Bitsy Bat is back! And she’s discovering her first snow. Yay!
Kaz Windness has visited my blog several times. She is a children’s book author whose first friends were books. Some of her favorites are hidden in these pages. One of her best human friends illustrated this book. When Kaz isn’t chewing on a good novel, she can be found chewing on homemade waffles or teaching illustration at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Kaz is the author and illustrator of several books, including Swim, Jim! and Bitsy Bat, School Star. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her family and an overly friendly Boston terrier named Remy. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram or on BlueSky.
BITSY BAT, SNOW STAR is the third picture book with the lovable autistic bat. This time she experiences her first snow, which I admit made this Alaskan squee with glee at the very concept. Her experience and expectations, however, are not what you might expect, which makes the book even more of a delight to me. I don’t want to spoil too much, but it’s definitely getting added to my classroom collection.
Welcome back Kaz!
Me: I love that you’ve introduced Bitsy Bat to winter! What gave you the idea for this new story?
Kaz: My books often explore seasons— “Worm and Caterpillar are Friends” takes place in spring as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, “Swim, Jim!” is a summer book about learning to swim, and “Bitsy Bat, School Star” is about going to school for the first time in fall. My wonderful editor, Catherine Laudone at Simon & Schuster, said she would like a winter book for Bitsy Bat, and I said, “I don’t like winter,” and she said, “Great! Write about that.”
Me: I am so glad that you talk about Bitsy NOT liking something (like playing in the snow) but pretending to like it anyway because she’s afraid of losing friends. I see my young students struggle with this all the time (autistic or not)! As always, your back matter is perfect for explaining this to younger readers. I love that you lay out the various ways brains can respond to stressful situations (i.e., Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn) and how each is exhibited by Bitsy in the story. Why was this something that you wanted to focus on in this story?
Kaz: I’m a heavily masked autistic person. This began for me in early elementary school as a way of trying to make friends—something I wanted more than anything but struggled very badly to figure out. I would mimic my classmates’ behavior, try to look like them, and get involved in their interests as a way of making friends. This resulted in me not really knowing who I was and what I wanted, and really struggling to voice my own needs, too.
I once threw a book across the classroom because I was so angry and frustrated but felt like if I said something I wouldn’t be understood or heard. Masking takes a lot of energy and that pressure can result in meltdowns.
I’ve slowly learned how to advocate for myself, and I hope this book makes it easier for kids to do the same. Trying new things can be fun, but your interests and needs matter, too. And often you can find ways for everyone to have a good time together, like Bitsy does with her snowflake Show and Share activity.
Me: This is your third book with Bitsy now. Were there any challenges for you in writing or illustrating this story? Was it hard to come up with yet another story for her?
Kaz: No, in fact I have lots of other Bitsy story ideas if I get the opportunity to make more. (Bitsy Bat, Beach Star? Bitsy Bat, Space Star? Bitsy Bat, Hollywood Star?)
Bitsy Bat, Snow Star was a much smoother process than book two. Bitsy Bat, Team Star added the complexity of a multi-event “Crittercrawl” field day competition as well as a new, non-speaking student, Enzo Owl. I had to figure out how to show his communication tablet and sign language use. How does someone with feathers instead of fingers sign? It was a lot to sort out.
For Snow Star, all of the characters were in place and the locations were in the snow–which is frankly a lot easier to paint than most environments. But it also gave room to play with the sparkle and magic of winter and the pinks and blues of reflective light on snow. Plus a focus on characters, which is always my favorite to draw.
Me: I admit that I giggled when I saw the students in the classroom reading various copies of your books. Clever inclusion there! Wink, wink, nod, nod. Did you get any pushback on that? Were those books always included in the first drafts of the story?
Kaz: My kids called hiding my other books in Bitsy Bat, Snow Star “shameless self-promotion,” but not only did I not get pushback on it, my publisher appreciated it. If kids love the Bitsy books, they’ll probably love my other books, too. I also enjoyed making “Swim, Jim!” into a stuffy for the Crittercrawl reading nook.
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in the creation of this book? Are there still surprises after you’ve published so many books?
Kaz: Nothing is predictable in creating a book, even for a book in an established series. In fact, a series book has the added challenge of writing a story just as good as the first one while also being new and interesting, expanding on the world, then staying in the same art style, while managing (usually) shorter deadlines, while taking care of the needs of your other book deadlines and promotional opportunities.
I have four books out this year while working on at least four other book deadlines while teaching multiple workshops and attending book festivals and book launch events. I am beyond grateful, but staying energized and creative is a challenge.
I also think it’s important that each book is a challenge. If I’m not growing my craft and doing the best job I can at making the best book I can, I’m doing a disservice to the reader. And I care way too much about kids to do that.
(This is part of why I get SO furious with anyone who uses AI to generate content including books for kids. Kids deserve our best. NO AI!)
Me: Hear, hear! I love all of your stories, but Bitsy has a special place in my teacher heart. Are there any plans for any more Bitsy books? (Please say yes!) Think you can come up with more stories for her to tell?
Kaz: That is so sweet of you to say! Of all my books, Bitsy Bat has had the most impact. She is not just helping autistic kids, but any child who has ever felt different, teachers who are looking for ways to create a more welcoming, inclusive classroom, parents of autistic kids who need some hope and assurance, and surprisingly, lots of autistic adults who have said the Bitsy Bat stories have helped heal their inner child.
If the demand continues for more Bitsy stories, we will for sure make more of them. In the meantime, I’m working on two new exciting series projects: TUX GUY, CAT SPY in picture book and early reader formats and TIME TRAVELING CHICKENS, early graphic novels for older elementary kids.
Me: Ohh! I can’t wait to read those too! As a teacher in Alaska (where we have a lot of snow), I absolutely love that you included a snowflake at the end with Bitsy that said “I heart snow days.” Since the pandemic, snow days have become surprisingly controversial with many school districts trying to get rid of them as “days off” and instead pivoting to online learning. I have to ask, was that an intentional inclusion? Are you pro “snow days” for kids where they get a day off due to weather? Or was it merely a nod to the winter weather in the book?
Kaz: That snowflake is being held by Mr. Nibbles, so you have his teacher’s perspective, lol!
We recently got rid of short days in our district for the same reason. I honestly think both students and educators need more downtime and more engagement with nature, too. And we for sure need WAY less time in front of a screen. If the pandemic showed us anything, sure, we can find ways to educate online, but it’s not ideal for most educators and students. We are still dealing with that fallout. It’s not good for our mental health. Whereas, building a snowman has tons of benefits: exercise, creativity, imagination, learning to work as a team, learning about balance and physics, and how good hot cocoa tastes after a day of play in the snow. I’m pro snow day, for sure.
Speaking of teachers, I have complementary educator lesson plans and activities for you at BitsyBat.com, including a new lesson plan for Bitsy Bat, Snow Star. Thanks again for having me, Jena!
Thank you for stopping by my blog again today Kaz.
Dear readers, this book publishes next week. It’s another fantastic Bitsy Bat story perfect for a cozy, cold day read. Trust me when I say, you won’t want to miss it!