Today’s picture book is both a quiet story and a gorgeous piece of art.  AND there’s a giveaway for it!

Anitra Rowe Schulte is the author of Dancing with Daddy, which won the Christopher Award and the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award. She has worked as a journalist for The Kansas City Star and the Sun-Times News Group, as a staff writer for Chicago Public Schools, and as a publicist. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and their three daughters. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

WILLOW AND BUNNY is the story of a bunny in search of a home.  He finds a shelter and a friend in Willow.  “Every day was theirs to share” until one fateful day, a terrible storm comes.  This is such a beautiful story, full of heart.  It’s a friendship I won’t soon forget.  The illustrations by Christopher Denise are absolutely luscious, full of light and depth.  You feel like you are there in the same natural elements on every single page.  This is a collaboration to sing about.

Welcome Anitra!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey.  How long have you been writing?  What brought you on your journey to this book?

Anitra: My writing journey began in kindergarten, if you can believe it! When a teacher in my grade school started a Young Authors Club, I was among the youngest to sign up. I loved pulling out my freshly sharpened pencils and putting my heart on the page. When I was a third grader, a story I wrote through the club earned me a spot at a state-wide writing workshop for kids. It was absolute heaven. From then on, I knew I wanted to write, as a career.

I majored in journalism at the University of Missouri and worked as a newspaper reporter for several papers, then transitioned into media and public relations. When my kids were very small, I found my way back to picture books again. I drafted my first PB in 2017, a story that connected me to my agent, Stephanie Hansen of Metamorphosis Literary Agency. The first manuscript we sold was DANCING WITH DADDY, illustrated by Ziyue Chen (Two Lions), which published in 2021. The editor of that project (the phenomenal Kelsey Skea) also acquired WILLOW AND BUNNY, illustrated by Christopher Denise, which published this October. In bringing these books into the world, my oldest, wildest, biggest dream has come true, and I am so incredibly grateful. 

Me: Your story is so well written!  From your very first line I knew I was going to be immersed in a story with heart.  What gave you the idea for this story?

Anitra: Thank you so very much! My husband and daughters read all of my stories (or listen to me read them aloud), and they often say, “That’s an Anitra story” when I reach the end. I needed more information on that! So I pressed them and learned that this means a story that tugs at your heart, brings a tear or two, and resolves with warmth and hope.

In conversation and in stories, I’ve always preferred the cool depths of the deep end to the warmer shallow spots. When I want to understand something, I have to get down into it, where emotions are concentrated and clear. Then I can get a sense of what’s at stake and what human need is connected to it. While WILLOW AND BUNNY is set in a lush wood, and features a natural disaster, it actually is rooted in a national tragedy. I was trying to understand how children and caregivers contend with darkness when it enters their safe spaces. This story is the result of my wonderings, as to what is on the other side of an event that rocks your sense of stability and home and peace to the core.  

Me: I was surprised to find a happy ending after the heart-wrenching climax of the story.  I was really worried for Willow!  Without me giving any spoilers, did you always have this ending in mind?

Anitra: In times of tragedy, there is often devastating loss – life irretrievable. There is also survival, which comes with its own enduring hurt and heartache. In this story, I sought to capture the experience of survivors of disruptive incidents. So from the beginning, I knew that Willow would endure, but that she would not be the same. Yet, I felt that there could be hope, even in the midst of the destruction. How could I represent this, within the rules and realities of the story’s natural woodland setting? The answer came from research. In reading about willow trees, I learned that they are often found near water. I also found that propagating them is incredibly easy – as simple as planting a cutting. These two facts unlocked key storytelling elements for me. The water next to Willow provided a mirror for self-reflection at a critical point in the manuscript, and sowing Willow’s love required nothing more than the kind actions of her friends. Research bequeathed these narrative gifts.

Me: How wonderful.  What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Anitra: The biggest surprise in writing this story came after it was printed. While sharing the book with teachers and librarians at ALA, an educator told me that she’d be using my story to explore personification with her students. Had I given Willow human traits throughout the book? I went back into the story with this in mind and found that of course she was right. While I hadn’t used this approach intentionally,  it was woven into every page.

Then, while sharing WILLOW AND BUNNY at a book launch event at Harvey’s Tales in Geneva, I made yet another surprising discovery. Looking out at the people gathered that day – my parents, my husband, my sister, my dearest friends – I realized that I was Bunny in a room filled with Willows. That realization floored me and led me to something that I have been exploring in school visits. Sometimes we are Bunny, and sometimes we are Willow. We all need protection at times, and sometimes, we have the strength and capacity to give it.  

Me: Oh my goodness.  I love that.  You have had two picture books published and a pending chapter book series at this point.  What does your writing process look like?

Anitra: My writing process is a lot like knitting. When a new idea arrives, like my forthcoming chapter book series STARLIN, it presents like a short, bright segment of yarn. I give it a pull. Does it come easy and smooth? If so, I pull and loop, pull and loop. Soon, I look down and review what I have. If something interesting is taking shape, I keep after it. For me, the best time of day to write is between 5 and 6 a.m. Truthfully, I’m not awake at this hour, and I certainly haven’t yet thought of the demands of the day (and my family!), so my brain doesn’t filter things out. The words can flow. Once I have a draft, I share it with different sets of critique partners. I have three unofficial groups, so they each read it at different phases of completion. My writing friends have told me that I approach revision with a bit of fearlessness; it’s not unusual for me to start a brand-new draft that carries over very little from the original. I suppose it’s because I like imagining what else an idea can be. What do I have to lose, by trying something new? It’s an exciting part of the process for me.

Me: Wow! That is fearless!  The illustrations by Christopher Denise are absolutely gorgeous.  I can’t believe he rendered all of that digitally.  The entire book looks like watercolor paintings!  Were there any illustration surprises for you?  Any favorites?

Anitra: The art in WILLOW AND BUNNY is so luminous and riveting – I can scarcely believe it’s real. The scale of Willow was a great, glorious surprise to me. The breadth of her trunk is so massive. I absolutely love this choice. It gives her a permanence and strength so fitting of her character. When you open the cover all the way up, and lay it flat, you can really take it all in. That is because Christopher has illustrated her both in the daylight (on the cover) and in the starlight (on the back) in one connected piece. It is a showstopper – completely unforgettable.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers?

Anitra: The advice I’d love to share won’t be new to most writers – but it might hold a few reminders!

1) Read every picture book you can get your hands on. Go to the library weekly and fill your bag with books. If you love picture books (of course, you do!), this will be a blast. Be voracious in your consumption, and you will learn so much.

2) Listen to The Children’s Book Podcast! Each episode is filled with rich, nuanced information from people who have been on the journey. I cannot more highly recommend it. 

3) Join SCBWI and look for opportunities to attend workshops and conferences in your region. Meet other creatives and ask them if they are looking for critique partners. Take advantage of opportunities to get your work professionally critiqued.

4) When an idea strikes you, nurture it! Commit yourself to getting it down and sharing it, even if it’s raw and underdeveloped. Find out why you need it to be, and give it every chance to evolve and grow. 

5) Rinse and repeat. If you start moving toward these things and it feels right, keep going!

That is great advice Anitra.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today.

But wait, dear readers!  There’s more!  Anitra has decided to offer one signed copy to a lucky winner (US residents only).  You can enter the rafflecopter here.  Good luck!