Is it just me, or are fainting goats inherently funny?  How about if you add a nervous turkey to the mix?  This just seems to be a mix for comedy gold.

Kim A. Larson grew up surrounded by every imaginable farm animal—except fainting goats. Her grandchildren introduced her to these skittish creatures, and she knew she had to write about them. Goat’s Boat Won’t Float is her debut picture book, the first in the Goat & Turkey series. Her second book, Doll Trouble, will be released in 2025 (Clavis Publishing). In 2021, Kim won the Ann Whitford Paul Award for most promising picture book manuscript. She was a #PBParty finalist in 2022 and 2023. When she’s not reading or writing, you may find Kim gardening or playing her favorite game Sequence. She and her husband live in Moorhead, Minnesota.  You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Bluesky.

GOAT’S BOAT WON’T FLOAT is a story of two friends. Goat (a fainting goat) is easily overstimulated.  Turkey is as nervous as they come.  Combine these two characters and you’ve got a very funny combination.  What a wonderful picture book debut for Kim Larson!  And the characters are brought to glorious life by Gozde Eyce’s illustrations.  Trust me when I say that this is a book you won’t want to miss.

Welcome Kim!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey?  How has that brought you to writing this picture book?

Kim: I wrote as a hobby for many years (but very poorly). Then in 2010, I was laid off after a 23-year career in mortgage lending. It had always been my dream to write full-time, and with our two sons almost grown, my husband gave me his blessing. I took three creative writing classes at the same college my son attended, then I started a critique group that met in my home for many years. I published a dozen short stories and poems in regional anthologies while writing a few picture books. However, it wasn’t until I stumbled onto a local SCBWI writing group in 2018 that I switched to writing for children exclusively.

Me: I love the idea of a fainting goat as a main character!  And that he’s friends with a turkey?  What in the world gave you the idea for this story?

Kim: My grandchildren’s fainting goats inspired the main character, and I fell in love with these quirky creatures. Like my grandchildren, I grew up on a farm, and I’m drawn to stories with anthropomorphic animals. The story itself, though, was inspired after watching an SCBWI webinar by Ann Ingalls in 2020 on how to write an early reader. I learned that most early readers use sight words, which are common words kids recognize without sounding them out. On the kindergarten list was the word “goat,” and I knew I had my main character.

I had already written a picture book about a fainting goat who was a private investigator. I just recycled that character. Turkey is also on the kindergarten word list, and she appeared with Goat in my other story, so I recycled her too. I thought the duo made a good pair of opposites. 

Me: They do!  And I love the phonics word play in the title.  I loved finding all the OA words throughout the book as well.  Was this intentional?  Is it something you might use for school visits or educational handouts?

Kim: It was intentional in that all those OA words are on the word list for kindergarten and first-grade reading levels. I made a point to restrict my words to those lists. I plan to highlight the rhyming words when I do school visits, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the children respond. My publisher created an educational resource for this book that can be found on my website.

Me: I love how the tension is present at the very beginning of the story and just amps up with chaos all along the way.  It’s incredible how you keep that pace up all throughout the story.  Was this always included or did it come about during revisions?  Were there a lot of revisions for this story?

Kim: Thank you, Jena! In the first draft, Goat’s sidekick was Toad. I just liked the assonance of the words. But my critique partners suggested the animals be similar in size for illustration reasons. So, I went back to my WORD BOOK and found turkey on the kindergarten sight word list, too. (She is in my other goat story, too, and just as excitable.) Now I had my duo of opposites and characters I already knew well. This combination naturally lent itself to a fast pace with comical results.

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

Kim: Possibly, what surprised me the most was how much fun I had writing for early readers. The word lists restricted my choice of words, but they also provided fodder for plot ideas. There are a lot of fun words on these lists. The other stories in this series sequels involve a quiet surprise party and an undercover clown performance. Having established the relationship in the first book, I could have even more fun with the next two.

Me: The illustrations by Gozde Eyce are perfect.  I love the color palette and how she rendered the characters.  Were there any illustration surprises for you?

Kim: I love the color palette and characters, too! While Gozde was working on the illustrations, I was updating my website to look more like a children’s author. When I finally saw her illustrations, I was so pleased they were in a similar style to my new website. I love watercolor and a fairy-tale feel, so I appreciate her style.

Me: Any advice for other aspiring picture book writers? 

Kim: Be patient and learn all that you can. For me, writing picture books has been a steep learning curve, and it seems to never end, Lol. Now that I’m published, there is so much more to learn. Yet I always remind myself to enjoy the journey.

That is so true. Thank you for stopping by my blog today Kim.

But wait, dear readers, there’s more!  Kim’s publisher, The Little Press, has agreed to giveaway one copy of her book (continental US contestants only).  You can enter the rafflecopter here.  Good luck!