Today we continue the Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep series with an essay by author Lita Judge. Thank you, Lita.
As
an author and illustrator of both fiction and nonfiction picture books, I’m
often startled when someone asks if my fictional books are harder to create and
if I turn to nonfiction projects, in between, as a form of rest. I think this
misconception comes from the notion that writing nonfiction picture books
entails lightly researching a topic in the library until one can come up with a
list of facts that make their way into a book.
Many
of us were taught to write nonfiction that way in middle school, but that’s not at all how nonfiction writers actually
tackle their work. The truth is that my fiction books are often flights of my
imagination, but all of my nonfiction books grow from an exploration of deep
and lifelong passions.
of us were taught to write nonfiction that way in middle school, but that’s not at all how nonfiction writers actually
tackle their work. The truth is that my fiction books are often flights of my
imagination, but all of my nonfiction books grow from an exploration of deep
and lifelong passions.
These
books are a reflection of who I am. And the research I do to write them goes
far beyond the boundaries of a library. It involves time spent in the field,
hours of observation, exchanges with scientists, and drawing from nature.
books are a reflection of who I am. And the research I do to write them goes
far beyond the boundaries of a library. It involves time spent in the field,
hours of observation, exchanges with scientists, and drawing from nature.
For
example, my book, Bird Talk, explores the ways birds communicate and why. This
book was inspired by my grandmother, an ornithologist who worked for fifteen
years to successfully breed a golden eagle in captivity.
In
the predawn hours of a wintery spring, I listened to the piercing call of a
golden eagle beckoning my grandmother to her pen. My grandmother would grab
sticks to bring as an offering for the bird to begin building a nest. Later,
when eggs were laid, my grandmother and the eagle shared the work of
incubating.
the predawn hours of a wintery spring, I listened to the piercing call of a
golden eagle beckoning my grandmother to her pen. My grandmother would grab
sticks to bring as an offering for the bird to begin building a nest. Later,
when eggs were laid, my grandmother and the eagle shared the work of
incubating.
I
also worked with my grandparents on the marsh, banding owls and hawks, learning
to differentiate the calls between mates locating one another from those that
warned of danger or responses to hungry chicks.
also worked with my grandparents on the marsh, banding owls and hawks, learning
to differentiate the calls between mates locating one another from those that
warned of danger or responses to hungry chicks.
Bird
Talk
grew from many experiences gained by research in the field.
Talk
grew from many experiences gained by research in the field.
I’ve
also written about dinosaurs. Like so many others kids, I had a love for
dinosaurs. When I was fourteen, I was convinced I wanted to be a
paleontologist. In hopes of pursuing this goal, I wrote dozens of letters to
museums begging to volunteer on a dinosaur dig. After many rejections, at last,
Phil Currie from the Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Alberta, Canada, agreed
to let me work on a dig.
I ended up working there for several summers and got a degree in geology, but
eventually found that I really wanted to write and illustrate books about
dinosaurs, more than work as a paleontologist. So I turned to writing books,
such as How Big Were Dinosaurs?, which answers many of the childhood
questions I had about dinosaurs.
also written about dinosaurs. Like so many others kids, I had a love for
dinosaurs. When I was fourteen, I was convinced I wanted to be a
paleontologist. In hopes of pursuing this goal, I wrote dozens of letters to
museums begging to volunteer on a dinosaur dig. After many rejections, at last,
Phil Currie from the Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Alberta, Canada, agreed
to let me work on a dig.
I ended up working there for several summers and got a degree in geology, buteventually found that I really wanted to write and illustrate books about
dinosaurs, more than work as a paleontologist. So I turned to writing books,
such as How Big Were Dinosaurs?, which answers many of the childhood
questions I had about dinosaurs.
Sometimes,
I feel people assume writing nonfiction picture books like Born in the Wild is
simple because of its short text. But it takes a breadth of knowledge to take
complex ideas like animal behavior and shape them into understandable concepts
for young readers.
I feel people assume writing nonfiction picture books like Born in the Wild is
simple because of its short text. But it takes a breadth of knowledge to take
complex ideas like animal behavior and shape them into understandable concepts
for young readers.
I
create picture books because so much of the knowledge I acquire working in the
field is visual. Watching animals gives me an awareness of intimate gestures
and body language. I could never do these topics justice if my knowledge of
them stemmed only from sampling books on the topic. And the time I spend
observing animals results in a desire to draw and record my knowledge as
illustrations rather than solely writing about them. That’s why I love the
genre of picture books.
create picture books because so much of the knowledge I acquire working in the
field is visual. Watching animals gives me an awareness of intimate gestures
and body language. I could never do these topics justice if my knowledge of
them stemmed only from sampling books on the topic. And the time I spend
observing animals results in a desire to draw and record my knowledge as
illustrations rather than solely writing about them. That’s why I love the
genre of picture books.
Occasionally
my nonfiction work involves writing a biography. My book, Mary’s Monster, is a YA
illustrated novel in verse about Mary Shelley. But the experience of writing it
was not that dissimilar to my other work.
my nonfiction work involves writing a biography. My book, Mary’s Monster, is a YA
illustrated novel in verse about Mary Shelley. But the experience of writing it
was not that dissimilar to my other work.
I
didn’t set out to write a book about Mary Shelley because she was a remarkable
teenager who created the most iconic monster of all time. I wrote about her
because I had been going through some really tough experiences. To find a way
out of my darkness, I needed to immerse myself in examples of strength and
courage.
didn’t set out to write a book about Mary Shelley because she was a remarkable
teenager who created the most iconic monster of all time. I wrote about her
because I had been going through some really tough experiences. To find a way
out of my darkness, I needed to immerse myself in examples of strength and
courage.
After
reading Frankenstein, I knew Mary
Shelley must have survived some pretty intense and painful experiences. I kept
asking myself, how did she do it?
reading Frankenstein, I knew Mary
Shelley must have survived some pretty intense and painful experiences. I kept
asking myself, how did she do it?
I
sought out her journals and in them, found the strength I needed. Living within
the darkness of her writing became a way through my own. My choice to write about
her was no report. It was a rhapsody resulting from the passionate journey of
finding my own way back to creating through exploring hers. It could only have
been written after deeply inhabiting her life and emotions. That, in essence,
is what nonfiction writing is for me. Inhabiting a topic until it becomes a
part of me.
sought out her journals and in them, found the strength I needed. Living within
the darkness of her writing became a way through my own. My choice to write about
her was no report. It was a rhapsody resulting from the passionate journey of
finding my own way back to creating through exploring hers. It could only have
been written after deeply inhabiting her life and emotions. That, in essence,
is what nonfiction writing is for me. Inhabiting a topic until it becomes a
part of me.
Lita Judge is the
author/illustrator of twenty-five fiction and nonfiction books, including Mary’s Monster, a YA novel about Mary
Shelley and the creation of Frankenstein. Her picture books include Flight School, Born in the Wild, Red Sled, Hoot and Peep, and One Thousand Tracings. Lita worked as a
geologist and paleontologist before turning to a life of creating art. A
childhood spent with eagles, owls, and other animals also inspires her work.
When not painting or writing, Lita loves riding her electric bike to far off
places, or backpacking through Europe with sketchbook in hand. She lives in
Peterborough, NH.
author/illustrator of twenty-five fiction and nonfiction books, including Mary’s Monster, a YA novel about Mary
Shelley and the creation of Frankenstein. Her picture books include Flight School, Born in the Wild, Red Sled, Hoot and Peep, and One Thousand Tracings. Lita worked as a
geologist and paleontologist before turning to a life of creating art. A
childhood spent with eagles, owls, and other animals also inspires her work.
When not painting or writing, Lita loves riding her electric bike to far off
places, or backpacking through Europe with sketchbook in hand. She lives in
Peterborough, NH.
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Topics
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