Book Birthday Blog With Kelly Darke

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Kelly Darke on the release of The Geometree

 

How did you come up with the idea for your book? 

Most mathematics teachers I know love a good pun. I recall early on in my teaching career seeing the play on words of a Geometree (a tree full of polygons and common geometric shapes) in a math cartoon. In 2018, I participated in picture book author Tara Lazar’s Storystorm Challenge where participants are challenged to come up with 30 picture book ideas in the month of January. During that challenge, the Geometree pun popped into my head as an idea for a picture book and I never looked back.  

What was the most difficult part of writing the book? 

When I began work on The Geometree, I was about one year into my Math Book Magic blog (currently this blog resides on my website: https://fairymathmother.com/ where I shared what I called magical math books that I read with my children. A magical math book is a book that inspires mathematical wonder and joy. With the blog, I had set a high bar for the type of book I sought out for my own children and students and for the type of book I wished to write. While I adored the books on my blog, my Geometree manuscript was falling short. 
 
The Geometree began as a picture book with the tree being the sole character in the book, sort of like the picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom written by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert. And I loved the math concept of a tree that could make EVERY shape.  I mean, come on, a magical tree that could make an infinite number of triangles, an infinite number of quadrilaterals, an infinite number of pentagons and so on and so on. As I worked on this idea, I couldn’t pass a tree on my daily walk without noticing the shapes of its leaves and thinking about the book. While I loved exploring the mathematics and idea of this magical tree, I could not figure out any endearing or engaging story that worked while I was focusing on only the tree.  
 
It took a while to find my way into that story, about five years and over forty drafts. After I introduced another character, a curious little girl named Mira, the story between the tree and the girl began to (pardon my pun) take shape. Even so, I still didn’t have a satisfying ending.  One more year of putting the book away in a virtual drawer, I had created enough space for the ending to come to me.  Once I got that, I felt like the book was ready to share with readers. 

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

I hope the story and illustrations will open readers' minds up to the infinite variety and wonder of geometric shapes. I hope they are inspired to notice and marvel at the wonderful leaf shapes they see the next time they pass under a tree. 

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

The Geometree just came out in early August, so I am right at the beginning of the marketing journey. In the coming month, I plan to visit some of the book stores in my local area to see if The Geometree would be a good fit for their store. I am lucky to have so many lovely bookstores within driving distance from my home. For now, The Geometree is available online at Bookshop.com, Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com.  I plan to be at different Michigan festivals and book fairs through the coming year to share the book with readers. The best way to find out which events and when is to follow me on social media. 

What's next for you?

During the school year I am quite busy with teaching and my own children (I have three children that play hockey and various other activities), however I hope to attend book events on the weekends and during next summer. Michigan has so many lovely book events, I’m looking forward to connecting with readers and sharing some math wonder and joy. Additionally, I plan to continue to share math book magic for years to come through my books and my website https://fairymathmother.com/.

More about the book . . .

One spring morning, curious young Mira discovers a mysterious tree unlike any she has seen before—the magical Geometree, a nearly extinct wonder with the power to create leaves in every imaginable shape. With each wish, Mira explores triangles, quadrilaterals, stars, snowflakes, and beyond, discovering the beauty of geometry all around her. Season after season, she and Geometree turn math into magic, blending nature, imagination, and design. A lyrical celebration of creativity and curiosity, The Geometree invites readers to play with patterns, explore STEM concepts, and discover that they, too, can be shape-makers.

Published by: Nightlight Stories the children's book imprint of Mission Point Press

More about the author . . . 

Kelly Darke holds a Doctorate of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Illinois Chicago, and has taught mathematics at both the middle school, high school and college levels. She currently teaches 7th and 8th grade mathematics at St. Hugo of the Hills School. She lives in West Bloomfield with her husband and three children and never misses an opportunity to admire the shapes her local American Basswood, Black Cherry and Sugar Maple trees make.  

Instagram: @kellydarkemath

X: @fairymathmother

Website:  https://fairymathmother.com/