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| An Accidental Hero illustrated by Debbie Palen |
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The cutest wombat gazes at the reader
from the cover of Laura Roettiger’s An Accidental Hero: A mostly true wombat
story which is published by Eifrig Publishing. Ms. Roettiger has written
about hope, friendship and science in a picture book about a wombat, Australian
fauna and wildfires. The story is told in the form of a newscast which adds a layer of humor. Ms. Roettiger
includes facts about Australian animals, climate change and fire prevention in
the back matter. Debbie Palen’s whimsical illustrations in a beautiful color
palette entertain and inform the reader.
Two Question Interview with Laura Roettiger
ETC: Welcome Laura. Thanks
for visiting.
What advice would you give
students in K – 12 who would like to write books?
LR: I think the most important advice to
give any writer, at any age, is to write what you know is true, kind, and what
you feel in your heart. I write fiction so not everything I write is factual,
but there is a difference between being creative and writing in ways that are
misleading or hurtful. And then, this is the most important part, be
ready to revise. Revision is where the magic happens. When I was a teacher, I
worked with students who thought that every word on their paper was sacred and
they wouldn't change a thing. When a peer or critique partner tells you
something isn't working, LISTEN. This is difficult for so many writers
and when I do school visits, the teachers always thank me for explaining how
important the revision process is and how many people are involved in my books
from first draft to final book. Find good critique partners, take classes, find
community, and do what works for you. Writing books is wonderful but it isn't
most people's 'day job.' What else are you planning to do? Can you combine the
two?
ETC: Did you originally
conceive of An Accidental Hero: being told through the point of view of
a television news cast?
LR:
Surprisingly, yes. I know I talked about revision being where the magic happens
so I don't want to imply that this story didn't go through revision, but my
first draft of AN ACCIDENTAL HERO, from January 2020 was written as a newscast.
I did a lot of research and prewriting first because I knew I wanted to keep
the story as close to the truth as possible. I wanted to only include the
animals in the wombat burrows that were actually discovered by the
rescuers. But North American audiences connect kangaroos, koalas, and emus
to Australia so I knew they needed to be in the book. As a teacher, I wanted to
be able to include them as a layer to extend learning, so the logical way to
incorporate them was to have them be reporters. I also love that it added
journalism to the story and because the story is written all in dialogue, it's
perfect for Reader's Theater. It really transfers well to classroom use which
also makes me happy as a former elementary teacher. I love that it meets
science and social studies standards, language arts standards, and SEL
standards with different lessons.
ETC: Thank you so much Laura for your insight and for writing
such a marvelous book.
Visit Laura Roettiger
Visit Illustrator: Debbie Palen
Learn more about Australian Mammals: Australian Museum
Learn more about wombats: Columbus Zoo
Learn more about wombats: San Diego Zoo
Visit your local book store: Second Star to the Right
