Plants and animals are disappearing from our world at alarming rates, BUT have you heard the story of cheetahs returning to India?
Kate Rietema and her husband have five children and live in West Michigan. Kate is passionate about wildlife and feels a special connection with Project Cheetah through her brother who lives in Namibia, Africa―just south of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). She is also a registered nurse, community educator, and speaker. Kate’s first two children’s titles are inspired by her many years as a foster and adoptive mother. She also has published over fifty stories and poems in publications like Highlights Magazine, Cricket Media, The School Magazine, and many more. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
CHEETAHS RETURN TO INDIA is a nonfiction picture book about the extinction of cheetahs in India. BUT this story has a message of hope as the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Africa worked with India to re-introduce African cheetahs to the wild. The book goes into detail about the up’s and down’s of the process but ultimately it’s that message of hope that makes this book stand out on the topic of conservationism. It’s both a fascinating true story and a hope that we CAN turn the tide in these situations.
Welcome Kate!
Me: For those who might not be familiar with your work, can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? How has that brought you to this book?
Kate: I began writing with the interest of becoming a picture book author in 2020. Since then, I’ve found a wonderful agent, published a board book, two picture books with another three under contract, and have written nearly 100 stories and poems for magazines like Highlights, Cricket Media, and The School Magazine. I’ve been involved with writing organizations like Storyteller Academy, 12×12, and SCBWI. I submitted this manuscript for a critique through an SCBWI regional event, and after revision, Sarah Rockett from Tilbury House acquired it. Yay!
Me: What was it about this story that first grabbed you and drew you to write about it?
Kate: My brother lives in Namibia—an African country known as the cheetah capital of the world. A few years ago, he posted a news article on social media about a collaborative plan to reintroduce cheetahs from Africa back into India. (Previously, cheetahs had been regionally extinct in India for 70 years!) I knew this would be groundbreaking work and I had to know more!
Me: Conservation of endangered animals is a subject near and dear to my heart. I love how this story with a real problem has a solution, and despite the darkness around the topic you write about it with hope. What gave you the idea to turn this into a picture book?
Kate: The more I learned about the history of cheetahs, the more I wanted others to know, too. Over the last 120 years, the cheetah population has dropped from an estimated 100,000 cheetahs to fewer than 7,000. Not only that, but these cheetahs are living within only 9% of their historic range. From the first article I read about Project Cheetah, I knew I wanted to write about it.
Me: Can you talk about the research you did for this story? The back matter mentions talking to members of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). Did you travel to India or Africa to research this story? How did you come in contact with the CCF?
Kate: Although I wasn’t able to get to India, I did travel to Africa. Since my brother lives in Namibia, I took two of my daughters with me to visit cousins and research cheetahs. My brother planned a five-day self-guided safari through Etosha National Park where we were lucky enough to spot two different pairs of wild cheetahs. Our trip ended with a visit to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a world-renowned research and educational organization whose mission is the conservation of cheetahs and their ecosystems. I had emailed the director prior to our trip, letting her know about my book and the dates we’d be visiting. The director surprised us with an in-depth tour of the facilities and dinner with the head cheetah keeper. It was amazing!
Additionally, I gathered information from news articles, newsletters, videos, observing cheetahs in the wild, and speaking with primary sources including Dr. Laurie Marker, who is considered the world’s leading expert on cheetahs; Lea Petersen, head cheetah keeper at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia; and Eli Walker, who photographed and monitored the cheetahs upon their release in India.
Me: Wow! What an amazing research experience! What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?
Kate: How hard it is for a perfectionist to write non-fiction! Yikes—that was stressful! I wanted every single bit of information to be accurately represented in text and art. For example, after I received sketches, I had to ask my editor if the spread with the helicopters could be altered to look like IAF Mi-17’s, which was the kind of choppers used to deliver the cheetahs to Kuno National Park. It’s likely that no one reading the story would know the difference, but it mattered to me. Another thing that was tricky was that my research was happening in real time—the story was still unfolding as I was writing about it. In fact, my agent submitted this manuscript to Tilbury House before Aasha had her cubs—so it wasn’t until after the book was acquired that I added the spread about her litter. Then, after final edits were complete, I learned the sad news of Pavan’s death. Although we couldn’t add his death into the story, we did include it in a timeline as part of the backmatter.
Me: Oof! And what heartbreaking news too (yet I’m glad you added it to the back matter). The illustrations by Ash Roy are also amazing. Every page looks like a painting! Any favorite illustrations? Any illustration surprises?
Kate: I love the variation of colors throughout the book. My favorite spread is early in the story when we learn about the cheetahs becoming regionally extinct in India. In that spread, the setting sun feels like a symbolic goodbye to this beautiful species. I recently exchanged a couple messages with Ash, congratulating them on our release week, and I asked about their art. I was specifically interested in the cover design—which I love. Ash said they initially sent in a version of the cover as a potential endpaper idea, but that the editor and art designer wanted to develop it into the cover. I thought that was a fun bit of insider information!
Me: And I love that cover! Great choice! Any advice for new picture book writers?
Kate: Write a lot and submit a lot. Reframe your perspective on rejection. In my first year of writing, I made a goal to earn 100 magazine rejections. This allowed me to view rejections in a positive light—every rejection brought me closer to my goal. I had no idea if any of my pieces would be published, but of course, many were! This business involves a lot “No’s” so get comfortable with hearing them. When a “no” comes in, review your story, make changes if needed, and find another opportunity to send it out!
That is great advice Kate. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.
Dear readers, this book published just this week. If you haven’t had a chance yet to track it down, I highly recommend it. This isn’t ancient history, but current events! As Kate said, it’s incredibly difficult to write about a subject in a factual matter that keeps changing, yet she succeeded very well and did so with positivity. WOW! Trust me when I say, this is one you won’t want to miss.