In Choo! Choo! Choo! The Train at the Zoo, a personable pig takes young readers on an educational journey through the zoo. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I have been visiting Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on an ongoing basis and as a member for many years. Their train ride always seemed to bring such joy to everyone walking around and about—from the conductor and the passengers on the train to the kids and parents in line. I really love visiting the lions there as well as seeing the monkeys play and giraffes with their long necks.

What educational goals did you set for yourself when writing this book?

My goal for this book is to inspire a love of reading and life-long learning. My editor and I talked about how “The Wheels on the Bus” is such a lovely song for kids to learn words and sounds and we agreed that it could lend itself to the concept of book. I also hope that readers can embark on a fun adventure and want to visit a zoo or learn more about their favorite animals.

I enjoyed the wonderful artwork in your book. What was the collaboration process like with illustrator Tamara Joubert?

Working with the entire team at Blue Balloon Books has been a joy. From the initial call with their acquiring editor to the editing and illustration process—it has been seamless and a fantastic experience for me. Tamara Joubert is an award-winning illustrator and she captured the vision of the characters perfectly. Her illustrations really make me smile and I hope that they bring the same feelings of fun to the readers. I think that the illustrations really help the bring positive attention to the animals and to the sounds of the train. Tamara was wonderful to work with and made the process fun and her take on starting early in the day and ending as it gets dark was a special gift.

Can we look forward to more books from you soon? What are you currently working on?

There are several projects that I am excited about publishing and writing over the next few years. I am currently working with Blue Balloon books on the next book in the series for spring 2025, “Whoo! Hoo! Hoo! The Carousel at the Zoo” also illustrated by Tamara Joubert. I really love to write picture books and look forward to hopefully publishing two to three books each year for the foreseeable future.

Author Links: GoodReads | KathyWelton.com | akabooks.com | MyrtleTheTurtle.com