Today we’re talking to Audrey Sauble. Audrey's books offer a compelling mix of education and fun as she introduces children to some unusual animals. Discover why she's stepped beyond the cute and cuddly in our interview.
Tell us about your book?
Tell us about your book? My newest book, Shrimp, Shrimp, Cuttlefish, is a science-themed activity book about marine invertebrates from shrimps and cuttlefish to horseshoe crabs and sea sponges. It has 62 pages of coloring pages, mazes, puzzles, crafts, and other activities, and each page includes a fun science fact about the animal featured on that page.
I haven’t published this book yet, but it is available for pre-order on Kickstarter right now.
Why did you want to write this story?
I’m an aspiring naturalist, and I love exploring science and nature topics. I want to share that with other people, and since I have young children, writing children’s books was an easy (and fun!) way to do that.
Kickstarter, why did you choose to use the fundraising platform for this book?
Usually, I sell my books through Amazon and other major bookstores. With this new book, though, I wanted to offer extra material, like a printable digital version and extra activity pages. Kickstarter is an easy way to do that, while also giving readers the chance to pre-order this book before it is officially released. This project is an all-or-nothing campaign, so I have to raise at least $800 by September 24th or it will be cancelled. However, if I do reach that goal in time, then I can start adding in stretch goals and offer backers even more bonus materials!
You can find out more about Audrey's campaign and grab your copy of her book on Kickstarter.
What's been the best reaction from a reader so far?
I’ve had some very excited responses to this new book, but my favorite responses have been the ones for my previous book, Can a Spider Be Fluffy? published in July. According to one reviewer, “The illustrations in this book somehow manage to make spiders look cute and friendly, despite being impressively detailed.” I love hearing that my book has helped people to appreciate these sometimes scary animals a bit more.
Where do you find your inspiration?
A lot of my books start with a question or a random detail that I’ve run across. My titles tend to reflect that, Who Laid the Egg?, Can a Tree Be Blue?, and Can a Spider Be Fluffy?
Shrimp, Shrimp, Cuttlefish, though, is a companion book to an activity book I created a couple years ago that was focused on bugs and other invertebrates. I used a lot of very common land-dwelling insects for that book, but it got me to think about how many more invertebrates there are in the ocean beyond just bugs, spiders, and snails. I’ve been thinking about that since then, so this summer, I decided to make this book happen.
What's the most fun part of being an author?
I love creating things and seeing other people get excited about them too!
What's your tip for parents to encourage reading?
My kids aren’t reading yet, so most of our reading is at bedtime. My kids love to listen to audio books, though, and I try to find books on topics they are interested in—or that I’m interested in, so that I can get my kids into that too.
What's your favorite book of all time?
What's your favorite book of all time?I never like questions like this—there are so many amazing books out there! However, one of my top favorites (for children’s books at least) is The Street Beneath My Feet, by Yuval Zommer and Charlotte Guillain. It’s fun to read, it’s educational, and the illustrations are on one long fold out page, so you read your way down to the earth’s core, then flip the book over and read your way back up to the surface!
Audrey Sauble started writing children’s books to answer her oldest child’s questions about eggs, and she continues creating picture books because she loves exploring science and nature through stories. She’s the author of four picture books and two activity books, including her newest project, Shrimp, Shrimp, Cuttlefish.
You can find out more about Ruth by following her on Facebook and Instagram. You can find her books on here website here.
Where to Next?
We hope you enjoyed this insight into Audrey Sauble's super fun and educational book. This is just one of our many author interviews and book reviews. We love to give you a behind the scenes look at some amazing children’s authors. The best way to keep in touch with these is through signing up to our newsletter. You can also see our range of children’s books in our shop. Plus of course, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
