9:50 am
Rebecca Van Slyke
Great interview, all! Tara, I loved the idea of having Audrey and Matthew interview each other!
I was a first grade dropout too, at least for a day. We lived on a military base when I was in first grade. One day I got to school and discovered that we would be getting a shot. (To this day I don’t know why or against what we were being vaccinated.) They lined us all up to wait for our turn. After watching one tear-stained face after another pass us on their way out of the room where the military nurses were, I decided I would NOT be one of THOSE kids. So I turned right around and walked home.
The next day I got sick. Related? I’ll never know, but I missed about a week of school.
July 31, 2015 at 10:54 am
Dorothy Wiese
I never thought of writing with a second person. What a great idea. Another great idea, Tara, was having the writer and illustrator interview each other. They gave lots of insights into their creativity. Thanks.
July 31, 2015 at 12:09 pm
Laura Purdie Salas
Fabulous interview–loved the great childhood stories from both, and hearing about collaboration, too, Audrey.
July 31, 2015 at 3:01 pm
kdveiten
Most embarrassing moment…hmmm….
In first grade a fine young classmate tried to give me a “ring” that had come out of one of those “bubble gum” toy dispensers. Jokingly, I popped it right out of his hand. It landed under a desk somewhere, and I had to crawl under to retrieve it. The scene had alerted everyone to the fact that something out of the ordinary had happened and was thus more embarrassing than the first moments. And, no, I didn’t get to keep the ring!
July 31, 2015 at 3:06 pm
Nadine Gamble
I really wish I knew, but there is evidence that it happened in my mom’s ceiling–it’s still there to this day. This started at my friend’s church around the corner from Mom’s house and something humiliating happened. I stomped home, flung my Dr Scholl’s sandal (you know, the ones that were wooden) off my foot. The sandal flung so high and with such force that it made an indentation in the ceiling. As I flung that shoe off, I said, “I’m never going back to that church again!” I’ve asked everyone who was there and no one can remember! Maybe it’s better that way…now I can just make something up! Thanks for evoking that memory!
July 31, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Tina Vannatter
The interview was great! Thanks to both for sharing!
My memory is of the one and only birthday party I was allowed to have. I was turning 12 and all my girl friends came. It was to be a sleepover, but when everyone thought it would be great fun to pile on top of me and tickle me to death, it did not turn out well. I got claustrophobic and the adrenaline caused me to leap up off the floor and tumble all those tween girls all over the livingroom. I must have looked like She Hulk! Needless to say, no one stuck around for cake, much less a sleepover.
July 31, 2015 at 4:41 pm
Micki Ginsberg
My most embarrassing childhood moment was in first grade when my mother came to the school lunchroom to check on what I was eating… gulp. It pains me to remember this:(
August 1, 2015 at 9:11 am
Dee Knabb
This topic is rich for great stories. My embarrassing moments are just as sharp today as they were back in the day. I have to mine them for story kernels. Thanks
August 1, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Karen Lawler
It has been really fun reading all your embarrassing memories. Thanks for sharing. One of mine is while playing with the boys ,at recess time, my nun teacher told me I could not play their game because it was unlady-like and they could see my underwear!! So the next day I wore shorts under my uniform and the nun actually made me take them off, right in front of everyone and told me to stop playing the high-jump game. I was soooooooo embarrassed……………. But I played the game again, after she walked away, and I won!!!!! So much for my listening skills. 🙂
August 2, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Sheri Rad
Thanks for this fun topic. My most embarrassing moment was so long ago it escapes me but I do remember being chosen by another friend to sing with her in the 5th grade class talent show and forgetting the words to Winter Wonderland. I can’t remember if I smiled and danced or stood their in fear. She did a fine job for both of us. I hope I didn’t dance. Oh boy, that just brings back so many embarrassing moments suddenly.
August 3, 2015 at 11:25 am
Mary Worley
Reading this brought back the memories. I, too, dropped out of Girl Scouts. I wanted to be a Boy Scout—they got to rappel and go to the cool camps. Oh, and the spelling bees. My daughters have stories about those bees and bumble bees. This might be a good PiBoIdMo post, Tara!
August 3, 2015 at 10:39 pm
siegalpaula
I ripped my pants in front of everyone
August 4, 2015 at 6:38 pm
aliciaminor
Nothing I could think of right now but I’m sure there were some or at least even one. I just couldn’t remember. Anyhow, congrats to the new book and more to come.
August 4, 2015 at 10:43 pm
Carrie Tillotson
I threw up multiple times in a home furnishings store before my parents could rush me out. Each time my dad stood there warning people, “Look out for the barf!” On top of it all, my sisters got root beer floats when we got home, and I had to go straight to bed.
August 5, 2015 at 7:20 pm
Mario Ybarra, Jr.
Awesome dynamic!
August 7, 2015 at 3:26 pm
Sandi Lawson
I was sent to the principal’s office and was terrified. The teacher called me back before I got to the office and said, “April Fools!” I was relieved, but embarrassed.
August 8, 2015 at 11:24 am
Valarie Giogas
I can totally relate to Matt’s spelling bee story. I won our 5th grade class spelling bee. I found out I had to go against the other 5th grade winners in the school in front of the whole school. That winner went on to the town or regional etc. No way was I doing any of that! I purposefully misspelled library (libary) early on.
August 14, 2015 at 7:48 pm
Brenda Harris
My 3rd grade teacher sent me on an errand to the principal (first time ever). I was to relay a message. When I got to the principal’s office my mind went blank. (They swatted kids back then.)The principal got angry with me and sent me back. I hid in a corner outside the school crying. My teacher found me, took me back to the principal, and let her have it in front of me. Maybe I (ESL kid) was more traumatized than embarrassed, but my teacher did the right thing. No one should bully, not even principals.
August 15, 2015 at 3:22 pm
Tracy Molitors
Thank you Matt and Audrey for what looks like a great picture book and for the inspiring interview! Tara, you should have one or both of them write a post for PiBo about gaining inspiration from childhood embarrassments–I think I thought of at least three things while reading their shared memories 🙂