January 6, 2020 Interview with author, Laura Renauld
I’m excited to welcome to the blog this week, Laura Renauld! Be sure to check out the giveaway that follows the interview. Laura is giving away a signed copy if her forthcoming title, FRED’S BIG FEELINGS
About Laura:
LAURA RENAULD is the author of Porcupine’s Pie, illustrated by Jennie Poh, and Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers, illustrated by Brigette Barrager. She is also the creator of the Debut Review Challenge which encourages readers to write online reviews for debut authors and illustrators. Laura lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and their two story-telling sons.
Connect with Laura:
Website: www.laurarenauld.com
Twitter: @laura_renauld
Facebook: @kidlitlaura
Instagram: @laurarenauld
Goodreads: Laura Renauld
Please tell us a bit about your picture book, FRED’S BIG FEELINGS: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MISTER ROGERS.
FRED’S BIG FEELINGS is a nonfiction picture book biography of the inimitable Mister Rogers. Fred Rogers felt things deeply from the time he was a boy and his strong emotions influenced his self-esteem, his relationships, and his career trajectory. As a pioneer in children’s television, Mister Rogers taught generations of children that feelings are normal and that they can be expressed in healthy ways.
What inspired you to write this story?
When I started learning about Fred Rogers’s childhood, I was captivated by the role his strong emotions had on his habits, personal interactions, and self-esteem. As he grew, he discovered how to channel his big feelings into productive endeavors, meaningful relationships, and groundbreaking television. I thought that emotions were the perfect angle from which to teach children about this compassionate American icon since the current generation is only familiar with him via the animated PBS spinoff, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Social and emotional learning are the keystones of healthy child development and I wanted to provide a window into the life of the man who pioneered this type of care for children’s television.
Who might it appeal to?
My hope is that adults who grew up with Mister Rogers will gravitate toward the book and then the children in their lives will come to know the caring man who never forgot what it was like to be a child.
What was the overall timeline like for this story, from your inception of the idea to publication?
I started my research in the summer of 2017 and FRED’S BIG FEELINGS is coming out this month so the whole process took 2 ½ years, a very short time for a picture book to come to fruition!
It sounds crazy, but did your publisher and you coordinate the timing of your book’s release with the recent Mr. Roger’s moving starring Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood?
Mister Rogers is having a bit of a renaissance thanks to the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 2018, the documentary of his life that same year: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, and the release of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks, in November 2019. The timing of a book release depends on many factors, but I know that my publisher was aware of the movie!
How does this book give us a glimpse into Mister Rogers beyond the television personality we’ve come to know?
Readers learn how loneliness shaped Fred Rogers’s childhood. How his grandfather was a supportive and affirming figure in Fred’s life. How Fred finally found acceptance and turned his passion for music into a career in children’s television. How his conviction and compassion combined in a show of strength during public testimony about funding for public television. Fred Rogers was a principled man whose life’s work was to make sure every child felt seen and loved and he was committed to that on and off the screen.
How did you approach presenting this figure to two audiences, readers consisting of various generations who know and love Mr. Rogers and younger readers who may not know him at all?
I wanted this biography to reach out to readers in a way that was warm and conversational, just like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Whether you are a Mister Rogers’ fan or a child learning about him for the first time, this approach feels welcoming. Brigette Barrager’s vibrant art offers many touchstones that adults will recognize and delight in, and her stylistic use of flowing hearts to represent Mister Rogers’s feelings is a concrete and whimsical visual for all ages.
What’s a fun fact about Mr. Rogers we might not know and that didn’t make the cut for the book?
Fred Rogers started changing into sneakers on the set of The Children’s Corner, his first children’s show, where he had to run quietly behind the scenes between the organ and the puppets. This habit later became the iconic beginning of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I love this story, but I couldn’t fit it into the main body of the text. I was able to include it in the backmatter, though!
What type of discussions might this book serve as a springboard for?
Mister Rogers said that when things are mentionable, they are manageable. Feelings can be named and discussions surrounding how to express them in ways that aren’t harmful to self or others is an important role for this book to play. Mister Rogers is a role model for empathy, inclusion, standing up for your convictions, and leading a life that affirms the innate worth of others. I hope discussions about these topics and many others come out of reading this book.
Is there anything you’re currently working on and would like to share with us?
I’m looking forward to working with my editor at Beaming Books on the final text for BEAR’S BICYCLE, a companion to PORCUPINE’S PIE, which is scheduled to release Spring 2021. Porcupine took the lead in her fall story about generosity and friendship. Bear gets a chance to shine in a summer story about encouragement and perseverance.
I’m also excited about promoting debut Kidlit creators through the Debut Review Challenge, which I launched in October 2019. A new round just started and runs through the end of February. Read, review, and win prizes! Details are at my website: laurarenauld.com. Follow the hashtag #DebutReviewChallenge on social media. I hope you join the fun!
Thanks for your time, Laura!
Check out FRED’S BIG FEELINGS here:
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.