Monday 24 February 2014

Guest Post: What influenced you to write a book about a whole family that is crazy for words?

Have you read Carol Weston's "Ava and Pip"?  You seriously should!  And if you have a kid at home, who likes to read, this is the perfect gift for him/her.


So, then I asked the most pressing question to Carol.  This question will occur to almost everyone who reads this book.

What influenced you to write a book about a whole family that is crazy for words?

This is what she said..

My mom was born in Texas and came to New York to be a guest editor at Mademoiselle Magazine. Later she was the garden editor of House & Garden. My dad was born in Odessa (then part of Russia) and came to New York to write for radio and newspapers. Later he wrote for early network television. My parents talked about words all the time. At the dinner table, if I said, "Like, you know, he goes, 'Bla, bla, bla'..." Dad would say, "I don't know and where did he go?" My parents gently urged us to be as eloquent as possible. Le môt juste. The right word. Mom and Dad never talked about palindromes, but they did talk about words and books.

My husband, Rob Ackerman, writes plays. So he and I talk about words and stories a lot too. We've taken writing courses (Story by Robert McKee) and taught writing courses (at Middlebury College) and we play with words to amuse each other. Both our daughters are good writers too. And all of us speak Spanish. (I also speak French and our youngest also speaks Japanese.) In short, we are word people! And did I tell you that our youngest has a name that is a palindrome? Emme, E-M-M-E.

I'm so glad you liked my book, Vidya, and that you liked Ava and Pip and Bob and Anna, the family with the palindromic names. I do think it's fun that Ava learns about the power of words in AVA AND PIP. And that by helping her sister find her voice, she ends up finding her own...

Thank you for asking me these questions!


You should totally get this book for your kid.

Here is where you can buy: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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