Interview with Foster Parrots Ltd./NEEWS 2010:ANIMAL WELFARE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR – KAREN DUGAN
Acclaimed Children’s Author and Illustrator, Karen Dugan, recently published “Always Blue for Chicu” with animal welfare publisher, The Gryphon Press. This story of the journey of a Blue-Fronted Amazon will capture readers of all ages. We are proud to present this interview and to recommend this beautifully illustrated story. 1) Your art style and literary sense are warm and vivid and instantly appealing! What are the things in your life that have most inspired you to write and paint for children? Thank you! Publishing is a great tradition to be part of, and even after 25 years there is still so much to learn. Even in this electronic age, there is still something so personal about reading a book, and for me, my hope is: Did I bring you here? Did you feel what Chicu felt? For younger children I wanted the story to flow through the pictures, so they could “read” it by themselves. My inspiration comes from the belief we are capable of great things as long as we remember we are connected to everything else. 2) The Gryphon Press is a publisher dedicated to producing books for children that explore the human-animal bond. How did this perfect marriage between you and your publisher come about? My first book with The Gryphon Press, Ms. April & Ms. Mae sat dusty in a drawer for several years, rejected by other publishers for being too long, too odd: an old woman, a talking fox and conservation? A friend told me Gryphon Press was looking for illustrators who drew animals, so on a whim I included the book dummy, and was shocked when Emilie Buchwald, the publisher herself, called me on a Sunday afternoon. I still cannot believe my good fortune. She is a master of her craft, and as an author herself, approaches you and your book as a work of art- nothing is impossible, all details are explored, and pulls the best out of you with encouragement and skill. She is the kind of person you dream of working with and is using her 30+ years of publishing experience to devote the rest of her life to producing these amazing books about animals and their welfare. 3) You have a parrot! Tell us about him and how this relationship inspired you to write and illustrate Chicu. Our lovebird Boo has been with us 17 years now. He bosses us around terribly and runs a strict household, and we shamelessly defer to him. I knew nothing of parrots when I got him, but one day, he made a raspberry noise after I asked a question, and the light went off in my dim head: he just said No! He had opinions! He opened the door for me, and I am still in awe of how something so small has so many feelings. Here’s something else: in the beginning he felt a rivalry with my husband Paul, but when Paul went through a long illness, he stayed right by him the whole time and now they’re inseparable. He showed compassion, which people don’t associate with birds. That is another reason I wrote Chicu: people tend to dismiss birds as simple-minded: parroting bird brains, dodos. I wanted to show the deep connections they can make with each other and with people of their own choice. 4) Chicu is near and dear to our hearts! It is the story of a Blue-Fronted Amazon. Tell us a little bit about your experience in writing this book and how the story evolved. I wanted to tell the story of a wild parrot and his life as a pet, and to show his spirit and strengths in spite of a life filled with changes and misunderstandings. My first thought was what would a baby see from his nest? A circle of blue sky? Was there a bird with the “mark” of the blue sky on him? Lo and behold, such a bird existed, the Blue-Fronted Amazon. The idea of using a circle of blue in the text is out of respect wild parrots may have a language of their own. This was my first book working first-hand with many dedicated experts unbelievably generous with their time and expertise, and I will always be grateful to everyone for their help. It was amazing how everything fit together- book projects don’t always work so smoothly, which made me believe this story had to be written. Karen Windsor was amazing with her encouragement and energy and ideas- thank you, Karen! It is also a testament to everyone’s help Chicu just won a Bronze Medal at the 2010 IPPY Awards. |