Abi Cushman

20 Questions: Our First Stories

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

(Note that we enjoy the series so much we’ve reset for a second round of 20.)

This month’s question:

What’s the first thing you remember writing or drawing, and how old were you?

Kirsten W. Larson

“I still have my first books from first grade, a book about snowy owls and the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria, complete with probably the best illustrations I’ve ever drawn (and that’s not saying much). Even as a kid, I was intrigued by true stories.”

—Kirsten W. Larson, author of THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of, illus. Katherine Roy (Chronicle Books, 2023)


Lindsay H. Metcalf

“I recently came across a treasure trove of stories that first-grade me wrote in 1988. Although there is some fiction (a romance about a waltzing ostrich), the most prevalent genre is personal essay, with such titles as ‘My Pet,’ ‘Teeth,’ and ‘I Like Baby Ducklings.’ I always thought I was a good speller, but, well . . . see for yourself.”

—Lindsay H. Metcalf, co-editor with Keila V. Dawson and Jeanette Bradley of NO WORLD TOO BIG: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, illus. Jeanette Bradley (Charlesbridge, 2023)


Kim Rogers

“I wrote my first poem in the first grade. It was raining that day, and I was filled with so much emotion that I had to put it down on paper. I wrote it on one of our worksheets and drew a picture of a girl under an umbrella next to it. When I got it back, my teacher told me that she really liked what I’d written.

—Kim Rogers, author of A LETTER FOR BOB, illus. Jonathan Nelson (Heartdrum, 2023) 


Valerie Bolling

“I wrote ‘poems’ in a bland, white marble composition book when I was six years old. Using the daily phonics lessons I’d learned, I created simple rhymes, like: There is a cat. It sat on a mat. It caught a rat.”

—Valerie Bolling, author of TOGETHER WE SWIM, illus. Kaylani Juanita (Chronicle, 2023)


Abi Cushman

“My parents bought me a blank book when I was in elementary school. I was very excited because I could make my story look like a REAL book. While this wasn’t the first thing I ever wrote, it was the first book I remember writing and illustrating. Here’s the logline: When Mr. Johnson falls ill with a disease no one knew of, Petunia the cat and Wilber the dog travel to Italy and starve on the street, until… Okay, there was no ending.”

—Abi Cushman, author-illustrator of WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD: A [Not So] Serious Guide (Greenwillow Books, 2023)

20 Questions: Revision Tips

Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

This month’s question:

What’s your best revision tip?

Abi Cushman

“For picture books, make a dummy. That way, it’s easier to see what words can be cut (or need to be cut) because you’re thinking about the story in scenes. I examine each spread and each page turn and make sure they’re packing as much punch as possible.”

—Abi Cushman, author-illustrator of WOMBATS ARE PRETTY WEIRD (Greenwillow Books, May 2023)


Margaret Chiu Greanias

“Zoom out. Sometimes stories can get off track, and pitches (three to four lines that capture what the story is about) can help focus on the big picture vs. the small details. When I get stuck or once I’m done, I compare my manuscript to my pitch (or come up with a pitch if I haven’t already) and make sure that what I’ve written fulfills its promise.”

—Margaret Chiu Greanias, author of HOOKED ON BOOKS, illus. Krystina Litten (Peachtree Publishing, June 2023)


Angela Burke Kunkel

“I like to print out my manuscript and cut it up—either line-by-line or paragraph-by-paragraph. Then I’lI paste the lines into a 32-page blank book. The physical action of cutting up the lines, arranging them, and then needing to rearrange them gets me out of my head and helps me make further cuts (as well as think about pacing and page turns) in a more hands-on way.”

—Angela Burke Kunkel, author of MAKE WAY, illus. Claire Keane (Random House Studio, April 2023)


Lindsay H. Metcalf

“Don’t try to revise until you have a complete draft. I’m putting this in writing to remind myself as much as anyone else, because I’m an editor at heart. Give yourself permission to write a messy first draft, beginning to end. That way you can fully switch to editing mode without derailing progress.”

—Lindsay H. Metcalf, co-editor with Keila V. Dawson and Jeanette Bradley of NO WORLD TOO BIG: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change, illus. Jeanette Bradley (Charlesbridge, March 2023)


Valerie Bolling

“I’m a fan of possibilities. I believe in writing several options for a beginning or ending or another part of the story and asking critique partners to weigh in on what works best. Sometimes the best revision involves combining two or more of the options.”

—Valerie Bolling, author of RIDE, ROLL RUN: TIME FOR FUN!, illus. Sabrena Khadija (Abrams, 2022)

Picture Books Are for Gifting!

Books make magical gifts.

Check out the new Soaring ‘20s video to kick off holiday gift-shopping, and be sure share it on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Find the featured books and more on the Soaring 20s Bookshop page. Remember to order early to avoid worldwide supply chain issues!

Creators and their books, in order of appearance:

Margaret Chiu Greanias

  • MAXIMILLIAN VILLAINOUS, illus. by Lesley Breen Withrow

  • AMAH FARAWAY, illus. by Tracy Subisak (coming January 2022, available for pre-order)

Darshana Khiani

  • HOW TO WEAR A SARI, illus. by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

Abi Cushman

  • SOAKED!

  • ANIMALS GO VROOM!

Kirsten W. Larson

  • A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything, illus. by Katy Wu

Vicky Fang

  • INVENT-A-PET, illus. by Tidawan Thaipinnarong

  • LAYLA AND THE BOTS: Cupcake Fix, illus. by Christine Nishiyama

  • FRIENDBOTS: Blink and Block Make a Wish

Lindsay H. Metcalf

  • NO VOICE TOO SMALL: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley; illus. by Jeanette Bradley

  • FARMERS UNITE! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices

  • BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST, illus. by Junyi Wu

Isabella Kung

  • NO FUZZBALL!

  • ABC CATS: An Alpha-Cat Book and 123 CATS: A Cat Counting Book, both written by Lesléa Newman and illus. by Isabella Kung

Melanie Ellsworth

  • CLARINET & TRUMPET, illus. by John Herzog

  • HIP, HIP … BERET! illus. by Morena Forza

Joana Pastro

  • BISA’S CARNAVAL, illus. by Caroline Coroa (coming December, available for pre-order)

  • LILLYBELLE: A Damsel Not in Distress, illus. by Jhon Ortiz 

Candy Wellins

  • THE STARS BECKONED: Edward White's Amazing Walk in Space, illus. by Courtney Dawson

  • SATURDAYS ARE FOR STELLA, illus. by Charlie Eve Ryan

Carrie Finison

  • DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS, illus. by Brianne Farley

Colleen Paeff

  • THE GREAT STINK: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem, illus. by Nancy Carpenter

Happy holidays from the Soaring ‘20s!