Marian loves rocks and is absolutely convinced that she has found a dinosaur fossil in the backyard. When her geologist mom has doubts, she sets out to prove it’s true!
Laura Bontje is a children’s book author and freelance fiction editor. Raised in Calgary, Alberta, she now lives with her husband, kids and fluffy gray cat in London, Ontario. Her picture books include Marian’s Big Dig (illustrated by Scot Ritchie), When the Air Sang (illustrated by Sarah Whang), Was It a Cat I Saw? (illustrated by Emma Lidia Squillari) and more to come. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram, BlueSky, or Facebook.
MARIAN’S BIG DIG is a picture book about a little rock-loving kiddo. Her mom is a geologist and has a collection of rocks, so it should come as no surprise that Marian has a collection of rocks too. But when she thinks she’s found a dinosaur tooth, her mom isn’t convinced that it is. So she sets about finding the rest of the dinosaur fossil to prove her point. Marian is such a determined little gal and there is a lot of humor here, as well as facts about rocks (including back matter about real kids who have found real fossils)!
Welcome Laura!
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?
Laura: When I started working as an editor, I found myself building an unexpected niche in children’s books. When I wasn’t studying them or editing them, I was reading them to my two young kids — so picture books were everywhere. I started seeing the world through the wonder of a child’s perspective, and even though the characters and stories I create are fictional, often the initial spark of inspiration comes from a moment I’ve shared with my kids.
Me: I love Marian, who knows “a lot about determination.” She’s such a fun character! What gave you the idea for this story?
Laura: There really are fossils in the landscaping boulders at our local playgrounds, and I got some great ideas as my oldest was going through a dinosaur phase, but one of my inspirations for Marian came from an unexpected place. My mind kept coming back to an illustration in Sofia Valdez, Future Prez (Andrea Beaty and David Roberts) where Sofia lies in her room, surrounded by posters of Sade and Frida Kahlo. I loved that sense of passion! From the start, my imagination ran through the “what ifs” of a rock-loving kid surrounding herself with inspiration from Canadian women in STEM, and that built the foundation for who Marian became.
Me: I love the concept of a child discovering fossils and being fascinating with what she can dig up in the dirt. Did your story undergo a ton of revisions to get to its finished state? Or was this story a gift from the Muse that was good from the first draft?
Laura: This story was very much a “gift from the Muse,” and that is so atypical for me. The book popped into my mind almost fully formed while I was driving a sick, sleeping kid across town to see the doctor. There I was, whispering lines to myself in the front seat of the car and desperately hoping I’d still remember them by the time I got home to scribble them down. Of course, there were plenty of drafts after that, but at its core, this story always seemed to know what it wanted to be.
Me: Your back matter sounds like it was fascinating research. Might you include it in the future in some other story? What was one of your favorite research discoveries?
Laura: I loved reading all about kids who have discovered fossils! You’ll meet six in the back matter, but my earlier drafts had fifteen profiles — and the list keeps growing! Just this summer, a seven-year-old in Calgary found a rare fossil in a boulder at the playground.
One of the coolest things I learned was that in many cases, even fragments and “ordinary”-looking fossils have helped scientists make important discoveries. (So if you think you’ve found a fossil, look up your local guidelines on what to do and who to contact!)
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?
Laura: I don’t know if “surprised” is the perfect word, but I’ve been humbled by the incredible generosity of people with connections to the content. Fossil hunter Wendy Sloboda not only approved my fictionalized version of her but also agreed to fact-check my manuscript. For the back matter, Gnene Fordyce and author Julia Lyon helped me discover more about Gnene’s ancestor Ruth Mason (who is celebrated in Julia’s beautiful picture book A Dinosaur Named Ruth, illustrated by Alexandra Bye).
Making a picture book takes a team, and that team includes the people who give freely of their knowledge and time to help my books be as accurate as they can be.
Me: I love that! The illustrations by Scot Ritchie are pitch perfect! I love the way he included real rocks in the illustrations. Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?
Laura: Scot Ritchie’s whimsical style is a great fit for Marian’s imagination, and I was eager to see how he would build her dinosaur. I provided only a general art note in the manuscript (“The skeleton is dino-like in shape but composed of the not-actually-fossil discoveries and Marian’s original rock”), and the rest was all Scot. He did a dino-mite job with this quirky creature, and I think readers will have fun searching it for different items!
Scot was also kind enough to put the Calgary Tower into the cityscape for me. It’s where I grew up, and with so much dinosaur history in southern Alberta, it seemed like the right home for Marian too!
Me: Do you have any advice for aspiring picture book writers?
Laura: As an editor, I would say that reading for pleasure and reading to analyze are two different processes — and as an author, you have to do both. Read widely from the current market, and learn what you love. Also: stay away from AI. Just like fossil-finding, writing takes determination. Readers want you. There are no shortcuts to finding your voice, so do your own brainstorming, do your own writing, and don’t be afraid to have some messy drafts along the way. That’s how you grow.
That is great advice Laura. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.
Dear readers, this book publishes next week. This fascinating book is a unique combination of story elements with multiple hooks. It’s sure to appeal to rock AND dinosaur lovers, as well as nonfiction lovers everywhere. Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it!