Salina Yoon is the award-winning author and illustrator of the Penguin picture book series, featuring PENGUIN AND PINECONE, and the forthcoming PENGUIN ON VACATION and PENGUIN IN LOVE from Walker Books. She has also created nearly 200 novelty and board books for young children. She lives with her family in Southern California, but you can visit her online at www.salinayoon.com.

You’ve chronicled Penguin’s adventures on the Penguin and Pinecone blog. Do you always flesh out your characters beyond the pages of the book, or does Penguin hold a special place in your writerly heart?

Penguin is my first of many firsts. He is my first series character to star in my first story-based picture book, and first to be sculpted with clay and star in my first blog ever. He holds a very special place in my heart because of the stories Penguin inspires, and for challenging me to write them.

Lots of other “firsts” are happening in my career because of Penguin, like my participation at IRA next month!

You’ve written many novelty books for children, and you’ve cited interactivity and “play appeal” as important elements in this genre. How do those fun elements translate or get altered when writing a picture book like PENGUIN AND PINECONE?

In a novelty, I design the physical book to make them interactive with lift-flaps, soft things to touch, shiny accents, or a wheel to spin, which add to its play value.

For Penguin, my focus on play appeal changed to character appeal. I want my readers to fall in love with Penguin, the character, and follow him on his heartfelt adventures.

On your website you briefly chronicle some differences between your early childhood in Korea and that of your children in the US. How does your experience of young life in Korea and the United States inform your writing?

I strive to create books that appeal to all children on a universal level—not limited to certain cultures, generations or lifestyles. Penguin’s natural curiosity, his compassion, his joy, his sadness, his longing, [and] his wonderment, are universal emotions that can resonate with children everywhere.

You’ve said that you switch between illustration styles and between digital and hand drawing. How do you make the decision as to how you’ll tackle each project?

In my former life, I was an art director. It was my job to match in-house book projects with the right illustration style. I considered how well the style would work with the content of the book as well as its intended audience.

When I went off to write/illustrate my own books, my process stayed the same except that my pool of illustration styles were now limited to the ones I could create and the books were limited to the ones I could write.

You're appearing at IRA's 58th Annual Convention, where the theme is "Celebrating Teachers Making a Difference." Can you tell us about a teacher who made a difference in your life?

Mrs. Cook, my third grade teacher at Rosewood Elementary. I remember her with fondness for so many reasons, one of which is that she was pregnant. I had never seen a pregnant woman up close in my life at the time, and was mesmerized by her big round belly. She let curious students put our hands over her big baby bump so we could feel the baby kick. But it wasn’t just for that reason!

She expressed to me that I had a talent for art. I knew I liked art… but… talent? Mrs. Cook encouraged me to enter a bookmark drawing contest and helped me write up a slogan for it. I won first place in this contest, my first ever ART contest. This planted a seed in me—a desire to make art that grew and grew.

Thank you, Mrs. Cook, and all the other Mrs. Cook’s out there, planting the seeds!

Come see Salina Yoon co-present the symposium IRA Teachers' Choices Committee Presents: Making a Difference for Readers, Writers, and Artists by Connecting them with Authors and Illustrators who Create Books that Inspire, Motivate, and Delight, at IRA’s 58th Annual Convention on Monday, April 22, 2013.



5 Questions With... Jill Robinson (JASPER'S STORY)

5 Questions With... Melissa Sweet (BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF THE MACY'S PARADE)

Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c. has been a pioneer of animal welfare in Asia since 1985 and is widely recognised as the world’s leading expert on the cruel bear bile industry, having campaigned against it since 1993. In 1998, she founded Animals Asia, an organisation that is devoted to ending the barbaric practice of bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals in China and Vietnam by promoting compassion and respect for all animals, and working to bring about long-term change. From starting Animals Asia out of her front room, Jill has built the organisation into a respected international NGO with over 300 staff, an annual turnover of more than US$9 million, award-winning bear sanctuaries in China and Vietnam, headquarters in Hong Kong, and offices in Australia, China, Germany, Italy, the UK, US and Vietnam.

The sad practice of bear bile farming is central to JASPER’S STORY: SAVING MOON BEARS. Can you tell us about the origins of and efforts to stop this tradition?

More than 10,000 bears—mainly moon bears, but also sun bears and brown bears—are kept on bile farms in China, and around 2,400 in Vietnam. The bears are milked regularly for their bile, which is used in traditional medicine.

Bile is extracted using various painful, invasive techniques, all of which cause massive infection in the bears. This cruel practice continues despite the availability of a large number of effective and affordable herbal and synthetic alternatives.

My personal journey with the bears began following my first visit to a bear farm in 1993. On that memorable day, I joined a group of tourists and went "undercover" to investigate a practice I'd heard about, but never seen. There, in this horrible dark room, staring at row after row of caged and tortured bears…I had never seen such treatment of animals, or felt such shame of being a human being.

Walking past the cages, I suddenly felt something touch my shoulder. There was a female moon bear with her paw stretched through the bars of the cage. Without thinking of the consequences, I somewhat stupidly held her paw. Rather than hurting me, she gently squeezed my fingers and her beautiful brown eyes blinked sorrowfully into mine—with a message that was clear. I never saw her again, but that one bear, Hong, began the dream of the moon bear rescue campaign we now have today.

In 1998 I founded Animals Asia and today, we have rescued 285 bears in China and 112 bears in Vietnam. I love their quiet intelligence, their charismatic natures, and their forgiveness. They have a sense of fun out here in our grassy enclosures that defies their years of torture and suffering on the farms.

Animals Asia's strategy to end bear farming includes constructing and managing sanctuaries in China and Vietnam, reducing demand through working with the traditional medicine community, monitoring the legal and illegal trade in bear bile, running extensive public awareness campaigns highlighting the cruelty of the industry, and engaging with governments and policy makers in Asia and across the world.

You’ve dedicated your life to rescuing moon bears through the Animals Asia foundation. What makes the story of Jasper remarkable and in what ways does it represent the plight of other moon bears in Asia?

Jasper’s story is remarkable in that it simply and effectively exposes the reality of the bear farming industry. I will never forget the shock of seeing Jasper’s mutilated abdomen for the first time as he lay there helpless, vulnerable, and unable to move in his cage. Part of a group of 63 very sick bears, Jasper represented the gruesome truth of the trade which sees thousands of bears suffering on the farms.

As remarkable as Jasper is, we have come to learn that he is really no different to the nearly four hundred equally remarkable bears that we have rescued so far. It is hard to believe that they are crushed and abused on these hideous farms, but ultimately grow to forgive the same species that has caused them so much physical and psychological pain.

Jasper’s forgiveness especially is legendary and he is an extraordinary character. He welcomes new arrivals with the friendliness of an old patriarch and still finds time to rough and tumble with the juveniles in what we affectionately term a “bear bundle.” Almost every time I walk past where he sleeps out in the enclosure, I call his name and see his big Mickey Mouse ears prick up before he lifts his head and glances my way. It’s not long before he wanders over for some treats, and gently licks peanut butter from my fingers.

Jasper suffers from physical and emotional scars as a result of his treatment. How did you and your co-authors balance the severity of the abuse with enough hope that the story is appealing to young readers?

Co-author Marc Bekoff and I are great believers in the “individual,” and that one’s own compassion starts with being kind and respectful to every person or every animal you meet. In this way, whole species themselves can be protected by those influenced by just one bear, one dog, one tiger, or one bee. Every species has a role to play in the ecosystem and, as the species responsible for so much of the earth’s destruction, it is our moral duty to change and encourage others to change.

Jasper was given a second chance after being so badly abused on the farm and, through his forgiveness and charismatic nature, he now reaches out and influences the hearts and minds of everyone who reads his story. On a personal level, Jasper makes us realize why we are here—and I often say that he rescues us every bit as much as we rescued him.

What reaction do you hope for from readers who may have never seen a moon bear or been exposed to the practice of bear farming?

I hope that readers will connect with a beautiful, majestic bear who turns a life of misery into one of pleasure and hope, and whose story shows that every single one of us can make a difference. I hope that readers will reflect on the smallest things we can all do each and every day, which can help literally millions of animals across the world.

What are some of the best books and resources available for our members to educate their students about fighting animal cruelty and helping moon bears specifically?

The best resource is our website, which also contains a great kids’ page. Please visit www.animalsasia.org.

We also have a great Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AnimalsAsia

There is a wonderful film about our rescue of bears: CAGES OF SHAME. It’s the revelatory account of Animals Asia’s rescue of 10 bears from a bile farm in China. Directed by Martin Guinness and featuring narration by Emmy Award-winning actor Peter Coyote, the emotional tale of success against all odds was the winner of the Humane Society of the United States 2011 ACE Documentary Film Grant. More on the film is available at the website www.cagesofshame.com.

For younger children, the books I would unhesitatingly recommend are:

KIDS & ANIMALS by Marc Bekoff, with a foreword by Jane Goodall
JASPER'S STORY: SAVING MOON BEARS by Jill Robinson and Marc Bekoff

For older students:

IGNORING NATURE NO MORE: THE CASE FOR COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATION, edited by Marc Bekoff
THE EMOTIONAL LIVES of Animals by Marc Bekoff
THE EXULTANT ARK by Jonathan Balcombe
Any of the books by Dr. Dame Jane Goodall!

Finally, our USA office can send more information to all inquiries. Email info@animalsasia.org or call (415) 677-9601.



5 Questions With... Wendy Henrichs (WHEN ANJU LOVED BEING AN ELEPHANT)

5 Questions With... Denise Brennan-Nelson (MAESTRO STU SAVES THE ZOO)

p: Susan Young

Stephan Pastis is the creator of PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, an acclaimed comic strip that appears in more than six hundred U.S. newspapers and boasts a devoted following. His 2011 compilation LARRY IN WONDERLAND debuted at #1 on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list for paperback graphic novels. TIMMY FAILURE: MISTAKES WERE MADE is his first book for young readers. He lives in northern California.

TIMMY FAILURE: MISTAKES WERE MADE follows a young detective in the mold of Encyclopedia Brown, but with one major difference—your hero’s not the sharpest crayon in the box. What’s the appeal of the bumbling boy wonder?

Every young detective I had ever read about, whether it was Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, or the Hardy Boys, was always incredibly clever. So I wanted to write a book about one who wasn't. The idea of that just made me laugh.

Thanks to a large print run and massive marketing blitz, TIMMY FAILURE is positioned to be anything but. How do you think the book will land with fans of other illustrated novels, such as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series?

Uh oh. I'm worried you just jinxed me. So I'm going to knock on wood for the both of us.

As to how it will be received, it's always an unknown. As with anything creative one does. I would hope that kids find it funny, and maybe even a little touching, and that it makes them want to read more books.

Due to the reputation of PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, your nationally syndicated comic strip (with a sometimes dark and decidedly adult sense of humor), some have questioned how you can make the leap into middle-grade lit. How did you harness your brand of humor for a younger audience?

Well, obviously I was conscious of certain limitations (i.e. no beer, no smoking, no swear squiggles). But really, other than that, it wasn't that hard. Because I think when I write, I often tend to appeal to those age groups anyways. You'd be surprised at the number of 8 to 12 year-olds that show up at PEARLS book signings. Maybe it's because in my head, I'm stuck at age 11. Thus, I just write for my peers.

Your comic strip is played out in 3-panel installments. What problems and new opportunities did you discover as you began working in medium with more space for expression?

It's so hard to tell a story in three panels. Most people probably don't realize what a limitation that is. You have to assume that the reader didn't read the prior day's comic strip, and therefore re-establish the premise each day. And that takes space. Space you don't necessarily have if you're also going to tell a joke.

So writing the novel was wonderful. I had more space and freedom than I've ever had before.

On your blog you’ve described your writer’s journey as a movement from “a wayward lawyer to a wayward cartoonist to a wayward kids’ author.” What’s been the impetus for this unruly path?

That was a bit tongue-in-cheek. You can't be too wayward and survive on the American comics page. But I do try to be as original as I can. I just want to do something in a way that nobody has done it before.



A Book for Every Reader

Graphic Novels Reviewed on READING TODAY ONLINE