Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

“This story came out of my own wonder.” An Interview with Janet Fox, author of WINTERGARDEN

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Glowing and warm, full of life.
— Kirkus, starred review

 A story of tender care and nature’s contrasts . . .
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

A lyrically hopeful story about a young girl who learns nurturing green-thumb lessons from her patient mother.
— Shelf Awareness

Please tell us about your book.

I’d love to! WINTERGARDEN is a picture book about a young girl who learns to plant edible foods on her winter windowsill. Here’s the synopsis from Neal Porter:

“With a little bit of love and care, a few seeds nestled in pots, and a good windowsill, there’s no better time to make an herb garden with mom than in the dead of winter. Together, a young girl and her mother can grow everything you find in a spring herb garden, from oregano to parsley and baby greens, carefully tending their plants to watch them thrive, all while frigid snow falls just outside the window. The multiple harvests of fresh greens are just what they need to stay warm through the coldest and darkest season. When Spring finally arrives, there’s one thing on the girl’s mind: more seeds!

In Wintergarden, author Janet Fox’s poetic text is accompanied by the dreamy watercolor artwork of acclaimed illustrator Jasu Hu. Additional material at the back of the book includes information on how to grow your own wintergarden, to make sure you and your family can share fresh greens year-round.”

What inspired you to write this story?

I wrote this book from personal experience, during the worst part of the Covid lockdown. I’ve always loved gardening and done a lot of seed starting indoors. Here in Montana we have a short growing season, and we were craving greens. I put together a little mini “greenhouse” with grow lights. 

And this story came out of my own wonder at how to make food from tiny seeds.

You’ve written young adult, middle grade, and picture books. What are some differences between writing novels and picture books? What are some similarities?

I think of picture books as poetry. Less is definitely more – few words, lots of “white space”, lots of room for interpretation. And word choice is crucial as each word has to do a lot of work. A single image or concept dominates the story.

Novel-writing is all about building the characters, especially the protagonist. Of course, the words still matter, and I still tend to lean into a more “poetic” style of writing, but I build my novels kind of like an actual structure, where the words hang on the frame of the protagonist’s interior and exterior arcs and the story’s theme.

Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House, is known for making gorgeous books. Could you give us a glimpse into your experience once the manuscript was acquired?

Oh, I am so thrilled with the art. I had no input, of course, so the first thing I saw were general sketches. The artist is Chinese, and she was trapped in China (having lived in New York) with her parents during Covid, so her experience of being in a place where the beauty of growing your own food was so much like mine was uncanny. I think that lent an air of “meant-to-be” to the story and art. When I saw the final work, and especially the double spread that flips the book (I’ll leave it at that), I cried.

Neal asked me to verify that the vegetation as she depicted was true to the vegetation I wrote about, and it was, down to every leaf and blossom. 

What’s next for you?

After WINTERGARDEN comes out in November, I have 2 more books under contract. The first is another middle grade – I’m calling it The Hardy Boys meet Holes – and the second is a big nonfiction project for YA readers about the biochemist Rosalind Franklin, coauthored with Debbie Dunn. 

And I’m setting up a series of courses for kidlit writers in a mentorship program (I’m calling it Fox’s Den) that opens in early 2024. I’m keeping busy!

Classroom Connections: Small Shoes, Great Strides by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

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age range: grades 2-5
genre / format : narrative nonfiction; picture book
topics: school integration; Civil Rights Movement
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson’s website

Micheaux Nelson and Bostic’s information-packed picture book examines an overlooked story of civil rights . . .[An] affirming look at “three unlikely leaders in small shoes” who “took great strides.”
— Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

An unmissable story about everyday courage whose notes about the importance of overcoming discrimination remain timely.
— Foreword, starred review

A welcome spotlight on the undersung history of three girls whose bravery and endured torment carved a path for generations.
— Booklist, starred review

What a treat to interview my dear writing friend and critique group member, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Vaun, please tell us about your book.

Small Shoes, Great Strides: How Three Brave Girls Opened Doors to School Equality is a nonfiction picture book about public school desegregation in New Orleans.  Escorted by United States Marshals, first graders Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost and Gail Etienne made history on November 14, 1960 by bravely entering the previously all-white McDonogh 19 Public School amidst ugly protests.  It was an important step in the struggle for fairness in education.  The significance of simply going to school was not understood by them at the time and, for decades, the women didn’t speak much about it.  In recent years, the McDonogh Three (as they came to be known) have begun to talk, and I am honored to help share their story.

What inspired you to write this story?

I love history, specifically under-told stories in black history.  I am especially attracted to fascinating contributors about whom I know nothing, whose stories compel me.  Learning that the McDonogh Three entered their school on the same day as Ruby Bridges made me ask, “Why didn’t I know about Leona, Tessie and Gail?”  When I realized they integrated McDonogh 19 ten minutes prior to Ruby Bridges at Frantz Elementary, I was even more intrigued and so resolved to tell their story.  All due respect for Ms. Bridges’ accomplishments and contribution, I feel discrepancies in history should be acknowledged and corrected.  I hope I accomplished this. 

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research and / or share a few interesting tidbits about your writing process with this book?

Being able to meet and interview Leona, Tessie, Gail and retired U.S. Marshal Herschel Garner was unforgettable.  I was blessed to hear this story from the individuals who lived it, and I’m indebted to them all for their generosity.  In addition to interviews, I used books, newspaper and magazine articles, audio and video resources, Orleans Parish School Board minutes and other school documents.  The fact that hurricane Katrina destroyed considerable New Orleans school district records, as well as many personal artifacts belonging to my subjects, complicated and frustrated my research.  As to the writing process, after immersing myself in the material, I construct the story line to be as straightforward and accessible for my target audience as possible.  I employ back matter to expand on the information without having to interrupt the primary narrative.  This allows more advanced readers to satisfy their curiosity for what broadcaster Paul Harvey called “the rest of the story.” 

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

  • school desegregation
  • the Civil Rights Movement
  • discrimination
  • the U.S. Marshals Service
  • education
  • Brown vs. Board of Eduation
  • separate but equal

Here’s a fabulous interview Vaunda recently did about Small Shoes with The Horn Book’s Roger Sutton.

GUT REACTION by Kirby Larson and Quinn Wyatt

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Gut Reaction, coming March 2024!

Kirby and Quinn, please tell us about your book.

In this story, Tess Medina is starting at a new middle school, worried about fitting in and making friends. Plus she’s got a feeling in her gut she just can’t shake. She is also coping with the recent loss of her dad and what that means for her favorite pastime, baking. After a bumpy start, Tess’s creative baking skills cement new middle school friendships which give her the confidence to enter a baking competition. Just as things start to fall into place, Tess’s gut starts to fall apart. Will she make it to the competition? Will her new friends still have her back? And what’s her new normal going to look like? 

How did you come to write it? 

We wanted to share Tess’ story because when I (Quinn) was young, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Growing up with a chronic illness can feel isolating, and we wanted to reach out to kids and let them know they are not alone. 

Quinn, what was it like writing with your mother? Kirby, what was it like writing with your daughter? 

Quinn: Well, it took a lot of convincing to get my mom to write this story; about 10 years of asking. Her reluctance wasn’t because she didn’t want to work with me, but my years as a kid dealing with a chronic illness were difficult not just for me but for her as well. Once she finally felt ready, we got to work. Tess was born at a weekend writers’ retreat, with just the two of us. Her story went through many changes, though. I would send snippets or anecdotes to my mom who would flesh them out and send them back for me to edit and add. There was lots of back and forth! One of the big challenges was to figure out a way to make what Tess was going through accessible and not too scary while staying true to the realities of dealing with IBD (irritable bowel diseases). 

Kirby: Writing with my daughter was wonderful and heartbreaking. Let me start with the heartbreaking part first. It was so difficult to watch Quinn suffer as a child/preteen with an undiagnosed illness. But reading her first-hand accounts of what it was like to be in her body, in her situation, nearly undid me. I always knew she was strong but until I read her words, I had no idea. The wonderful part was finding a way to use Quinn’s story to do two things: first, to build a pathway of hope for other teens who might now be suffering from hard-to-discuss diseases and, second, to foster empathy in those who are blessed with good health.

What do you hope young readers take away from Tess’s story? 

We hope that young readers who are dealing with a chronic condition feel less isolated, and we hope those that do not have to deal with one gain more of an understanding. We also see this story as a celebration of friendship. There’s a lot of humor and hope, too.

What’s next for the two of you? 

Kirby has the third book in a chapter book series for younger readers coming out in January. As for Team Tess, right now we are focused intently on getting GUT REACTION out there and in the hands of as many kids as possible. If readers of your blog have ideas for how we can spread the word, we are all ears! We have bounced around ideas for a second book, though what that will be is still in the works. Tess definitely has more to share.