March
05
Tags
What If…What If…What If by Deborah Freedman
What is that worm doing, underfoot? That bird flying overhead? Where did the parts of my house come from? Could a character be too shy to appear in its own book? What if… what if… what if…*
They usually begin with a question, the books I write, their ideas springing from wonder. Ideas are all around us, I always tell kids, and you can find them if you pay deep attention. My friend Lita Judge has said that observation and imagination are what science and art have in common.
Lita also once said that writing nonfiction teaches her about the world around her, and fiction teaches her about herself. I love that. Maybe that’s why I’m lately astride the two, standing in story on one foot, dipping the other into science.
The worm… the bird (did you know it’s a dinosaur?)… the sky…
Inspired by friends like Lita and Melissa Stewart (and others, too many to list!) who write nonfiction, I’ve slowly discovered the pleasures of research and the joy it brings to my days. With new knowledge, I can watch a sky full of clouds with expanded imagination.
What are clouds they made of? How do they become so many different shapes and textures? What makes fog and rain, thunder and lightning?
What do you wonder about?
🌤️🩵Deborah
Top image, detail from Carl and the Meaning of Life, Viking, ©Deborah Freedman 2019
* What is that worm doing, underfoot? → Carl and the Meaning of Life, Viking 2019
* That bird flying overhead? → Tiny Dino, Viking 2022
* Where did the parts of my house come from? → This House, Once, Atheneum 2017
* Could a character be too shy to appear in its own book? → Shy, Viking 2016
* What are clouds made of? → Partly Cloudy, Viking 2024
Partly Cloudy, Viking, ©Deborah Freedman 2024
Deborah Freedman was an architect once-upon-a-time, but now she prefers building worlds in picturebooks. She is the author and illustrator of 11 of them, which have been translated into ten different languages, adopted in classrooms across the country, and honored with many starred reviews and awards. Her latest book is Partly Cloudy, Viking Children’s Books.
https://www.deborahfreedman.net/
Twitter: @DeborahFreedman
Instagram, Threads: @freedmanillustrates
Facebook: @deborah.freedman.author.illustrator
Bluesky: @deborahfreedman.bsky.social
Nerdy Book Club 
AH yes. “What if.” The genesis of many good books. Thanks for the reminder, Deborah!
So true, Carol!
Looking forward to the clouds book! Thanks for sharing.
Children are full of questions. These books capture their wonderings, and I am sure that the books inspire children to write their own.