Catherine Little is an educator, consultant and writer living in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and son. She has a passion for picture books and often used them in the classroom to enhance her mathematics, science and history lessons.
Her recent picture books Anne of the Library-on-the-Hill and Jane and the Blue Willow Princess nod to the characters and stories of famous women writers, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Jane Austen.
We caught up with Catherine Little to learn more about her writing journey and making history come alive in picture books.
What inspired you to become an author, and what drew you to creating books for young people?
My first foray into writing was as an educational writer (textbooks, levelled readers, teacher resource materials) but I’ve always loved picture books. As a junior high school mathematics and science teacher, I often used picture books to introduce a topic or inspire inquiry. My first picture book manuscript, however, was inspired by my son. I wanted to introduce him to the Chinese Zodiac story of The Great Race but couldn’t find a suitable book. It took me about 15 years to find a publisher interested in my manuscript but after Twelve in a Race was published by Plumleaf Press in 2022, I had four more books published in quick succession.
Can you tell us about your process for writing a book? Do you follow a routine, or does it change with each project?
Many of my picture books are inspired by folktales or true events so I often spend a lot of time reading and researching before I make an attempt to write a first draft. I have a small group of friends who are always willing to look at my drafts and offer suggestions.
What are some challenges you've faced while working on a specific book? And how did you overcome them?
Sometimes it is challenging to do research because a lot of the time cold calls and emails go unanswered. When I was working on Endgame: The Secret Force 136, I couldn’t reach anyone at the Chinese Canadian Military Museum until a chance encounter lead me to someone who knew the president. After that, they were a great help and allowed me to use the information they had in my historical notes section. It’s important to keep reaching out in different ways when you don’t find the information you need.
What do you hope young readers take away from your books?
I hope young readers will enjoy my books for their stories, their art and come back to them again and again. I hope they see themselves in my protagonists and learn some history and/or culture along the way.
What advice would you give to a new or emerging author?
It’s important to be patient. I tell them how it took 15 years to find a publisher for Twelve in a Race but once I did, it was a shorter time frame for my subsequent books. I also tell them it might be necessary to pursue writing while working at something else. Many of the authors and aspiring authors I know have full time jobs in other fields.
What does it mean to you to be part of a community of Canadian children's book creators?
I hadn’t realized how many Canadian children’s book creators there are until I joined organizations like the CCBC and CANSCAIP. Being part of the community is amazing. Everyone I’ve met has been supportive and encouraging.
Keep up with Catherine Little by following @books.beyond.bedtime.
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Written by Tatiana Huong