I absolutely love it when someone brings a whole new take on something we all know so very well.  That is definitely today’s picture book.

Wendelin Van Draanen is the acclaimed author of more than thirty novels. Her novels for teens include Flipped, The Running Dream, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award; Wild Bird; Confessions of a Serial Kisser; and Runaway. Her books for younger readers include the eighteen-book Sammy Keyes mystery series, winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award; The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, winner of the Josette Frank Award; and Swear to Howdy. Van Draanen lives in California with her husband.  You can learn more at her website or follow her on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

GRAVITY IS BRINGING ME DOWN is the story of Leda who is having a very bad day because gravity keeps picking on her.  We never see gravity as a character in the book.  Instead we learn all about Leda who loves space, planets, and museums.  So when she’s clumsy, she naturally blames gravity.  What a brilliant idea!  This book is both funny and cleverly informative.  And the illustrations by Corneila Li are gorgeous!  I can so relate to little Leda and I’m betting lots of young readers can too.

Welcome Wendelin!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey?  When did you start writing stories?  What brought you to this book?

Wendelin: It was a rather long and convoluted path out of tragic events that led me quite unexpectedly to the magical land of children’s books.  I was not someone who loved writing in school, but I turned to it as a way to deal with some shattering things that happened in my life and discovered how therapeutic “catching a bad guy” on fictionalized pages could be. It didn’t take long for my writing to morph from therapy to the joy of fiction, and since I was a classroom teacher, the protagonists in my stories soon became influenced by my students and what they were going through.

Me: I love that.  You have written numerous successful middle grade and YA novels.  Some of them have even been made into movies!  What made you decide to try your hand at picture books?

Wendelin: I was a math teacher and had been playing with the idea for Gravity Is Bringing Me Down for a while, but I think the time wasn’t right for it conceptually until STEM books took off. Writing picture books is a completely different skill set than creating novels or even chapter books, so it was fun to expand my writing chops. And I wanted to contribute something that would make science fun and accessible for kids at a young age because, you know, science rocks! 

Me: I love the concept of this story to teach about gravity and using a sense of humor!  The title alone made me laugh.  What gave you the idea for this story?

Wendelin: Being the mom of two and the teacher of countless more has helped me remember what it’s like to stumble through those growing years. It’s a very sensitive time, one when it’s easy to feel embarrassed by things, or feel bad about doing poorly at something. Growing up’s not easy, and sometimes it feels so random! But all kids go through phases of life pulling them down, so with Gravity I’m saying, it’s not your fault you’re fumbling and stumbling, slipping and tripping—it’s gravity! At least, that’s how I explained it to my kids.

Me: I love the dedication you wrote.  I’m a natural clutz, prone to disaster.  I definitely recognized myself in Leda.  Was she based on anyone you know?  How did you develop her into such a three-dimensional character?

Wendelin: Thanks for that—your “natural clutz, prone to disaster” made me laugh out loud. I think most of us feel like a clutz from time to time, but when we’re little, growth spurts can be confusing and their effect as you learn to adapt can be discouraging. So, yeah, having children of my own was where the idea originated—I could definitely feel their pain—but I’m pretty sure “the clumsies” are universal.

Me: There is a fine balance in this story of fiction and nonfiction.  I love the science concepts that are woven throughout, and yet not explicitly taught.  Brilliantly done!  Was your story always this tightly written?  Did your story go through a lot of revisions to get to this state?

Wendelin: Thank you! Because it wasn’t easy and did go through many iterations. The goal was to make the concept accessible and interesting for young readers and to get them excited or at least curious about science at an early age. This required an intelligent but likeable protagonist and a balance of humor—which I think is the very best way to convey anything—plus scientific learning, which I believe is best explained in a relatable way. Making all of that flow together took a great deal of thought and revision!

Me: Cornelia Li’s illustrations in this book are absolutely wonderful.  I loved the color palette she chose: such bright colors!  Did you have any illustration surprises?  Any favorite illustrations?

Wendelin: She did such a great job of capturing the vibe of the story, and I love how layered and detailed the scenes are. When you pause and really look at the illustrations instead of reading right through, you discover the depth of her work. It’s wonderful!  I particularly love what I call the “cosmic sparkle” she’s added to create movement in the every-day scenes. It’s like the sparkle of a magic wand in full-palette color applied to the power of gravity! 

Me: I agree!  Do you have any future writing projects we can look forward to reading from you?

Wendelin: Yes! I’m very excited that fun and math/science will come together again in the same format when the four friends from Gravity Is Bringing Me Down reunite in I Like Pi. It will also be illustrated by Cornelia and will feature the character Jacob whose birthday is on March 14^th where it threatens to be overshadowed by Pi Day.  I Like Pi will be out in time for Pi Day 2026.

Oh my gosh!  That sounds fantastic.  I can’t wait to read it.  Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today Wendelin.

Dear readers, this book is released into the world today!  Happy book birthday Wendelin and Cornelia!  This is a delightful approach to the STEM topic of gravity with tons of humor thrown in besides.  You will definitely want to check it out.