Sunny the Bunny Goes to Camp by Jace Higgins and Paige Beckis
A bunny named Sunny faces her fears and goes to summer camp, only to discover her new experiences were never worth worrying over.
FW: So, a story about going to summer camp is a very specific adventure for Sunny the Bunny. Was any of this autobiographical?
JH: So, we both have gone to summer camps in the past. I went to Sky Ranch.
PB: And I went to Camp Olympia. It was loosely based off both of our experiences.
JH: And honestly, too, we had a family friend of ours, a little girl, who’s ... I think she’s in sixth grade now. We made the book about her; we had named the rabbit Charlotte, actually, instead of Sunny. And then we ended up going back and changing the name to Sunny in the lieu of Charlotte’s Web and because the whole book rhymes, and so we thought it’d be fitting — on top of the fact that I also had a rabbit named Sunny.
FW: It is a rhyming book, but Sunny has a very distinct voice. What was your process in writing from her perspective?
JH: Well, we wrote the book mainly at my house, and I have two rabbits of my own. Just for fun as we were kind of sitting there, laying around on the floor, drawing and writing, we had the rabbits out running round; it was just sort of for moral support, I guess. I’d say that was a fun idea.
FW: You’re obviously both still in school, so how did you juggle writing this book with all of your high school work?
PB: So, we did it in the summer; that’s when we started. And we worked on it for a whole summer, and we got to school, and honestly, the book got put on pause for a minute because we didn’t know how to continue to work on it and do our schoolwork.
As the year went on, we realized that we needed to get it done, and we needed to finish our project, so we started working on it on the weekends. I would go to my brother’s baseball games and take the iPad with me to draw and to work on the illustrations for the book. And in the evenings, we would pass around words, and we’d text each other when we thought of the right rhyme schemes, but it very much became a different challenge because we were no longer together 24/7.
FW: What lessons can children get from this book?
PB: When you read the book for the first time, the one that will, like, stop you in your face is facing your fears. So, the whole book is centered around this idea that Sunny is scared to go to camp. All the fears of not being with your parents; making new friends; challenges, such as zip lining; and going to fun, little theme parties, where you might feel uncomfortable and making the most out of it; and finding that it is actually fun to step out of your comfort zone.
JH: And we also have some little things in there as well, like some personal hygiene and healthy eating. We have a few pages where we sort of are also trying to slip in little good habits.
*8,000 copies of Sunny the Bunny Goes to Camp have been donated to various children’s hospitals and public libraries across the country. A portion of the net proceeds also benefits the Hope for Kids organization.
Jan Spence
Gameday in Dallas by Marnie Schneider
A young girl named Freddie and her dog, Fumble, explore the DFW area before heading to Arlington to watch the Dallas Cowboys. The book is part of a series that will highlight every professional football team and the cities they call home.
FW: How did you discover your knack for writing?
MS: I’ve always loved writing and reading. My mom, Susan Tose Spencer, was a teacher (I love teachers) before becoming the first and only female general manager, legal counsel, and VP of [the Philadelphia Eagles in 1984]. While traveling with my mom to games, I’d be reading books and writing. Then, people started liking my stories and encouraged me to turn them into books. It’s true — when you love what you do, it’s not work.
FW: Gameday in Dallas is about a girl named Freddie who explores the DFW area with her dog before heading to a Dallas Cowboys game. Tell us about the inspiration behind your book.
MS: First, I love Fort Worth and Dallas. While growing up and attending professional football games, I had the opportunity to visit at least once a year. It really imprinted my love for the area. The people are lovely, charming, warm, and friendly. I started writing my Football Freddie and Fumble the Dog: Gameday book series, and I couldn’t wait to share my love of Fort Worth and Dallas and the incredible history, sights, and spirit here.
FW: In your story, the main character is a young girl. When a sport like football is generally associated with boys/men, why choose a young girl to be the star of your book?
MS: Football Freddie and Fumble the Dog are me. It’s based on my life growing up with a grandfather who owned an NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, and a mom who ran the team. Speaking sports and, in particular football, really has helped me connect with so many others. I also think it’s healthy for men to read to their kids, nephews, nieces, etc., so a book whose backdrop is football is a great way to share the fun passion of being a fan. Football Freddie and Fumble the Dog: Gameday in Dallas is a book for all ages.
FW: With more women working in the NFL, some even coaching, what impact do you see women making in professional football in the years to come?
MS: As I’ve mentioned, my mom is the only female to have ever been a GM, legal counsel, and VP of a professional sports team. I see my books as a first step in getting women interested in football, encouraging young girls to play flag football, learn the game, and then pick up the ball and run with it.
L is for Lemonade by Cynthia and Michelle Marlow
A young boy named Luke looks to raise money for the local children’s hospital by selling lemonade and, in the process, learns a few secrets to pronouncing the letter L.
FW: What inspired you to start A Series of Hard-to-Pronounce Letters?
MM: Honestly, I really did not know I had a knack for writing. But while at TCU [studying speech language pathology], my professor, Lynn Flahive, made a statement to me while observing my clinical therapy that she liked the way I taught children to pronounce certain sounds. “You should write books” were her exact words to me. After graduate school, I did just that. I wrote S Is the Most Delicious Sound [the first book in the series].
As I was working in my private practice as a licensed speech language pathologist, I forgot all about my books. It was not until 2013, when I was president of the Junior League of Fort Worth, when my computer died, and my husband came to the rescue. As he is moving all my files from the dead computer to my new Mac, he came across a file named “My Book Series.” He printed, read, and indicated that it was “really good,” and I should consider publishing. I contacted one of my dear friends, Megan Skeels, who is crazy artistic and asked if she would be willing to illustrate for me. Without any hesitations, S Is the Most Delicious Sound was created.
FW: Did you personally have any difficulty pronouncing certain letters growing up?
MM: I did not personally have any problems pronouncing my sounds; however, my mother, who I adore, was a speech language pathologist. I wanted to be just like her.
FW: What sounds/letters do you plan on highlighting next?
MM: This spring, we will have our next set of books out: Ch Is the Most Challenging Sound and Sh Is for Shiner, about my sweet hometown and father. This past summer while vacationing in Telluride (you never know when an idea will come to life), I wrote I Can with Van. It’s about a little boy who has dysfluent speech, also known as stuttering. I teach a child with dysfluent speech to speak on a note — my little trick. Van Cliburn was my inspiration for this book.
