Carmen Oliver

It’s not every day I welcome a bestselling author and poet to
my blog so I’m beyond thrilled that Liz Garton Scanlon has stopped by to
discuss her latest picture book Happy Birthday, Bunny! with us.  She’s a prolific picture book author and some
of her highly acclaimed books include All the World, A Sock is a Pocket for
Your Toes and Think Big. When she’s not writing or teaching or visiting
schools, she’s busy with her girls making art, sharing quiet time with her
loving hubby or finding a home for an abandoned animal. Thanks for making time
in your busy schedule to chat with us!  

Happy Birthday, Bunny! Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
(Beach Lane Books, Jan 2013) invites readers into an adorable family of rabbits
as they celebrate Bunny’s birthday. Birthdays are such a special part of a
child’s life, a day they look forward to and treasure all year. What were
birthdays like for you as a child? Did you tap into your childhood as you
created the story? And how do the Scanlons celebrate birthdays today? Any
traditions carried forward from your childhood?

I remember my birthdays being happy
when I was little – my mom was very good at making special events extra special.
This was back in the day when cakes were homemade, and mine were always
beautiful. My birthday is in the spring so one year I even had a bunny cake –
maybe that’s where I first felt the tickles of this book!

I’ve always tried to make my
daughters’ birthdays special, too. For a number of years, we made piñatas in
the weeks leading up to the big day. Often, our papier mache was so strong that
not even a dad with a bat could break it open!

But even best-laid birthday plans
can go awry. I grew up in the mountains and my “spring” birthday was often
interrupted by a late season blizzard. My oldest daughter’s September birthday
often sees record-breaking heat. And my youngest daughter was so sick on her 2nd
birthday that we practically had to skip the whole thing. Plus, birthday
parties sometimes require patience, etiquette and sharing skills well beyond
what the birthday boy or girl is truly up to. I think it’s those things that
really inspired this book for me. Birthdays are full of expectation – sometimes
so much so that they’re a little overwhelming for the guest of honor.

You skillfully unveil the inquisitive nature of a child in
choosing a question and answer structure for this book, did the story start out
this way or did it evolve over many drafts? 

Even my very first draft was in
question/answer format (though LOTS of the specific questions and answers later
changed). I’ve never written a piece using this structure before, but it worked
because of that sense of birthday overwhelm I was just talking about. We bring so
much energy to birthdays, but little ones – turning 1 or 2 or 4  or 5 – must be SO confused. They don’t know
the traditions, the rituals, the rules. What would happen, I wondered, if one
of them just asked? And we answered?

At what stage did you see Stephanie Graegin’s art for the
book and were there any surprises?

I saw some of Stephanie’s sketches
relatively early on and I adored them. But, I was surprised, once the final art
came along, how much MORE I loved it with color. Her palette is so rich and
creamy, and every inch of the book is awash in color – from the endpapers on. I
feel very lucky to have been paired with her and her beautiful work.

Here’s one other fun thing to share
about Stephanie’s art. Her animals were so endearing – so perfect – that we changed
the title for them! The book was originally called HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY! but
once those animals came to life, our editor suggested changing it to HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, BUNNY! and I’m so glad we did.

You’ve just returned from a fabulous vacation with your family,
will this latest adventure spawn any future stories? Can you share a favorite
memory from your trip?

We just spent a month traveling
around Asia – specifically China, Laos and Thailand. I hope a story might
emerge from the experiences we had, but there are no guarantees. I work with a
very independent muse J.

There is a really interesting tradition of haggling for goods in
developing countries – my kids find it fascinating and a little off-putting.
The key is to be gracious but straight-up. The artisans are quite good at
balancing those, and with a little practice you can mirror them. I’ll bet
there’s a story in there somewhere, don’t you think?

As for a favorite memory, wow.
That’s like asking if I have a favorite book. We loved every place we went,
everything we did, and nearly all the food we tried!  I think the best part of the whole thing was
just being together as a family. Our girls are getting older and are off living
their own lives more and more, so to have so many uninterrupted days together (and
nights, crammed into little guesthouse dorms!), that’s something I’ll treasure
forever.

The book officially released on January 15th, and
a release party is planned, please share all the juicy details for readers.

I’ll be at BookPeople in Austin,Texas, this Saturday, January 26, at 2:00 p.m. Think “birthday party meets
storytime”: bunnies, balloons, cake! Come one and all…

Thanks, Liz

Thank you, Carmen, for having me.
It’s been a treat!

To read more advice from Liz, click HERE to read highlights from her panel at the 17th Texas Book Festival on the Hen & Ink Literary Studio blog.