In conversation with Freya Blackwood, creator of The Boy and the Elephant

The Boy and the Elephant is told entirely through illustration. What made you decide to publish this story as a wordless picture book?
The idea for The Boy and the Elephant came from a concept drawing I did for a series of murals based on the idea of hide-and-seek. I stored the idea away and over time kept thinking of ways it could become a story. Eventually I had an entire story developed, but as drawings. Both my publisher and I thought it worked without text, and by the time I finished the illustrations, I loved how quiet the story felt and didn’t want to add words.

No matter the weather, the boy visits his friend the elephant in the lot next door. Do you have a similar place you like to visit regularly?
My family has a farm that I visit all year round. At different times of the year, we swim and row a boat in the dam, walk down to a creek and picnic, check cattle and feed two old horses. It’s beautiful countryside that we love protecting.

When the land is sold, the boy comes up with a plan to save his friend. What message do you hope children, and adults, will take from this story?
I hope this story encourages readers to try to make a difference even if succeeding seems impossible. The very act of trying—of being brave enough to go out on a limb for something you believe in—is sometimes the hardest part. But it can encourage others to stand up, too, and together, we can bring about change.

Do you have a favorite image from the book?
I have favorites for different reasons. But with this book I think my favorites would have to be the page where the boy starts to lead the elephant, and you can see the elephant’s shadow, and the following page when you realize there are more animals following. I love the feeling of freedom, relief, and joy you get from these pages.

“Christopher Pike and Riverdale vibes will entice readers looking for subtle supernatural romance and small-town drama, all topped with a face-off against a menacing secret from the past.” —Booklist

What inspired you to create SIX OF SORROW?

I was just coming off of writing STARLINGS which has some pretty heavy themes of generational trauma and sacrifice, lots of death, etc, and I wanted to create something light and fun! The funny thing is, this always happens—my stories begin as a response to a previous story that went darker than I anticipated and has left me *slightly* emotionally exhausted. So, I start the new, shiny ideas and inevitably, through the process of drafting and revisions, end up in the exact position I was trying to crawl my way out of! Now, there is lots of fun in SIX OF SORROW—it’s got a kind of nostalgic lightheartedness of 90s teen horror/thriller novels that I loved growing up—but there are certainly some more serious threads woven throughout as well. There are girls fighting an evil entity, witchy magic, sickly cheerleaders, a dramatic school dance scene, and more—those are some “fun” elements that carried over. And I’m so glad they stayed! But personally, I think one of the best things about it is the contrast between those elements and the other side—the eerie atmosphere, the lurking villain, the body horror. Those ideas combined is what makes this book what it is. And the cover is such a perfect representation of the story. That gorgeously-girly hot-pink—complete with a little blood.

What was the most difficult part about writing the book? What part was the easiest? 

The most difficult? Loaded question! I definitely suffered from “second book syndrome” like a lot of authors. I had this idea in my mind of what the story was, not just the tone of it, but the plot points. Through revisions—many, many rounds—I realized a lot of things had to change. My first few drafts were too complicated, too many elements. Multiple villains, multiple layers that didn’t quite melt together. It didn’t feel cohesive and I had a ton of worldbuilding issues. I couldn’t answer important questions, and that weighed down the believability. With the help of my editor, I was able to unravel these threads and simplify. It was all worth it in the end! But of course, during the process, my self-confidence and my confidence in the story took a big hit. I kind of doubted we would ever see the end of the process, so to be here, just two weeks out of publication, feels pretty amazing. I’m really proud of this book.

What element of the story do you identify with the most and why? 

There really is so much of me in this story. So many of my loves threaded into it. My editor said it feels like “an ode to being a teenage girl” which I just had to repeat in the acknowledgments (and now here too, I guess), but really, to me, it feels like an ode to being teenage me. So many things that helped form me, so many past (and current) obsessions, made their way into the story. It’s like a dash of this old book, and this old book, and this old book. The vibes of this movie and that movie. The feeling I had while reading/watching/singing/listening to that, that, that. The ache of first love and the complexities of growing up. It’s all kinds of experiences and loves and delights rolled up into one and wrapped in some of my fears, too. And so much of it wasn’t even intentional! I am still discovering moments within it that light up a bulb in my memory. It is the kind of book that would have delighted me at fourteen—and still does at forty-one!

What do you want kids to take away from this story? 

I’d love them to fall in love with the friend group, to find them as precious as I do. To champion the sweet queer love story. To find a favorite character that they resonate with. Mostly, I hope that teen readers enjoy the book. I hope they have a good time with the story. And I wouldn’t be mad if they got goosebumps once or twice.

What are you currently reading? 

Last night, I finished I WISH YOU WOULD by Eva Des Lauriers, a fellow Writing With the Soul alumni—a perfectly-angsty summer YA second-chance romance. So that means today I get to start LEGENDBORN by Tracy Deonn, which has been on my TBR forever. I just know I’ll love it!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

In the end, I hope I’ve captured the complexities of friendships, particularly those we develop as adolescents. I hope I’ve portrayed these girls authentically—because they sure feel real to me. None of them are perfect, and their relationships with each other certainly haven’t always been. But we know humans aren’t perfect. That’s why we are interesting. That’s why we want to read stories about other humans. If everyone made the right decisions all the time, the smartest decisions all the time, there’d be no growth. No story. Nothing worth fighting for or reaching toward. Their history is messy and full of mistakes, which I think a lot of readers will resonate with, but it’s also full of love. I hope that shines through the pages.

The Fresh Voices series is in coordination with the RHCB DEI Book Club committee.

What inspired you to write Rabia’s Eid? 

I wanted to see if I could explore this new genre of early reader books with an Eid story that says something new. I remember my learning to read journey. Back then the books were very limited! I never saw anyone in them that looked like me or celebrated Eid!

Right now, there are a plethora of lovely Eid books out there and I wondered if I could come at it from a new perspective. I think this is the first early-to-read book about the subject.

Click here to watch a Youtube video for Rabia’s Eid.

What was the most difficult part about writing the book? What part was the easiest? 

What was the most difficult? The format! With easy readers you can’t overwhelm the reader with too much text. There are all kinds of specifications that I wasn’t aware of. And fitting a story within those line breaks etc. was challenging. It’s really given me an even greater respect for these types of books!

What part was the easiest?

Remembering how a little girl like Rabia would experience Ramadan!

What element of the story do you identify with the most and why?

The moment I identify most with is when Rabia’s father asks Rabia to put the ‘Fitr’ (the mandatory charity of feeding one poor person for each person in your family) in the box, she looks out at the crowd and realizes all of them gave enough to feed a poor person for the day. That was the moment that I realized it, too.

I’ve been going to Eid prayer for over fifty years, and I witnessed thousands of people gathered. It never occurred to me that our very presence meant thousands of poor people had been fed. The focus was always on the end of the month of fasting, but that’s not what the holiday is called! In fact, Eid ul Fitr is the first day of the month AFTER Ramadan, Shawwal. And it’s called Eid ul Fitr because of that mandatory charity we give.

What do you want kids today to take away from this story?

I want them to know there’s a time for fun stuff (the henna and pretty dresses) and there’s a time to do good stuff (give charity to help others). The best times in our life do both!

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading about the idea of pride and honor in the antebellum South.

If you could share one aspect of being an observant Muslim with young children, what would it be?

When I first started practicing Islam it looked like it would be so hard. I find Islam to be simple and easy. If you pray five times a day, fast for one month in a year, help feed the poor, dress modestly, be honest and nice to people—God will love you and you’ll go to heaven.

The Fresh Voices series is in coordination with the RHCB DEI Book Club committee.