Authors’ Corner

Authors' Corner

Authors’ Corner: J.C. Cervantes on The Storm Runner

By Blaire Krakowitz, University of Arizona

Ancient Stories for a New Generation

J.C. Cervantes, New York Times author of The Storm RunnerIt has been said that no story is entirely original. All stories take ideas and inspiration from others and mold them into something new. Books connect stories from the past to experiences from the present, creating ties between the new and the old. Young Adult fiction embraces older stories and folklore, especially in recent years. Ancient mythologies have become a particularly popular source of inspiration, and for good reason. Myths explain how the world works. Comparisons between the ideas of cultures from the past to our current understanding of the world lend themselves to dynamic, creative exploration in fiction.

Rick Riordan’s young adult novels, including the ever-popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, bring modern twists on traditional mythologies into the YA mainstream. Riordan explores Greek, Egyptian and Norse myth works–only a few of the myriad of mythologies to grace world tradition. Riordan teamed up with Disney Hyperion to create the Rick Riordan Presents imprint to provide other authors with the opportunity to retell their own cultures’ myths. In the imprint’s first wave of rich stories emerges J.C. Cervantes’ engrossing, action-packed and ceaselessly charming take on Maya legends: The Storm Runner. Continue reading →

Authors' Corner

Authors’ Corner Dusti Bowling on “24 Hours in Nowhere”

By Courtney Gallant, University of Arizona
with Lauren Lombardo, Annie W. Kellond Elementary School (TUSD)

Dusti Bowling

Around the time Worlds of Words received an advance copy of 24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling, Lauren was a UofA College of Education senior working at WOW while doing her student teaching at Kellond. As luck would have it, Lauren met Dusti on a school visit that was part of the Tucson Festival of Books in March 2018. Now that the book is out, we felt it appropriate to conduct a follow-up interview. We asked Dusti about the book, what makes for a good school visit and meeting fans. Continue reading →

Authors' Corner

Authors’ Corner: Duncan Tonatiuh

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation is the fourth picture book I have written and illustrated. It was published in 2014 by Abrams Books For Young Readers. The book tells the true story of an American girl of Mexican and Puerto-Rican descent who was not allowed to go to a white only school in California in the 1940’s. Segregation of Mexican-American and Latino children was prevalent throughout the Southwest at the time. Sylvia’s family did not think this was fair. Her parents organized a group of parents and then filed a lawsuit that eventually ended segregated schooling in California. Continue reading →

Authors' Corner

Authors’ Corner Deborah Hopkinson

The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, by Deborah Hopkinson Just as I began this post, the first copies of the paperback edition of The Great Trouble arrived on my doorstep. I love when my books become available in this more affordable format for young readers and their families. And I’m especially pleased about this for The Great Trouble because of the timely nature of its subject matter. Continue reading →

Authors' Corner
Authors' Corner
Authors' Corner
Authors' Corner
Authors' Corner
Authors' Corner

Authors’ Corner: Jerry Pinkney

“Books give me a great feeling of personal and artistic satisfaction. When I’m working on a book, I wish the phone would never ring. I love doing it. My satisfaction comes from the actual marks on the paper, and when it sings, it’s magic.”

(Jerry Pinkney, on Putnam Penguin website, 2007)

Jerry Pinkney is the author/illustrator of over 75 books for young people. His colored pencil and watercolors bring animals and children to life with an ebullience of spirit that is both contagious and inspiring, while also presenting true artistic rendering of historical and fictional events that readers of all ages can enjoy. Recently at the Tucson Festival of Books, Pinkney shared that his books allow him to grow as a person, and I would note they have also allowed him to grow as both an artist and as a connoisseur of what will delight readers of all ages.

Pinkney received the Caldecott Award for The Lion and the Mouse (2009), a marvelous story of strength and beneficence that uses eight words and a series of astounding illustrations to tell the story of how a mighty lion receives help from a tiny mouse. Prior to winning the Caldecott Award, he was the recipient of five Caldecott Honor Awards, the most recent for Noah’s Ark (2003), but you should look at all five as they are truly remarkable. He also won three Coretta Scott King Awards and two Honor Awards for Illustration. My personal favorite from those five is Mirandy and Brother Wind (1989), which is a book that touches me aesthetically as both a reader and an amateur artist.

Pinkney’s most recent books include Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (2011); Puss in Boots (2012); and The Further Adventures of Spider (2012). Joyful, joyful, joyful! Forthcoming is The Tortoise and the Hare (2013), which adds to the corpus of Pinkney’s other works on fables that are still timely and pleasurable to read. As a youngster Jerry worked at a newsstand, where he would sketch people who caught his eye. He noted this memory at the Tucson Festival of Books, along with the possibility of it becoming more present in one of his future endeavors.

Whatever Jerry Pinkney decides to do, he has a waiting audience. His books continue to inspire so many readers young and old, and I know that when I am able to move through The Tortoise and the Hare—his next work of art—I will be catching my breath! His work is that incredible.