Did you know that in Kentucky in the 1930s there was a very unique job posting for women? Yes, a horseback librarian!

Lauren H. Kerstein is a children’s book author and psychotherapist with a passion for reading, writing, and spending time in libraries and bookstores. She is also a nationally recognized speaker and has written posts for numerous blogs about writing and education. Lauren currently resides in Colorado with her family. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

HOPE RODE is a lyrical picture book based on a true story. After the Great Depression, school, literacy, and employment opportunities dwindled in Kentucky. A program was developed using just women librarians who would ride on horseback and take books (or magazines!) out into the rural communities. This book explores what that must’ve looked like for these women who worked all alone in some of the most challenging circumstances year round. It’s a gorgeous ode to librarians everywhere, but especially to these women who fought to improve the circumstances of their community. This is a beautiful picture book that I nearly missed and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Welcome Lauren!

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?

Lauren: From prancing around a tree in my front yard in Suffern, NY, singing stories I made up to writing poetry in high school and college, I’ve been on a storytelling and writing journey since I was a wee one. I was always fascinated by characters, the power of words, and the ways in which I could access emotion through writing. I began writing picture books about fifteen years ago. A character named Addie Klein (who still hasn’t made her way into the world) leapt into my head and has been living there rent-free ever since.

In many ways, HOPE RODE is the culmination of all of those years of storytelling and writing poetry. The moment I heard about this incredible program, I knew I needed to share it with children in the form of a picture book.

Me: The way you’ve written this story is so touching. It’s almost as if you knew these women and the individual journeys they were on. What gave you the idea to write this story as a picture book?

Lauren: Thank you. I devoured everything I could find about this topic, including listening to recordings of an actual packhorse librarian. Every time I sat down to write, I felt like I was there with these remarkable women. The idea came from Jojo Moyes’ adult novel— THE GIVER OF STARS. At the end of the book, she had a small paragraph that talked about how this fictional book was actually based upon a real program. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of the program before and was determined to share this story with the world.

Me: This seems to be your first foray into nonfiction picture books, yet this is a brilliantly written approach to telling this story with such few words. How many drafts did it really take to get to this final state? How long did it take from first idea to final published book?

Lauren: I’ve written quite a few nonfiction picture books, but this is the first one that has been published. I must give credit to editor Esther Hernandez (Cajahuaringa). The original story was told in first person POV through the eyes of the horse. Esther challenged me to write it in third person and as a lyrical ode. What an outstanding idea! This book went through approximately nine full rounds of revision, but it was worth it. I wanted the text to be sparse, emotional, and truly honor the impact the packhorse librarians had on the world. I wanted this book to be my love letter to librarians. And I LOVED going back to my poetry roots to write lyrically. It didn’t hurt that I adore writing with lyrical devices and stretching as far as I can in order to make the text sing.

Me: Can you tell us a bit about your research process for this book? I saw quite a few books and interviews mentioned in the back matter. How long did it take you to research all the different facts and tidbits that went into this story? Any favorite discoveries or research methods?

Lauren: Oh, how I love research, and I particularly loved researching for this book. There wasn’t a rabbit hole I didn’t slide into in the roughly four years I spent interviewing, writing, researching, writing, revising, interviewing, revising, etc. I researched before writing the book, throughout the writing process, each time I revised, and after it sold. Here are the tools I used:

• I kept a research chart on which I wrote the source, excerpts, references, and ideas that popped into my head for the text.
• I created “word banks” on which I kept track of vocabulary that would be important to the story/ character/ setting/ historical context/ voice/ tone, etc..
• I made a graphic in order to better understand the historical context. And I interviewed people who knew a lot about Kentucky, the packhorse library program, the involvement/inclusion of the BIPoC community, and those who had written their own books and articles about this subject. It was a fascinating, enriching, wonderful experience. My favorite discovery was how willing everyone was to chat with me (often more than once) and answer my millions of questions.

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

Lauren: The most surprising (and disheartening) part of the process was discovering just how difficult it was to obtain information about whether or not the BIPoC community was included in the program. But I kept digging and digging until I found answers. You can read more about this and the difficult decisions I had to make regarding representation in the backmatter of the book and in my post for NF Fest.

Me: Becca Stadtlander’s illustrations in this book are beautiful. That sun peeking over the horizon full of those warm colors? GORGEOUS! Do you have any illustration surprises? Any favorites?

Lauren: OH MY! I was blown away by Becca’s illustrations. They are STUNNING! The sun peeking over the horizon is definitely my favorite. I think my second favorite is the scene in which Becca brought imagination, reading, and books to life. WOW! In terms of surprises… the landscape was really its own character, and I was amazed by how Becca honored the setting as a character and brought rural Kentucky to life.

Me: Any advice would you give to aspiring picture book writers?

Lauren: Whew! It is tough to be a picture book writer. Heck, it is difficult to be a creator in general right now. The publishing industry is… well, in an interesting place. My advice is the following:

• Know why you want to write.
• Manage your expectations.
• Connect with others in a positive way.
• Cultivate your craft.
• Recognize the things you have control over (your craft) and hold onto it with all of your might.
• Acknowledge the fact that persistence, patience, and perseverance are the pillars on which a writing career is built.
• And finally, remind yourself that rejection is not failure, it is a critical and constant piece of the puzzle.

May you always believe in yourself no matter what happens. If you’re like me, you have characters who are screaming at you to get their stories out. And truly, we have no choice but to listen. As I always say: Feel. Write. Risk!

That is great advice Lauren! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.

Dear readers, this book published last summer. If you haven’t had a chance yet to read it, I highly recommend it. The writing sings, the women endure, the illustrations are beautiful, and librarians are honored. Whew! That’s a lot! But trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it!