TOOT TOOT! That’s me tooting my own horn. Because a pretty fabulous new picture book has just been released, and I was fortunate to be part of it.
MOVING DAY, is written by the talented author, Teri Roche Drobnick, and is her picture book debut. I thought I would ask her some questions and she can ask me some, too. Like a written, “in conversation with”.
JBR: Hi, Teri, please tell us what MOVING DAY is about, and what inspired you to write it?
Hi Jennifer, thanks so much for asking me to participate. I can’t wait to see our book on Picture Book Builders. MOVING DAY was inspired by the real-life Victorian Englander house that was moved six blocks in San Francisco in 2021. A friend of mine texted me the newsreel of the move and said, “This would make a great picture book.” The video was impressive—I was immediately engaged and started scouring the internet for news about the house. By that afternoon, I had written my first draft!
When I began the writing process, I tried to think about what would make this story more kid-friendly to appeal to the target age of picture book readers. That’s when I thought of telling the story from the house’s perspective. I tried to think about how frightening it would have been to be taken from the spot where the house resided for over 100 years and tugged down the street as everyone watched. The real-life story aided in the writing, as workers had to trim trees, remove street signs, and stop traffic to make way for the house as it was slowly pulled down hills and around corners. All this was incorporated into the story. Telling the story from the house’s perspective I was able to incorporate the fears and anxieties that can accompany moving.
TRD: Jennifer, I would love to hear what your first thoughts were when you received the manuscript from Margaret.
I absolutely loved this character. You infused the house with personality and took the reader along on her worried journey. I immediately started to plan ways to bring her to life and give readers an emotional attachment to her. I was, and still am, very ‘moved’ by the message in the book. Moving can be difficult for anyone, especially a large Victorian house! It’s an important topic that many kids and families can relate to.
JBR: Teri, this being your first picture book, were there any unexpected surprises in the book-making process?
The length of the publication process was unexpected for me. Since this is my debut book, I had no idea how long this could take. I signed the contract in 2021 and the book is not coming out until March 11, 2025. It has been an agonizing wait, but the finished product is well worth it.
But my biggest surprise was when I saw your illustrations of the house for the first time. The house had legs! I never would have thought of the house having legs, even though I had personified her. I love the striped stockings and boots. When our editor Margaret Ferguson first recommended you for the illustrating, she said that she thought you were the perfect fit. I went online to further examine your work, and I fell in love. Pen and watercolor are my favorite medium, and the colors and whimsicality of your work was the ideal marriage for my story. But when I saw the completed illustrations of MOVING DAY, I got goosebumps. Your work exceeded my expectations, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
TRD: So, my question to you, how did you come up with the idea of the legs?
Ha! Well… I knew that I didn’t want to draw a lot of trucks and make it a book about the technical side of moving a house. My biggest challenge was to anthropomorphize her in a way that she still felt like a realistic house, but had enough human qualities that a child could relate to her. I also wanted to avoid making her too cartoony and cliché. I had to stand my ground a bit for her legs, vine arms, and carpet bags. I’m happy that those ‘appendages’ have been well received. Because you, Teri, cleverly have the house narrating, I felt that she needed to visually have some unexpected human attributes to support that. I even built a model of the house to help me with perspective when I drew her.
JBR: Teri, You have done a marvelous job of infusing many layers to this story that I know will resonate with young readers and the adults as well. What are you hoping that people will take away from the book?
Moving can be difficult. My daughter did not want to move at the age of five. We only moved around six blocks (similar to the house in the story), but she was attached to the spot where we lived. My father, in his early eighties, was resistant to moving from our family home where he had raised us kids and resided for fifty years. So, moving can be stressful for both children and adults. However, any kind of change can also be positive. Moving can strengthen family bonds and teach children how to cope with new situations, how to be flexible, and how to make new friends. All this can lead to self-confidence.
JBR: Thank you so much, Teri, for writing this important and endearing book. And, for allowing me to be a part of it. Thanks too, to Margaret Ferguson, our editor, for putting us together and to Holiday House for publishing MOVING DAY.
GIVEAWAY! Teri will be sending a book signed by both of us to one person who comments on this blogpost (within US only). The winner will be announced in my next post on Tuesday April 29 (note that I’ve switched usual time slots with Rebecca).
Thanks to all of you for coming to our launch, and we hope you love MOVING DAY as much as we do!
To learn more about Teri Roche Drobnick, please visit her website at https://www.teridrobnick.com where you can find lots of interesting links about house moving as well as related activities!
More information about me can be found on my website and I also have some fun MOVING DAY coloring and activity pages to download and print https://www.jbreinhardt.com.
l loved this “conversation” and cannot wait to check out the book! Thanks for an inspiring and insightful post!
Hi Katrina, thank you so much for your kind comment and for entering to win a copy of the book!
This looks delightful! And the model of house is impressive! Thanks so much for sharing this story and your conversation with us. Congratulations to you both!
Thank you so much, Becky. I’m happy that you enjoyed the post. Good luck in the giveaway!
You’ve captured my interest! I enjoyed reading about your inspiration and behind the scenes peek at the illustration process. Looking forward to reading this with my kiddos! Lovely conversation – congratulations!
How kind of you to say, Lindsay, thank you! I do hope you and your kids enjoy the book. Thank you for visiting and entering the giveaway!
I can’t wait to read this. I am in the process of moving for the first time in 47 years, and it has been quite unsettling. It’s beyond belief the amount of stuff one can accumulate in nearly 5 decades!
I’m sorry that you’re in the middle of a move and it would make me very happy if our book could make you smile and give you some reassurance. Best of luck, Kathy and thank you for visiting and entering the giveaway!
I LOVE the model of the house…with the legs! I look forward to reading this unique take on a universal experience.
Thank you, Laura! Good luck in the drawing!
Oh, my goodness! What an gorgeous powerful picture book! I cannot wait to read it! Moving is hard for everyone, even people who are excited about the changes! Congratulations!!
What “a” gorgeous. Oops
Thanks so much, Angie! I really appreciate your kind words and enthusiasm. Good luck in the drawing!
This book tale is brilliant. I love that the house is wearing striped stockings. I wonder: is that a wink at the witch who is flattened by a house in the Wizard of Oz?
Hi Alicia and that’s a good question. I tend to often give my characters striped stockings automatically. When I drew the house with the striped legs, I did think about the Wizard of Oz nod and decided it was funny, but that was not my original intention. Thank you and good luck in the drawing!
Reading a book like this that has a house as the point of view character sounds amazing! I loved the model Jennifer built too. We’ve lived in our house for a long time and I know when it comes time to move, it will be stressful to leave with all the memories made here. This book will help kids and parents start conversations about big changes. Congratulations to both author and illustrator!
Thank you so much, Danielle! Hopefully, when it’s time to move you have some enormous carpet bags in which to pack your memories. Good luck in the giveaway!
I love the way the idea for the book developed. And that model of the house? Amazing!!! Nearly every kid can relate to Moving Day.
Hello my friend! Thanks so much for your kind words and good luck in our drawing!
This is a wonderful book and a fascinating conversation between author and illustrator. Thank you for this post!
Congratulations!
I appreciate your nice compliments, Mark, thank you. And good luck in the giveaway!
This books looks wonderful on so many levels. I love the illustrations and look forward to reading this. Congrats!
Thank you so much, Danielle. I hope you enjoy the book and good luck in the giveaway!
Oh my gosh! This book looks adorable. I’ll be checking to see if my library has a copy.
Thank you so much, Angela. I hope your library has it and if not, maybe you’ll win one in the giveaway!
Love the illustrations! This book looks so fun! Great job to everyone involved! My twins would love it!
Thank you, Zachary, I do hope your twins enjoy the book when they see it. Good luck in the giveaway!
This book looks like so much fun. And the art is delightful! Congrats to you both. Looks like a winner!!
I appreciate your kind comment, Cindy, thank you! Good luck in the drawing!
Thank you for this beautiful book and insight into your work!
Thank you, Elizabeth for taking the time to visit our blog and enter the giveaway!
Oh, boy, I love the house already! Those carpetbags kill me, Jennifer. Congratulations to you both!
This means a lot, thanks so much, Jill!
Ohhh!!! That model with the skinny little legs and striped socks — I could die! Is it paper mache? There are so many elements I love here. As someone born in SF esp, I can’t wait to get to my hands on this book. I’ve been seeing it everywhere, BTW. Congratulations, Jennifer!
Hi Sue I’m so happy you like my model. I used very heavy watercolor paper to build her and paper clay for her shoes and paper clay around wooden skewers for her legs. I appreciate your kind words and hope you like the book when you see it!
This looks fun and gorgeous, can’t wait to read! Love the appendages, glad you got to keep them!
I appreciate the appendage support, Lynn! Thanks so much for visiting and commenting. Good luck in the giveaway!
Love the house!
Thank you so much, Mary!!!! Good luck in the giveaway!
What a beautiful book. I can’t wait to read the entire book.
I appreciate your kind comment, Tena. Best of luck in the drawing!
What an important and lovely book. This will find a place on my bookshelf. Thank you for creating it!
Thank you so much, Sandra! I hope that you enjoy the book when you see it and good luck in the giveaway!
This book looks phenomenal!!! Can’t wait to get a copy in my hands. Congrats to you both!
Thank you so much, Rebecca! I hope you enjoy our book when you see it! Congratulations, to you, too, you have had new book(s) have birthdays, too!
Jennifer, this interview was such fun for me. I feel eternally grateful to Margaret Ferguson for pairing us for this project. Your artwork really made my story come alive!
Oh dear author, we made a great team! I hope we can do it again someday. Thanks for letting me be part of this wonderful story!
This book looks so delightful. What child can resist a house with legs and carrying bags. Know they will want to flip open the cover and hear the story. Bravo!!
I appreciate your kind words, Becki. Thank you and best of luck in the giveaway!
I love the personification of the house. Amazing! Can’t wait to read it! I am also surprised at the amount of time it takes to publish a book. My debut is following a similar timeline. Like you said, it will be worth the wait!
Thank you so much, Bri. Books always take a long time because it is such a team project. You usually have at least four main players’ schedules’ that have to move along fluidly and we all know that life doesn’t always let that happen. This is my 11th book and was the most delayed. My agent always says, “Each book has its own journey.” I guess our house really didn’t want to move along! And congratulations to you on your debut, Bri!!!!
Wow! This is fantastic! I love the idea of telling about moving the whole house, and then having the house tell the story! And the artwork is fabulous! It has such character! I can’t wait to see it and add it to my collection! Congratulations to you both!
Thanks so much for your kind comment, Elizabeth! I hope you enjoy the book when you see it and I wish you good luck in the drawing!
Interesting! Now I want to research the real event. I love the details in the drawings and house model. This makes me appreciate the magnitude of preparation, as well as creativity, that goes into the illustration and overall execution of a single picture book.
P.S. I hope the model will visit audiences during presentations. You know…since it’s mobile anyway!
Hi Sherry, thank you so much for your comment. It was fun to base the book on a real event and use that as inspiration to create a story and book that would resonate with readers. That’s a real challenge for non-fiction writers to do. Luckily, Teri using the real-life event to creatively inspire her to write the tale from the perspective of the house gave me lots of wiggle room to create a make-believe version of the house moving. I know Teri did an enormous amount of research. I went to San Francisco to see the house and spent time sketching. Good luck in the drawing!
I have been eagerly anticipating Moving Day! Congratulations! Love all the art you created for the book and with the book!
Thank you so much, Charlotte! I hope you like the book when you see it and good luck in the giveaway!
Great interview! I love the model house you made, Jennifer! Congrats to you both!
Thanks for the house model props, Tina. I enjoyed making her and she really did help me along the way. Good luck in the giveaway!
I love everything about this book – the story and illustrations are so kid-friendly and fun. I can’t wait to read the book and go to SF to see the actual house.
I appreciate your compliments, Claire. Best of luck in the drawing!
This books sounds delightful❤️ you are right, hard for young and ole to move❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Emmie, and best of luck in the giveaway!
Moving is such an important, and evergreen, topic. Writing a story from the perspective of a house that actually moves is an ingenious way to address the many mixed emotions that accompany moving. I can’t wait to read it!
Thank you, Patricia! Teri did an amazing job writing such a relatable and endearing story. Best of luck in the giveaway!
Super excited for this book! So happy for Teri, on her debut, and in awe of Jennifer’s illustrations (and process). Congrats, all!
I can’t wait to check this out — thanks for sharing your story!
I love this book already! The back story, the idea to make it a picture book, the text and the illustrations! I can just image those kids on their bikes ringing their bells! My 5th grade art class is about to start designing their very own Victorian houses, and they’d love this book, too!
Could there be a more charming book about moving?! Thanks for the backstory – this one will win awards!
I’m in love! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book.
I love the idea of telling the story from the house’s perspective! Can’t wait to read this one!
So fun! So clever! Looking forward to reading this one!
The state of TN moved my grandmother’s house when they built the highway so this book definitely intrigues me! I love that the POV is from the house. The illustrations are amazing! Congrats to all!