Q&A with Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
CB=Chronicle Books
DHA=Dianna Hutts Aston
SL=Sylvia Long
CB: How did you come up with the idea to write a children’s picture book about eggs? And how did the project for An Egg Is Quiet take shape?
DHA: I didn’t realize that I loved eggs until I moved to a rural area in central Texas from Houston, where I saw no signs of wildlife except for cockroaches. As I followed my toddlers through the yard, I began to notice eggshells, halves of eggshells the birds had carried from the nest and dropped to the ground. They were shells of many colors, markings, and sizes. To me, they were awesome bits of art.
As my enchantment with eggshells grew over the years, neighborhood kids began to ring the doorbell and hold in the palm of their hands these eggshells they’d found. “For your collection,” they said. And when they came in, they always wanted to look at the different kinds of eggshells I had.
About 25 years ago, a teacher asked my best friend’s little brother to “tell us something about eggs.” He thought a bit and finally said, “An egg is quiet.” I don't remember that myself, but my mom has been telling the anecdote for years. It finally dawned on me to write about the qualities of an egg as a children’s book.
Recently I found in a journal some of my early brainstorming on eggs that included notes such as “an egg is scrambled,” “cracked,” etc. Finally, I settled on the non fiction aspect. The manuscript happened to land at Chronicle at a time when Victoria Rock, my editor, was looking for an egg manuscript. She already knew the artist she wanted. Sylvia Long.
CB: Sylvia, when you were brought onto these projects did you have any background in botany and biology?
SL: Our ideas about what is important in life begin at a very early age by observing our parents. As a child, when walking with my family in the mountains, near a stream, through a field, or along the ocean shore, it was never about the exercise. We all paused frequently to examine the bark and leaves of a tree, pick up rocks or shells, listen to a bird’s song, locate the bird and try to identify it in a bird guide. On driving trips, my father always pointed out distinguishing features of the landscape and how these were clues to the forces that formed it. My interest in the natural world is an extension of theirs. Following their example, I’ve had a curiosity about those things all my life.
When A Seed Is Sleepy was first proposed as a sequel to An Egg is Quiet, I thought, “Who will be interested in a book with a lot of little brown and black specks?” In my experience, I don’t retain sensory input from things unfamiliar until I intentionally focus on them. I think that’s true of most people. For instance, those who know nothing about birds don’t “see” them. If they are noticed at all, they are mentally filed away as background information. Similarly, my knowledge about seeds was limited to those that came in small colorful packets to plant in my flower or vegetable garden. The wild ones all around me went essentially unnoticed until I began to learn about them [while researching for the book].
I knew a bit more about eggs, since several bird species have nested nearby, inevitably spilling the empty, broken eggshells once the nestlings hatched in the spring. Still, I was amazed by all the variety and beauty of eggs.
CB: Dianna, before you wrote children’s books you were a journalist. How did this help you in the research process for both An Egg Is Quiet and A Seed Is Sleepy? How detailed was it? Were the processes the same and/or similar for both books?
DHA: Huge. I wouldn’t have known to do all of the research it takes to write a book without having been a journalist. Also, journalism teaches you to write tightly and to organize the information. And of course, it teaches you to grab people with the first sentence. I couldn’t write about a subject like eggs or seeds without researching it. And then I have to learn everything I can before I can cut it down and condense it into 500 words.
Most of writing is thinking. Sitting there dreaming and thinking. If you sit and think you’re supposedly not “doing” anything. But I need to sit there and stare into space before I begin writing. Usually, I begin by sitting in a swing or rocker and letting my mind wander. Then I brainstorm in my journal, create a rough outline, revise everything 20 times and get critiques of my work from friends. At that point I send it off to see what an editor will say.
The most amazing part of Egg was the collaboration. Every single person, from writer to illustrator, to editor to book designer to marketer, had a crucial role in the creation of this book.
SL: Admittedly, I spent more time on research for both books than I did on sketching and painting. As I began to explore the world of seeds and eggs, I was led beyond the required illustrator’s focus on specific text requirements into the beautiful and fascinating diversity of seeds and eggs. Dianna had forged this trail of discovery before me while writing the manuscripts. She accomplished the daunting task of distilling and organizing the tremendous volume of information into a concise, enlightening format to inspire further curiosity by readers.
While researching both books, unforeseen questions arose from either elusive or seemingly conflicting information. Studying nature isn’t easy and there are always exceptions to the rule.
I had the pleasure of discovering that although biologists in the academic world are extremely busy, they generally have a passion for their field of study and are eager to share their knowledge. I owe a huge debt to the many professionals who were generous with their time and expertise, providing valuable access to online reference images. Via the Internet, I corresponded with experts all over the world, including Israel, Central America, France, Germany, Canada and throughout the United States.
CB: How was working on Seed a different experience than Egg? {What was the most challenging part of working on Seed? What do you love the most about it?}
DHA: Seed was a little harder. It was more difficult for me to grasp seeds. There’s so much going on: photosynthesis, gravity, and roots. We basically understand these things, but when you have to know everything about a subject, it can become harder to grasp. For instance: fruits. Fruits aren’t just fruits. Flowers, coconut, and pods are all called fruit. The true seed isn’t what we see on the outside. It’s what’s within. What was most fascinating was learning about the pull of gravity and the pull of the sun [and plants] reaching down and up to live.
CB: How has working on these books shaped each of you and helped your work to evolve?
DHA: I think it’s one of the most beautiful things in my whole life. Working on Egg and Seed helped me understand teamwork and collaboration. All the research people, the editors, designers, calligraphers, and marketing staff. Seeing that and realizing it and seeing the books out in the world. I use what I learned working on these books in all aspects of my life.
Now the joy of Egg is being privy to the joy it brings kids, librarians, teachers, parents . . . I am constantly told how Egg has enriched and even changed lives. One mom said to me that after reading Egg, “We’ll never look at breakfast the same way again.”
SL: Selfishly, I’m enjoying the expansion of my own interest in eggs and seeds. Now when I return from nature walks, there are often colorful seed pods, leaves, and sticks in my pockets in addition to the usual small rocks, fossils, and shells that have always found their way home with me. Thanks forever to Dianna for enriching my life in this way. We are kindred spirits, two peas in a pod.
Contributor: Chronicle Books
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Added 04/24/07
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