My sister is a treasure by Tracy Darnton
Picture books are ideal gifts for growing families. We recently asked author Tracy Darnton a few questions about her books and writing.
My Sister is a Treasure by Tracy Darnton
My sister is a treasure is delightful and heart-warming- perfect for families with a new baby. What was the inspiration for this book?
Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoyed My Sister is a Treasure. I wanted to explore the huge change in dynamics when another baby joins the family, looking at both the anxieties and the excitement in becoming a Big Brother or Sister. The idea came when I was looking back at some family photographs. I was smiling at how my eldest was so gentle cradling the new baby but also there was a little bit of ‘grrrr!’ or side-eye in his expression sometimes. This so-called bundle of joy he’d been looking forward to was often screaming the place down and taking up all the time and attention of the adults who used to dote only on him. So, in My Sister is a Treasure, the new baby is home. The Big Sister takes at face value all those terms of endearment we use for babies to explore those mixed feelings. For example, if they’re a ray of sunshine, why’s it raining again today?
Similarly, in my previous picture book, My Brother is an Avocado, the stages of pregnancy from tiny poppy seed to massive watermelon (with an avocado along the way) are taken literally by the sibling to explore those little worries and dreams for things they’ll do together. Ultimately both books are a celebration of family.
Where did your interest in writing picture books for children come from? Do you have plans to write more?
I’ve also written young adult thrillers which are intense and psychological, so picture books are a welcome chance to have fun with words and be playful with a concept. And you get pictures! It’s been fantastic to see the illustrator Yasmeen Ismail bring the words to life. Of course, in both novels and picture books you need to be engaging and page-turning – and I do always like to have a twist at the end!
As for writing more picture books, yes, I’d love to. I have plans with the little dog from My Brother is an Avocado and My Sister is a Treasure. So let’s see what happens….
Was it easy or challenging to come up with so many adorable descriptives for new babies?
A notebook, pencil and lots of lists – that’s always the fun part of starting a new book idea for me. The challenge was in choosing descriptives that work for many families and cultures but also provide something interesting for the illustrator to work with. I did some research on terms of endearment in other languages too. Some twist on sweetheart is fairly universal, for example. When any book is translated, the pictures can’t change, only the words. So it can be difficult if it’s too focused on quirks or puns in the English language which may be completely lost in translation. I’ve loved seeing editions of My Brother is an Avocado in different languages. But babies all over the world grip your finger tightly or have the startle reflex with adorable outstretched starfish hands, so I’ve included those aspects too.
Did your own family use any of those when your children arrived?
Yes – and many ones that didn’t make the cut in My Sister is a Treasure for not being artistically interesting enough – little pickle, silly sausage, cutey pie. And we have weird Dutch ones too: my little stroopwafel. They’re all food-related, I notice…
Was it nice to work with Yasmeen again on this book- a feeling of familiarity?
I LOVED what Yasmeen achieved with My Brother is an Avocado so it’s great to have those characters again, see their extended family and I made sure the cute dog got a whole spread to itself this time!
What do you hope families will gain from reading your books?
The magic of sharing a book again and again – there’s nothing like it.
I hope that My Sister is a Treasure will give families some ideas for terms of endearment for their new arrival. Better still, to come up with their own, perfect for their family.
I’ve been blessed in my life with my sister, who is definitely a treasure, so I also hope all those Big Brothers and Big Sisters out there will give their siblings a hug – however old they are.
