Interview: Deborah Freedman

SARAH STEINBACHER: Your most recent picture book, FLOWERS FOR MAMA, is “an enchanting story that honors both the artistic journey and the blooms that—eventually—result” (Kirkus, starred review). As an author-illustrator, how does your art impact your writing and vice versa?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: Each book has evolved in its own way. PARTLY CLOUDY began with me just wanting to paint clouds, and then I had to work backwards to a story-excuse for that. TINY DINO was the opposite. Prompted by an article in Scientific American about how birds are dinosaurs (exciting news to me at the time), I came up with the story first, which eventually led to the art that combines scientific-like line drawings with my usual watercolor characters and setting. In every case though, art and writing influence each other, back-and-forth, throughout my process.

SARAH STEINBACHER: FLOWERS FOR MAMA’s “multidimensional art expansively showcases myriad ways to say ‘I love you’” (Publishers Weekly) and its “process-focused narrative validates diverse creative approaches” (Kirkus, starred review). Why is the book’s creative inclusivity theme important for young children?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: This book was directly inspired by my visits to schools. Seeing artwork papering school walls always puts a smile on my face, and I always tell children so—though I'm not sure they truly believe me. Because even after I’ve told them about my messy experiments, after I‘ve emphasized that every illustrator has to find their own best way and there is no one “right” way to make pictures… they still always want to know, “How do you draw so good?”

So I decided to make a book that celebrates the varied and naturally exuberant ways they already express themselves, a book full of art that they could imagine making immediately. I had so much fun playing in my studio, and I hope it inspires readers to do the same!

SARAH STEINBACHER: Your informational picture book, PARTLY CLOUDY, is “cirrus-ly great” (Kirkus, starred review), “clever and well-executed” (Booklist), and “a must have for primary library collections” (School Library Journal, starred review). What inspired you to create this odd-couple friendship?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: Just as there are infinite ways to express ourselves, there are different ways of looking at the world. And actually, the two characters in PARTLY CLOUDY represent two parts of my own brain—the artsy me who just wanted to paint those clouds, and the nerdy me who needed to learn more about them. I’d always thought of myself as an artist first, but discovered from my other books (TINY DINO, especially) how much I enjoyed learning more about the natural world right around us.

SARAH STEINBACHER: PARTLY CLOUDY shows “creative imagination and scientific intelligence need not be exclusive” (Publishers Weekly). It’s “a cleverly packaged science lesson that will surely bring trivia-focused kids, animal lovers, and aspiring meteorologists (or more specifically, nephologists) together” (Bulletin). How did you approach making the water cycle interesting and accessible for different children? And how did you decide what information to include in the text, in the insets, and in the endmatter?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: Distilling everything I learned about the science of clouds was a real challenge! To select and organize that  information I took some basic cues from my multiple sources, but then put all that aside. Ultimately if a story is going to be engaging, it has to come first! So I had to figure out a way to fit all of those lovely facts into a fictional framework.

I used a pretty simple, alternating rhythm, with each character describing each type of cloud in its own way—poetically and scientifically—and then I chose a kid-friendly factoid that made sense as follow-up. My hope was that readers would find something on every spread, and read (or even re-read) according to their interests. They could read the story with or without the inset facts, and the nonfiction-y kids would have the option move onto extensive endmatter.

SARAH STEINBACHER: Your informational picture book, TINY DINO, is “an innovative introduction to the relatedness of all animals that will delight budding biologists and dino mavens alike” (Kirkus, starred review). “Balancing the informative and the wondrous, the book offers a tribute to the way the interconnections among species ensure that the past remains present” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). What can kids learn from your story’s spirited protagonist that challenges others’ preconceived expectations?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: I’m hoping that kids will be inspired by this tiny creature with a strong sense of self. This hummingbird knows exactly who he is— and has the facts to back it up. 

SARAH STEINBACHER: A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, TINY DINO is “another charmer from Freedman, seamlessly mixing nonfiction, humor, a meditation on interconnections, and a lot of heart” (School Library Journal). Booklist added, it’s “an absolute delight to learn and laugh with this curious animal crew” (starred review). How did you use dialogue and art to layer humor in the story?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: As in PARTLY CLOUDY, the dialogue allowed me to go back and forth between different ways of seeing the same thing. In TINY DINO, for each fact I’d learned about birds as dinosaurs, I tried to imagine a possible assumption it could disprove… which, combined with expressive character art, turned out to be a humorous way to set the record straight.

SARAH STEINBACHER: Your lyrical picture book, IS WAS, “is a contemplative, thought-provoking one and will prompt children to think about the here and the now—and how quickly such a thing becomes memory” (Kirkus, starred review). “Freedman marvels at the mystery of change…[and] finds the beauty in transitional moments through a book that also offers a quiet way to begin conversations about loss” (Publishers Weekly). Why is it important for kids to have quiet, thoughtful picture books in addition to more loud, humorous ones?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: Of course we all love books that are purely and raucously entertaining. But I also love books that can quietly start conversations.  IS WAS is an almost wordless book and quite open-ended,  so that  children really have to “read” any story into it themselves—whether that’s a simple narrative of coming and going, or a gentle story of nature, or even of death—whatever they need in that moment.

SARAH STEINBACHER: Your picture book, CARL AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, is “a poignant example of the important contributions of even the smallest creature” (School Library Journal, starred review) that helps “youngsters understand the wonder and interconnectedness of nature” (Booklist, starred review). It’s “a pleasant, simplified examination of the significance of the lowly earthworm” (Kirkus) that invites “readers to think about how they, like the indomitable Carl, ‘help the earth’” (Horn Book). What advice do you have for young readers on how they can create change?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: Even the smallest effort can make a difference. I often think of my Dad, who always had a garbage bag when he rode his bike around his neighborhood. He was just one person picking up trash along the road, but it turned out that people really noticed him. Being visibly out there inspired others to do the same—so that one good thing worth doing turned into even more.

SARAH STEINBACHER: Your lyrical picture book, THIS HOUSE, ONCE, is “dreamy and imaginative” (Booklist), “lovely, ruminative” (School Library Journal, starred review), and “tender, comforting, and complex” (Kirkus, starred review). It “will leave children thinking about the way their own houses are an extension of the natural world, with ‘memories’ of the resources used to bring them into existence” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). How did the writing process for this story’s unconventional narrator differ from your other writing projects? And did your experience as an architect influence this story in any way?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: You know, when I was writing it, I thought this book came from my architect-self, drawing whole buildings in pieces. But then after it was published, a reviewer at the NYT described the house in the book as “dreaming about its own deconstructed past” … and something about that comment made me go back to my pages. And that’s when I saw the mud, the trees, the stones — all unconsciously sourced from my childhood backyard. I realized that, while there’s a lot of me in every book I write, THIS HOUSE, ONCE is the most (unintentionally!) autobiographical.

SARAH STEINBACHER: Your impressive kidlit career spans two decades. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever heard? And what do you think is the key to longevity as a kidlit writer?

DEBORAH FREEDMAN: I often think of something my husband said to me back before my career officially began, when I was getting frustrated by rejections, etc, and I asked him, “when do I just give up on this?” And he said, “give up? Why would you do that? You love making books…”

So I honestly just try to remember that—to enjoy the process, follow my passions of the moment, and make things that truly come from my heart. When readers connect with that, it’s a wonderful bonus.

Follow Deborah through her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.

*****Order Deborah’s newest picture book, FLOWERS FOR MAMA, available now.*****