for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations
In addition to covering publishing news pertaining to Native creators for Cynsations, I am excited to shine a spotlight on fellow Epic Eighteen authors and illustrators, all of whom have a debut picture book coming out in 2018.
One of the first releases from our group is Snow Sisters! by Kerri Kokias, illustrated by Teagan White (Knopf, 2018).
From the promotional copy:
Just like snowflakes, no two sisters are alike, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work together to make the perfect snow day!
When snowflakes fall, two sisters react very differently. One is excited and the other is wary. The first sister spends the morning outdoors, playing until she’s all tuckered out. Meanwhile, the second sister stays indoors, becoming ever more curious about the drifts outside.
Soon, they switch places, and spend the second half of the day retracing each other’s footsteps. But each sister puts her own unique spin on activities like sledding, baking and building.
Since winter has descended upon most of the nation, I thought it would be the perfect story to start off this series.
Upon reading Kerri’s book, I noticed how the marriage of her text and Teagan’s art come together seamlessly.
From the promotional copy:
Just like snowflakes, no two sisters are alike, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work together to make the perfect snow day!
When snowflakes fall, two sisters react very differently. One is excited and the other is wary. The first sister spends the morning outdoors, playing until she’s all tuckered out. Meanwhile, the second sister stays indoors, becoming ever more curious about the drifts outside.
Soon, they switch places, and spend the second half of the day retracing each other’s footsteps. But each sister puts her own unique spin on activities like sledding, baking and building.
Since winter has descended upon most of the nation, I thought it would be the perfect story to start off this series.
Upon reading Kerri’s book, I noticed how the marriage of her text and Teagan’s art come together seamlessly.
And although my sister and I both loved to play in the snow as kids, I appreciated how the book shows the differences between the way they interact with snow, the winter scene and, more generally, navigate the world. I related to that so much, yet it’s not an experience I’ve seen so well featured in a picture book.
Kerri, what was your initial inspiration for writing this book?
Kerri, what was your initial inspiration for writing this book?
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| Kerri at Snow Sisters! book launch |
Snow Sisters! was initially inspired by its structure.
I wanted to write a story as a reverso poem, meaning featuring mirrored language.
I played around with several different story ideas over a long period of time before landing on this particular story.
I played around with several different story ideas over a long period of time before landing on this particular story.
The text for Snow Sisters! builds up to the middle of the story and then repeats itself backwards for the second half of the piece.
The two sisters’ stories are told parallel to each other with the first sister’s story unfolding on the left panel of each spread and the second sister’s story unfolding on the right.
The two sisters’ stories are told parallel to each other with the first sister’s story unfolding on the left panel of each spread and the second sister’s story unfolding on the right.
The sisters’ stories themselves are also in reverse language of each other. Using this structure where the same words are used in opposing ways seemed to suit the story of two sisters who are different and yet connected.
What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, logistical) in writing this story?
Because of its unique structure, described above, writing Snow Sisters! was very much a logic puzzle. Any minor change I made affected other parts of the book.
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| Kerri's Post-it Note work board |
Aside from wrestling with word order, I had to figure out how to develop character and plot within this mirrored structure.
I spent a lot of time playing around with specific word choice and ways that the words could have different meanings for each sister.
My favorite picture books are ones where the text and illustrations work together to tell the complete story; where they each bring something to the book that the other does not.
So, it was natural for me to envision how the illustrations could work with this structure.
As an author, I needed to figure out the story, but I didn’t need to be limited by the text spelling it all out. So yes, my manuscript has a lot of illustration notes. Not art direction, more like stage notes.
I added columns of post-it notes indicating parts of the plot and character development that could be portrayed in the illustrations.
Once I had editorial interest, my editor, Katherine Harrison, also helped me draw out ways each sister’s action could build off the other’s to help them connect during the parts of the story where they are apart. More columns of Post-it Notes!
Seriously, I probably should have dedicated this book to 3M.
An important takeaway for me was that in some ways, this very limiting structure also had a way of freeing up my creativity by narrowing my focus.
What did Teagan White’s art bring to your text?
Teagan White’s art brought my text to life! Without the illustrations, there would be no story.
The text for Snow Sisters! is very sparse, 58 words total, all repeated at least once. I gave my editor the manuscript and Teagan worked her magic and returned a book.
I suspect there were more people involved, and perhaps in addition to magic, Teagan also used her talent and training and put in a good deal of time. But for someone like me who thinks visually, but has no ability to represent her ideas physically, it’s all magic! Just look!
Here is a spread of the manuscript I turned in....
and the finished spread. Magic!
Cynsations Notes
I agree with Kerri’s assessment and loved Teagan’s magic in creating the art for this book. Check it out where you buy books or request it from your local library.
Kerri Kokias [Ko-KAI-us] credits most of her story ideas to her “fly on the wall” personality.
This means she’s both a keen observer of social interactions and a nosey eavesdropper. She lives in Seattle with her family.
Learn more about Kerri on her website. Or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.
Learn more about Teagan White and her children’s illustrations on her website. Or connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Snow Sisters! in a giveaway.
Traci Sorell covers picture books as well as children's-YA writing, illustration, publishing and other book news from Indigenous authors and illustrators for Cynsations. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Her first nonfiction picture book, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga will be published by Charlesbridge on Sept. 4, 2018. The story features a panorama of modern-day Cherokee cultural practices and experiences, presented through the four seasons. It conveys a universal spirit of gratitude common in many cultures.
Traci is represented by Emily Mitchell of Wernick & Pratt Literary Agency.
a Rafflecopter giveawayLearn more about Kerri on her website. Or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.
Learn more about Teagan White and her children’s illustrations on her website. Or connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of Snow Sisters! in a giveaway.
Her first nonfiction picture book, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga will be published by Charlesbridge on Sept. 4, 2018. The story features a panorama of modern-day Cherokee cultural practices and experiences, presented through the four seasons. It conveys a universal spirit of gratitude common in many cultures.
Traci is represented by Emily Mitchell of Wernick & Pratt Literary Agency.
No purchase necessary. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on Feb. 15, 2018 and 12:00 AM on Mar. 1, 2018. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about Mar. 1, 2018. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
