Today’s picture book is another stunning author debut (and my last interviewplanned for 2024).  What better story to end with than a truly happy ending.

Carol Joy Munro is a children’s book author originally from Connecticut. Springtime Storks is her debut picture book.  You can learn more about her at her website.

SPRINGTIME STORKS is based on a true story, yet beautiful creativity has been used to tell this story from the first person point of view.  Katerina and Luka are mated white storks who are migrating south for the winter when Katerina is shot out of the sky.  There is no pleasant way to say that.  It’s heart breaking to even say.  Humans scoop up Katerina and help her to mend, with Luka refusing to leave her side.  But winter is coming. Katerina urges him to go without her as she cannot make the flight.  Do I spoil a little bit of the story telling you that there is a happy ending?  That much I will say and no more.  You simply must read the book yourself to find out what happens and what the “real story is.  The text is lyrical and emotive.  If you can read this without getting misty-eyed, I’m astonished.  And the illustrations by Chelsea O’Byrne are the icing on the cake. They are lush in textures and patterns, with clever inclusions in the illustrations that made me sit up and take notice.  This is glorious picture book art at its best.

Welcome Carol!

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

Carol: Like so many other picture book creators, I was first drawn to writing for kids when reading picture books to my youngest son. I sparked a conversation with the staff at my library and learned about two critique groups – one just minutes away in the next town over and another about a forty-minute drive north of me, which was worth the travel because it was led by Jane Yolen. After reading a manuscript at Jane’s group and receiving positive feedback from her, I knew one day I’d be published. I just didn’t realize it would take decades! I had been working full time as a writer in the corporate world and spent little time writing for myself, but I attended Jane’s meetings every month and soaked up all the knowledge I could about craft and industry. I began writing in earnest when Julie Hedlund started the 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge. And when I joined Bethany Hegedus’s Courage to Create, my determination soared. I owe my success with SPRINGTIME STORKS to these three women. Julie’s challenge motivated me to write more and build my skills. Jane’s poetic voice inspired me to try writing picture book manuscripts in free verse. And Bethany’s coaching helped my confidence radiate in the query letter I sent to Leonard Marcus and Anita Russo at Astra Publishing House.

Me:  I love that!  And I love this story so much, as well as every single character, from the storks to the humans.  What gave you the idea for this story?

Carol: Scrolling my Facebook feed! A video of Malena and Klepetan, two storks in Croatia, showed up, and after learning about their long distance relationship – she remained in Croatia year round while he migrated to and from South Africa – I began Googling for more info about them. I was so inspired by their story and the man who cared for them for so many years. Eventually, I wrote a poem, then decided it might make a good picture book.

Me: I understand that this story is inspired by real storks.  The back matter you put in your Author’s note really helped to round out the story, as well as the plight of migrating storks.  What made you choose fiction over nonfiction to tell this story?

Carol: It had to be fiction. I wrote the poem in first person from Malena’s point of view. How could I know for sure how she felt and what she thought? I didn’t want to switch to third person because the emotional connection with the reader was much stronger in first person. And neither did I want to actually do the research necessary to write a non-fiction story, especially with a language barrier. I didn’t trust I’d get it all right. Regardless, I still did a lot of research – the birds I mentioned, the seasons, the plants, the amount of work involved to care for Malena and Klepetan, popular names in Croatia in 2016 (I named my characters Katerina and Luka), the poaching of migrating birds along their route, and even Google-mapping the Croatian town to travel the streets to get a sense of the geography. My folder overflows with research!

Me: Your story works incredibly well told from the hurt stork’s point of view.  It’s a brilliant perspective that gets immediate empathy of any reader.  Was that the format from the very first draft of this manuscript?  How many revisions did it take to get to this state?

Carol: The final version in the book is nearly identical to the first draft of my poem. I had changed the birds’ names and added details learned from my research to bring the setting alive. Once the manuscript sold, we nuanced some spots in the text.  

Me:  The illustrations by Chelsea O’Byrne are wonderful.  I love the color palette and those end papers are gorgeous!  Any illustration surprises for you?  Any favorites?

Carol: I was so nervous about seeing the illustrations for the first time. When I write, I see the images play out in my head like a movie, so I had very definite ideas on how the scenes should look on paper. When I saw what Chelsea created, I was so relieved she didn’t do what I had been imagining! Her illustrations are gorgeous and perfect! I love the scene where the people encircle Katerina. Seeing them from Katerina’s perspective lets the reader imagine how it must have felt for her – her pain, her confusion, her fear. I also love the warmth in the scene where the little girl and her grandfather are caring for Katerina, and how dramatically the page turn contrasts that warmth with the cold night of Luka’s departure. 

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

Carol: That it actually sold! I mean, the story starts out with a bang. A literal gunshot! I imagined editors balking from the very first word. But I believed in this story, and a big part of the story is why Katerina can’t migrate with her mate. So instead of leaving the reason vague, I went big with it. BANG!

Me: Ha!  I get it.  Yet that didn’t phase me at all.  Any advice for new picture book writers?

Carol: Find a way to make the stories of your heart marketable. Learn the craft. Learn the industry. Learn what’s selling. Then find multiple hooks for your story that will help agents and editors see why they – and ultimately librarians, teachers, booksellers, and readers – should buy it.

And make a dummy. Know how the text will work on each spread and where your page turns are. It helps you create a story that flows beautifully, so when editors read the manuscript, they’ll easily sense the spreads unfolding.

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

Dear readers, this book was released December 10th.  If you haven’t had a chance yet to read it, you simply must track it down.  The writing sings with heartbreaking clarity and the illustrations are stunning.  Both of these allow the reader to dive right into the story and be swept away.  Trust me when I say this is a book you won’t want to miss.