1. What inspires you to write for young readers?
I want children to open one of my books and feel less alone. I taught 4th grade for 35 years. This second career allows me to continue communicating with children. I will always be a teacher at heart.
2. What do picture books allow you to do as a creator?
When I taught I used picture books multiple times a day to introduce or reinforce concepts. I love the art of the picture book. In a short amount of time you can excite listeners about language and story to encourage bringing the joy of reading into their world. You can introduce them to art, and touch lives!
3. Please tell us about your work on Some Daddies, as well as any other projects you'd like to share about.
The seed of the idea was planted by my grandson in a Facetime conversation. He was 3½ and in response to his saying he’s going to have a beard when he gets older because he’s going to be a daddy, I said, “Aziah, SOME daddies have beards.” My writing brain ignited and I wrote that title down. Sometimes I’m not sure why I’m moved to work on a project right away, but this one became important to me. The title changed to Some Daddies and I’m thrilled at the possibility of how this book can touch lives. The book celebrates the incredible diversity of modern fathers.
It's an exploration of what daddies do and are with bright and wonderful illustrations by Javiera Maclean Alvarez. Readers will get a glimpse of the endless possibilities masculine love offers. And I wanted little boys to see caring, tender, involved daddies. And I love the line that breaks the pattern in this concept book – “Every daddy makes mistakes. (Every human does.)” I hope children will understand this and not be disappointed or feel alone when they find out their dad is not perfect. No one is! My heart is also on the page that says, “Some daddies barely hug. Others hug like bears.” My dad was not affectionate, and as a child, that was hard for me. But as I grew
up, I realized what an incredible man he was, and I accepted this part of him and we became close. I wish I had Some Daddies to read when I was a child. And I love a repeated line in picture books and try to write one when appropriate. And I found a fitting repeated line - Every daddy is different—which makes for a great interactive read aloud. I ask kids to read that line with me.
Also, my favorite picture books are lyrical, and I worked so hard on each stanza in Some Daddies. I shared the manuscript with my critique groups and revised until I found the strongest verbs, ways to use literary techniques like alliteration, assonance and internal rhyme. I also credit the editor at Beaming Books, Naomi Krueger, for helping to bring out the best book possible. I do not write alone!
Next up comes Trucker Kid, illustrated by Russ Cox, Capstone, January 2023. It’s a picture book about a young girl whose pride in her father’s work as a truck driver wins the hearts and minds of her classmates. This will be in my hands ten years after I wrote it! Publishing is certainly an interesting journey. And I’m grateful to be on that journey!
4. Where can we find more information about your work?
I have activities for all my books and news about my work on my website:
https://carolgordonekster.com. And you can connect with me on all my social media links here:
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