From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 18:48:00 -600

I, too, was pleased to see Susan Kuklin enter the discussion here on CCBC-Net and I am hoping she will have time to write a little bit about the conscious decisions she makes when she creates her outstanding nonfiction books for young readers.

My question for Susan is related to Ginny's (which was "how do you make it possible for your young subjects to speak for themselves?"). In addition to Susan's books reflecting the "children speaking for themselves" aspect of radical change, they also are outstanding examples of books that present multiple points of view on the same subject. My question is: how do you find and select which children and teens (and, in some cases, adults) will be featured in your books? I assume that you interview a large number of people on any given topic, and then have to select which ones you'll use in the finished book. What kinds of things do you consider when you're choosing the
"spokeschildren"?

Also, what distinctions do you see between doing a book that focuses on one child, such as "Thinking Big" and one like "Kodomo: Children of Japan" which presents several different children? It seems to me that in recent years you have moved away from the single-child type of book and use more multiple points of view. Was that a conscious decision on your part?

If you feel you are being bombarded with questions, Susan, (or own version of multiple viewpoints, I guess!) please feel free to choose one to answer.

KT Horning CCBC School of Education University of Wisconsin-Madison
Received on Wed 23 Apr 1997 07:48:00 PM CDT