ARMANDO'S ISLAND: Interview With Author Marsha Diane Arnold

CREATIVE EDITIONS, 2023

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to a new and important picture book, ARMANDO'S ISLAND, and to its creators, Marsha Diane Arnold and illustrator, Anne Yvonne Gilbert. 

Marsha Diane Arnold

 It has been my pleasure and an honor to review this impressive new offering (HERE) and several other previous titles by Arnold, HERE and HERE. She has kindly agreed to discuss some of my questions and I'm delighted to share that conversation with readers today, on LAUNCH DAY for ARMANDO's ISLAND.

SB: Thanks for taking time to respond to my questions, Marsha. ARMANDO’S ISLAND is such a lovely, lush, and important new picture book that I’m imagining you are quite busy celebrating its release today. I'll get right into it so you can go back to cake and tropical treats!.

Which came first for you in this writing- the topic of the rainforest, the character Armando, or something else? Readers love hearing the story behind a story.

 

MDA:  

First, I should explain that I wrote this story over twenty years ago. I don’t have a lot of my early notes. I’ve always loved nature and wildlife. I feel most at home in nature, surrounded by wildlife. I’ve been involved for decades with organizations that work to preserve nature and our precious wildlife. For me to write a story, a fable really, about the destruction of the rainforest, was not a big leap. To answer your question, I started with the rainforest and its wildlife

SB:  From that response, I wonder if you could share more about your research process and decisions in terms of writing fiction or nonfiction, writing realistic contemporary or taking a slightly fantastical/magical approach? How did you “land” on the storytelling approach here?

 

MDA:

I’m a storyteller at heart. I enjoy writing fiction stories and I often use anthropomorphic animals.  I feel young children naturally relate to stories and talking animals. In my Lights Out, also from Creative Company, I wanted to write about how light pollution affects animals, but I didn’t want to do it with non-fiction. I chose to write the tale of a group of animals, searching together for Darkness, trying to escape the constant light that surrounded them. So too I decided to write a fable-like story of the rainforest and its destruction. 

 

My memory is that I wrote this story fairly quickly and didn’t research extensively. I already knew what was happening in the rainforest. I already knew a bit about the wildlife that lived in the rainforest. I needed a setting and I did think about other places, like Indonesia, but the wildlife of the Amazon rainforest called to me. 

 

But your questions caused me to think again. I have almost no notes on my computer, but I wrote the story over two decades ago. I searched my file cabinet and lo and behold! There, in a drawer rarely opened, was a long forgotten file entitled Armando’s Island. In it I found a 1993 note from the World Wildlife fund about tropical rain forests! I found a brochure from the Rainforest Alliance, information from Amazon Watch, and notes I’d taken from other books about the rainforest. I was probably collecting information for years before I sat down to write. This often happens with me. An idea tumbles in my head for months or years, I collect information as I come across it, and finally sit down to write the story.

 

SB: An aside... I recently moved and downsized many things, but transported some of my own writing files (hard copies), even ones I hadn't opened for years. Your response encourages me to think that I might one day be glad i did. Thank you.

 Back to the subject at hand...

Do you dream of the rainforest, of visiting it, of returning to it? Do other habitats and global destinations call to you?

MDA: 

My husband and I had a tiny casita in Costa Rica for a time. It was near the forest. Toucans, peccaries, and monkeys surrounded us. To me, that was heaven. And yes, I’d love to visit more rainforests around the world. The setting of my first book, Heart of a Tiger, was India, yet I’ve never visited. Besides the Amazon, I’ve longed to visit India and see a tiger in the wild.

 

SB: My review mentioned the challenges felt by individual protectors standing strong against more wealthy and powerful forces. Would you share your thoughts about that, and about how young readers might retain their purpose and determination when feeling very small or helpless?

 

MDA: I think we all feel small and helpless against the forces of destruction. My May 2023 book One Small Thing had this exact theme. It’s a “cozy” book, even though Raccoon loses his home to a lightning strike in it. The other animals don’t know how to help, until they each realize that they don’t have to do something big.  Just one small thing will benefit. All those small things together can make a big difference. Each of us can do “one small thing” to help the rainforest, whether it’s eating local beef and fruits or avoiding products with palm oil. Perhaps, most importantly, we can start by learning about the rainforests and their wildlife. When we learn about them, we will care. Only when we care, will we have the will to do something.

 

I’m currently working on an Activity Guide for Armando’s Island. That will be one way to learn about the rainforest and how to protect it. I hoped to have the guide on my website by launch day, but it is likely to be available be early September as schools resume.

 

SB: Is there something else about this book that you’d like readers to know?

 

MDA: 

The illustrations are magnificent. As my grandson says, “They’re so detailed.” Anne Yvonne Gilbert is a world-renowned illustrator and I am humbled to have had her do the illustrations for Armando’s Island. If you, like me, can’t fly off to a rainforest right now, just open Armando’s Island and sit for awhile with the beautiful wildlife Anne Yvonne has painted.

 

SB: I can't wait to do that very thing. (I reviewed a file of the book.) My preordered copy should arrive today!

I have no doubt that you are busy celebrating the release of this wonderful new book, but you are also likely to be involved in writing/planning for new works and upcoming releases. Are you able to share any news or hint at some sprouts?

 

MDA: The truth is that I’ve had two books come out this year and with all the PR for those, plus the manuscript consultations I do for other writers, I’ve had little time to work on my own projects. However, I did sell a manuscript in January that I am very excited about. It hasn’t been announced, so sadly, I can’t share about it quite yet. It is non-fiction, most unusual for me, but it’s not about a person or an animal. Wait until you see! Look for it in spring 2025! 

 

I do have several stories I am eager to begin work on or finish up. A couple of those are about animals. Probably not a surprise.

 

Thank you so much, Sandy, for your interest in my work and the rainforest!

 

SB: Diane, I am so grateful for having this opportunity to share the book and your responses with readers here. Thank you again for sharing your time and thoughts. Congratulations on the importance and success of this latest release, and the upcoming new title-- I'm so excited to learn more!

Readers, you can read my recent review HERE, and praise from others HERE, and HERE.

 

Marsha Diane Arnold

Website: www.marshadianearnold.com

Social media access:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarshaDArnold/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshaDianeArnoldAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshadianearnoldauthor/

 

 

 

 

 

ONE SMALL THING: The Power of Kindness

BEAMING BOOKS, 2023

 On this post-holiday, quiet weekend, I bring you a "quiet book" that emanates power and grace. ONE SMALL THING is written by Marsha Diane Arnold and illustrated by Laura Watkins. The quotation marks around "quiet book" are intentional, in that they are so often written by various folks in the picture book business (and it IS a business) in declining submissions (isn't that a kinder word choice than rejection?) that do not involve some frantic or antic actions. "Quiet books" don't sell as strongly as, say, a book about robots or superheroes or magic. And yet, a quiet book in the hands of a "STORYMAGICIAN",  as Arnold's website subheading rightly tags her, can transform lives. I know of no greater superpower than that.

This latest offering from Arnold is launched by a tragedy--  Raccoon's home has burned. The comfort begins immediately, first in knowing that Raccoon is safe, has  supportive friends, and pet Cricket escaped, although is now lost. 

This opening alone would have hooked me, since there were more than a few students in my teaching career, of many ages, who had survived such a trauma. The ultimate "it's not so bad" sense of comfort among friends features as an inadequate way many of us address the immediate and lasting pain and loss of such an event. Would "shelter" of any kind ever feel as safe as it once did? Would the loss of keepsakes and photos and... just the capacity to return to a place of memories... ever ease? As the rest of the community observed their friend recovering, would the impulse to comfort dissolve into daily duties, assuming the one who was traumatized would be as "good as new"?

This seemingly simple story opens with sunny endpapers, suggesting such a casually happy ending. Minimal but marvelous text reveals that those comforting friends are buzzing about this sad occurrence. Each "thank goodness" informs readers of reasons to be grateful despite the losses. They also reveal Raccoon's personality, how he loved living along the river, how his feet were  burned "a bit", and that "silly" cricket jumped away to safety but now no one knows where it is. Who has a pet cricket anyway? 

The illustrator informs us, too, that these are heartfelt words of comfort among friends who ache for Raccoon's loss, but quickly console themselves that all is well and they can return to their own lives. These very appealing and authentic, familiar woodland animals display expressions that  even the very young will recognize and empathize with throughout, another powerful touch that allows such a special book to reach audiences from preverbal to teens and beyond. They also represent the typical range of reactions among friends, from the practical problem-solvers, to the overly sensitive, to those who expect someone else to help, to those who feel helpless, to the grumbler who sees this all as unnecessary fussing. As an adult reader I've witnessed (and experienced) such reactions to tragedy, cringing at the thought that these generally result in nothing being done. 

And that is precisely how Arnold proceeds, allowing each character to return to daily life with no updates on Raccoon, at first. First, in fact, we observe a series of double spreads in which we join each friend in their own own homes/gardens, rich with detail and interests and habits that invite us to linger, to examine closely how the individual has found safety,  comfort, and shelter from a sometimes harsh world outside. Each, in their own way, realizes that they cannot "fix" Raccoon's situation but is able to offer ONE SMALL THING that might be welcomed. Only as those conclusions are reached does Beaver find Raccoon soaking his burned feet in the river, leading him to a new home where the collected friends and their SMALL THINGS are no longer ONE. In fact, such individual acts create a new ONE-ness among them that satisfies thoroughly.

I am purposely not providing details of such small things they chose, not only to avoid spoiling the story (that couldn't happen) but to allow readers to realize how truly SMALL those decisions were but how enormously powerful each decision and action proved to be. 

Most importantly, these combined small things, though unplanned efforts, gave an immeasurably large result. Or at least, as Badger admits, "It was a little something." Only as this gratifying ending occurred and I closed the back cover did I realize that those end papers were not exactly "sunny". Such losses and pain are never gone from us. They are, in fact, revealed in the glow of the day that shows on the cover. I imagined that was the dawn of the day of the tragedy. Iinstead, after seeing the expressions of the friends and the lingering longing of Raccoon, I think those endpapers reflect a blend of dusk with honey and butter and safety and comfort, all of which wrap around a community to offer hope. 

Arnold has proven herself worthy of that STORYMAGICIAN title, as I observed in reviews of LIGHTS OUT, HERE, and LOST AND FOUND, HERE. Each is, in fact, a "quiet book", a blend of story and format and visual narrative that resonates at first reading, calls for return readings, echoing throughout succeeding days and years. My recent move is into an area that has very bright street lights, one of which is outside my living space. I noted that it is using energy-smart bulbs, but not before I noted that the fixtures are designed to cast light down to the streets, blocking it from lighting the sky. I'm aware of DARK SKY activists, and was concerned before reading LIGHTS OUT. Even so, my notice of that  fixture design led me to remember those animals and their journey with a smile on their behalf. Now that's power. 

Do one small thing, please. Begin by finding and reading this book. Then share it with someone. Then carry it forward in your mind and heart, turning kind thoughts and worry into actions for those in need, whether friend or stranger. KINDNESS is not a concept, it is verb.And it is NOT a small thing.

LIGHTS OUT: Losing DARK of NIGHT to Light Pollution

Nonfiction picture books are enjoying glorious (and valuable) success in the publishing world. What's more, the bar for these books is getting higher and wider regarding possible subject matter, intended audiences, supplemental content, and expert collaboration. This is as it should be. Kids can begin lifelong careers, hobbies, and fascinations through discoveries in picture books.

Sometimes, though, a serious nonfiction topic is addressed with grace and persuasive authority through fiction. A heart-tugging approach to hard science can be an equally powerful introduction to nonfiction issues and topics. This is the case with Cybils Awards fiction picture book nominee LIGHTS OUT.

The Creative Company, 2020

Marsha Diane Arnold lends her magical storytelling voice to the topic of LIGHT POLLUTION, revealing its impact on familiar life forms. Most creatures have evolved to respond to daily and seasonal cycles of light and darkness over millennia. Their survival depends on these instinctual patterns, which have been increasingly  disrupted by barely two centuries of population growth and resulting artificial light. Humans are steadily destroying the "Dark of Night" with artificial light, and the change is happening far too quickly to allow for various species to adapt.

Arnold's opening message addresses this with a brief description of ways brightened night skies are a dangerous form of pollution, ways that we ignore at the cost of losing valuable and beloved species from our natural world.

That brief introductory passage is written in a friendly, explanatory style. 

The language Arnold uses to explore this scientific reality in the story that follows adopts a lyrical, emotional, and compelling style, one ideally paired with the illustrations of Susan Reagan. 

Begin by examining that cover image and title. Creatures of air, land, and water peer out of the shadows, distressed at the unexpected LIGHT of the night. The design to the title itself is worth considering. The progressively light-to-dark letters are each slightly fractured, and the "I" is represented by a beetle. Adults wo read to children often miss these intentional elements, but kids find them every single time. 

The beetle is a character in the story and merits our attention on every page. End papers show a rush of newly hatched sea turtles, their race urging us forward to the opening page turn. I have no doubt that some young eyes will "read" them as stars spreading across the page. 

The story begins with Little Fox and Beetle, whose upper case letters indicated to me that they are each individuals, anthropomorphized just enough to share their views and voices with us, the readers, but retaining authentic identities of their species from the natural world. A few lines of economic but imperative language occupy the otherwise blank left spread, faced by a brightly lit night scene filled with shafts and glows and bouncing brightness:

"Little Fox peeks out from her den.

Beetle flits above her.

'Lights out!' she barks.

But the lights stay on."

The following pages reveal the many sources of light, in every color, shape, and direction. The illustrations are as masterful as the text at introducing the nighttime lights we take for granted, recognizable here as sinister assaults on Nature's much-needed Dark. 

Dark emerges as threatened by the lights as the animals are. 

Migrating birds and nocturnal owls are affected. Little Fox and Beetle wonder if Dark is lost, and they set out to help. Throughout their travels and encounters with fellow night creatures, the Dark of Night eludes them, It has been crowded out by lights from manmade sources, lights that stop the mating songs of Frog, that confuse the internal star maps of birds, that alter Bear's hibernation instincts. 

These animals become a band of journeyers, visiting many landforms, but unable to locate the Dark of Night and all that it has to offer.

When those hatchling sea turtles need their help, the intrepid animals do their best, leading readers to a set of final spreads and text that deserve to be framed and displayed. The imagery of the art and the satisfying story resolve make this picture book one of the best I've read this year. 

This can be read as a sweet animal story-time book, as an extended analogy or fable about an important science topic, as an illustration mentor for mastery of light, shadow, and minimal color palette, or as a charming bedtime book. In each case it will rise to the top of those categories with room to spare. The power of this seemingly simple, quiet story is the balance among characterization, storytelling, mood, language, dramatic tension, specificity of detail, and universal global implications. 

I hope you'll make it a point to read this book, and then share it. Young audiences are likely to become so invested that they may seek answers to the important question: "What can we do to help?" Arnold mentions an excellent resource in that opening statement. If you click LIGHT POLLUTION above, you can learn about ways to actively reduce the damage that our "civilized" lives are doing with articifical light to a vast network of living things, including ourselves.