T-Rex and Tuck Explore the Zoo follows a little boy as he uses his imagination to embark on an educational adventure at the zoo. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?

The inspiration for the T-Rex and Tuck Explore series in general is my son, Tucker. He loves to go on “adventures” and has quite an imagination. He has a stuffed dinosaur that he takes along with him all over the house and this relationship was the inspiration for the “best friend” character concept. I have always enjoyed writing, but becoming a mom was the inspiration I needed to come up with the story setup and run with it. This first book, T-Rex and Tuck Explore the Zoo, came to me after our own family visit to the zoo and how much he enjoys books about animals. The next book in the series will be T-Rex and Tuck Explore Outer Space which the illustrator is currently working on.

The art in this picture book is very cute. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Jessie Johnson?

I absolutely adore the art in this picture book! Jessie Johnson, the illustrator, is very talented and was able to capture the vision for the characters exactly the way I had envisioned them. I had posted a job on the site Up Work and feel so fortunate that she applied. I had narrowed it down to a few artists and had them illustrate a character concept. She blew me away with her initial design. She is a college student in North Carolina and I am in the Kansas City area so the communication has consisted of zoom calls and emails, but I think we work well together and we are excited to continue our working relationship for the entire series! She has a bright future ahead of her.

What were some ideas that were important for you to include in this children’s book?

One of the ideas that was important to me for this children’s book was the focus on imaginative play. I love the idea that kids can go on adventures through reading and I think this story does a great job of that. I wanted the book to be engaging as far as being able to make animal noises with your kids while reading it and acting out different movements. My kids favorite books are the ones that can be interactive. I also wanted to incorporate some educational information about the animals while still making it fun to read.

When and where will this book be available?

This book is currently available on my website http://www.authorkatiemarie.com as well as Book Baby’s Book Shop https://store.bookbaby.com/book/t-rex-and-tuck-explore-the-zoo

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IN THE FIRST INSTALLMENT FROM THE T-REX AND TUCK EXPLORE SERIES, TUCK USES HIS IMAGINATION TO TRANSPORT HIMSELF AND HIS BEST FRIEND, T-REX, TO THE ZOO. IN THIS WONDEROUS ESCAPE FROM THE RAINY DAY INSIDE TUCK’S ROOM, THEY LEARN INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT DIFFERENT ZOO ANIMALS AND GET TO HAVE A LITTLE FUN ALONG THE WAY.