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I love wordplay, and after I featured THE THINGITY-JIG by Kathy Doherty and Kristyna Littten here, I was thrilled to learn about their fun follow-up, THE TWIST-A-ROO! (Which is of course what a child would call a kaleidoscope, because what child can even pronounce “kaleidoscope”?) More wordplay and imagination—sign me up!
Kathy, this blog focuses a lot on inspiration for picture books. Where did this story idea originate?
My Peachtree editor wanted a companion book to THE THINGITY-JIG. We talked about another book STEAM- related based on a fable or folktale. We agreed upon a badger for the main character. Then I checked out all the fable/folktale books from the library. I poked around Pinterest for STEAM ideas and came upon a kaleidoscope. I knew that would make a gorgeous picture book. After searching through the books, an idea popped to put a modern twist on The Ant and the Grasshopper using a badger who was so obsessed with a kaleidoscope that he wasn’t preparing for winter.
Peachtree even provided an activity sheet on how to make a kaleidocope.
Oh, and here I was so obsessed with the kaleidoscope and the luminous illustrations by Kristyna Litten that I didn’t even realize the story featured STEAM elements! But I did recognize your delightful wordplay that extended beyond the title. Have you always been a wordplay lover? How did you develop that skill?
What’s STEAM-related is the use of patterns and shapes in art.
As a former classroom teacher, I read to students every day. I especially enjoyed reading THE BFG by Roald Dahl. My students would laugh themselves silly. I loved Dahl’s made up words such as: snozzcumbers, whizzpoppers, and frobscottle.
I think most picture book authors are playful. I don’t always do adulting well. At family parties, I’m the one who wants to sit at the kids’ table. Making up and silly sounds and words comes naturally. What also helps is using words with letters that have explosive sounds. These letters make sounds that explode off your lips and are funny: B, hard C, D, hard G, K, P, and T. That’s why underpants is funnier than underwear.
Wow, I never stopped to realize why that’s so! Thanks for the tip!
Some of the wordplay in THE TWIST-A-ROO makes use of these explosive sounds: “turny, twisty, tantalizing thing”… “skippy-doodled”…”wiggly, jiggly, gemmy shapes”.
When I’m writing, I like to keep my mind free of any images, because I don’t know what the illustrator is going to do… Most of the time I don’t even know who the illustrator is yet! However, you’ve worked with Kristyna Litten before. Did you have any inkling about how gorgeous she would make badger’s world? What about her approach surprised you?
Kristyna Litten is soooo talented! She draws quickly to give an energetic line quality to her illustrations, sometimes adding color and textures digitally. She’s written and illustrated many books. Her clients include Gucci, National Geographic, and Aardman Animations. I know her work well. So I knew our book would be gorgeous, but I had no idea how gorgeous! Her whimsical illustrations match the text beautifully.
I bought a kaleidoscope to use as I wrote the book. Whenever I looked through it, I saw repeated patterns with many triangular shapes. But I didn’t think Kristyna would stick with symmetrical kaleidoscope images. And I was right! She mixed and mingled shapes asymmetrically splashing them across the page. This was the first review we received from Foreword Reviews: “Bright pinks and yellows jump out from moody teal backdrops that evoke the chill of winter.”
Speaking of bright pinks, can you talk about the end papers? Why are they monochromatic?
Kristyna said it’s actually both an aesthetic and technical decision. It was a design/print request to only use one color plate. So she decided on the bright pink to compliment all the blues throughout the book. She wanted something fun and different on the endpapers…a pop of color and pattern. But nothing that would distract too much from the rest of the book.
I think the pink ends provide a sense of warmth amid the wintry setting.
What do you want children to take away after reading the book?
I want kids to recognize what it’s like to have caring, sharing friends. Badger’s friends come to his aid during a snowstorm…and in return, he helps them shake the winter blues. I hope kids will feel the warmth of community as the animals come together for the common good. Also, I’d like kids to realize there is a time for work and a time for play.
Kathy, I truly love the book and thank you for sharing it with us today!
Blog readers, you can win a copy of THE TWIST-A-ROO!
Just leave a comment below and a random winner will be selected at the end of the month!
Good luck!
The winners of the past few giveaways are:
lynjekowsky, GRIEF IS AN ELEPHANT
Evelyn B, IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN!
Cathy Lentes, MOSSY AND TWEED; Annette Schottenfeld, KITTY AND CAT
Megan Woodward, Melissa Trempe critique
Kathleen loves bringing kids and quality literature together. She’s a reading specialist and an educational specialist in curriculum and instruction. She’s written standardized test items for Pearson Inc. in alignment with the Common Core Standards. Her love of learning has led her to graduate from four different universities.
Kathleen has taught elementary school for over 30 years. She was first published in TIME Magazine with a letter to the editor about Charles Schulz. Her work has also appeared in The Mailbox, Spider Magazine, Highlights Hello, Highlights High Five, and Highlights for Children. She’s won the Highlights Pewter Plate Award, the Highlights Celebrate National Poetry contest, and a letter of merit from SCBWI’s Magazine Merit Competition. Visit her online at kathleendohertyauthor.com.
Kristyna Litten has written and illustrated several books for children as well as created artwork for book covers and magazines. She lives in Yorkshire, England. Follow her at Instagram.com/kristynalitten.
It’s no secret that I love fun words, so when I saw Kathy Doherty’s THE THINGITY-JIG, I had to take a closer look!
Bear is bored one night, so he wanders into people town and finds a discarded couch. But, to Bear, it’s not a couch at all—it’s a THINGITY-JIG—and he uses it not to sit, but to bounce and play.
Kathy has given her main character, Bear, the perspective of a child. The child reading the story can immediately understand the mindset of Bear—it’s exactly how a kid sees a plump, springy couch! (Much to Mom’s chagrin.)
This childlike perspective is echoed in the illustrations by Kristyna Litten. The huge moon lingers over bear, and he looks small yet determined to experience adventure in people-town.
Besides the wide-eyed wonder of Bear, the story uses onomatopoeia as a repetitive refrain. It’s not only fun to say “smack, wallop, whack,” but it signals to the reader new action in the story. Something big is about to happen.
Onomatopoeia is a delight to read aloud (which is what we do with picture books), bringing the action of the story to life.
When Bear endeavors to bring the couch home, he invents contraptions to do the work his tired friends are too snoozy to do. Kathy continues in the vein of THINGITY-JIG to introduce a…
ROLLY-RUMPITY,
LIFTY-UPPITY, and
PUSHY-POPPITY.
It’s a rolly-rockity group of Rube-Goldberg-like machines! What kid doesn’t love to invent and build? Bear keeps his curiosity alive throughout the tale.
And the ending—well, it’s both surprising and inevitable, which is how a good conclusion should be.
Put it all together and you get THE THINGITY-JIG, by Kathy Doherty and Kristyna Litten, released by Peachtree in April 2021.
Since I’m an idea person (you know Storystorm if you’ve spent any time on this blog), I asked Kathy how she arrived on her story concept.
When I’m asked where I get my story ideas, I say, “From reading piles of picture books…from everyday life…and from childhood memories.”
The idea for THE THINGITY-JIG sparked one day while I was walking in my neighborhood. I spotted a discarded couch. I thought back to my childhood when I’d jump on the couch when my parents weren’t looking. I could envision its gray nubby fabric and bullion fringe.
As I walked along, I played “what if?” What if a cub couldn’t sleep one night and wandered off into people town? What if he found a couch and had never seen one before? What would the cub do with it? What would he name it? What if he wanted to keep it? The more I played “what if?” the more the story took shape.
Thank you, Kathy! It’s such a fun book!
Blog readers, you can win a copy of THE THINGITY-JIG right here (if you don’t rush out to buy it immediaely).
Leave one comment below to enter.
A random winner will be selected soon.
(In fact, when I get back from vacation, I have a whole long list of winners to announce…)
Good luck!
Kathleen loves bringing kids and quality literature together. She’s a reading specialist and an educational specialist in curriculum and instruction. She’s written standardized test items for Pearson Inc. in alignment with the Common Core Standards. Her love of learning has led her to graduate from four different universities.
Nothing scares her. Kathleen has taught elementary school for over 30 years. A student once told her she’d make a great vampire because she’s tall and her teeth are sharp.
Kathleen was first published in TIME Magazine with a letter to the editor about Charles Schulz. Her work has also appeared in The Mailbox, Spider Magazine, Highlights Hello, Highlights High Five, and Highlights for Children. She’s won the Highlights Pewter Plate Award, the Highlights Celebrate National Poetry contest, and a letter of merit from SCBWI’s Magazine Merit Competition.
THE THINGITY-JIG received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Foreword Reviews. Visit her online at kathleendohertyauthor.com.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 