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Q&A with Michelle Knudsen

Your new book is Argus, a picture book illustrated by Andréa Wesson. What inspired
this story? 
I seem to have a particular affection for characters who show up in places
where they aren’t expected. While writing this story, I first tried to think
of ways that Argus could win over Sally and the rest of the class. But then I
realized that he doesn’t have to do anything other than be his own unique
self. I already loved Argus. I just had to help Sally learn to love him, too.

When writing Argus, you must have envisioned your characters and settings in
a certain way. In particular, you describe Argus as green, scaly, with big yellow
eyes — but you never say what Argus actually is. When you saw the illustrations from
Andréa Wesson, was there anything that surprised you?
There is always an element of surprise when I see how an artist has depicted
characters from one of my stories, but that’s part of the fun of writing
picture books. I love finding out how an illustrator has interpreted a
character and what new elements he or she has added to help bring that
character to life. What I loved most when I first saw Andréa Wesson’s
illustrations of Argus was how expressive he is. His wings and tail and
ears are always lifting and tilting at odd angles, reflecting his moods. It’s
wonderful. I love how he turned out!

In Argus, Mrs. Henshaw’s classroom is so vividly imagined. Do you have any


favorite memories about being a student?
I have lots of great memories from school. I always loved art projects; I
think I would have loved being in Mrs. Henshaw’s class! Eighth grade
was the year I really started to love words and stories. When we read
Fahrenheit 451, our teacher had us memorize the final stanza of
Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach,” and something about that
was very powerful. Learning those lines by heart  let me
experience the words and images in a whole new way. I can
still recite it today!

Illustration copyright © 2010 by Andréa Wesson


You have written in different genres: picture books, including the New York
Times bestseller Library Lion; beginning readers such as Fish and Frog;
and middle-grade novels such as The Dragon of Trelian. Which type of book
is your favorite to write? How does the writing process differ for each? 
I love writing all different kinds of books.  Beginning
readers are like puzzles, because you have to tell your
story in very few lines. It’s a fun challenge to fit a story
into  that very specific format.  Novels are wonderful
because you can explore so much about the characters
and can work with far more elaborate plots. And picture
books are exciting because of the way that the art and text
work together. You have to leave room for the artist when
you work on the story, which makes you approach the
writing in a different way. 
Usually when I’m in the middle of writing a novel I’ll be
working on a picture book at the same time. I like the contrast
of the different formats, and when the complicated plot of a
novel starts feeling a little overwhelming, it’s really nice to
work on a story I can hold in my head all at once, like
that of a picture book. I hope to keep writing lots of
different types of stories for years to come.

You’ve written more than forty books for children so far!


What has been one of your most satisfying moments as
an author?
The most satisfying moments are definitely when I
hear from readers who like my books. I love meeting
teachers and librarians who tell me they use my books
in schools or at story times. I love hearing from parents
who read my books to their children. And the best is when
young readers themselves tell me that they love something I’ve
written. Knowing that one of my stories has meant something
to a reader — the way other authors’ stories mean something to
me — that’s the best part of being an author. I love those moments.

Illustrations copyright © 2010 by Andréa Wesson

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