Today I get to introduce you to a new author, a fantastical picture book, and discuss illustration with one of my favorite illustrators.

Andrew Hacket always dreamed of writing picture books, but never believed it was possible. Then one day he thought, “I could. I should.” So he did (with a lot of hard work). And while he hopes no one swallows acorns as a result of his story, he does hope kids will be inspired to grow kindness in their communities and stand up for themselves―without eating anyone, of course. A second grade teacher, Andrew lives in Holden, Massachusetts with his wife and three children, all of whom are very mighty. You can learn more about him at his website or follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

OLLIE, THE ACORN, & THE MIGHTY IDEA is his debut picture book.  It’s a story about bullying.  No, it’s a story about plants and how they grow.  No, it’s a story about enemies becoming friends.  No, it’s ALL those things and so much more.  This book is an odd nut (see what I did there?) that delights in taking imaginary flights based in scientific fact.  What would happen if you swallowed an acorn and really turned into a tree?  Trust me, I don’t want to say too much about the plot because this is a book you absolutely need to read for yourself.  I haven’t seen anything quite like it.  It’s so creative and the illustrations by Kaz Windness are the perfect companion to such a quirky story.  It’s impossible to pull the text and art apart here!  Which is precisely why I wanted to interview both the author AND the illustrator today.

Welcome Andrew!

Me: Can you talk a little bit about yourself and about your writing journey up to this point?  What brought you to this book?

Andrew: Of course! I am a second-grade teacher and father of three and somehow I manage to squeeze in little moments of writing between it all.  OLLIE, THE ACORN, AND THE MIGHTY IDEA is my debut picture book and I am so excited for it to be out in the world!

It is hard to pinpoint when my writing journey began. I was not a young lover of books or obsessed with writing from a young age, but I have moments and memories that stand out as stepping stones that led me to this path.

The biggest factor in my becoming a children’s author would have to be my connection to children. I feel like I never lost my childlike sense of wonder and from an early age I knew that working with kids was the path for me. This began with working at summer camps, to daycares, and ultimately in my current career as a teacher. Throughout these experiences I have been surrounded by books and unknowingly growing a deep knowledge and appreciation of them.

Many times during these experiences I dreamed and wondered if becoming an author could be a reality for me, but doubt, lack of time, and a lack of knowledge of where to even begin all stopped me from even trying.

Finally, when the pandemic hit, I found myself out of work and home with three young kids. While I was doing an important job of caring for my children, my brain also lacked the mental stimulation that came from teaching. This time away from work finally gave me the time and brain capacity to dive into the kidlit community and educate myself on how to make this dream a reality.

Me: I love that you combined bullying with growing plants (two topics educators see a LOT of).  I never would have thought to combine them in this crazy and fantastical way.  What gave you the idea for this story?

Andrew: This story is the combination of two different ideas.

For a while I had been kicking around the idea of a character named Twig, who would show people all of the things he COULD do as a result of his small size.

Then, one summer day my kids and I were hanging out on the deck and the speculation of what would happen if they swallowed a watermelon seed came up. My mind drifted and I began to wonder what fantastical thing could happen if a different type of seed was swallowed.

I was also reminded of The Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly and inspired to explore how Ollie’s antics could grow in absurdity while also sneaking in a teeny bit of science content.

The focus on gardening beyond the acorn was added during the R&R with the publisher. My magnificent editor, Kayla Tostevin, wanted there to be more of a reason provided for Everett’s bullying of Ollie. The jealousy of his garden is where we landed and the manuscript revisions grew from there. 

Me: I love that you have Ollie imagine himself becoming a tree by swallowing an acorn.  It reminds me of that old urban legend of swallowing gum.  And he doesn’t just imagine becoming one, he really does within the story!  Was that always part of the story?  Or did it come about during revision?  Did this story go through a lot of revisions? 

Andrew: From the beginning Ollie was always going to have a literal transformation. Part of what I LOVE about picture books and working with kids is how no idea is “too much.” Given a little context, children are willing to go along for the ride and enjoy the imagination rather than question it.

The part that was not always a given was how Ollie would react to his bully once he transformed. The teacher and parent in me worried that eating his bully might be pushing it too far. I tried having Ollie swallow the entire sun, leaving the world in darkness and revealing Everett to be afraid of the dark, helping Ollie see him not as a bully, but as another kid with fears and worries. No matter how I tried it, the story wouldn’t quite come together. That’s when my wife finally said to me one day, “You know what needs to happen,” referencing what is now the current ending of the story.

As far as other revisions, we had a few back and forths with the above mentioned R&R, as well as naming and renaming both characters and the book itself before we all agreed on Ollie, Everett, and our current title.

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

Andrew: This story didn’t provide much in the way of surprises for me, but it did offer some valuable learning. Much of the structure and plot of this story remained intact from the first draft. What I learned, however, was the power of revision and the magnificence of good critique groups. While the bones were preexisting, my critique groups challenged me to make it even better and provided thoughtful questions to guide me in the right direction.

This being my first sold manuscript, I also learned to not get too wedded to the submitted manuscript. Even after significant revision on my own and with my critique group and agent, there was even more revision to come with my editor. I now keep a much more open mind when sending manuscripts out on submission.

Me: The illustrations by Kaz Windness are perfect.  I loved the style she brought to this imaginative story.  Were there any illustration surprises for you?  Any favorites?

Andrew: Learning that Kaz was on board to illustrate this story was probably one of the most exciting parts of the entire process. I was in love with her style from the tiny peeks of her artwork I had spied online and that admiration has only grown as I saw Ollie come to life.

The inclusion of the cat and the dog characters were completely of Kaz’ creation and I love how their expressions add to the story. Another surprise for me was the cutaway style, allowing us to see what was going on inside of Ollie’s belly.

There are so many spreads that I am in love with, but if I had to choose one it would be the two page vertical spread of Ollie as the tree monster. It was something I had put in the art notes and crossed my fingers would make it into the book. The way Kaz imagined it and pulled it off though was beyond what I could have hoped for.  Just perfection!

Q: I had no idea that the initials of the boys’ names stood for trees until I saw the carving on the tree at the end in the illustration.  Did you do that intentionally?  Was there an art note for that or was that Kaz at work?  Why an OAK and an ELM tree specifically?

Andrew: I decided on the boys’ initials way back in my brainstorming phase. OAK was an easy choice because of the importance of the acorn in the story. I then searched for what other 3-letter trees existed and went from there. While there were several options, I think I landed on ELM, as it is a common tree around where I live.  After that came the name brainstorming. Originally, I had Oliver and Eli. Those names switched several times and in the end we landing on Ollie and Everett.

The inclusion of the initials on the last spread was an art note. I originally pictured the names carved into the tree, but we thought perhaps we didn’t want to promote that and instead went with a bit of paint.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers?

Andrew: My go-to advice for new picture book writers is almost always to find their people. They should build their network of other writers, find critique groups, and engage with the community. It is such a warm place to be and there is so much knowledge to be gained from its incredibly generous members.

I’ll add a second bit of advice which I learned through writing Ollie and that is not to place self-imposed limits on what is or isn’t acceptable in your book. Push the limits of absurdity or write about an uncomfortable topic. I think Ollie made it to publication because it was uniquely absurd. Editors and agents see so many manuscripts and perhaps that unique topic or limit pushing will be the thing that sets your work apart from everyone else’s.

That’s great advice Andrew.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today.

But wait, dear readers, there’s more!  As promised, I also interviewed the illustrator.

Kaz Windness has visited my blog several times. When she’s not writing or illustrating books, Kaz teaches illustration at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design and enjoys making deep-dish pizza. Kaz lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, two children, and Boston terrier. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.

Welcome back Kaz!

Me: This is such an interesting book.  It’s a quirky approach to bullying AND plants.  You were the perfect illustrator for this imaginative story!  What made you decide to take on this illustration project?

Kaz: On first read, I thought, “This is the weirdest book I’ve ever read; I love it!” It’s not often a publisher takes a risk on a book with such a wild premise as a child turning into a tree monster and eating their bully. Right away, I could imagine all the fun I’d have drawing the tree monster transformation, as well as the lush and painterly opportunities of illustrating a garden setting. I also recognized the underlying social emotional learning message of dealing with bullying and conflict resolution. It’s not just a fun book, it’s a meaningful one. These topics are for sure in my wheelhouse.

Me: I love the cat and dog characters who have their own reactions to everything going on in the story (from disgust to worry).  Was it your idea to include those characters?  Why did you decide to do that with a story that was already a fantasy?

Kaz: Yes, I decided early on that Ollie and Everett each needed pets as a way of showing a more developed world. I wanted the audience to know how to feel about something like a child eating acorns, dirt, and taking a bite out of the sun. The wary and sometimes grossed-out cat (I call her Magnolia) helps build emotional tension and tips off the reader that maybe turning into a tree monster is not the best solution. I also love that the dog (I call him Barkley) has wanted to be friends with the cat from the beginning. Subconsciously, we know that Everett wants this, too. Animals add warmth, humor, and story to the narrative, and I love drawing animals more than anything else, as you already know. 

Me: I have to know: the O.A.K. and E.L.M. initials on the tree at the end!  Were those your idea or was there an art note about that?  I didn’t even catch the fact that their names stood for trees!

Kaz: The initials are all Andrew Hacket’s cleverness. He gave the full names to Ollie and Everett and included an art note about the initials on the tree at the end. I didn’t catch it right away either. It’s fun to discover all those new hidden details with each re-read.  

In art direction, our team decided they did not want initials carved into a tree (this does harm a tree), and so we did a lot of back and forth to make sure the initials looked realistically painted on.

Me: Is this the first book that you have only illustrated (not also written)?  If yes, was it a nice change of pace?  Or was it a challenge when you weren’t also writing the story?

Kaz: This is the first traditionally published book I have illustrated and not written, but I did illustrate two author-published books early in my career. My education and expertise are in illustration, and writing has always been more challenging for me, even if the art is more time and labor.

I was happy to have someone else doing the word-smithing, and Andrew words are a dream to illustrate. I see stories playing like a movie in my mind and I enjoyed bringing his words to life in illustration. I also loved working with a fabulous art director in Katie Beasley. The Page Street team let me spread my wings (branches?) creatively, and so I was able to try a more painterly approach to the illustrations as well as incorporate hand-lettering throughout.

Publishers like to keep the writer and illustrator apart during the illustration process– a practice I whole-heartedly support– but I’ve since been able to hang out with Andy, and he is THE BEST. I love that we are sharing this story with the world together. Creative collaboration is something I love, and I’m so grateful to have illustrated Andy’s awesome story. 10/10, would do again. 

Me: Was the editing process for just your art work any different than before?  Did you have to do any revisions at all or make any major changes to illustrations?

Kaz: The process was just like illustrating my own text, with one big difference: the words didn’t change. When I’m doing the rough and then tight sketches of my own written work, my art director, editor, and I will notice where the illustrations are duplicating the text or vice-versa, and we are editing as we go. We might even remove two or more pages of text to make room for a visual moment. We don’t really “lock” the text until I’m almost done illustrating, and even then, we make small tweaks.

We had a couple bigger changes with the OLLIE illustrations, but that was moving around text and incorporating more spot illustrations to make room for big visual moments like the tree monster spread and the “BURP!” spread.

The page count was another thing I couldn’t change with OLLIE, so we had to be creative about the use of space. I really enjoyed painting the printed end papers—something I hadn’t done before. 

Me: What is one thing that surprised you in illustrating this story?

Kaz: A looser illustration style is not an easier style. I challenged myself to use a more painterly approach for OLLIE, as opposed to something like the Bitsy Bat series that has a lot of tight detail and buildup of texture. I limited myself to a couple digital brushes, and it was tricky to get the right amount of detail to be readable but not so much that it lost the painterly approach. I had to redo or deeply edit a lot of the work to get that balance. I love how it turned out, but I thought it would be faster, too, and I was wrong.

Me: What future projects can we look forward to from you? 

Kaz: “Ollie, the Acorn, and the Mighty Idea” is the first of three new books I have out this spring. Look for WHEN YOU LOVE A BOOK written by me and brilliantly illustrated by my dear friend, Heather Brockman-Lee on May 7^th. I also have a new early reader called GO! GO! DINO! out on May 21^st.

I’m just now finishing up the illustrations for the second Bitsy Bat book, BITSY BAT, TEAM STAR, and writing the third Bitsy book, as well as working on several other fun projects. More to come from Kaz Windness!  Follow me on your favorite social media for updates.

That’s wonderful Kaz.  I can’t wait to read those!  Thank you for stopping by my blog again.

Dear readers, if you haven’t yet had a chance to check out OLLIE, THE ACORN, AND THE MIGHT IDEA hurry to your bookstore or library today.  This isn’t a book you will want to miss.  It’s incredibly imaginative in its absurdity, while remaining heartfelt AND containing STEM information.  It’s hard to believe one book could do all that, but it does!  Make sure you check it out.