Today’s picture book tells the true story of an endangered Amur tiger and how zookeepers found a way to keep her alive.

Debra Kim Wolf is a land conservation attorney (under her married name Debra Wolf Goldstein), author, songwriter, and tree hugger. She was vice president of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park Commission for over a decade and cofounded the Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival. She also directs the nonprofit One Little Earth, which supports outdoor programs, films, and books that instill a love of nature in young people. Debra received the “Woman of Lifetime Achievement in Conservation” award from the statewide group, PennFuture. Her favorite childhood toy was Toby, a stuffed tiger cub. You can learn more about her at her website.

A FAMILY FOR ZOYA is a picture book all about the true story of one very special Amur tiger cub named Zoya. Her mother rejects her as a cub and zookeepers try to save her life. They heard of a tiger mother who has just given birth to three cubs of her own in another zoo, but she’s a different species. They bundle up little Zoya and sneak her in with the new cubs. Will this ploy work? Each page weaves facts about the dire circumstances Amur tigers are facing. Readers can even learn how the Tiger Conservation Campaign and Tiger Species Survival Plan® contribute to the species future. Even more astonishing, 100% of the proceeds of the sale of this book are being donated by the author to the Tiger Conservation Campaign.

Welcome Debra!

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? 

Debra: As a land conservation attorney, I’ve written numerous legal articles and publications on environmental topics. And just for fun, I wrote travel articles for local newspapers and had a stint as a magazine columnist. I also love writing lyrics and won a number of songwriting awards. But A Family for Zoya is my first book and my first foray into writing for children.

Me: What was it about Zoya’s story that first grabbed you and drew you to write about it? 

Debra: I was visiting the Philadelphia Zoo when I first heard about little Zoya, a rare Amur tiger cub who was the only survivor of her litter and who’d been rejected by her mother. Luckily, the zookeepers found Zoya a new loving, family in a zoo across the country, and she went on to become the first cub ever to be adopted by a different subspecies of tiger. I thought that Zoya’s true journey would interest and inspire kids. And it didn’t hurt that the photos of Zoya and her new family were incredibly cute!  Then I had to do the hard work of learning how to write the best book I could, by joining SCBWI, taking webinars, and finding a good PB critique group.

Me: Conservation of endangered animals is a subject near and dear to my heart. Why share this particular story with young readers?

Debra: Children today are exposed to tons of “eco-anxiety”-producing information. That may make them feel pessimistic about the future of our planet. So when I learned about Zoya, an adorable, critically endangered cub who was adopted by another tiger family, and about the three American zoos that cooperated to save her against all odds, I thought this was an inspiring story that really should be shared with kids. It’s a positive example about how caring people can make a difference. And finally, I think it’s important to have stories out there that show zoos in a good light. Zoo staff and scientists are dedicated and underappreciated.

Me: I love the tons of facts you include all throughout the story. Can you talk about the research you did for this story? Any new favorite discoveries?

Debra: There’s endless information out there about tigers. For the sidebars and back matter, I tried to identify facts that a kid might not know but would think are pretty cool.  Like the fact that tiger urine (I’ve been told!) smells like buttered popcorn. Or that a tiger’s skin is striped under its fur!

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

Debra:  I started out thinking this was mainly a STEM story about genetic diversity among tigers.  But about seven revisions in, I uncovered deeper themes about adoption and family. I’ve had people tell me at book signings that their foster children love the book because it highlights acceptance within a found family. That emotional aspect of the story adds a richer layer.

Me: The illustrations by Annalisa and Marina Durante are wonderful. Every page looks like a painting! Any favorite illustrations? Any illustration surprises? 

Debra: I originally envisioned that the story would be illustrated with photographs (the photographers offered to let me use their pics of Zoya and her family because I’m donating all author profits to the Tiger Conservation Campaign). But the publisher decided to use photos only in the back matter and on the back cover—and that certainly turned out to be the right decision! As you said, the Durante sisters’ work manages to be both majestic, charming, and realistic.  They’re medical illustrators in their “real lives,” and that attention to detail really paid off here.

All the illustrations are wonderful, but my favorite may be the one of baby Zoya wrapped in her blue fuzzy blanket.  The publisher actually made stickers out of that illustration, which I give out as swag at book signings.

Me: Any advice for new picture book writers?

Debra: Write the story that only YOU can tell!  And get as many eyes on your manuscript as possible, including paying for a professional editor if you can (it’s not as expensive as you might think).

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

Dear readers, this book was published in July. If you’re a fan of true animal stories with happy endings (especially ones involving conservation efforts), this is a book you won’t want to miss. Kids love a story like this and the facts will appeal to all animal lovers.