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Career in Education

Christian Kueng Author Interview

Can We Get a Rhinoceros? follows a young boy with an active imagination who wants to convince his mom to get him an unusual pet while she tries to be more practical. What inspired your story?

I retired from a career in education (teacher and administrator) but have substituted in retirement. While working in a long-term second-grade assignment, the kids were working on animal projects. They chose some of the more interesting animals, and one student said he told his mom he wanted an elephant.

Your characters are wonderfully emotive and relatable. Were you able to use anything from your own life to inform their character development?

Most definitely. I grew up in farm and dairy country, and we had animals (chickens, goats, cows, show Herefords). I was a precocious child and wanted a penguin (we had been reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins in class). My mom asked pretty much the same questions that the mom in this book did.

I loved the discussion between the mother and son about the pros and cons of a rhinoceros. What was your favorite scene in this story?

That’s a little difficult to answer because I had so much fun with this story. If I had to choose one, I would say the conclusion because I didn’t have an ending until I read it to my second graders, and one of the students said he had a dog that he dressed up for Halloween.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

Actually, I have several stories I am working on and not sure which will be the next book in the Chris Kueng Library Collection. I have several stories in progress. When I tire of working on one story or get “stuck,” I go to work on another story. Fortunately, I have flow maps that plot out the stories. This makes it easier to overcome writer’s block. The books I have been working on are:

1. Granddad’s Treasures
2. Honey, the Sleeping Beauty Bee
3. Can We Get a Giraffe?
4. Winston and Cooper
5. The Principal Wore Polka Dots

    My goal is to have a book out every one to two years.

    Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon

    A young boy is eager to have a pet. But not just any pet will do. He wants a RHINOCEROS. Mom has questions in the hopes of making her son realize what a far-fetched idea it is to have such a large beast to take care of:
    Where would you keep it?
    Where would you keep its food? And
    How would you get rid of all the poo he poops?
    Then, if not a rhinoceros, how about a whale? a tiger? Or even a blue-footed booby? Mom finally makes a suggestion for a more suitable pet. What could it possibly be?

    “Fractured Fairy Tales”

    Christian Kueng Author Interview

    Digger The Colony Worker Ant follows a worker ant living with his stepmother and two stepbrothers who all try to keep him from going to the Gala. What inspired you to write a story retelling this fairy tale?

    First of all, I always enjoyed reading “fractured fairy tales” or variations of familiar fairy tales from other countries to my younger students when I taught elementary school. These stories are great in teaching comparing and contrasting skills. Since I have several of fairy tale variations in my own library, I thought it would be fun to do one with ants.

    What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

    The personalities and emotions of the different characters. Digger, for example, is the kindhearted hero while his step family are just the opposite (self-centered, mean, lazy). I wanted to personify the nastiness of the stepmother and the stepbrothers.

    Also, there is something I included that hopefully the readers will pick up on. Each character has the word “ant” in his or her name. For example, the stepbrothers are Dante and Grant. The stepmother is Shantelle, and there’s Queen Lantina and Princess Antilles. The only one who doesn’t have it is Digger.

    The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Nana Melkadze?

    Oh, absolutely Nana is an exemplary artist. I first worked with her (through the editor at Atlantic Publishing Group) on my first picture book, Caleb’s Adventures with Granddad and she did a fantastic job capturing the spirit and the vision I had for that story and I knew she would do the same with Digger the Colony Worker Ant. I would work with my editor and we discussed what illustrations were needed. The descriptions were then sent to Nana who lives in the country of Georgia. She would do pencil sketches and send them to the editor who would forward them to me. Once we approve of the basic illustration, Nana would do the color versions. It is interesting to note that Nana and I have never met. We now communicate with each other through Instagram. But we understand each other – she sees my vision and I appreciate her talents to bring the story to life.

    What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

    The next story that I have just begun working with the editor is called “Can We Have a Rhinoceros?” It’s about a boy who wants a rhino for a pet and tries to explain to his mother why he wants one, even though she says no. He suggests other animals but keeps coming back to the rhinoceros (and in the process readers learn about the rhino as well as other exotic animals the boy mentions).

    Since we just mapped out the story with the illustrations, it should be out next year. It usually takes a year to get the book completed and out for purchase. I want a quality book each time so I may go slower to get the quality I want for the story.

    Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook

    Worker ant, Digger, lives with a nasty stepmother, Shantelle, and her two lazy sons, Dante and Grant. The three of them order Digger around endlessly.
    As the colony queen, Lantina, prepares to host a Gala to find a suitable husband for her daughter, Princess Antilles, Dante and Grant have ideas to keep Digger from attending. Shantelle puts down Digger further by telling him that “an ant like you would never be permitted to dance with royal ants.”
    However, Digger’s Lady God Bug makes it possible for him to attend the grand party. Will Antilles find her prince or will Digger’s step family prevent any romance between the royal Princess and the common worker ant?
    This new retelling of a familiar fairy tale is bound to delight readers of all ages.

    Digger the Colony Worker Ant

    Digger is not living his best life. In fact, he is being treated like a servant in his own home. Digger spends day and night waiting on his stepbrothers and their hateful mother. He’s a worker ant, but this doesn’t mean he should be doing all of the work. He lives with their threats, snide remarks, and insults day in and day out. Nothing he does is ever good enough for anyone. Soon, it’s time for the Queen’s Gala and the queen to choose a husband for Princess Antilles. Will Digger be among those lucky enough to attend, or will he be at home buried under the usual mountain of chores?

    Digger: The Colony Worker Ant, written by Christian Kueng and illustrated by Nana Melkadze, is an amusing version of Cinderella centered around the members of an ant colony. Digger, the story’s main character, will draw young readers into the tale with his many woes and his determination to make it to the gala alongside the others. Readers familiar with Cinderella’s story will easily recognize elements from the classic fairy tale and enjoy comparing and contrasting the two stories.

    I especially enjoyed the bits of humor peppered throughout Kueng’s writing. Kueng has taken the well-known narrative and given it new life and a new look. From the fantastic illustrations of Digger decked out in leather and sunglasses to the hilarious side-eye doled out by his cranky stepbrothers, this book is a hit for young readers from cover to cover.

    Digger: The Colony Worker Ant is an entertaining and engaging children’s book that children and adults will enjoy. I highly recommend this Cinderella tale to any teacher putting together a fairy tale unit for the upcoming school year. Elementary readers will thoroughly enjoy drawing comparisons between Digger’s life and Cinderella’s as they point out the more modern elements.

    Pages: 40 | ASIN : B0BZT59GJ6

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