picture book and middle-grade author
When you’re writing that first draft, don’t worry about following the rules. Instead, tell yourself the story you’ve always wanted to hear, the story you’ve never read anywhere else, the one that scares you with the pleasure of writing it. Treasure the joy of the work, because it is hard work, but when you can find that just-right word, that perfect plot twist — there are fewer greater pleasures.
— Lee and Low editor and author, Cheryl Klein
age range: 4-8 years
format: picture book
Elaine Vickers’s website
printable activity guide
resources
Thankful book trailer
Charming, engaging…a visual delight.
— Kirkus Reviews
Please tell us about your book.
If Thankful were a song, it would be “What a Wonderful World.” The story is a lyrical narrative about gratitude based on a tradition from my own family. When winter comes, we each write down the things we’re thankful for on strips of paper, make a paper chain with them, then read a link of the chain each day as the new year approaches. At its core, Thankful is celebration of family, the beauty of the natural world—and what a wonderful thing it is to be part of it all.
What inspired you to write this story?
It’s funny—even though Thankful comes from a tradition in my family, that’s not where it started. The tradition itself is actually one that I made up for the main character to do with her family in one of my middle grade novels, Paper Chains. It wasn’t until my editor asked whether I’d gotten the idea from my own experience that it even occurred to me that this was something I could do with my actual children in real life! So, of course, we started that very year, and a few of their cousins joined in.
What sets this book apart and makes it truly unique?
While I’m proud of the text of the book, even I am quick to affirm that the art is the best part. When I heard that 3-D illustrator Samantha Cotterill had signed on to the project, I’m embarrassed to admit that my first thought was, “Does that mean it will be a pop-up book?” Of course, Sam’s art is even more magical than that. She builds each set and lights it and photographs it, and those become the illustrations. One of the most magical aspects of her work to me, though, is that she creates these incredible pieces using things like house paints and cereal boxes, and she leaves just enough imperfection for kids to look at the illustrations and think, “I bet I could do that.”
Thankful seems to take place both in a single evening and over the course of an entire year. How did you come up with the text for this story?
As I was writing the text for this story, I thought back to the things my own kids had written on their thankful chains. Some were general, others were personal and very specific, and so many of them were surprising—yet universal. That’s what I hoped to capture in the book: the things we all have to be grateful for, regardless of our circumstances. A dear friend told me that the words have been almost like a meditation to her, helping her through a difficult period as she remembers to be “thankful for a heart that beats . . . and every breath, in and out, in and out.”
Of course, the goal was to write an appealing and authentic story, first and foremost. But if it can help kids develop a sense of gratitude and maybe even practice gratitude in their own lives (which has been shown to make us happier and healthier!), I would be thankful for that indeed.
What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?
Gratitude, of course, which is perfect for this time of year—or any time of year! I can also envision classroom connections to art and engineering as students create their own scenes, language arts as students write their own thankful chains, and character education as they discuss gratitude and awareness of the good things in their lives. We do have some great resources to go along with the book as well, including a printable activity guide and a fabulous trailer (81 seconds guaranteed to brighten your day—just listen to those kids’ voices!) It’s been amazing to watch the photos and videos already of teachers who are reading the book and making thankful chains to decorate their classrooms. It’s pretty much my favorite thing ever! And, as a bonus, you can read Paper Chains too for a perfectly-paired middle grade read aloud!
The writing life is a strange one — a mix of solitude and public scrutiny that are night-and-day different. There are seasons where I’m alone at my desk, creating and revisiting “book world” (as I fondly think of each new place that comes into existence inside my head) and seasons where a project that has only been seen by a handful of people suddenly becomes a commodity up for discussion by reviewers and regular readers alike.
It’s weird, I tell you. Kind of jarring, actually, to move between such extremes.
I’m almost ten years in on the publishing side of my writing life (and almost twenty-four years in on the rest of it), and in some ways I feel like I’m finally getting my stride. I’m learning to fret less about the creative process (most days!). I’m finding less internal pressure to hustle (though it can be hard when you’re your own boss not to march to the beat of “Produce! Publish! Don’t be forgotten!”). I’m learning to sit with the uncertainty of all that is out of my hands (but maybe my agent would tell you differently?). I’ve examined and refined what it means to me to be successful and what it is I’m trying to do with my work. I’ve exchanged countless emails with my dear writing partner, Valerie Geary, about these very things. (Here’s a recent Instagram post by the lovely Natalie Lloyd that resonated with both of us.)
What I’m saying is I think I’m finally figuring things out!
Mind you, I’m writing this on the tail end of a few years in the solitude season. Soon there will be a book cover to share, and soon after that, advance reader copies will go out to reviewers. The public side of the writing life will begin again in jarring full swing. This time around I’m going in with a few more years of grace and maturity under my belt (fingers crossed I remember this), a few more manuscripts on the back burner, and the reminder that I’m living my dream. I get to do the thing I yearned for forever. So far, publishers are still taking a chance on me.
What a weird world. What a wonderful one.