[Music]
>> Wow.
[Music]
>> Steven L. Layne: Hey readers,
this is Steven Layne.
Hoping you have a great time
at the National Book Festival.
As part of the festival, I'm
thrilled to have an opportunity
to share a little
background with you
on one of my picture books.
"Love the Baby."
To do that, I need
to share my screen.
A picture of my
daughter, Victoria.
This picture was taken on the
evening that Victoria's mom and
dad, that's me and my wife, sat
down with her to explain that a
new baby was
coming to our house.
You can see from the photograph
she was not too excited.
In fact, she said very
loudly and clearly,
I am the baby in
the Layne house.
And despite our best efforts to
get her excited, she was not
happy. And then when the new
baby came, he was one of those
really energetic, excited
babies all the time, always
happy and getting
a lot of attention.
And she was even less thrilled.
In fact, the first time they
were ever alone together in a
room, and this was before he
could stand up on his own.
He was playing inside this
little baby saucer, you know,
sitting in the pouch
and playing with his toys.
And my wife called me into the
dining room to help her for a
minute. I walked just around
the corner, and suddenly we
heard [inaudible]
racing into the room
and the baby saucer
with the baby in.
It was completely
upside down.
And standing nearby
was a little sister
who proclaimed quite
loudly, He just fell.
Well, of course, we
knew he didn't just fall.
He had a whole lot of help.
And after we got him out and
situated and had a talk with
Victoria, I took a pad of paper
and a pen and decided I had to
write a story about how it
feels sometimes when the new
baby comes to your house.
A story I knew would really
resonate with readers.
I had no idea how successful
that story would become
for my own four children.
It certainly became a favorite
as well as for kids around the
world. It led to an entire
series of books, and
fortunately, Jackson and
Victoria learned to get along
very well and have become good
friends over the years.
>> Kimberly Howard: The
idea for "Grace and Box" came
when it was my
daughter's first birthday
and she had gotten some
toys, but she wasn't
playing with the toys.
She was playing with the box
that the toys came in instead.
And watching that just reminded
me of my own childhood.
I love playing with boxes.
When I was little, my
sister and I would make
houses and forts together.
So this idea for "Grace and Box"
started to come that felt really
timeless and relatable and I
hoped could inspire creativity
and imagination for kids.
>> Kristen Schroeder:
Well, as a Minnesotan,
I would say I have a love
hate relationship with snow,
as I think most
of us probably do.
So by the time April rolls
around, we're done with it.
I had the idea"
for So Much Snow"
in February when I knew that
there were still a couple of
months of winter left.
But I wanted to tell, sort of
portray the beauty and awe that
a late season snowstorm brings,
as well as the relief that we
feel with the melting and the
signs of spring as they arrive.
I think we all appreciate
spring so much more because of
our harsh winters.
And then the ending of my book,
without giving any spoilers, is
very relatable to Minnesotans
and anyone who lives
through a long winter.
>> Cynthia Leitich Smith: It
was a collection of inspirations
if you will, in terms
of the Michigan tie,
I had the honor of attending
Michigan Law School when I was
in my 20s and participating
myself as someone who was
involved in planning and a
little bit ticket sales for the
POW wow. The Dancer Mother
Earth Powwow, which takes place
annually in Ann Arbor.
And I had been thinking about
a way to introduce not only the
quality, but also the diversity
within the Native American
creative children's
book community.
Having a Pow wow story,
particularly in intertribal,
seemed like the ideal scenario.
It's the kind of event that
would pull people from across
the continent, including our
friends north of the medicine
line. And also a college town
setting intrinsically brings in
folks likewise from a diverse
range of geographic locations.
So it was a place that could
plausibly host folks who were
Navajo traders, who were Cree
dancers, who were Choctaw elders
out on a trip of fun, under the
supervision of a nefarious
12 year old. So it gave
plenty of room for humor,
for reunion, for
new friendships,
for celebration of family,
for honoring veterans,
for so much of what we do.
Not to mention, of course,
food, dancing, music, which in
many ways always transmit
first cross-culturally.
So those two ideas, the idea of
wanting an intertribal story
setting, my own tie to Ann
Arbor, Michigan, and my
connection to Ann Arbor Pow
wow sort of came together and
allowed me to plausibly
assemble a cast of intertribal
authors to tell stories of
their heart.
>> Alison Pearce Stevens:
I worked at the
University of Nebraska State
Museum for a couple of years.
That's the state's
Natural History Museum.
And I was part of an exhibit
team working to create exhibits
about Nebraska through time.
I'm not originally from
Nebraska, so I learned a lot
about the state when I was
working at the museum and
it was while I was there that
I really learned about this
amazing place in
northern Nebraska called
Ashfall State Park. And Ashfall
is one of the premier
paleontology sites in the world
located right here in Nebraska.
And I had been to Ashfall, but
I didn't really understand what
Ashfall told us about
Nebraska's past until I was
working at the museum
and really got to know the
paleontologists
who'd worked there.
And it was then that I had this
moment of realization that
rhinos used to be running
around in this place where I'm
sitting right now. They were
running around in my backyard.
There were elephants, camels,
all kinds of horses.
It really looked a lot like
what modern day Africa looks
like. And once I had that
realization, that was when I
knew I had to write
a book about it.
>> Michelle Houts: I first
learned about Emma Gatewood
when I was hiking with my family
in an area of Ohio called
the Hocking Hills, which
is a very beautiful
place for hiking.
And we walked past a rock with
a plaque on it, and the plaque
said, You're on the
Grandma Gatewood trail.
And then there was
a few more sentences.
You know, it told the Who
Emma Gatewood and the What.
She was the first woman to solo
hike the Appalachian Trail in
one through hike
and it told the When.
But you know, it's just a
plaque and that's all it can
say. So the curious
mind wants to know more.
We got home, I started
Googling, I started reading
all the articles I could
find about Emma Gatewood,
and that's when I got
to the how and the why.
Like, how did she
do this at age 67?
And why would a 67 year
old in the 1950s take off on
a 2000 mile hike alone when no
woman had done it solo
in a thru hike before? So,
what I thought was
going to be the most
inspirational was
her completion,
but was actually
the most inspirational
and I think the lesson that I
really wanted to share with
young readers is the
perseverance, because in 1954
she attempted and failed.
She was met with a search party.
They told her, Go home, and that
could have been the end of her
story, in which case this story
would have never been written.
And so that was my inspiration
for sharing her story.
>> Charly Palmer: I wanted
to pay homage to some of the
great playground legends
from around the world,
around the country
that we hear about,
but there's no
real video of them.
As a kid growing up in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, being able
to travel around on my bike and
finding really great players and
different playgrounds around
the city was also kind of the
inspiration. But there's a
message and the message is no
matter how great a player you
might be, there is no I in team.
And that these great players
like LeBron or Michael Jordan or
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar win because
they are able to come together
with their teammates.
And that's the message
more than anything.
[Music]
>> Steven L. Layne: The theme
of the National Book Festival
this year is,
Everyone has a story.
I love that theme because it
ties in so well with the most
common question that authors
are asked, which is constantly,
Where do you get your ideas?
And the truth is, for many of
us, ideas come from daily
living, from things that happen
in our lives, from research we
do about the lives and
experiences of others.
And all of that really
reinforces this theme.
Everyone has a story.
We sometimes think that the
stories of our lives aren't that
interesting. But the example I
just gave you of something very
routine that happened
in my own house.
Lots of kids have trouble when
a new baby comes to the house.
It's very normal.
We hear about it all the time.
But when you take those
experiences that resonate with
others and write them down,
you often get a book
that people really enjoy.
>> Kimberly Howard: I think that
hearing people's stories
is so important.
It helps connect us.
It builds empathy. It helps
us see things a different way.
And I hope that this theme kind
of inspires people to realize
that they have a story, that
it's valuable and that the world
needs to hear it.
>> Kristen Schroeder: I think
everyone has infinite number of
stories within them.
If you really think about our
lives are a compilation of
stories both short and long.
And one of the things I love
most about writing for children
is that we get to tell stories
that we hope resonate with
little people who are going
through that very exciting
growth period in their lives
where every day they're just
learning so many new things and
developing that sense of self.
And so I hope that my stories
get to be a part of that.
>> Cynthia Leitich Smith:
You know, I've often said that
any child can be a hero,
that everybody cheers.
And when I say that, I'm
talking about representation.
For so many of us growing up,
we didn't see ourselves
in the pages of books.
I became a reader anyway,
in large part because I was
particularly imaginative child,
and so I would simply assign
native identity to a random
character, and that was who they
were going to be.
And that made me feel
included in the
circle of readers.
And in fact, it carried on to
all of my interactions with
story. When I saw "Star Wars" as
an elementary school child,
I decided Princess Leia
was clearly indigenous.
I mean, she had the braids, she
was fighting the power.
She had a lot of
attitude that looked
like a native auntie to me.
So, you know, we long for this.
We want it in our narratives.
And it was an opportunity here
to really showcase that.
The wonderful thing about short
stories is that it wasn't
a single hero narrative.
It really is a story of
community rising and celebrating
that every young hero is in
fact, you know, the protagonist
of their own life story.
>> Alison Pearce Stevens:
So everyone has a story.
To me, I guess it means that
our stories are our experiences
and I think our experiences
make us who we are.
So by looking at our
experiences and our stories,
that really kind of helps us
understand who we are
and how we fit in the world.
>> Erica Magnus:
I've never met anybody
who doesn't have a
story, and all you have
to do is turn on the news and
you are inundated with
more stories than anybody
will be able to write, ever,
including the people
who are living them.
So that's the first
part of the question.
I think that's what
the theme means to me.
There's no end to them.
And I know that as a child I
was addicted to stories from the
get go. I mean, what is
more exciting than the words
'Once Upon a Time,' which
suspends time so that you can
get to the experiences.
And if you realize that it's
our life experience as human
beings that are the foundation
of all our stories and myths and
whatever they are, you
know that it's endless.
And the people who say,
Oh, I don't have anything
to say, they're too busy doing
other things with their lives
because, you know, and I also
think that for me, one of the--
I was read to by my Danish
grandmother who translated
Norwegian stories and Danish
stories into English, so that my
first sense of English was
through a European speaking
person. But honestly, all I can
say is that I've never, never
met anybody who
doesn't have a story.
And this particular story that
Michelle found grabbed me
as soon as I heard it.
When I heard from the editor at
OU Press and she asked if I was
interested. And I
said, Oh, my gosh.
>> Charly Palmer: So
with the thing being
which I'm really
excited about is
Everybody Has a Story.
It's something that I teach
all the time as a mentor.
It's like as an artist you have
to find your voice and nobody
has exactly the same
experience as you.
And so we all have a story.
And so it's so important that
you share that story because
you may find the commonality in
your experience, but you may be
able to learn something from
a different interpretation of a
story that might
be similar to yours.
[Music]
>> Steven L. Layne: And
the one that comes to mind
is Carolyn Bailey's
"Miss Hickory."
It's not a magical book
in terms of magic,
but it's a magical
book in my heart.
It is a fantasy story that my
first grade teacher read to us.
It's the main book that I
remember her reading throughout
first grade. We would rush
over to the rug every day,
and I fell in love with story
in first grade, I fell in love
with Miss Porter's bringing
story into my heart, and I
think that resonated with me
throughout my life. The
intimate act of being read to
of spending time with story.
And so the idea then that I
could create story and share it
with others has been a real joy.
>> Kimberly Howard: When I
do author visits to schools,
I frequently get asked what
was my favorite picture book
as a kid, and I always say
"I can't, said the ant."
I love that book. It rhymes.
It's a little bit silly.
It has some really
unique illustrations.
And when I think back on my
childhood and reading stories
with my mom, that book is
always there in my memory.
So I think it really represents
that time of connection and
togetherness when you're
reading books together.
>> Kristen Schroeder: "James and
the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl.
My second grade
teacher, Mr. Lehmann,
read that out loud to our
class, and my favourite part
of the day was sitting on the
carpet and listening to him read
to us. It's such a fantastical
story to. I think that's part of
what just kept us all
enthralled was you just couldn't
guess where that
story was going next.
So from a second graders
perspective, it was just a--
it was a great part of
my day, that's for sure.
And there's something so
special about being read to and
also sharing stories,
experiencing a story with other
people, you know, whether it be
just, in that case, it was the
entire class. But sometimes
it's especially with picture
books, it's a parent and a
child or a caregiver and a
child. So I just love that
memory of that book being read
to me in second grade and
just really made an
impression for sure.
>> Cynthia Leitich Smith:
When I was a young reader,
my heart book, the one that
I read over and over again,
was "Witch from Blackbird Pond"
by Elizabeth George Speare.
It came out a few
years ahead of me.
It was in 1958, and looking
back on it, I do see flaws,
particularly in some of kids
attitudes, although they were
reflective of the time.
It's still hard for me as a
modern person to fully accept
that. Meanwhile, there were
also qualities in the book that
really resonated with me.
Kit was a child of the islands
who had been orphaned and
shipped over to live with her
Puritan aunt and uncle in a much
more restrictive society, both
in terms of what women did and
in terms of accepting folks who
were considered outsiders.
She befriends an elder woman
who is distanced from the rest
of the community, as well
as a young black girl.
And together they learn to read
and they celebrate story.
She's ultimately tried as a
witch, which was, you know,
one of the true tragedies of
the era and of American history.
And at the same time, I remember
as a child thinking that I was
a bit outspoken, too, and I
probably would have been tried
as a witch in
Puritan New England.
And so I felt that sense of not
belonging, but also knowing how
important it was to raise
your voice when it was truly
necessary, both for yourself
and for those you cared about.
>> Yeah.
>> Alison Pearce Stevens:
I would have to say
"A Wrinkle in Time"
was probably the big one,
and I've always been
kind of a science geek.
I still am to this day.
And the first time I'd
ever seen someone talk about
really complicated scientific
concepts in a way that I could
understand as a kid.
And that to me was just super
interesting and super cool and
really got my mind
kind of working.
And I think that actually
has a lot to do with why I'm
a science writer for kids today.
I have yet to actually write
and publish, well, publish
a fictional story that has to do
with science, but I'm all about
writing about science
for kids in ways that
they can understand and
get excited about it.
>> Michelle Houts: I could
not narrow it down to a book,
but rather a category, a genre,
because I was so
drawn to biographies.
And I can still remember in my
elementary school class in the
library exactly which shelf
had all the B's on the spine.
And I just went through them, I
don't think alphabetically, but,
you know, and at
that time, they were
Betsy Ross, Florence
Nightingale, you know,
significant women in history,
most of them, though, filling
traditional women's roles,
seamstresses, nurses,
presidents wives, teachers.
And so I ate through all those
biographies as a child.
And I think as I look back,
that's why I'm so excited to
write biographies now is
because I can choose subjects
like Emma Gatewood, who did
something extraordinary,
paved the way for others.
>> Erica Magnus: I have two
that come to mind immediately.
And again, I was brought
up by Danish and
Norwegian speaking people.
Unfortunately not.
They wanted to keep their
language private so they can.
It didn't work.
We learned to understand it.
We just couldn't speak it.
But that's beside the point.
But I remember this
wonderful book called
"Ocke, Nutta och Pilleriln,"
which was the Norwegian
translation of a Swedish author
illustrator name of-- I think
her name was Elsa Beskow.
B-E-S-K-O-W.
And this was translated
and her watercolors--
For me, stories are visual.
I see it all as a movie
when I'm listening to a story
and always have. So these
beautiful water woodland
creatures, it's about fairies
and elves and natural creatures
but the children in the
story, the elves and the
fairy children act like we did.
You know, they were like human
people, but beautiful, beautiful
illustrations of natural nature
and nature was my best friend.
I lived out in the country
with no way to get to
anybody. So I had no buddy my
age to play with and definitely
no girls. There were lots of
boys, but it was the 40s and
50s, so nobody, girls and boys
were very segregated and
unfortunately that stayed
that way for a long time.
But that was the big one in my
childhood because it also
captured me as a somebody
who wanted to work with books.
The other one is
"Grimms Fairy Tales."
I had this funny little
red book with tiny
illustrations in it.
And they were so powerful.
These black and white and
sometimes watercolor
illustrations from the various
stories, they just took me over
and I went, That's
what I want to do.
I want to make books.
>> Charly Palmer: An important
book that has changed my life
and has changed the
lives of so many.
It was produced in the 60s.
Is Ezra Jack Keats
"The Snowy Day."
What made a Snowy Day so
significant and important to me
was I recall as a young child
of 5 or 6 finally seeing an
image of a black child that
looked like me and a mother who
was a little heavier than
looked like my mother.
And I was able to identify
with these characters.
Prior to that, a lot of the
stories when representing black
people and black children in
particular were derogatory.
And so "The Snowy Day"
actually influenced even my
style of creating today.
Textures and
patterns and colors.
But just a kid having the
decision to go out and
play on a heavy snow day.
And so I love that.
And if you look at books like
I've done since then, like a
"Rainy Day Rocket Ship" has
to do with a little child
who can't go out and play
because it's raining outside.
It's like, use your imagination
and have an amazing day.
And so those are
the kinds of messages
I want to produce these days.
[Music]
>> Steven L. Layne: I live
in the Midwest region
of our country, in the
state of Illinois.
A lot of great things
about Illinois.
But when I was asked to talk
about one thing I really loved,
I decided to mention something
that most people probably
wouldn't know to tell you.
And that is a small German
bakery in Western Springs.
It's called Kirshbaum's.
It is my absolute happy place.
Anytime anyone wants to make me
happy, they go to Kirshbaum's.
If I want to be really happy,
I go to Kirshbaum's.
And in fact, as I conclude this
recording, I think I'm going to
make a little trip to Western
Springs to Kirshbaum's.
Have a great rest
of the festival.
>> Kimberly Howard: My
favorite thing about Indiana
would probably be
Indiana Summers,
which I know they're
very humid, but I love
the summertime. I grew up near
the Dunes by Lake Michigan, and
there was a lake in my hometown.
And so I have a lot of memories
of being at the beach and being
in water. I was always outside.
And even now I love being
outside with my kids playing.
So we always look
forward to the summer.
>> Kristen Schroeder: Have to
say, being surrounded by water,
which I don't think I realized
I've lived other places
and realized that I
need to be near water.
And I think just as Minnesotans
with our 10,000 lakes,
we really make
the most of those.
So in the summers we're
paddleboarding, boating,
swimming, fishing,
that kind of thing.
And then when the lakes freeze
over in winter, there's
ice skating, hockey,
sometimes still fishing for
people who really into it.
But yeah, I think my
favorite part about Minnesota is
just the natural beauty of
our state and just the water
everywhere is my
favorite thing for sure.
>> Cynthia Leitich Smith:
My favorite place was
the Arboretum and Ann Arbor.
I was a law student, a
traditional law student.
So I came right after my
undergraduate degree in
journalism from the
University of Kansas.
It was my first time living
really far away from home
without family, very close by.
I'd gone to undergraduate only
45 minutes away and with one of
my very closest cousins.
So this was my big adventure.
Right. I was going to go out
into the world and study with
sons and daughters of senators
and congressmen, and it felt
very intimidating for
a first generation kid.
You know, I was a daughter of a
car salesman and a cheque
printer, and no one expected me
to do anything like that.
You know, maybe someone I
married, but certainly not me.
And I really felt
the pressure at times.
I wasn't sure at first if I was
smart enough or strong enough to
get through it. I'm very
sensitive person and it's a
really tough
interpersonal atmosphere.
At least it was at first while
everyone was, you know, getting
to know each other
and posturing a bit.
But then we all became people.
And so the Arboretum
was a refuge to me.
It was an opportunity to
reconnect with nature and the
creator and hear water run and
feel grounded to know that
I belonged here on Earth, and
that no matter where I went,
I was never truly alone.
I was part of something bigger.
>> Alison Pearce Stevens:
But because I'm not originally
from Nebraska, my main exposure
to Nebraska was the interstate
that crosses through it, I-80.
And from the interstate, you
don't see a whole lot other than
corn and some soybeans.
And here and there, there's
some rivers and some trees.
But you just see crops
for the most part.
And it wasn't until I moved here
and started moving out from
that very limited perspective
of the state that I discovered,
there are so many really
beautiful, amazing natural
spaces in this state that
I think a lot of people
don't realize are here.
And so Nebraska is kind
of a little gem of a state
that a lot of people don't
realize, don't know about.
>> Erica Magnus:
The first thing I name is
the Hocking Hills,
because my daughter
was married in Ash Cave
and I hiked all those trails,
including the
Grandma Gatewood Trail.
And it's one of the most
beautiful parts of this whole
region with waterfalls.
I think there's a place called
Cedar Trails or Cedar Falls or
something, absolutely beautiful.
It's so quiet because nothing
is allowed to disturb it.
So you're really getting
pure nature, absolutely pure
nature when you walk down there.
And it's so incredible.
So I'm with you on the
Hocking Hills, number one.
Number two, the Dairy Barn Arts
Center here in Athens, Ohio,
which is best known
for the Quilt National
and the Quilt
International shows
that go all over the
world and happen to be
up right now through September
and show everything from the
traditional to the absolutely
brand new materials,
painting like quilts.
They fall in the category of
quilts, but they're like--
Absolutely, you've never seen
anything made like them.
They use every
kind of material.
So the director has brought
in wonderful people.
I have terrific bosses, and I
teach painting and drawing
all through the year
except in the summer
when they have a summer
art camp for kids.
So winter, spring and fall.
I teach there.
My third favorite place is this
place that is allowing me to
make the Zoom call. The Athens
County Public Library, where
Michelle and I did our book
signing, and I don't know
what I would do
without this place.
I came in here a half hour
early and said, Austin,
I don't know what to do.
I didn't even know how to set
this up, even though I had
downloaded the program.
So I'm able to do this. Thanks
to the Athens County Public
Library at Home Street Branch
and all the wonderful staff that
work here. I depend on this
place like more than you could
believe, and they're full of
wonderful people, so.
Michelle, you tell us now.
>> Michelle Houts: Okay.
Well, my favorite thing
about my state, Ohio,
is the geographic diversity.
And we've already touched
on that a little bit.
But I'll start by telling you
that I live in northwest Ohio,
which is completely
flat farmland.
You can see for miles
and miles and miles.
And but then if you just travel
three hours, you're in
Erica's part of our state,
which we've already talked
about, is the foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains, the
Hocking Hills region.
You've got valleys,
gorges, waterfalls.
It seems like you've left the
country and you're in another
place. But then you go north to
the Lake Erie Islands and you've
got a whole different
vibe up there.
So I just love that Ohio
encompasses so many different
land formations and such
different geographical places.
You can travel in Ohio and feel
like you've really traveled far.
>> Charly Palmer:
I'm always still impressed.
When I discovered long after
leaving Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
I've been gone for over
30 years now, but that the
Summerfest is like the biggest
music festival in the world.
And to me that's
very impressive.
You know, when I was a child
growing up, it was like always
coming from my relatives to
come from all over the country
to visit Milwaukee so they
could go to the breweries and
have free samples of
all kinds of beers.
I've always loved the museum.
The Milwaukee Museum
is amazing.
But the art museum and the
War Memorial is where I spent
all of my time on the lakefront.
And you can see it as an ode
to that in the book itself.
So there are so many things,
but there's no-- like there are
things that are very common
about Milwaukee that I love,
like the bubbler that nobody
else has a bubbler anywhere in
the country that I can find or
anyone knows what a time machine
is or what a-- Let me say it was
a bubbler time machine and oh,
Mark chicken legs and like so
when you're talking to people
from around the country, a lot
of people know what those things
are. So they're so based in
Milwaukee and I am fortunate to
have been there
and being raised there
and had that experience.
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