In picture books, the story starts with the author. And here’s the story behind The Day Dirk Yeller Came to Town. After twenty five books, I’m still not the kind of writer who sleeps with a notepad on my bedside table. I try to sleep. Any good idea, I figure, can wait till morning. But on a visit to see New York editors, these words woke me in my hotel bed from a deep sleep:
“The day Dirk Yeller came to town, the wind curled its lip, the cattle quit lowin’ and tumbleweeds stopped tumblin’ along.”
The words were as crisp as biting into a fresh apple . . . and just that once, I decided to get out of bed and write them down. To avoid waking my husband, I tiptoed to the bathroom and wrote the words down on toilet paper, certain that they would be wastebasket-ready by morning. The next morning, however, these words--and voice--seemed more distinctive than ever, ready to take their place in the world. Within two cups of coffee, I got down the bones of the story and before heading to my 10 am meeting, I had a rough draft.
And so a picture book was born.
Or at least begun.
Next it needed a committed editor to believe in the story and sign up an illustrator. Before the book was under contract, I emailed the manuscript to Ard on the inkling that he might be the perfect illustrator for this story. This is not how it usually works. Usually, editors tap illustrators whose artistic style seems a good match for the manuscript on their desk. Because Ard and I already had worked on several books together, I followed my gut to find out if he was interested. He immediately replied,“You have to let me illustrate this book!” Ard, I quickly learned, had a love of all things western and couldn’t wait to illustrate this story. I took the liberty of sending his wildly enthusiastic email to one of the editors we’d worked with, and upon reading Ard’s response, signed the book up immediately with Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG).
Our first picture book together, One-Dog Canoe, followed a more typical route to publication. Canoeing one day with author-friend, Phyllis Root, I noticed a cocker spaniel swimming after our canoe. We waited for him to catch up and gave him a ride. Around another bend, a golden retriever watched us from the end of a dock. I knew if he could talk
he would have said,
“Can I come, too?” So
I held up my arms
and called back, “No
way. It’s a one-dog
canoe.” From that
experience, I won-
dered what might
happen if a host of
animals asked to join
a girl in a canoe, but
didn’t listen when
she politely tried to
tell them it was full.
(She actually never says “no,” which is her contribution to the ultimate problem. The animals, of course, are not good listeners.) After 32 drafts--yes, 32--my agent submitted One-Dog Canoe to an editor, who in turn, offered me a contract.
The editor, Melanie Kroupa, with FSG, then went about finding the right illustrator for the story. The whole process took seven years--yes, seven--from start to finish. During that time, the first selected illustrator bailed out of the project after three years. My editor started the selection process again and found Ard Hoyt, fresh out of art college. It was his first book, and he brought my story to life. It’s about a girl heading out in her canoe with her dog, “A trip for two, just me and you,” only to have a beaver, loon, wolf, bear, moose, and ultimately a frog, join in. Of course, it’s a disaster, and when the animals all fly out of the canoe, Ard renders each character with feeling and emotion. The text is brief, making this story a favorite of pre-school children--as well as elementary children.
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