Why I Write for Children ...Yvonne Pearson
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
It feels a bit strange to ponder Marion’s question—why do I write for children—since I had never intended to write for children. I was focused on poetry and personal essays. But I loved lyrical picture books, and I thought that since I wrote poetry it would be easy to write a picture book. I wrote a lovely little poem about a girl who imagined a house for herself, reflecting Jung’s idea that dreams of houses represent various aspects of our psyches, our unconscious minds. My friends thought it was beautiful—a perfect picture book.
Many rejections later, I began to understand I had a lot to learn. Picture books were complicated. I got hooked trying to revise my poem so it would meet the requirements of a picture book. I never did get it published. But in the meantime, I learned a lot about the genre and got hooked on writing picture books.
As I said, I never intended to write for children. But something drew me to attempt that picture book. I loved reading them to my own young children. Books that told them they were secure and valued. Books like Where the Wild Things Are told them they could go out on a limb, and be naughty and crazy, but there would be a warm meal for them in the end. Bedtime was a cherished time of day. I loved the feeling of the world shutting down and turning inward, of snuggling next to my children in their beds. They were often leaning against my shoulder, eager to see the pictures, or snuggled into my arms as I read. I felt the intimacy and security as much as they did. Picture books came to hold magic for me.
I wanted to participate in creating that magic. Marion and others have talked on this page about writing for children to heal their inner child. That’s not why I write for children. At least I don’t think so. I am much more apt to turn to poetry or essays for that. I think, rather, it’s a way to let me, and other caregivers, say to our young ones, you are wonderful and we will do everything we can to keep you safe and help you thrive.
When I do school visits and library story times, I feel the books I’ve written come alive. A batch of young children calling out loon songs with such enthusiasm I can barely calm them down. When I read Little Loon Finds His Voice, we talk about how to protect loons. And we learn loon language—learning about what the different calls mean and practicing them. I was told the story of one young girl who went canoeing with her parent after a storytime. When she spied a loon she made her own version of its call. When the loon called back (probably warning the canoe not to come any closer) she said excitedly, “The loon talked back to me!” The magic of picture books.
I hope that writing about a baby loon learning its songs will help children value this world we live in and the beings we share it with. I hope that writing about a young boy who can say “No” to Too Many Hugs can help children and their caregivers have the tools to reject unwanted touch. I hope that my picture books are a way for us to say to our little ones, “You matter. We love you.”
Yvonne Pearson is the author of the picture books Little Loon Finds His Voice (Collective Book Studio 2021) and Sadie Braves the Wilderness (Minnesota Historical Society Press 2017). She has also written 15 non-fiction children’s books. Her poetry has appeared in Split Rock Review, Talking Stick, Main Street Rag, Wolf Head Quarterly, Open to Interpretation, Chrysalis, Sidewalks, Literary Mama, and other publications. She is a 2018 Loft-McKnight Writing Fellow and has received two Minnesota State Arts Board grants, the Loft Creative Non-Fiction Award, and the Shabo Award in children’s literature.
She also worked as a social worker and freelancer for many years, writing books, magazine articles newsletters, and curriculum. She has three grown children, two grandchildren, and lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband.
