As the 2004 presidential campaign sizzles in its final months, a quartet of individuals well known in political arenas will publish books for young readers. Three of these titles—by Lynne Cheney, James Carville and Ed Koch—are picture books. The fourth, by Bill O'Reilly, is a nonfiction book for young adults. PW checked in with each author to inquire about the genesis and creation of these works.
Third Children's Book by Second Lady
Of the four authors spotlighted here, Lynne Cheney is the only veteran children's book author. Her two previous picture books were both New York Times and PW bestsellers. Simon & Schuster has set a 100,000-copy first printing for her latest work, When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots, an October title featuring oil paintings by Peter Fiore.
Given the subject of this and her earlier children's publications, Cheney clearly has a passion for American history. "I can certainly date my interest in relaying the history of our country to when my own children were young," she said. "I wanted to make sure that our own kids knew about the history of America. And when I was chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, one of my focuses was looking for ways to help kids understand how compelling the history of our country is. Surveys repeatedly show that students find social studies the most boring subject, and it should not be that way. We tend to neglect the stories that can make history compelling for children and instead emphasize names, dates and places. History too often lacks the narrative magic that is such an essential part of our national story."
Having grandchildren, said Cheney, sparked her interest in more formally relaying stories that she had told to her own children for years. The story of George Washington's momentous crossing of the Delaware during the American Revolution has been a longtime favorite in her repertoire as raconteur. "I have told this story around the holiday table for a number of years, partly because the event occurred on Christmas night and also because it is, in a way, a story of gift giving," she explained. "In fact, this is the story of the best kind of gift, since Washington and his band gave the nation the gift of hope. At a time of year when kids are too focused on presents, this story is a good way to emphasize generosity of spirit and heroism."
For the book, Cheney augmented the version of the story that she had long known by researching primary material and reading accounts by other authors. Since the story was so familiar to her, did the writing come easily? "I never write easily," she responded good- naturedly. "I always struggle with it. It's a real challenge to take a subject that is somewhat complicated and present it in a way that children can understand."
Koch Draws on Childhood Trials and Triumphs
Former New York City mayor Ed Koch has paired up with his sister, Pat Koch Thaler, to create Eddie: Harold's Little Brother, a picture book that celebrates the athletic accomplishments of their late older brother, Harold—as well as the importance of finding one's own special skills. According to this tale of the nonathletic younger sibling Eddie, the key to success was his prowess at something that is integral to every winning politician: a talent for talking. Due from Putnam in September with a first printing of 35,000 copies, the story is illustrated by James Warhola.
As he discussed his book, the almost 80-year-old Koch—who works fulltime as a partner at the New York law firm of Bryan Cave, writes weekly movie reviews for two newspapers, has a weekly program on Bloomberg Radio and a TV spot on a local cable station, New York 1—was as energetic, and talkative, as ever. "My sister and I thought of the idea for this book independently of each other," he said. "We had each written a number of books for adults, and we had the mutual thought—why don't we collaborate on a children's book?"
Their brother Harold, explained Koch, was an ideal focal point for the tale: "He was four years older than I and he was an extraordinary athlete. He was a great role model, and I, of course, wanted to be just like him. He used to tell kids that if they wanted him to play ball on their team, they had to take me, his little brother, too. And then one day Harold faced me and said, 'You know, you're no good. I can't do this any more.' And I said, 'Then Harold, what should I do?' And he said, 'Find something you do well.' And I said, 'What do I do well, Harold?' And he said, 'You talk good.' And that's how I became mayor."
Asked if it was difficult for him to parlay his champion talking (in the book, the young Eddie wins the school public speaking contest) into the narrative for a children's book, Koch answered, "Not at all. I love to write—it's a wonderful relaxation for me. My sister and I wrote independently of each other after we discussed our ideas, and then we compared notes and took the best of the sentences and melded them together. When I start to write, it flows. I do not have a problem with writer's block."
In fact, in the pursuit of writing more children's books, Koch is doin' just fine. He and Thaler have collaborated on a second book for Putnam, a tale based on a true incident in which Koch saved his sister from drowning. And in the works is a third collaboration, an anthology spotlighting moments in which people have taken a stand on an issue even when it was painful to do so. Koch will contribute his own tale (based on anti-Semitism he encountered while enrolled in basic training during WWII) and has solicited entries from other individuals.
And does he anticipate writing more children's books after that? "If Putnam wants to publish another of our children's books every year, we will be happy to write them," quipped the tireless trouper.
Carville Spins a Swamp Tale
Political consultant, talk-show host, frequent speaker, actor and coauthor of the bestselling adult book, All's Fair: Love, War, and Running for President, James Carville for the first time assumes the identity of children's book author this month, when Atheneum's Anne Schwartz Books imprint publishes the picture book he wrote with Patricia C. McKissack. Launched with a 75,000-copy first printing, Lu and the Swamp Ghost includes watercolor and pencil illustrations by David Catrow.
The tale, explained the author, has very personal roots, as it is based on a story his mother told of her childhood in rural Louisiana during the Depression. In the book, young Lu befriends and feeds a hungry, mud-caked "swamp ghost" she encounters in the bayou; her compassion is rewarded when he rescues her during a sudden storm.
Recalling the origins of the book, Carville said that the publisher asked him if he'd be interested in writing a book about his own childhood, but he had another thought. "I told them that my mother's life as a child was much more interesting and I would rather do a book based on her childhood," he said. "The story is very true to my mother. She always taught her children that you are rich when you have real things, not material things. The Depression is ancient history to many people these days, and I think it is not a bad thing for kids to know about this time when so many people were so very poor."
After the book's acquiring editor, Brenda Bowen, left Simon & Schuster for Hyperion, Anne Schwartz inherited the project. "I was really taken by his first draft," she said, "but I felt that it needed some help, and I thought that the best person to help would be someone who could understand what James was writing about and was also familiar with writing for kids. I thought Patricia would be the perfect match."
Carville was quick to agree, noting, "I wrote the whole story from my perspective, and Patricia did a great job shaping it. David Catrow's artwork is staggering. I am not only pleased with the book—I am ecstatic." Schwartz remarked that the book, which is packaged with a CD featuring Carville reading the story, came together easily despite the deadline pressures to ensure that the book made the fall list. And she predicted that Carville, who will promote his book on national TV (including Today and The View), will be in demand as an interviewee. "James is an entertaining guy whom I'm sure people will want to talk to during election year," she said.
And does Carville anticipate writing another children's book in the future? "It's hard to say," he replied. "I had a story to tell and I've told it. But I come from a storytelling tradition, so who knows? I will never say never."
Bill O'Reilly Factors in Young Readers
The cable news talk-show host and author of several books for adultshas turned his attention to issues of interest to teens in his latest book, scheduled for October release by HarperEntertainment with a 150,000-copy first printing. The O'Reilly Factor for Kids: A Survival Guide for America's Families, which O'Reilly wrote with Charles Flowers, a former high school teacher and coauthor of 63 books, tackles such topics as friends, bullies, sex, cheating, alcohol, health and politics.
Asked about his incentive for creating the book, the author answered in his characteristic straight talk: "I think that American adults have failed children abysmally. Kids today face so many dangers growing up that I didn't have to face 40 years ago, and they need a guide that addresses all the problems they are going to encounter. I hope that this book will offer them information on how to deal with various issues—like what to do if they are offered pot—and will give them a measure of protection. The book is a resource that gives kids a perspective they otherwise wouldn't have and takes a lot of the confusion out of decision making."
The content of the volume was in part determined by youngsters themselves, explained O'Reilly, who solicited their input on his TV show, The O'Reilly Factor. "We made a one-time request on the air, asking kids to send us an e-mail about what is really bothering them. I think many parents encouraged their children to respond. We received more than 1,000 e-mails, which helped us to decide what to include in the book and how to set up the information. There was a huge response from kids on dealing with peer pressure, for instance, so we made that a focus." Teens' voices are also present in the guide in "Eyewitness Reports," direct quotations describing individuals' experiences and observations.
Flowers, who has edited O'Reilly's three nonfiction books for adults, played a different part in this collaboration, O'Reilly observed. "In the case of each of the earlier books, I wrote the entire book and Charles edited it to clean up the syntax. Here he had a larger role. He went through the e-mails and did a lot of research and funneled it to me. Then I wrote the text and funneled it back to him. He has written for kids before, and he was able to help me with that. We avoided the passive voice and wrote in more declarative sentences."
Not surprisingly, O'Reilly will promote his new book heavily on the small screen: booked are interviews on The Late Show with David Letterman, 60 Minutes, Today and Regis & Kelly. He will undoubtedly talk about his book with the same directness with which he wrote it. "I feel as though I could not have written this any more honestly or make it any starker," he asserted. "Of course I can't predict how it is going to be received. I know I'm a very controversial guy." But, obviously, he's yet another fellow that TV personalities will want to talk to this election year.
