Illustrated by Sophie Barlow
Children's Book
Date Published: December 14, 2023
Publisher: MindStir Media
Nothing's been the same ever since Oakley came to live at Mavis' house. Change can be hard, but change can bring good things too.
Interview
Tell
me more about your journey as an author, including the writing processes.
I
have always been a reader and writer; both feel as necessary to me as
breathing. As a young child (the only daughter, three brothers), books were the
best refuge from loud and rancorous family dramas. I gobbled up books, books,
books until my mother enlisted our local librarian to keep a list of her
recommendations to keep me from reading the same ones over and over again. I
was a member of two different book-of-the-month clubs for kids at the same time
because I powered through the books so fast. To this day, I love and collect
children's books (mostly picture books), even though my kids are grown. I love
how books smell and feel; walking into the local library or a bookstore in any
city immediately puts me in a better mood (especially if there's a store cat).
I find the anticipation of a wonderful new book waiting for me at the end of
the day or beginning of a weekend both delicious and comforting.
Why
am I telling you all this? Because I believe the best writers are those who
read like crazy. I started writing poems at age eleven, and was encouraged by a
thoughtful teacher to read poetry and keep writing it. I earned a bachelor's
degree in creative writing from the University of Washington; my advisor was
Northwest transcendentalist poet Nelson Bentley, a gifted teacher and writer.
After college, I continued to write and publish poems and experimented with
short fiction; my story Death by Drowning,
was one of the recipients of The
Oregonian's (statewide daily newspaper) Young Writers Fiction Prize.
However, I didn't know how to make inroads with the publishing industry in ways
that would result in gainful employment, a means of supporting myself through
writing. Instead, I worked in political communications and in higher education,
working my way up the ladder to executive positions to support my family, pay
for college and other necessities. However, it was not much of a creative
outlet, so I continued to write poetry and began songwriting for True North, a
band I had started with my husband, multi-instrumentalist and luthier Dan
Wetzel. I have been a singer and pianist since I was a child, and together, Dan
and I have great chemistry; it makes us very productive. I have written more
than 50 original songs; nearly all the original material on our seven
Americana-bluegrass albums.
Whether
I am writing poetry, songs, short fiction, or Oakley, Mostly Good, my first children's book, it always starts
with some sort of catalytic notion -- sometimes it's just a short phrase or an
image that creates a spark -- that captures my attention and ignites my brain.
From there, it's a matter of deciding how to make it "bloom," how to
bring it to life. I ask myself these kinds of questions: What do I want to say;
to whom am I saying it? Why is this important to capture and share? It doesn't
always work. Or rather, it always works, but what results from it isn't always
brilliant or transcendent. But sometimes it's pretty good. :)
Tell
me about your Book
Oakley, Mostly Good grew out of my experience raising a change-averse child
in a world characterized by unprecedented change. In this story suitable for
anyone but primarily intended for young children aged 3-7, Oakley is an
overgrown puppy joining a family with a long-established cat, Mavis. Mavis has
ruled the roost for many years and is unhappy about this change in the family
dynamic. Oakley is disruptive, clumsy, and seems untrainable, and she can't
escape the chaos that follows in his wake. He is always in her space. Through Sophie Barlow's wonderful illustrations (and a
series of commands from family members "off camera"), it's clear the
transition from "only cat" to "big sister cat" is not going
smoothly. But can good come from this new relationship, eventually?
For
a child, the idea of change can sometimes be harder than the change itself. And
some kinds of change - a new school, a new sibling, a blended family, loss of a
loved one, etc. - can rock a child's world. Oakely,
Mostly Good does not offer false reassurances or get too philosophical. Its
embedded "lesson" is pretty subtle: if change is inevitable, can one
find an upside? Does being open to changes make them easier?
Ideally,
whoever is reading this book to a child can engage her/him as they go: "Oh
no, what happened? Did he step on Mavis' tail? Now what? He popped the beach
ball with his teeth! And the air is blowing in Mavis' face! She doesn't look
very happy, does she? What's Oakley doing now? Yes, you're right, he's napping
with Mavis and keeping her warm! Are they friends now? Yes! What a good
dog!"
It's
just a way of showing, with humor and lovable characters, how to be open to
changes that might seem very hard at first.
Any
message for our readers
In
a world of children's books filled with uninspiring computer-generated images,
children will love these hand-drawn illustrations telling the story of two
vivid characters: Oakley, the goofy dog newcomer and Mavis, the dignified and
long-reigning house cat. Their story is quite giggle-worthy. This book is
intended to be read aloud and engage children in identifying what's happening
in the story page by page, helping them see that change, even when it is
unavoidable, isn't always a bad thing.
About the Author
Kristen Grainger is a poet, author and performing songwriter who loves books. She lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest not far from their grown children who also love books.
About the Illustrator
Sophie Barlow is an Illustrator and designer born and raised in Oregon and the Pacific North West.
Sophie earned her degree from the University of Oregon in Art and Technology but has enjoyed working in a range of mediums from digital to physical in her artist practice. In addition to creating art, Sophie loves to hike, bake, and travel whenever she can.
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