The Magic of Collaboration: Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall on Lost Evangeline

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze brings together two luminaries of children's literature: Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall. The duo discusses their collaboration on Lost Evangeline, the third tale set in the magical world of Norendy. They explore the 15-year journey of bringing Evangeline's story to life, the intimate connection between words and illustrations, the therapeutic power of storytelling, and how creating children's books allows them to access their best selves while healing complicated relationships with their own parents.

Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review.

Highlights:

• The Long Creative Journey: How Kate carried the idea for Lost Evangeline for 15 years before finding the key—a shoemaker father and a boot—that unlocked the story
• The Pull vs. Push Philosophy: Kate's approach to coaxing stories out rather than forcing them, and the importance of not giving up on ideas that won't let you go
• Perfect Partnership: Why Sophie's secret love of seafaring made her the ideal illustrator for this story, even though Kate didn't know it when writing
• From Wheat to Bread: Sophie's powerful metaphor for the writing process as growing, threshing, and grinding wheat into flour before finally baking bread
• Whittling Down to Truth: How writing involves removing ingredients to create "clear soup" where the essence remains but readers can insert themselves into the space
• Black and White Magic: Sophie's meditative drawing process using hatching and line work
• Healing Through Story: Kate's revelation about how creating healthy father-daughter relationships in her work completes and heals parts of herself affected by complicated parental relationships

Notable Quotes:

"Don't ever let somebody tell you who you are and what you can do and who you can become in this world." —Kate DiCamillo on Evangeline's refusal to accept fate

"With each story, I make myself more complete to the point where I can put a healthy father-daughter relationship in there that satisfies me." —Kate DiCamillo

"It really feels like I'm living in the story when I'm spending time...and I do go into a little bit of a dreamy trance and then I look up several hours later and there's Evangeline on the page." —Sophie Blackall

Books Mentioned:

• Lost Evangeline by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall: Amazon or Bookshop.org
• The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Julie Morstad: Amazon or Bookshop.org
• The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall: Amazon or Bookshop.org
• The Borrowers by Mary Norton: Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠
• Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen: ⁠Amazon⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Bookshop.org

About Kate DiCamillo:Kate DiCamillo is one of America's most beloved storytellers. She is a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis.

About Sophie Blackall: Sophie Blackall is the acclaimed illustrator of more than forty-five books for young readers and a two-time Caldecott Medalist. Born and raised in Australia, she now lives in Brooklyn.

Connect and Follow: Learn more about Kate DiCamillo: https://www.katedicamillo.comLearn more about Sophie Blackall: https://www.sophieblackall.com

Credits:

Host: Bianca Schulze

Guests: Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall

Producer: Bianca Schulze