| AK |
At
what age were you inspired to start writing? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
Thirteen.
I was in 7th grade and had a class assignment to keep a journal. Keeping
a journal taught me the discipline of writing, provided emotional support
in my life because it gave me an opportunity to sort out my feelings by
writing them down, and helped me to realize that I love to write. When
I was depressed or confused my journal provided a private escape. After
that, I kept a journal for years and at times it even became a place to
write fiction. Over the years, I would often read older journal entries
and in doing so, I could see how I'd grown as a person and as a writer.
That one homework assignment in 7th grade really provided the inspiration
to write that stayed with me to this day. |
| AK |
What
made you decide to write nature books for kids? Was there any moment in
particular in your childhood that prompted this decision? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I
decided to write about nature because nature is a critical component in
the present and future health of our planet. I decided to write for kids
because kids are the future of our planet. |
| AK |
What
is the target age range of your books? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
8
to 12 years old. But there are many teenage and adult readers who enjoy
my books. |
| AK |
What/When
was your first experience with nature that you remember? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I
was at the beach playing in the bay with my brothers and sisters. I reached
down into the water to scoop up some water and splash my brother but I
pulled up a clump of seaweed in my hands. For some reason instead of just
shaking the seaweed out of my hand, I looked at the clump in my hand and
I discovered a seahorse. I couldn't believe my eyes! I carried him to the
shore and put him in a bucket of water. I'm embarrassed to tell you what
happened next. I took him home! By the morning he died. It was only then
that I realized what a harmful thing I'd done. I wasn't trying to be selfish
or rude or cruel, I took the seahorse home because I was fascinated and
curious. But most of all, I was ignorant. Now I know how to enjoy nature
and how to be curious and fascinated without actually interfering. I hope
my books help others to know how to do this, too. |
| AK |
How
do you decide what subjects to write about for your books? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I
choose subjects that kids can find in their own backyard, schoolyard, or
local park. I believe that experience is the best teacher so I want to
write about things kids can experience. I chose birds as my first topic
because birds are so very interesting and beautiful to watch and fairly
easy to spot. Trees came next because trees are very important to our environment
and trees are really interesting but most people take them for granted
or ignore them completely. My next topic is bugs. Bugs rule! |
| AK |
What
part of nature inspires you most? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I'm
inspired by the beauty of nature, by the order of nature and by the ability
of species to adapt to their changing environment. But most of all, I'm
inspired by all the things we have yet to learn about nature and the exciting
discoveries that lie ahead for everyone. The more we learn about nature,
the better chance we have to preserve it. |
| AK |
Do
you support any special causes? (ie: global warming, rainforest protection
etc.) |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I
support many special causes. But closest to my heart are the causes that
involve educating people about the environment, which is why I chose to
write nature books for kids. |
| AK |
What
would you most like children to gain or understand from reading your books? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I
know you're probably expecting me to say that I want kids to gain a better
understanding of nature. Well, I do but that's not the thing I'd like most.
The thing that I want readers to learn from my books is to hone their skills
of observation. To observe is to use all of your senses: touch, sight,
sound, taste, and smell. Observation is the basis for learning and growing.
I don't want kids to learn about nature from me, I want them to learn how
to learn about nature from me by observing nature and creating their own
experiences, discoveries and conclusions. Then if they want to know more,
they'll use their observation skills to help them research on their own.
It all begins with observation. |
| AK |
Do
you have kids? If so, do they share your love of nature? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I
wasn't able to have kids. But if I had, I'm pretty sure they would share
my love, or at the very least, my respect for nature. Most people who know
me would agree that I'm pretty enthusiastic about nature and it would be
hard to spend much time around me and not catch the bug (so to speak). |
| AK |
What
kind of books do you like to read in your spare time? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
I
love all books but I especially like nonfiction. It seems I just can't
get enough information about things that interest me like nature, computers,
photography, and education. I'm probably one of the few people in the world
(at least I feel like I must be) who actually reads field guides. I'm a
little geeky, I think. |
| AK |
Describe
your feelings the first time you saw your work in print. (It must have
been so exciting!) |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
Before
I started the Take A Walk series of books, I'd written computer software
books for years. Writing as Jane Calabria, I had over 30 books in print
on topics such as Microsoft Windows and Word. The first time I saw my first
book in print was in a bookstore where, for some reason, my book had arrived
before my publisher sent copies to me. I found it by accident while looking
for some other book and I freaked out when I saw it. I was so excited I
told a couple of other store customers who happened to come down that aisle.
I actually stopped these strangers to tell them that I'd written the book,
it was my first book and it was the first time I was seeing it in print.
It was such a great feeling of accomplishment. The feeling doesn't wear
off at the first book, either. Each book is exciting. When I printed the
first book in the Take A Walk series, I actually went to the printer so
I could watch the pages come off the presses. That's exciting, too. I even
took photographs and posted them at our Website (takeawalk.com) where they
remain today. |
| AK |
What's
your own personal favorite place in nature? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
Nature
is everywhere and I enjoy being with nature but my favorite place in nature
is my own backyard where I can explore the woods or meadow by foot or the
marsh and lake by kayak or canoe. It's a very special place. My second
favorite place in nature is in places where you'd expect there to be only
a little bit of nature like a city or a landfill. I really love discovering
nature in such unlikely places. |
| AK |
What
advice would you give to Amazing Kids out there who are interested in writing
their own books? |
|
|
|
|
| JK |
IWrite
every day. Keep a journal or write a story and add to it or improve it
daily. Read as much as you can. Knowledge is power. Read a variety of books
and stories. Don't stick to one genre. Become a great observer of your
environment and of the people in it. Record what you observe. Your observations
will lead you to a greater understanding of what interests people and what
makes them interesting. Observation provides a solid basis from which to
write. |
| AK |
What
is your definition of an Amazing Kid? |
|
|
|
|
| SD |
My
definition of an Amazing Kid is any Kid - period. Every kid is amazing.
Amazing kids can laugh, they can grow and learn, they can love and care
for others. Amazing kids like themselves and have respect for others. Amazing
kids are filled with hope for the future. All kids are born Amazing Kids.
But some kids have difficulty remaining amazing because of their home situation,
or influences that teach them to hate or make them believe they are something
less than amazing. Some kids need to be reminded or reassured more often
than others and some kids may not even have a clue that they are but all
kids really are Amazing Kids! |
|
|
| AK |
Thanks,
Jane for the amazing interview! :) |
|
