Come along on a rollicking, rainy-day walk

Cover of On My Walk by Kari-Lynn Winters

Kari-Lynn Winters is a picture book author, poet, and performer. She enjoys being in the classroom in any capacity, as a presenter, a teacher, or as a student.

After finishing her doctoral program at UBC in literacy education, Kari-Lynn recently assumed her new job as Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. Here, she teaches drama-in-education to and mentors teacher candidates in their elementary cohort group.

Her masters thesis, on exploring the efficacy of using the arts to strengthen less proficient students’ reading comprehension (part of her multimedia thesis presentation is available online), won the Master’s Research Award in 2005 for the best thesis in Canada in her field. Before that, she taught in North Carolina for three years and in Toronto for 2 years. Kari holds a teaching degree from the University of Toronto, in regular and special education for children ages 3-13. She is also a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (in Montreal), where she earned a certificate in technical theatre.

Orca Book Publishers recently published Kari-Lynn’s first picture book, Jeffrey and Sloth (2007), a tale about a boy who has writer’s block and the imaginary creature he creates to help him write his story. Other picture books include Runaway Alphabet, aRHYTHMetic, and Oh Ducky Day.

I had the fortunate opportunity to interview Kari-Lynn Winters about her latest book, On My Walk.

How did you get the idea for “On My Walk”?
Two separate ideas guided me as I wrote the manuscript for On My Walk. First, at the time, I had a young daughter who loved rhythmic and rhyming books. However, most of the books available were too long for her two-year old attention span (e.g., Madeline or Dr. Suess). For this reason, I wanted to write a book for her—one that she would enjoy and be able to finish. Second, I adore the story Going on a Bear Hunt (Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury). I love how it guides you into the narrative and then out again. I wanted to try a similar approach.

How long did it take you to get from idea all the way to publication with this book?
At least two years. It is difficult to believe that a book with a mere 75 word count could take so long to develop, but it did.

Do you have any suggestions for sharing this book with young readers?
Absolutely! Personally I use props and hats. However, here are some other ideas:
a) Listen and Find:
Christina Leist has carefully hidden the animals and items listed in the text inside the illustrations. Ask the child/children to listen to the story and to try and to point out these items.
b) Make your own rain storm:
Try clapping, snapping, and stomping together to create your own rain storm.
c) Sing the story:
This rhythmic story lends itself to singing. Try it out for yourself. Or even better make up your own rhymes based on what the story offers.
d) Point of View:
Encourage pre-school and kindergarten children to figure out which character is telling the story. The clues come in the illustrations.

How did your experience as a pre-school teacher influence this book?
My background experience as a Montessori pre-school teacher influences me in so many ways. I remember how the children at the school responded to rhythms and books. This was in the foreground of my mind as I wrote On My Walk. It is such a joy to see children take ownership of a book—both through their bodies (e.g., clapping, jumping, dancing, pointing) and through language (e.g., singing along, repeating the phrases). As a writer, how can I resist such amazing learning opportunities and such FUN! I do hope that young children will take ownership of On My Walk in these delightful and engaged ways.

Tell us about your upcoming books.
Runaway Alphabet is an alphabet book that is coming out with Simply Read Books (An award-winning local company) this spring (2010). It is a book like no other. It is an alphabet book that focuses on the sounds of the letters. I can’t wait until this book hits the shelves. It is exactly the kind of book that I needed as a child. When Chickens Fly is published by Gumboot Books. It is a story about a chicken that isn’t allowed to compete in the Snow Sports Competition because she is a chicken. In many ways this is a story about equity and fairness.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Yes. A few things. I recently achieved my doctorate. I am so pleased. As a child, I struggled with literacy concepts. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think, “Who is this person?” Then I smile, knowing this person is a determined and hard-working author/professor who knows that dreams are possible!

To learn more about Kari-Lynn Winters, please visit her official website.
Read my previous interview with Kari-Lynn Winters.