20 Questions: What's your most-talked about book?

Welcome to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!

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

(Note that we are moving to posting new content from this series to substack from our previous website. We’ve long enjoyed this series so we’ve decided to just keep the questions coming!)

This month’s question:

What’s your most-talked about book?

“My debut, LET’S DANCE!, continues to be the book that people navigate towards. At festivals, it continues to sell, and when people speak to me about my books, that’s the one that they often know about. I think it's because the book came out during the heart of the pandemic, and I did all I could to promote it. People love to dance – it's a great book to read to children to get them up and moving – and Maine Diaz’s vibrant illustrations perfectly capture the energy and enthusiasm of dance. I hope that book remains a favorite for years to come.”

 – Valerie Bolling, author of I SEE COLOR with co-author, Kailei Pew, illus. Laylie Frazier (Harper Collins, 2024)

“My most talked-about book is DON’T HUG DOUG, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman, which came out in 2021. The book deals with the topics of consent and bodily autonomy in a light, humorous, and kid-friendly way. When I wrote it, I personally thought the topic was an important one but I had no idea it would strike a chord with so many people. I routinely have adults reach out to me and tell me that they are “a Doug” and wish that the book had existed when they were young. I’ve also heard so many stories of kids who were able to express their own feelings about receiving and giving hugs after reading the book. I love that the book has helped to spark so many conversations between adults and children. I’m also very excited to share that Daniel Wiseman and I are teaming up on a second book, EVEN STEVEN, coming in early 2026, which explores many different ways to share.”

 – Carrie Finison, author of PIGS DIG A ROAD, illus. Brian Biggs (Putnam, 2024)

“My most talked about book is THE FIRE OF STARS, illustrated by Katherine Roy because of its unique, parallel structure. A single line of text tells two stories, which play out simultaneously on each page: the story of star formation and the story of how astronomer Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin formed into a star scientist. The book was even named an Orbis Pictus Honor Book from the National Council of Teachers of English.”

– Kirsten W. Larson, author of THE FIRE OF STARS, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle Books, 2023)