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🏆Cat Person of the Month: Lee Wardlaw

Today we are pleased to speak with our Cat Person of the Month for November, award-winning children’s book author, Lee Wardlaw!

Lee Wardlaw has shared her life with 30 cats (not all at the same time!) and published 30 books for children, tweens, and teens. Her best-selling picture book WON TON – A CAT TALE TOLD IN HAIKU, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (Holt, ages 4 and up), garnered close to 50 awards, including the Cat Writers’ Association Muse Medallion and the Fancy Feast/Purina Love Story Award. 

 

Lee’s books have received numerous other accolades from such esteemed organizations as the American Library Association, the International Literacy Association, the Children’s Book Council, the National Council of Teachers of English, the Association for Library Service to Children, Bank Street College of Education’s Children’s Book Committee, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, and more. Most recently, the Children’s Literature Council honored Lee with the Dorothy C. McKenzie Award for Distinguished Service to the Field of Children’s Literature. Lee is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the California Reading Association, the Author’s Guild and, yes, even the Cat Writers Association.

 

Today we hear from Lee, who lives in Santa Barbara, CA with her husband and two dog-disdaining cats, Bumblebee and Coconut. 

MY: Lee, welcome to our website. We are so happy to have you!

 

LW: I’m delighted to be here. Thanks for inviting me!

 

MY: Tell us about WON TON. How did you get the idea for the book?

 

LW: When our son, PJ, was 8, his beloved cat, Beau – – with whom he’d grown up – – died of cancer. After a tearful mourning period, PJ asked if he could adopt a kitten from the local animal shelter. We agreed, and spent several hours  there ‘interviewing’ potentials.

Lee's cat, busy at work (Images courtesy of Lee Wardlaw)

The experience was something out of GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS: this kitty was too shy…this kitty, too hissy and spitty…this kitten waaaay too ho-hum. 

 

But THIS kitten – a friendly tabby with an orange belly and an impressive purr – well…he was Just Right. We brought him home, named him Papaya, and he and PJ lived happily-ever-after…

 

Not so fast! Papaya had spent all of his short life in a cage. He wasn’t used to this New Place with all its unfamiliar sights and sounds and aromas. Not to mention two resident felines AND a rather rambunctious 8-year-old boy.

Eventually, though, after an adjustment period, Papaya and PJ became the best of friends. They’d play together, read together, sleep together…sometimes, even drink out of the same cereal bowl together!

About that time, I was searching for an idea for a new project to work on. PJ suggested I write about him and Papaya. What a wise kid! It made perfect sense to create a story about a lonely shelter cat and a lonely boy who find each other and form a fast friendship.

 

MY: Such a nice story : ).  I’m curious, what inspired  you to use Haiku? 

 

LW: I did some research and learned there were already a ton of books on the market about a child or a family getting a new pet. All were told from the point of view of the child, so to make my book stand out, I decided to write it from the POV of the cat. But if a cat were to speak Human, how would that sound?

 

After some careful thought, I decided he should speak in haiku. I mean, cats and that form of Japanese poetry have so much in common! They both live in the Now; they’re both elegant and beautiful; they both speak volumes in only a few choice words. 

The two real-life inspirations for WON TON

MY: So true! Cats’ elegance and beauty makes them excellent subjects for poetry as well, and your books are a great way to help children learn about and appreciate poetry.

 

I know that authors face publishing challenges, and so would think that books written in poetry may have added challenges in a  field considered more crowded with children’s books than ever. How did publishers respond to the book?

 

LW: Initially, ten editors rejected the manuscript.  They raved about the cat and his story, but thought the haiku created a distance between the story and the reader. After two years, the 11th editor fell instantly in love with the book…and WON TON was born.

 

The book sold out of its first printing in one month, and received fabulous reviews from the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Review, Booklist, Kirkus, School Library Journal and more. It also started winning awards.

Lee and illustrator, Eugene Yelchin

MY: What a great success story! I love it! Do you have a story behind the creation of the book’s companion, WON TON AND CHOPSTICK?

 

LW: Since WON TON did so well, my editor asked if I’d write a sequel. That took serious thought because at the end of WON TON, the reader knows the Boy and his Cat are going to live happily-ever-after. So I had to create a conflict that would disrupt Won Ton’s fairy tale life.

 

I did that by having the family adopt a – GASP – puppy. That story became WON TON AND CHOPSTICK – A CAT AND DOG TALE TOLD IN HAIKU.

MY: The perfect solution! I like the idea that the books are told from the cat’s perspective. It’s obvious that you have a strong love for and connection with cats. When did you first fall in love with them?

LW: I honestly don’t remember! I just know that by my first birthday, I had a serious cat-connection, uttering the word ‘kitty’ before I learned ‘Mama’ and ‘Da-da.’ My favorite book at age 3 was PUSSYWILLOW, written by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. I demanded that mom read that book to me several times a day, EVERY day. 


I finally got my first cat when I was 5 or 6. I named him Pit-a-Pat. He was big and fluffy and short on brain cells – and when you petted him he’d drool all over your hand. But I adored him…

The author, age 6

MY: A big, fluffy drooler, lol. He must have really enjoyed those pets. And who is the lucky cat in your life today?

 

LW: CATS! During the Covid lock-down, we needed some fun in our lives. So we adopted The Nut Brothers: Coconut and Kukui Nut.

 

MY: Such cute names! One last question for our viewers with children: You are a mother, and in the past you’ve been an elementary school teacher, the director of a preschool, and you studied for your M.Ed. in Montessori/Child Development. What would you advise parents who ask if they should buy a pet cat for their child?

The Nut Brothers: Coconut and Kukui Nut

LW: First: Don’t buy – – adopt! Shelters are full-to-brimming with kittens and older cats that are in desperate need of good homes.

 

Second: Seriously think about your child’s maturity level before adopting. Kittens are small and fragile, and would not be the best pet for a toddler or pre-schooler – – especially since they tend to bite and scratch! (The kittens not the kids, that is.) (Well, usually!)

 

Third: Make sure your child knows that pets come with responsibility. Talk about the chores your child will be expected to do or help with, such as basic care-and-feeding, scooping and cleaning litter boxes, playtime, etc. 

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MY: Thank you for that advice, and also for reminding our friends about the many cats in shelters, just waiting to be adopted. The Mewla Young family is a “Don’t Shop, Adopt” family, so I’m glad to encourage folks to do so.

 

The holidays are coming, and I know some of our friends will want to buy your books as gifts for themselves or someone else.  Where can readers go to find out more about your books and work, Lee?

 

LW: I have an old clunky website (I’m updating it right now! Pinky swear!) where readers can learn more. And my books are available at most bookstores and on Amazon.

 

If your readers would like to purchase an autographed copy of one of my titles, they may contact me at author@leewardlaw.com. 

Find Lee on social media at:

Website: www.leewardlaw.com

Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/leewardlaw/

Facebook (author page): https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=lee%20wardlaw%2C%20author%2C%20teacher%2C%20cat-lover

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/leewardlaw/

Twitter: @LeeWardlaw

Instagram: LeeWardlaw55

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