Burrowing Owls do in fact live underground, but did you know that they’re also endangered?

Today is a special treat. We get to talk to the author AND illustrator of a brand new nonfiction series. If you’re not familiar with their work in the West Coast Wild series, you’re missing out! And now they’ve started work together on a new series: Wild by Nature.

Deborah Hodge is the author of more than thirty-five books for children. Her awards include the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada’s Information Book Award, the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature and the Honor Book distinction for the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s Literature. Her work has also been featured on such lists as ALA’s Top Ten Best Environmental Books for Youth. Deborah is a former teacher and curriculum writer who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram, BlueSky, or Facebook.

Karen Reczuch has illustrated many award-winning children’s books. Loon by Susan Vande Griek won the TD Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-fiction, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Picture Book Award and the Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada’s Information Book Award. Karen’s other books include West Coast Wild, also the winner of the Information Book Award, and three more titles in the West Coast Wild series, by Deborah Hodge. Karen lives in Porters Lake, Nova Scotia. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.

THE BURROWING OWLS OF THE PRAIRIE GRASSLANDS is a nonfiction picture book published by Groundwood books in Canada. It is the second book in their Wild by Nature series which strives to explore the “unique links between ecologically sensitive species and their habitats” while encouraging the preservation of the world’s wild places. What an incredible goal! And what better way to accomplish it than with this series. Deborah’s writing really captures the reader’s attention, and Karen’s illustrations bring the animals to brilliant life. These are definitely species to protect and preserve. In Canada, burrowing owls are greatly endangered by severe population declines and loss of habitats. Everyone involved in this project is determined to reverse a possible extinction and the passion for that cause just steams off the pages in the best possible ways.

Welcome Deborah and Karen!

Me: You have both worked together on four picture books (and some companion board books) for the West Coast Wild series. You are currently working on the new series, Wild by Nature, together as well. Ordinarily authors and illustrators don’t meet or work together. Yet you have met in person for research together for your books (more than once it sounds like). What clicked for each of you that made you want to work together (and continue to do so)? How did it progress into this newest collaboration?

Deborah: Thank you, Jena, for inviting us to be interviewed. We appreciate it very much!

Karen and I have had a wonderful, long collaboration on our nature books. We first met more than a decade ago after I had written a manuscript for West Coast Wild: A Nature Alphabet, which is set on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Karen flew to Vancouver from her home in Ontario and we took a trip to the area together so she could do her research for the illustrations in the book. We had never met before, but we hit it off instantly and spent the bulk of a week exploring the wild west coast, snapping photos and sharing a cabin on the ocean. We have since taken multiple research trips together, but always after I have written the manuscript. For our newest collaboration, The Burrowing Owls of the Prairie Grasslands, Karen and I travelled to the south Okanagan region of BC to visit the world’s largest burrowing owl breeding facility in the world.

Karen: It’s true that it’s rare for authors and illustrators to work so closely together, and Deborah is the only author I have ever worked with on more than one book. When the first West Coast Wild manuscript was offered to me, I made it a condition that I travel to Vancouver Island; I couldn’t imagine doing the story justice never having seen the west coast. Deborah agreed to be my guide – and so began our partnership! Deborah’s writing and enthusiasm for the material launch me into the subject – and trust and respect for each other’s work allow us to explore further together.

Me: For your first book together, nothing existed until after your trip together, correct? Since then how have your books taken form? Do the words come before the illustrations or vice versa? Do you collaborate in tandem on both? Has this been the case for every one of the picture books you’ve collaborated on for Groundwood?

Deborah: I always write the manuscript first, and do my own extensive research on a topic. Once the manuscript is accepted as final, it is sent to Karen who begins the art. It is often at this stage that we have taken research trips together, to jointly see and experience a place or species. As Karen’s art moves through the stages of thumbnails, to preliminary sketches, to final art, it is kindly sent to me to look at, but Karen works closely with the Groundwood team of our editor, the art director and the designer. I tend to work only with our editor. So it isn’t a typical collaboration where we go back and forth between us throughout the process. We mainly do our own work, rather than collaborate at every stage.

Karen:  Even though it isn’t a back-and-forth process, Deborah’s words are the foundation I build on and her comments are always helpful. I’m always conscious that a picture book is the fruit of a partnership, and I consistently come back to the text for my vision.

Me: You both share an obvious love of nature, as seen in these books and in other projects you have each done on your own. Who came up with the idea for this new series that focuses on “ecologically sensitive species and habitats and encourages the preservation of the world’s wild places”? How did you pick which species to focus on (i.e., tufted puffins and burrowing owls)?

Deborah: It is true that we both love nature and spending a lot of time outside in wild places. We feel so fortunate to share this! The new “Wild by Nature” series came about over time after I’d written the manuscript for “The Tufted Puffins of Triangle Island.” (I’d been intrigued by these gorgeous birds and the remote place where they came ashore each spring to lay eggs and raise their babies.) I thought kids would find them fascinating, too! There were a number of discussions between my editor, Emma Sakamoto; Groundwood’s publisher, Karen Li; and myself. We realized that a series for young readers that featured ecologically challenged creatures and habitats was a timely topic for today. However, we did not want to present a “doom and gloom” approach, but rather offer children some hope for the conservation of these incredible wild species and places. The burrowing owls are endangered, sadly, but many people are working hard to preserve the species. This was encouraging to learn and made the owls a natural choice for the second book in the series. Also, I was sure kids would be delighted by these tiny little owls that live underground!

Karen: The idea was all Deborah’s! I’m delighted to be along for the ride – and the introduction to the wonderful creatures and their habitats.

Me: Karen, I saw a blog entry that mentioned you worked in archaeological illustration. How did you jump from that to children’s illustration? Have you always worked with traditional watercolor?

Karen: The archaeological illustration is something I came to late, after more than a decade of working in publishing.  A professor friend came through my studio in Ontario and remarked that I had an eye for detail. He was opening a new dig and needed an illustrator and suggested I might want to try my hand. I spent three weeks on the site in Turkiye in 2008 and was hooked. Book illustration is less technical, but still needs accurate observation, so I was well suited to drawing artifacts. I returned to the dig several times over a decade.

As to media – I have worked mostly in watercolour with a few exceptions, but for my earlier books I drew in pencil and then “coloured” my drawings. As I gained confidence I was able to use pencil less, although I do sometimes tighten up details with coloured pencil.

Me:  Deborah, these books are a little bit longer than your previous picture books. Yet with all of the facts that you are cramming in, they’re still wonderfully written in such a way that fascinates the reader. How many drafts does it take you to get to this final state? Were there a lot of revisions of the latest book? Or since you already wrote the first one for the series, was there a format to follow?

Deborah: Thank you for your kind words, Jena! I adore writing for children of this age and always try to remember (from my years of being a primary school teacher) what they will be most interested in. I love the challenge of using few words to explain big thoughts. As far as number of drafts and revisions, I tend to revise each sentence and paragraph as I write. It makes me a slow writer in many ways, but by the time I send a manuscript to my editor, there is often very little for me to revise – usually only a few small points. Each book presents its own challenges, so even if one follows another in the series, it still takes as much work and thinking as the first book in spite of the fact that the format may be set in place.

Me: These books are absolutely fantastic. They bring your finest skills together in such a glorious way. They speak to the true achievement any collaboration between a writer and an illustrator can bring. What would you say to other authors and/or illustrators who are looking to collaborate together? Is it worth working closely? Or would you recommend distance for more artistic freedom?

Deborah: We really appreciate your kind words! Karen is a spectacularly talented illustrator and her art makes these books fantastic! I think that one of the reasons we work well together is that neither of us is directing the other person or telling her what to write or draw. We work on our own for most of the time, but get together to research a place or its flora and fauna, and we chat a lot! It’s not the kind of collaboration where we sit in a room together working simultaneously. I think there can often be a risk when one person tries to fashion the book to their own vision without considering the other person’s vision – and that is why the editor in most cases is the conduit between author and illustrator. But so far, I think we’ve been pretty respectful of each other’s process. We have loved combining our approach to books – and we have a wonderful editor! I think that makes our type of collaboration possible.

Karen: We’ve been so very fortunate in our partnership; I don’t think it always goes so easily! Mutual respect for each other’s particular gifts is crucial . Even when we’ve traveled together, solo time is necessary for both of us to process and recharge. It may sound simplistic – but we’re both good at staying in our own lanes, and our editor is the ultimate arbitrator (not that we have ever needed any conflict resolution!)

The real joy of working together has been how delighted we both are to explore and share and learn new things! We wind each other up.

Me: What advice would you give to new or aspiring picture book poets and/or illustrators?

Deborah: I think it’s important to read widely in the genre and age-group you want to write for. It’s also key to know your audience and what they love to read and learn about. And, for me, it’s critical to write about topics that matter to me – writing from the heart! Persistence, tenacity and never-giving up are also great qualities to hold on to. Good luck! And happy writing!

Karen: Look for projects that interest you and people who respect your creative process. Remember that you are part of a team, so value input from your author and editor – but be prepared to defend your own creative decisions too. Be awake to the world and all the creativity around you – it will feed your own.

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

Dear readers, this book was published at the beginning of the month. It is a sparkling example of nonfiction that brings a species to life and somehow makes the reader care more for the birds than you ever thought possible. Trust me when I say, this is a book you won’t want to miss!