Dear April Sayre,
Why do you have a different illustrator for each book?
First graders at Childs Elementary


Each of my books takes several years to make. The editors and art directors at the publishing companies decide who would be best to illustrate each one of my books. Artists vary in their style and the materials they use. Some use pastels. Others use cut paper collage. Some draw or oil paint. Each kind of art and artist lends a feeling to the book. An editor looks for the artist whose work fits the mood of my words. That is why not every book is the same. Each company also works with certain artists. I work with several companies. Finally, an editor may ask an illustrator to do a book. But they may turn down that opportunity. It takes a long time to do the art—6 or more months. If an artist does not absolutely love my words, they may not be able to live with them for so long. They have to feel a spark to jump into illustrating one of my books. Also, they may be busy doing other books and not have time to do my book. So the editor may need to look for a different illustrator.

April Sayre

Dear April Sayre,
At Lakeview, we just read "Crocodile Listens". We were wondering if you actually went to Africa to do your research or did you do the research with books/Internet/interview? The animal sound words were pretty unique in the book- almost as if you had heard the sounds in person. We also were curious about how you chose the animals you wrote about in "Almost Home". Are these animals you have researched and have a particular interest in? We are really enjoying your books!
Students at Lakeview Elementary

For Crocodile Listens, I did not go to Africa. I did my research by reading books, watching videos of crocodiles hatching, and speaking with crocodile experts. (One imitated the crocodile noises to me over the phone.) To get the sound words just right, I watched a video of crocodiles hatching. I watched it over and over. I had to listen carefully and experiment with words to find letters that, when spelled out, made the right sounds.

I have studied many of the animals in HOME AT LAST in person. I have seen wood frogs. I have seen whales. I have been pecked on the head by an Arctic Tern. (I was near its nest, on a small island above Iceland.) I have seen lobsters walking and swimming across coral reefs, although I have never seen them walk single file. (I did watch them do so in a documentary film.) I have worked with sea turtle scientists and seen sea turtle eggs hatching at night. Many of my later books, such as Army Ant Parade, are from my personal experiences with animals.

April Sayre

Dear April Sayre,

Why don't you illustrate your own books?

First graders at Childs Elementary

I do not illustrate my own books because I am not a good illustrator. That is not my talent. The artists who illustrate my books spend as much time working on their art as I do on my writing. If I drew the pictures, you would not know what the animals are. That is okay for a drawing you put on the wall. But for a nonfiction book, about real animals, it helps if people can tell a turtle is a turtle, and so on.

April Sayre

Dear April Sayre,
We are wondering why do you mostly write non-fiction and how hard is it for you to write fun rhyming books, then hard geography books.

Students at Fairview Elementary

I enjoy writing fun rhyming books. That kind of work is like doing a puzzle. Switching to longer books, such as the hard geography books, can be a challenge. That kind of writing takes focus. It takes discipline. You get better at it the more you practice. The important thing is to sit in the chair and get started. Sometimes, with a really hard project, I set a timer. I think to myself: Okay, I can work on this for an hour. An hour is not much. So I start working. Soon, I have forgotten the time and more than an hour has passed. Then I see that the work I was dreading is not so painful after all. The next time I sit down to work on that book, the writing is easier. Why? Because I am no longer scared to do it. Once you start, you understand that you just have to work. Piece-by-piece, your writing will come together.
April Sayre