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Melissa Stewart: Nonfiction Inspiration

© Sue Reichard

1. You have written so many wonderful books for children. You write for the very young as well as older children and even adults. Which group do you prefer and why?

I like the variety of writing for many different audiences and the challenges associated with each group. Writing for young children is fun because they are so naturally curious, and I know they will listen intently as a loving adult reads the story to them or pay close attention as they struggle to read it themselves. Middle graders and high school students can understand more sophisticated language and more complex concepts, and they have a broader view of the world. When I write for adults, I can really stretch as a writer, using use my vocabulary reserves and including illusions that kids just won't get. I like doing that once in a while.

2. You have written so many wonderful series for various publishers. They should all be on the shelves of elementary classrooms and libraries. Did you propose the various series to the publisher? If so, did you have all the titles and topics decided already and so did you propose the whole series as one item? How long did it take you to research and write one of these books? Are you responsible for providing photographs, charts, diagrams, etc.?

Some of the books I've written come from ideas I've generated, but others are assigned to me. The idea for one of my favorite books-Maggots, Grubs, And More: The Secret Lives of Young Insects (Millbrook, 2003)-came from my nephew. A few years ago, he was very interested in insects and I was helping him find books about them. He asked if there were any books about bugs that were still growing up-like him. I realized there really weren't but should be, so I sent a proposal to one of my editors. She liked it, and asked me to write the book.

I wrote a subset for Scholastic Library's very large True Book series on African animals. I had observed all of the animals in their natural setting during a trip to Africa. I also wrote a book about baboons based on my experiences during that trip. I really enjoyed writing Sloths (Lerner, 2005) because I had an opportunity to observe these fascinating creatures during a trip to Costa Rica with my husband's family. I also wrote an article about sloths for ZooGoer, which is published by the Smithsonian Zoo. I try to use my research for multiple pieces whenever I can.