Words follows a diverse group of kids, each from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, who meet at a local park and begin to discover the transformative power of words. What was the inspiration for your story?

The child of today is growing up in a combative environment, where it has become “normal” to weaponize words and lash out at others on social media. Opinions are polarized, bullying is rampant, and amid all this chaos, noise and strife, it’s difficult for children to find their own voice. I wrote Words to help kids connect with language—to share with them what I’ve learned as a writer: that every word has superpowers as well as vulnerabilities and quirks. Words, in this way, are a lot like people. Each has its own personality and its own contributions to offer the world. Not every word will make the best first impression, but if we give them a chance and get to know them a little, any word (and, indeed, any person) has the potential to become a great friend, who helps us acknowledge what we are feeling and teaches us unique lessons. 

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

I wrote Words for children between 4-8, who are just beginning to read and write. In choosing which words to illustrate and flesh out as full-fledged characters in the book, I chose ones that are relatable to kids—words that they have experience with—and that aren’t too hard for them to decode phonetically. I wanted to get children excited about reading, and the best way I know to get kids engaged is to offer them a just-right challenge. Not too easy, and not too daunting: a puzzle that they will eagerly approach and that gives them a platform for building confidence. Each time they finish reading this book, I want children to feel in their bones that words are not the realm of parents, teachers, and older siblings. Words belong to little kids, too. They belong to anyone who lets them in, respects their power, and uses them with thoughtfulness and care.

A social-emotional lesson that is central to the book is the idea that words, themselves, aren’t “good” or “bad.” It’s how we use them and put them together that ultimately decides what they express. A difficult message can be couched in very kind words. And vice versa: a caring message can run afoul of its intent if it is worded in a thoughtless way. The more that we take language to heart, the better it will ultimately serve us in expressing exactly what we mean, living our values, and embodying our highest intentions. 

Words have the power to set us free, but with freedom comes responsibility. I hope that children walk away from this book with the understanding that they are accountable for how, when, where, and why they use words. It’s not that they won’t make mistakes—or that they shouldn’t. We all do and will, for the rest of our lives. It’s about taking responsibility when that happens and turning (once again) to words, so that we can learn from our mistakes and, if needed, make amends.

I love the whimsical art in this story; it draws young readers in. What was the art collaboration process like with the illustrator Anne Berry?

I started with this idea of illustrating words as characters, so that they would literally come to life and demonstrate to children that, just like people, words often make excellent friends. After searching through many illustrators’ portfolios, I stumbled across Anne’s, and immediately fell in love. The characters she renders have depth and charm, which is exactly what this project needed. I reached out to her and described the book. Its message resonated with her and she was open to collaborating closely, which was important to me, because I already had so many visual ideas. From there we dove into sharing sketches—just experimenting with different ways of turning words into characters. Through that process, we began to nail down the book’s aesthetic. 

For many of the spreads, I had pre-existing ideas of vignettes that I wanted to see, so I described those in prose with a great deal of detail and she interpreted my descriptions through her visual lens. Once Anne had a character more or less drawn, I would take one last pass at it, adding lots of quirky details. Funnily enough, those little things added so much dimension and took the word-characters to another level. My hope was that each and every word-character in the story would remind young readers of someone they know—but I also wanted them to be relatable, to remind readers of themselves. It was an absolute joy to be in visual conversation with Anne Berry. We hope to work together again in the future. 

What story are you currently in the middle of writing?

I’m always in the middle of multiple projects! The next story I am likely to publish is a picture book about resilience and the hidden gifts of not always getting what we want. 

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