Featured Author

CBRS (Children's Book Review Staff): Was there one specific event that made you want to be a writer?

CA (Caroline Arnold): I loved books as a child but I never imagined that I would be writer when I grew up. I studied art in school and planned to be an artist and art teacher. After I got married and had my own children I read stories to them. I realized that perhaps I could use my training in art to be a children's book illustrator. I started to write stories so that I could illustrate them and soon discovered that I enjoyed writing very much. Now I mostly write books, but still occasionally do the illustrations as well.

CBRS: What do you do for fun?

CA: For fun I read, play tennis, work in my garden, go birdwatching, walk on the beach, watch movies, travel, and, of course, spend time with my family!

CBRS: You’ve written many books. Which one is your favorite?

CA: I don't have a single favorite book, but certain books stand out because they mark an important event or remind me of an exciting time in my life. African Animals is special because it was my one hundredth published book and it also reminds me of the time that I lived and traveled in Africa and saw most of the animals that I wrote about in the book. Uluru: Australia's Aboriginal Heart is special because it is one of the books that is illustrated with my husband's photos and it is about one of our favorite places, the Australian desert. A Panda's World and my other new books about black and white animals are special because I illustrated them myself.

CBRS: How do you keep coming up with ideas for your books?

CA: Truth is often stranger than fiction and certainly just as much fun to write. With every book I've written I have learned something that I never knew before. I get ideas from my own personal experiences, from talking to other people, from my travel, from books, from movies and television, in short, just about everywhere.

CBRS: Do you have a special place in your home where you write?

CA: Recently I moved to a new house and got a new office. One of its attractions is that it has a huge closet for storing my many boxes with the research material for my books. In many ways I have found my perfect work space--it is no longer in the center of the house, it is light and airy with a view of the garden, it has room for desks, filing cabinets and bookshelves, and it has plenty of space for the proliferating equipment of the modern home office. My desk and office are where I conduct the business of writing. Yet, when I am in the midst of a writing project, my favorite place to work is still at the dining room table. Not only does the table have a comfortable familiarity, but it takes me away from the distractions of my office and gives me the space I need to write.

CBRS: Do you read children’s books by other authors?

CA: I always try to keep up with the children's books in my field, but my most pleasurable reading is to my grandchildren. Just as I read to my own children when they were small, I enjoy the sound of the spoken word and the chance to interact with children and books. It also keeps me aware of the huge diversity of topics, both fiction and nonfiction, that are out there to write about.

CBRS: What do you like most about doing school visits?

CA: I enjoy the opportunity to interact with my audience and to see the joy that children have in learning. I also like the chance to talk to teachers and librarians and find out how they are using books like mine in the classroom. And I often get ideas for new books from kids. Since my own children are now grown up, it is important for me to keep in touch with my audience.

CBRS: What was your favorite subject in school?

CA: I loved to read but my favorite subject was art. That's why I majored in art in college and studied art in graduate school. But I also enjoyed my other classes, especially math and science, which probably explains why so many of my books are on scientific subjects.

CBRS: What are the best and worst things about being a writer?

CA: The worst part of being a writer is the challenge of writing down exactly what I want to say. The best part is when I have finally accomplished that--after many, many rewrites--and the book is finally published.

CBRS: You write, and you draw. Which one is harder for you?

CA: I like doing both and each has its own challenges. However, the secret of both is being a good observer of detail and I find that always helps me to make my writing and art come alive.

CBRS: Any suggestions for all the future writers reading this today?

CA: The best writers, whether they write fiction or nonfiction, are those who have developed a keen sense of observation. They notice details about the way things look, feel, sound and smell. They learn how to use words to paint a picture of a scene or action. The other secret of becoming a good writer is practice. Writing letters or keeping a journal are two ways of practicing writing. Writing is something like baseball--you are not likely to hit a home run the first time you step up to the plate. Your first stories will not be perfect either, but with practice they will get better and better and soon you will be hitting the ball out of the park.

CBRS: Thanks for being here with us this month Caroline; it has been a real pleasure.