Storyteller Shares Thoughts on Children's Books
An Interview With Children's Book Author Tom Birdseye
Feb 8, 2009
For years, children and teachers have loved reading storyteller Tom Birdseye’s fiction novels, from the hilarious I’m Going to be Famous to the empathetic Tucker. Kids enjoy that Birdseye takes real-life challenges children face at school and home, and transforms them into stories full of characters kids can relate to.
Suite 101 got a chance to speak with Birdseye via a January 27, 2009 phone interview and learned about his thoughts on publishing children's books, kids literacy, and his future books for kids.
Publishing Children's Books to Encourage Kids Literacy
Suite 101: Why did you want to become a children’s book author rather than an adult writer?
Birdseye: Well, I have nothing against adults. I’m married to one and I have lots of friends who are adults.
But I think kids are the most important readers on the planet. And while books can make a difference in anybody’s life, I think they make more of a difference in kids’ lives. Reading fiction helps kids learn what it’s like to be somebody else – it helps them mature and process the world and understand the universe doesn’t revolve around them and that other people have needs that might be different from their own.
I’m drawn to humor and consider it a victory if a kid just gets a chuckle out of my books and thinks, “Well that was fun! What else do we have?” And he goes back to the library or bookstore and becomes a reader. Obviously I’d love people to read my books, but I just love the thought of kids reading as much as they can.
Challenges in Creative Writing for Children
Suite 101: A lot of the characters in your stories love daydreaming and escaping into a fantasy world. Have you ever thought about writing fantasy novels?
Birdseye: Well I did one called The Eye of the Stone – it didn’t start out as a fantasy novel but turned into one in the course of a bunch of rewrites. And boy – to anyone who thinks writing fantasy novels is easy because you get to make the whole world up – my experience is it was really challenging!
But I guess I keep getting drawn back to realistic fiction since that’s what I enjoy reading the most. A lot of my characters do fantasize though – maybe I’ll write about characters in fantasy novels who fantasize. What would they fantasize about? Maybe our reality!
Suite 101: One of your recent novels, A Tough Nut to Crack is told from the point of view of a thirteen-year-old girl. How challenging is it to write from a girl's point of view?
Birdseye: When I started to write that book I wrote from a boy’s perspective. And I certainly have nothing against girls, I have two daughters, and I think girls are incredible. It’s just I usually draw heavily on my personal history of being a boy to write.
But when I got to that book, I thought, “This doesn’t work! It needs to be a girl!” And I tried to put myself into that character – I guess it’s a little like acting, trying to become the character – and wrote it. And then I had my wife, youngest daughter, and several teachers – all female – read it. And I asked, “Did I get it?” And they all felt like I did.
Future Books for Kids
Suite 101: Any future fiction novels you’d like to tell us about?
Birdseye: There’s a book I’m finishing up right now, Storm Mountain – my guess is it’ll be out next fall or later. This book’s main character also started off as a guy and I was having a real hard time with this story when it suddenly occurred to me as I was on a bike ride and going up this hill, “Wait a minute! It’s a girl!” And I literally fell off my bike!
I’m also working on a sequel to my book, The Attack of the Mutant Underwear – this is new to me to do a sequel. I’ve kind of avoided it, but my editor thought it would be a good idea. And I’m actually having a lot of fun with it.
Read about Tom’s writing strategies at Talking with Children's Writer Tom Birdseye.and learn more about his career at The Official Website of Tom Birdseye!
And read more fun author interviews at Gitty Daneshvari Talks About Overcoming Fear.
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