| |
Where do I live?
I live in northern California, north of San Francisco.
What elementary school did I go to?
Kreamer Street School in Bellport, New York.
What’s my favorite food?
Blueberries.
|
 |
|
Do I like to read? What’s my favorite book?
I love to read and I have lots of favorite books. Usually I am crazy about the book I am reading at that moment. Right now, Sam and I are reading Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code and a book called Nature is Yucky. Recently I read Holes by Louis Sachar and The Midwife’s Apprentice, by Karen Cushman. They are all terrific! Some other top favorites are The BFG by Roald Dahl, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and The Giver by Lois Lowry.
Why did I write the books?
Good question. All I know is that the story of Hector Fuller popped into my head one morning while I was reading to my kids, and I HAD to write it down. Things went from there. Perhaps I became a writer because I have always read lots of books, and stories began to grow inside my head (does that sound painful? it’s not!).
Do I like bugs?
I do. Insects and spiders and other small creatures are fascinating. There are 5 million different kinds of insects, and they are important for pollinating the food we eat and “cleaning up” all the dead plants and animals on our earth. Not only that—did you know that…
- Flies can taste with their feet?
- A cricket hears with its legs?
- Ladybugs shoot poison out of their knees?
- A bee can load 300 times its own weight?
(If you were that strong, you could pick up a 10-ton truck!)
|
 |
 |
So you see, insects are amazing. Of course I also love larger animals like birds and mammals – and kids!
Do bees pick up food with their stingers?
| No. Honeybees use their stingers only if they absolutely have to defend themselves or their hives, because they die after stinging. Bees use their tube-like tongues to gather nectar, a sweet liquid in flower.They also collect pollen, the tiny grains inside flowers, and store it in baskets or pouches on their back legs. Then they return to the hive where they change the nectar into honey, using chemical from inside their heads. They mix pollen and honey to feed the larvae (baby bees). Amazing!
A very good book on bees is The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive, by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen. |
|
 |
Are wumblebugs real?
No. I tried to make Hector be a real bug. I looked through gigantic books on insects, but nothing fit. Finally I realized that Hector is my invention, and I need to be able to change him however I want. But every other character in the books is based on a real animal.
Does Hector have teeth?
I don’t think so; insects don’t have teeth.
|
|
 |
Why are his shoes on backwards?
A-hah! Good question! Hector’s excellent illustrator, Pamela Levy, knows that insects (like all arthropods, including spiders and crabs) have jointed legs, and the last joint (what we would call our ankles) bends backwards—sending Hector’s feet to the back!
Why did I let my son put spaghetti on his head? Why didn’t he put sauce on his head too?
We had a bunch of kids at our house, and we all started goofing around. James put a suction cup on his forehead and then plopped his noodles on his head. But sauce would be a mess! Plus James doesn’t like tomato sauce.
Do my boys like Batman and Spiderman?
Yes, and they also like Superman, Plastic Man, and Bone. And we LOVE Calvin & Hobbes.
What does it feel like to be an author?
It’s great! I love thinking about stories and characters and plots. I love talking to kids. You have great ideas and questions.
I like to write, too. Where can a kid get published?
Check out www.aprilwayland.com, the website of April Halprin Wayland, the poet who wrote Girl Coming In for a Landing. Her webpage for young writers is www.aprilwayland.com/students_pub.htm.
Are you writing more books?
Yes! I’m working on it! I'll keep you posted!
|
|
 |
|
