LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: THE SECRET OF WRITING BOOKS ABOUT EVENTS

By NancyChurnin

 

The first time I tried to turn a real-life event into a picture book, I struggled.

Many know me for my picture book biographies. But if you think about it, MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN  and DEAR MR. DICKENS, which are often grouped with my biographies, are actually stories of real events. Manjhi is the story of Dashrath Manjhi, who spent 22 years chiseling a path through a 300-foot mountain to help his village. In my first attempts at telling his story, I talked about his childhood. That didn’t work because this was not really a story about his life, but about what he had done that had changed his village, the people in it, and beyond. The book didn’t take shape until I began and ended with the mountain. Because while Manjhi is my main character, my focus is actually on his action – moving the mountain.

Similarly, DEAR MR. DICKENS is the story of how letters Eliza Davis wrote to Charles Dickens made him see how ugly, hurtful and unfair Jewish stereotypes in his novel were. I spent a long time struggling to trace Eliza’s childhood. When I realized this was not really a biography of Eliza, but the story of how her words changed Dickens, I started with the question of speaking up, with how Dickens’ words stirred readers to compassion and how this woman was determined to use words to change Dickens in a way that would ultimately change his readers.

I have a new book coming out in July, RAINBOW ALLIES: THE TRUE STORY OF KIDS WHO STOOD AGAINST HATE,  which is even more obviously a story of a real event. When a lesbian couple comes home to find their home egged and their rainbow flag torn down, kids in their neighborhood came up with a wonderful way to make this family feel safe and loved again. This time I knew that while the kids were the heroes of the story, this book had to begin and end with a kind neighborhood that had been sullied by this ugly deed and how the kids loving act made it beautiful again. 

When you write about events, think about framing your narrative around a place – like a mountain or a neighborhood – and use your words as Eliza did to reach the hearts of your readers.

About the Author: 

Nancy Churnin is the award-winning author of 16 books (and more on the way) that shine a light on heroes that inspire kids to be heroes, too. Her honors include the National Jewish Book Award, Sydney Taylor Honor and Notables, South Asia Book Award, Junior Library Guild selections, Silver Eurekas, Kids Choice Awards, multiple state reading lists and starred reviews.  She lives in North Texas and is a proud member of KidLitForGrowingMinds and Nonfiction Ninjas, the founders of NFFest.