Canberra-based author Irma Gold is the new ambassador for the ACT Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge—and she’s passionate about finding ways to get kids hooked on books. Her compassion for the baby elephants that are put to work in the tourist industry in Thailand informed her upcoming book for children, Seree’s Story, that will be published by Walker Books in 2017.

You researched your upcoming picture book, Seree’s Story, by volunteering at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. What was it about this experience that inspired you to rewrite the manuscript that you had drafted before you arrived in Thailand?

When I went to Thailand I had a first draft but I knew that my time at the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary would inform and shape the next draft. I had already done so much research and watched countless hours of footage, but none of that can tell you what it feels like to stand beside such enormous and gentle creatures, or how their corrugated skin feels against your palm, or the slobbery present they leave behind as you feed them. It was firsthand experiences and the knowledge gleaned from being around people who have spent their lives with elephants that resulted in a complete rewrite. I had wanted to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary for 20 years and the experience was beyond anything I could have imagined. I’m heading back to Thailand this month to volunteer with elephants again. It’s my kind of heaven.

Your picture book, Megumi and the Bear (also published by Walker Books), is for children aged 3+. Is Seree’s Story aimed at a similar age group? If so, what are the challenges of writing for this age group?

Seree’s Story will be for children 5+ but the same challenges apply. In a picture book every word counts, so you spend a long time polishing—taking a word out here, adding a comma in there. Sometimes you take it out, put it back in, then take it out again! I always read the work aloud many times to make sure that it’s as perfect as I can get it.

With this particular story there was also the challenge of getting the balance right with such sensitive subject matter, exposing the terrible practice of capturing wild baby elephants and putting them to work in the tourism industry, in an age-appropriate way.

Can you give A Bigger Brighter World a sneak preview of what your readers can expect from Seree’s Story? 

Unfortunately at this early stage I am bound to secrecy! But I will say that I haven’t read a picture book like it, and I think it has an important story to tell. Kids are big thinkers. They have a great capacity for compassion and empathy. And I cannot wait to get into schools and talk to them about this book, and how we can all help ensure that elephants are treated with the respect and care that they deserve.

Children’s picture books can have a long gestation period and Seree’s Story will be published in 2017. What are you working on now? Do you have any more stories for children in the pipeline—if so, what inspired them?

Waiting is the hardest part as an author! In the meantime, you get on with other things. I often write a short story or two (for adults) between projects, and I’ve got a couple of picture books in the early stages of development. But my main focus at the moment is working on a novel for adults, and that’s going to take up all my time this year.

What’s your top tip for other authors who want to write a children’s picture book?

Read, read, read! I’m always surprised how many people who want to be published authors don’t read. As Stephen King famously said, ‘If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.’ And read what is currently being published. As an editor, so often I see manuscripts that are based on the kind of stories the writer read as a child, which don’t fit with what publishers currently want. For example, picture books are usually 500 words or less, so if you’ve written a 3000-word story it’s unlikely to be accepted.

Also, unless you are an experienced illustrator don’t try to illustrate your work, and don’t commission an illustrator either. New writers often seem to be worried about editors reading their book without images, but remember that’s what they do for a living. They’re good at it! And publishers want to be able to pair an illustrator of their choice with a writer. So unless you are the next Bob Graham, if you send illustrations you will be doing yourself a disservice.

Your Bugs and Beasts series features a line-up of creatures from throughout the world. Which is your favourite beast from Bugs and Beasts 123 and your favourite bug from Bugs and Beasts ABC and why?

The illustrations for these books came from the wealth of material housed in the National Library of Australia, and it was the greatest pleasure sifting through old books and manuscripts and artworks to select images for this series. My favourite beasts from Bugs and Beasts 123 would have to be the dragons because they come from rare facsimiles of early twelfth- and fourteenth-century manuscripts. I had to don the white gloves to look at them, which deepens the sense of ceremony and reverence.

My favourite bug from Bugs and Beasts ABC would be the praying mantis because of the reaction it gets from kids. For each of the animals I wrote a fun fact, and the kids are simultaneously disgusted and delighted to learn that the praying mantis starts eating its prey while it’s still alive. The vulture is also a big hit since it vomits at its attackers. Kids always love the gross stuff. It’s all part of making learning fun!

What were your top three children’s book discoveries in 2015? And which children’s authors should we be watching in 2016 (including you)?

Asking for only three is just cruel! But I am a mad Oliver Jeffers fan, so Imaginary Fred (written by Eoin Colfer) would have to be on the list. I am also obsessed with Stephen Michael King, so Scary Night (written by Lesley Gibbes) would be there, too. And my final pick would be Young Charlotte Filmmaker by author/illustrator Frank Viva, which is just the coolest picture book of 2015.

In terms of what to watch out for this year, I’m an editor as well as a writer, and I’m telling everyone about Coral Vass’ new picture book (National Library of Australia Publishing), which was a joy to edit. It is beautifully written, deals with such important subject matter, and deserves a place in every school and on multiple award lists. The title is still under wraps, but keep an eye out.

What books did you give your children this Christmas?

Christmas is a great excuse to buy more books and my three book-mad kids each received a new pile. Their favourites were Withering-by-Sea for Miss 12, which she devoured in a few hours; Old School, the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid, for Master 9 who loves this series (like pretty much every other kid); and Perfect for Master 4 because we adore illustrator Freya Blackwood’s work, and Danny Parker’s text is gorgeous.

What was your favourite book or more pleasant reading experience during your childhood and why?

One of my most vivid memories is of reading with my grandma. She had a little flat in Chorleywood with a window seat under a sloped roof with a skylight. I remember snuggling into the curl of her, sunlight streaming down on us, while she read me book after book after book. They were the most precious times, and I have often thought of her as I’ve snuggled up and read with my own kids. I also distinctly remember my dad reading me Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, which he did with magnificent theatrics.

If you could rewrite one (short) conversation or confrontation you had between the ages of 5 and 10, how would the new script go?

What an interesting question. I was an extremely shy child, and I found moving from England to Australia at the age of nine heartbreaking (now I wouldn’t live anywhere else). My brother and I were teased about our accents and legend has it that we lost them within three weeks. I remember this one boy in particular who would mimic me and laugh, but I was never brave enough to say anything back. The new script would naturally have me utter some whip-smart and completely hilarious comeback.

What are the best ways to encourage children to love reading?

Find something that interests them. It doesn’t matter what it is. Often parents and teachers get hung up on whether it’s ‘good’ literature but I firmly believe we should encourage whatever it is that gets them engaged. Then it’s just the beginning, but if you discourage them it might be the end. I’ve seen that happen and it really saddens me.

What three things do you most hope children will encounter and/or learn as they read or are read to?

What books have to offer is endless, so really I have just one hope—that children will develop a lifelong love of reading. There is a theory that if you read to children from when they are babies they learn to associate reading with love, and I definitely believe that. I’m passionate about childhood literacy, and finding ways to get kids hooked on books, and to that end this year I’ve accepted the role of ambassador for the ACT Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge. It’s a great opportunity to go into schools and get kids and teachers excited about books, which is naturally one of my favourite things to do!

Visit Irma Gold at irmagold.com or follow her on Twitter @irma_gold, Instagram @irma.gold, and Facebook at IrmaGoldAuthor.