Today’s picture book is the epitome of one of my favorite quotes (by George Eliot): “It’s never too late to be what you might’ve been.”
Deborah Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and nutritionist who has written many books for children and adults. She was a regular contributor to The New York Times and a home design columnist for Long Island News. Her health, fitness, beauty, travel, and feature stories have appeared widely in many other newspapers and national magazines including Daily News (New York), The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, Self, and Vogue. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.
TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD is a nonfiction picture book about
Welcome Deborah!
Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? When did you start writing picture books? How has that brought you to writing this picture book?
Deborah: My first picture book was more therapy than picture book writing. I was a new mother and I had taken my young daughter to a playdate. She was having such a good time that we went past lunchtime. Hunger and exhaustion are a toxic brew, so on the way home she had a total meltdown. After I managed to put her in for a nap, I called my pediatrician who reassured me that her behavior was totally normal. While she napped I wrote the outline for, THE CHOCOLATE-COVERED-COOKING TANTRUM, my first picture book, still in print. Now, some thirty years later, TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD was published, covering main characters at opposite ends of the age spectrum, yet both share tremendous grit and tenacity.
Me: I love this story of an older woman who is determined to have adventures, no matter what others say. What was it about Barbara Hillary’s amazing story that first grabbed you and made you want to write about it?
Deborah: It’s so unusual to read about an older woman who looked at life with totally wide-eyed wonder, paying no attention to the infirmities of old age, despite surviving breast cancer and lung cancer which left her with only 75% lung capacity. It’s mind-boggling to me that after reaching the North Pole at age 75, she didn’t stop. Four years later, she reached the South Pole. And still, she kept on traveling. And dreaming.
Me: Can you talk about your research for this story? What did that process look like? Did you have to do a lot of research? Any favorite discoveries that weren’t included in the book?
Deborah: I read everything available about Barbara – saw video of her making public appearances – and spoke to her friends. With the word length of a picture book, there are always tidbits you have to leave out, but I hope I’ve included enough to show her spirit.
Me: Ordinarily, picture book writers are told not to focus on stories with older protagonists. Yet that is really where Barbara’s story shines. Why did you want to share her story with younger readers in a picture book?
Deborah: I love stories about people who live with a passion for life at any age, but it’s unusual to find that same passion in someone who left a 55-year long career as a nurse and still had the drive to set difficult goals for herself. I hope that energy resonates with children and the grown-ups around them who read the book with them.
Me: The illustrations by Anastasia Magloire Williams are so lovely. What an incredible color palette for a story like this! Any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?
Deborah: The biggest surprise was that Ana shared my vision for what I hoped the book would look like although we never communicated until after the book was done, when I congratulated her. Favorites? The cover, of course, but also the double-page spread where the guide turns to Barbara and says, Barbara, “You’re standing on top of the world.” We only see the back of her head in that picture – which I think adds so much drama to the emotions which we know are privately going on in her head – before we see her expression of joy when we turn the page.
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?
Deborah: What surprised me was that Barbara had so many interests and followed so many pursuits outside of her career. She was a taxi driver, she started a multi-cultural magazine, she was active in her community in Rockaway, Queens, she grew roses and tomatoes….
Me: You are a writer who has had books published in many different genres. Any advice for new picture book writers?
Deborah: Just keep at it and don’t let rejections get you down. If you’re not failing, you’re not working hard enough.
That is excellent advice Deborah. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.
Dear readers, this book published in October. If you haven’t had a chance yet to read it, I highly recommend tracking down a copy. This is a story that will light a fire within you. “If she can do it, I can too.” Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it!