Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!
Where we celebrate new books by Michigan's children's book authors and illustrators
Congratulations to Carolyn Combs on the release of her new book, What's This Tail Saying?
Congratulations on the release of What’s This Tail Saying? What inspired this book on animal communication and body language?
Thank you! Also, thank you for keeping this blog going during these challenging times. I want to send good wishes to everyone.
Three strands of inspiration came together in What’s This Tail Saying? One afternoon while I was picking up my son from school, I watched as children donned costume tails and pretended to be animals. The tails seemed to transform the children, helping them enter the animal’s world. I thought tails would make a fun topic. Since there are a plethora of books about animal tails, I began to think about how my book could be different. I’m a bit nerdy and had been reading adult nonfiction books about animal communication for several years. These books inspired me to look into how animals use their tails to communicate. I also drew inspiration from my love of observing and learning about nature. I wanted to find a fun way to share steps of the scientific method – observing and guessing – that allow us to better understand and appreciate the natural world.
What was your revision and research process like? Can you talk a little bit about the importance of critique groups and mentor texts in your process?
Since picture books typically have fourteen spreads, I started by looking for and researching at least twelve animals who send messages with their tails (that would leave one spread for an introduction and one for an ending). I searched for primary research papers on Google Scholar, found academic books at the Michigan State University library, and also utilized university and government websites. I strove for three references for each kind of tail communication. In a couple of instances, I couldn’t find three. I noted that and found other animals with three references. In the end, the editor chose the animals that went into the book.
The final book couldn’t be more different than my initial drafts. I love Dianna Hutts Aston’s book A Butterfly is Patient and used it as an initial mentor text. I imagined a quiet book with text like, “tails send warnings” or “tails send comfort”. I shared drafts with my online critique group and incorporated their feedback. Then one winter, SCBWI-MI offered affordable critiques with several editors. I received positive comments about my subject matter which gave me the confidence to tackle the weaker aspects of the manuscript – the language and the overly list-like structure. During a marathon weekend away from my family, accompanied by a pile of mentor texts by Melissa Stewart and Jane Yolen, I wrote three different versions of the text. One of them had the question and answer structure that appears in the final book. I shared the new versions with my critique group and did more revising. The draft I sent out to publishers was filled with art notes about how the animals were interacting and minimal text. Then I spent about four months working with my editor to hone the text even more.
Cathy Morrison’s illustrations do the heavy lifting of showing the animal interactions and tail movements. I was thrilled to see the story come alive with her artwork.
You consulted several scientists as a part of your research for this book. What was that experience like? How would you recommend an author go about contacting professionals during research for their nonfiction book?
Initially, I felt hesitant to ask scientists for their time since I didn’t know if the research I was doing would lead to a published book. However, often the best information and insights come from people, so I pushed myself to ask anyway. I let them know that I was working on a children’s book but couldn’t say if it would be published. A while back someone (I wish I could remember who, because I’d like to thank them again) passed along the tip to write, “questions”, in the subject line of an email when querying a scientist. Scientists love questions! I always do this now, and I’ve almost always gotten a response, even if it may take a while because sometimes scientists are immersed in fieldwork or traveling. If I’m asking for a phone call, I include my questions in the preliminary email, so the person knows ahead of time what I want to ask about. I also familiarize myself with the scientist’s work and try not to ask questions that are answered elsewhere. I’m respectful of their time and thank them in a follow-up email. I was thrilled to be able to send a final copy of this book to a biologist who studies beavers and has a young son who loves books.
What was the experience of developing the back matter like? How did you decide what information made it to the main text of your book, and what to explain further in the back matter?
Dawn Publications, now an imprint of Sourcebooks, is well-known and liked by teachers for their back matter. Before submitting to them, I studied the back matter in their recent books and the books of other publishers. This gave me a sense of the possibilities and what I like in back matter. Since I wanted to keep the text minimal, I collected all the extra fun facts that I hoped to share with children and put them in drafts for back matter. In the end, I submitted curriculum-related information about the scientific method and other functions of tails. Looking back, what I submitted wasn’t child-friendly enough. The editor made suggestions, and I wrote up many more possibilities for her to choose from. I had so much fun with it and the extra materials that didn’t fit into the book are available on the publisher’s website.
What advice would you give to a writer who’s interested in writing a nonfiction picture book?
GO FOR IT! This is an exciting time to be entering the world of children’s nonfiction. Demand is strong and new voices, new story structures, and new topics are welcome.
Read widely to discover what kinds of nonfiction books you like. Check out Melissa Stewart’s Five Kinds of Nonfiction post on her blog Celebrate Science. Read fiction too, for ideas on story structures, voice, and writing techniques. Explore topics that you are deeply curious or passionate about. Figure out if there is a need for the book you want to write. Figure out how will your book stand out from others on the topic or similar topics. Do careful, methodical research, document your sources, and submit your bibliography.
Find community, support, and guidance at nonfiction-specific events such as conferences, webinars, workshops, and classes. Look for the NF Fest early next year (it’s a whole month of online learning and community for nonfiction children’s authors). Follow authors, editors, agents, illustrators, educators, and influencers on social media. Join SCBWI. It’s an extremely generous and supportive community, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Understanding animal communication, even a little bit, opens a window into the inner lives of animals. In the book, we see animals experiencing fear, joy, and other emotions that we experience too. Scientists have only recently begun to seriously acknowledge and explore animal emotions, though many children seem to intuitively grasp that animals have them. I hope the book validates this view and helps children hang onto it, perhaps helping them develop and keep strong feelings of empathy toward all creatures from slithery snakes to adorable marmosets.
I also hope children will feel excited about and empowered by making observations and guesses while reading the book. I hope it gives them a fun way to begin practicing these two steps of the scientific method. With this method, they can begin to ask and answer their own questions about the world.
What’s next for you? Do you have any ideas or new books in the works? How can people learn more about you and your work?
I have several early-stage nonfiction manuscripts in my project hopper. I rode horses for many years and am enamored with classical riding (dressage). Last year I wrote a biography of a Lipizzan horse, who performs one of the famous airs above the ground. I’m about to embark on a thorough revision of that one. This winter I worked on a story inspired by blueberry picking adventures with my grandpa. We never found more than a mouthful of berries, but my pail was full of other natural treasures he shared with me. I’m finishing the sidebars and seeking initial feedback from critique partners. I’m always reading about scientific discoveries, mulling over new ideas, and doing preliminary research to determine which ones might work as a children’s book.
Please visit me at carolyncombsbooks.com, on Twitter @carolynscombs, and Instagram @carolyncombswriter.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my debut book. I couldn’t have written or published it without the help, at every step along the journey, from SCBWI-MI.
A little bit about the book:
Animal tails are talking! Every shake and shiver, rattle and splash is saying something. But what is it? Look for the clues … then turn the page to discover the message. Back matter provides further details about the animals plus STEAM activities.
A little bit about the author:
Carolyn Combs is a former molecular biologist who now shares her passion for the natural world with children through writing. She still loves doing research, but does it at the library, online, and by speaking to scientists rather than in the laboratory. She has fond childhood memories of hearing beavers slap their tails on the pond behind her house and of waiting for the peacock to fan out his tail at the local petting farm. These memories, along with her curiosity about animal communication, helped inspire her to write her 2020 debut picture book, What’s This Tail Saying? Carolyn lives in Michigan with her husband, son, a cat, and a poodle, who loves hiking and trick training as much as she does.
Thank you! Also, thank you for keeping this blog going during these challenging times. I want to send good wishes to everyone.
Three strands of inspiration came together in What’s This Tail Saying? One afternoon while I was picking up my son from school, I watched as children donned costume tails and pretended to be animals. The tails seemed to transform the children, helping them enter the animal’s world. I thought tails would make a fun topic. Since there are a plethora of books about animal tails, I began to think about how my book could be different. I’m a bit nerdy and had been reading adult nonfiction books about animal communication for several years. These books inspired me to look into how animals use their tails to communicate. I also drew inspiration from my love of observing and learning about nature. I wanted to find a fun way to share steps of the scientific method – observing and guessing – that allow us to better understand and appreciate the natural world.
Since picture books typically have fourteen spreads, I started by looking for and researching at least twelve animals who send messages with their tails (that would leave one spread for an introduction and one for an ending). I searched for primary research papers on Google Scholar, found academic books at the Michigan State University library, and also utilized university and government websites. I strove for three references for each kind of tail communication. In a couple of instances, I couldn’t find three. I noted that and found other animals with three references. In the end, the editor chose the animals that went into the book.
The final book couldn’t be more different than my initial drafts. I love Dianna Hutts Aston’s book A Butterfly is Patient and used it as an initial mentor text. I imagined a quiet book with text like, “tails send warnings” or “tails send comfort”. I shared drafts with my online critique group and incorporated their feedback. Then one winter, SCBWI-MI offered affordable critiques with several editors. I received positive comments about my subject matter which gave me the confidence to tackle the weaker aspects of the manuscript – the language and the overly list-like structure. During a marathon weekend away from my family, accompanied by a pile of mentor texts by Melissa Stewart and Jane Yolen, I wrote three different versions of the text. One of them had the question and answer structure that appears in the final book. I shared the new versions with my critique group and did more revising. The draft I sent out to publishers was filled with art notes about how the animals were interacting and minimal text. Then I spent about four months working with my editor to hone the text even more.
Cathy Morrison’s illustrations do the heavy lifting of showing the animal interactions and tail movements. I was thrilled to see the story come alive with her artwork.
Initially, I felt hesitant to ask scientists for their time since I didn’t know if the research I was doing would lead to a published book. However, often the best information and insights come from people, so I pushed myself to ask anyway. I let them know that I was working on a children’s book but couldn’t say if it would be published. A while back someone (I wish I could remember who, because I’d like to thank them again) passed along the tip to write, “questions”, in the subject line of an email when querying a scientist. Scientists love questions! I always do this now, and I’ve almost always gotten a response, even if it may take a while because sometimes scientists are immersed in fieldwork or traveling. If I’m asking for a phone call, I include my questions in the preliminary email, so the person knows ahead of time what I want to ask about. I also familiarize myself with the scientist’s work and try not to ask questions that are answered elsewhere. I’m respectful of their time and thank them in a follow-up email. I was thrilled to be able to send a final copy of this book to a biologist who studies beavers and has a young son who loves books.
What was the experience of developing the back matter like? How did you decide what information made it to the main text of your book, and what to explain further in the back matter?
Dawn Publications, now an imprint of Sourcebooks, is well-known and liked by teachers for their back matter. Before submitting to them, I studied the back matter in their recent books and the books of other publishers. This gave me a sense of the possibilities and what I like in back matter. Since I wanted to keep the text minimal, I collected all the extra fun facts that I hoped to share with children and put them in drafts for back matter. In the end, I submitted curriculum-related information about the scientific method and other functions of tails. Looking back, what I submitted wasn’t child-friendly enough. The editor made suggestions, and I wrote up many more possibilities for her to choose from. I had so much fun with it and the extra materials that didn’t fit into the book are available on the publisher’s website.
What advice would you give to a writer who’s interested in writing a nonfiction picture book?
GO FOR IT! This is an exciting time to be entering the world of children’s nonfiction. Demand is strong and new voices, new story structures, and new topics are welcome.
Read widely to discover what kinds of nonfiction books you like. Check out Melissa Stewart’s Five Kinds of Nonfiction post on her blog Celebrate Science. Read fiction too, for ideas on story structures, voice, and writing techniques. Explore topics that you are deeply curious or passionate about. Figure out if there is a need for the book you want to write. Figure out how will your book stand out from others on the topic or similar topics. Do careful, methodical research, document your sources, and submit your bibliography.
Find community, support, and guidance at nonfiction-specific events such as conferences, webinars, workshops, and classes. Look for the NF Fest early next year (it’s a whole month of online learning and community for nonfiction children’s authors). Follow authors, editors, agents, illustrators, educators, and influencers on social media. Join SCBWI. It’s an extremely generous and supportive community, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
Understanding animal communication, even a little bit, opens a window into the inner lives of animals. In the book, we see animals experiencing fear, joy, and other emotions that we experience too. Scientists have only recently begun to seriously acknowledge and explore animal emotions, though many children seem to intuitively grasp that animals have them. I hope the book validates this view and helps children hang onto it, perhaps helping them develop and keep strong feelings of empathy toward all creatures from slithery snakes to adorable marmosets.
I also hope children will feel excited about and empowered by making observations and guesses while reading the book. I hope it gives them a fun way to begin practicing these two steps of the scientific method. With this method, they can begin to ask and answer their own questions about the world.
What’s next for you? Do you have any ideas or new books in the works? How can people learn more about you and your work?
I have several early-stage nonfiction manuscripts in my project hopper. I rode horses for many years and am enamored with classical riding (dressage). Last year I wrote a biography of a Lipizzan horse, who performs one of the famous airs above the ground. I’m about to embark on a thorough revision of that one. This winter I worked on a story inspired by blueberry picking adventures with my grandpa. We never found more than a mouthful of berries, but my pail was full of other natural treasures he shared with me. I’m finishing the sidebars and seeking initial feedback from critique partners. I’m always reading about scientific discoveries, mulling over new ideas, and doing preliminary research to determine which ones might work as a children’s book.
Please visit me at carolyncombsbooks.com, on Twitter @carolynscombs, and Instagram @carolyncombswriter.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my debut book. I couldn’t have written or published it without the help, at every step along the journey, from SCBWI-MI.
Animal tails are talking! Every shake and shiver, rattle and splash is saying something. But what is it? Look for the clues … then turn the page to discover the message. Back matter provides further details about the animals plus STEAM activities.
A little bit about the author:
Carolyn Combs is a former molecular biologist who now shares her passion for the natural world with children through writing. She still loves doing research, but does it at the library, online, and by speaking to scientists rather than in the laboratory. She has fond childhood memories of hearing beavers slap their tails on the pond behind her house and of waiting for the peacock to fan out his tail at the local petting farm. These memories, along with her curiosity about animal communication, helped inspire her to write her 2020 debut picture book, What’s This Tail Saying? Carolyn lives in Michigan with her husband, son, a cat, and a poodle, who loves hiking and trick training as much as she does.
Huge congratulations, Carolyn! I can't wait to read What's This Tail Saying? (and study it), especially now that we know the backstory of your extensive research and writing process. Cheers to you and this fun addition to nonfiction books for young readers!
ReplyDeleteOops also meant to say thanks to Lauren for her insightful interview questions!
ReplyDelete