Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken
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| Louise Meets Some Pirates | Louise Meets a Fortune Teller |
Questions for Kate DiCamillo
Amazon.com: Tell us about Louise--how is she so brave? What do you do when you?re feeling a little bit chicken?
Kate Dicamillo: When I think of Louise, the words that come to mind are insouciant and unflappable. I suppose that when all is said and done, she is brave. But she's also kind of, um, *clueless.* As for me, when I am feeling afraid, I squawk and flap my wings and run around in circles and then I go ahead and try to do the thing that I'm pretty sure I can't do.
Amazon.com: I know pirates don't keep very good records, but have you found any historical evidence of chickens adventuring with pirates?
Dicamillo: Yes, it's true, pirates don't keep great records. But there are several diaries of chickens that have survived through the ages and they paint a quite colorful (and detailed (and sometimes horrifiying)) picture of the many adventures that chickens have had with pirates. I refererred to these diaries when I was doing my research. They were written in chicken scratch; it was slow going.
Amazon.com: If Louise, Despereaux, and Mercy Watson went on an adventure together, what do you think would happen?
Dicamillo: Wow, there's a picture . . . let's see. I can envision Louise standing on Mercy's back and Despereaux perched on Louise's head. *Anything* could happen, I suppose. And would. But I'm sure that whatever happened, it would involve toast, hot air balloons, cluelessness and Despereaux ultimately saving the day.
Amazon.com: This is your first collaboration with Harry Bliss. Did you have his style in mind when you wrote the story, or did you join up with him afterward?
Dicamillo: When I wrote Louise, I didn't have a particular illustrator in mind. But the chicken (the whole world!) that Harry has brought to life in this book has delighted and humbled me. He's a genius.
Amazon.com: You've written award-winning books for kids of every age. Do you tell a different kind of story for each age, or do you think all kids find the same elements appealing?
Dicamillo: I don't think about what age the story is for or who or why. I just try to tell a story that makes me happy, one that makes me laugh, or cry; I try to tell a story that makes me glad to be here.
Kate DiCamillo is the acclaimed author of many books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux, winner of the Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor Book; and The Tiger Rising, a National Book Award finalist. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Little Blue Truck
Sali de paseo (Spanish Edition)
Let's Go Visiting
Sal¡ de paseo
El Cuento de Ferdinando (The Story of Ferdinand in Spanish) (Picture Puffins)
Coconut Comes to School
Six Chicks
I Went Walking
Christmas in the Barn
The Tiger Rising
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride
Great Joy
Mercy Watson Fights Crime
Bink and Gollie (Junior Library Guild Selection (Candlewick Press))
The Magician's Elephant
Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig
Mercy Watson: Something Wonky this Way Comes
The Magician's Elephant